Philosophy (2)
Why Philosophy Matters
Philosophy is a field that once combined all the sciences and had considerable influence. Over time that influence waned, to an extent that philosophy is now simply one of the humanities, a “second order” discipline that some people wonder what it’s useful for…
#28 ·
Highlights From Paine’s “Common Sense”
“Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.”
#27 ·
Highlights From Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”
Launching a new series of highlights and factoids from public domain books, classic or not, that had piqued my interest, and perhaps excite yours. Here from American polymath Henry David Thoreau.
#26 ·
Life’s Golden Rules
From all my cheeky laws and a number of absolutistic posts you already know I have a thing for dramaturgy. The same here.
#25 ·
The Bio Enhancement Dilemma
Or, what if Donald Trump was Iron Man.
#24 ·
The Dilemma of the Kind Person
Imagine a fine human being who has a laudable goal. She wants to become a genuinely, cordially, most truly kind person. So she works on her objective…
#23 ·
On Rationality, and Love
Philosophy can be heart-breaking, or—
#22 · · misc
On Consciousness
Speaking of which.
#21 ·
New Book: “How to Work on Oneself”
Doubt led me to explore ways to grow, doubt now led me to ask my editor three times whether to publish under a pseudonym: I sketched, in what resembles an essay, how to learn, how to grow, or—How to Work on Oneself.
#20 · · books
Problems, No Problems, Desires
In my own non-academic studies I’ve found common definitions of “problem” unsatisfying. I’ve tried to redefine “problem” for something more flexible, leading to a redefinition I believe to hold up well. Philosophize together with me.
#19 ·
Humanity and “The Other Manifesto”
On a wish for more work on a vision, on values, on principles, on goals actually worth striving for, on utopias, on a good future, a good cause, a good world for all of us.
Stream Theory
Not just since the Law of Attraction is there this idea of “like attracts like,” of self-fulfilling prophecies, of better being “careful” what we wish for. There’s another concept that I do like to work with though, in another thought experiment.
#17 ·
Philosophy Factoids
Meanwhile.
#16 ·
On Mistakes
What is a mistake, really?
#15 ·
On the Anatomy of Beliefs
From a philosophical viewpoint, here a strictly solipsistic one, any statement is a belief. Beliefs are important because they determine how we interpret, and per some schools of thought, make our realities…
#14 ·
The 1,000 Lives Thought Experiment
Open up a text editor or grab a piece of paper, and write down what you’d do if you had another life. Or what you’d wish for in another life. Assume that anything goes…
#13 ·
On Science Experimenting on Life
There are boundaries, and some boundaries must be non-negotiable.
#12 · · advocacy
The Teaching Dilemma
Maybe we’re here to learn, but is it at all said that we can be taught?
#11 ·
Fear and the Creative Dilemma
In the Seth school of thought there’s an interesting issue, the creative dilemma. In short, there’s identity which constantly attempts to maintain stability, there’s action which inherently drives towards change, and that combination results in a particular imbalance—
#10 ·
Several Lives
I have no doubt that we live several lives. I have no doubt for there’s an entirely different belief system, an entirely different thought framework, that supports this model. Here, though, I want to isolate a single idea, the one of multiple lives, as opposed to one life.
#9 ·
Two Realities
Wundt wrote in 1911 how “a human being is a psycho-physical and not only a physical unity,” and here we’re thinking about that a little, aloud.
#8 ·
Loving Technology
I love the idea of caring, of loving technology. I believe we need technology that is loving. I think we have ample opportunities to envision and build technology that is loving. Here I’ll be brief and merely bring up the concept.
#7 · · advocacy
On the Problems and Limits of Science
Science can’t explain everything. It never could. It never will. Yet science is run as if it could explain everything. It is run completely unchecked. And this unchecked pretense of omniscience and omnipotence is a problem for us for a number of reasons.
#6 ·
On Taking Life
We cannot accept killing. The default must be to respect, to cherish life. We should get help to those who suggest to take lives. Eight theses on a most critical matter.
#5 · · advocacy
The One Assumption About Our Reality
We’re bringing 2014 to an end, and just as with 2013 I like to close with something constructive, something encouraging.
#4 ·
Lessons From Writing a Dream Journal
I love dreaming. I love dreams. Dreams are fascinating. I’ve learned that dreams are realities just as real as this one, physical reality. I’ve learned that much when it comes to dream memory depends on one’s own beliefs with respect to dreaming…
#3 · · misc
A Social-Philosophical Journey in 25 Quotes
I was reviewing my Google+ posts the other day. In there I rediscovered a good number of quotes. What connected most of them were my studies. And when I looked at them I found they sort of tell a little story.
#2 ·
Product of the Environment
Philosophy, live from Zurich airport.
#1 ·