Apart from its utility in showing unsuspected possibilities, philosophy has a value—perhaps its chief value—through the greatness of the objects which it contemplates, and the freedom from narrow and personal aims resulting from this contemplation. The life of the instinctive man is shut up within the circle of his private interests: family and friends may be included, but the outer world is not regarded except as it may help or hinder what comes within the circle of instinctive wishes. In such a life there is something feverish and confined, in comparison with which the philosophic life is calm and free. The private world of instinctive interests is a small one, set in the midst of a great and powerful world which must, sooner or later, lay our private world in ruins. Unless we can so enlarge our interests as to include the whole outer world, we remain like a garrison in a beleagured fortress, knowing that the enemy prevents escape and that ultimate surrender is inevitable. In such a life there is no peace, but a constant strife between the insistence of desire and the powerlessness of will. In one way or another, if our life is to be great and free, we must escape this prison and this strife.
One way of escape is by philosophic contemplation. Philosophic contemplation does not, in its widest survey, divide the universe into two hostile camps—friends and foes, helpful and hostile, good and bad—it views the whole impartially. Philosophic contemplation, when it is unalloyed, does not aim at proving that the rest of the universe is akin to man. All acquisition of knowledge is an enlargement of the Self, but this enlargement is best attained when it is not directly sought. It is obtained when the desire for knowledge is alone operative, by a study which does not wish in advance that its objects should have this or that character, but adapts the Self to the characters which it finds in its objects. This enlargement of Self is not obtained when, taking the Self as it is, we try to show that the world is so similar to this Self that knowledge of it is possible without any admission of what seems alien. The desire to prove this is a form of self-assertion and, like all self-assertion, it is an obstacle to the growth of Self which it desires, and of which the Self knows that it is capable. Self-assertion, in philosophic speculation as elsewhere, views the world as a means to its own ends; thus it makes the world of less account than Self, and the Self sets bounds to the greatness of its goods. In contemplation, on the contrary, we start from the not-Self, and through its greatness the boundaries of Self are enlarged; through the infinity of the universe the mind which contemplates it achieves some share in infinity. — Bertrand Russell
Do you? Or is it just because there are over 300 million of you?America stands as perhaps the only nation that devotes astronomical sums of money to charity and foreign affairs? — Wallows
Well, is caring through charity the real response?People (myself included), often become depressed when confronted with the misery of the world. Their powerlessness becomes a source of supreme frustration. The caring aspect of oneself turns on itself due to internalizing these issues and one becomes stuck in their own poop. Therefore what's the solution? To start caring even more? How? — Wallows
You really should ask and look how absolute povetry was eradicated in various countries, how countries that have been poor have gotten more affluent. And we've seen the biggest reduction in absolute povetry in the World during this era. Even if charity is a good thing, seldom has some voluntary charity been the answer in eradicating povetry historically. — ssu
With the Betrand Russell quote, well, just what concrete solutions does it give? Because that is what we need, concrete answers to real problems. Usually people aren't happy with the answers at all. — ssu
Not only capitalism and a free economy. Also you need strong institutions, political stability, a rule of law and a justice state, which are necessary for a well functioning economy. Otherwise capitalism will bring you corruption and at worst, a cleptrocracy where those in power will steal the wealth of your country and leave the population poor. The possibility of social upward mobility is also important: that even if you come from a poor background, you can rise to a more affluent class. Wealth distribution is important, which comes from things like that ordinary people can find decent jobs and can get affordable loans to buy a home for themselves, which the next generation can inherit. Hence wealth distribution doesn't only mean that you take from the rich and give to the poor through taxation, but that the labour force gets it share through better wages and has the ability to get loans just like the rich can. Hence povetry isn't eradicated by the wealthy giving alms to the poor, it's eradicated by the poor having the ability to improve their lives themselves.Then what has been the deciding factor in reducing absolute poverty? Economics? — Wallows
Therefore what's the solution? To start caring even more? — Wallows
How? — Wallows
Some might argue if this is really charity. As there are far more people than cars (1 billion of them), the two car limit doesn't sound as a sacrifice. (Especially if you're single)The greatest act of charity any such society could perform for the world is declare: "We have enough. We are satisfied. I can live with one car instead of two. I do not need luxury toothpaste. Eating meat twice a week, instead of seven, is enough for me." — Tzeentch
Of course one can give donations to charities and even volunteer. Yet wouldn't be giving a job to an unemployed person be even more of a help?There are a whole host of ways to help other people. — Bitter Crank
Of course one can give donations to charities and even volunteer. Yet wouldn't be giving a job to an unemployed person be even more of a help? — ssu
There are a whole host of ways to help other people. — Bitter Crank
Foreign aid given Per Capita
1. Norway $812.58
2. Sweden $701.10
3. Luxembourg $609.48
4. Denmark $447.05
5. Switzerland $421.37
6. Netherlands $338.38
7. United Kingdom $284.85
8. Finland $234.13 — ssu
I'm not suggesting you start with anything more than quite small efforts. I picture you as being in your house most of the time. A worthwhile goal would be to go outside for a short walk every day. Do you do things of that sort? Do you have a yard in which you could mess around with? Plant some seeds, watch them grow. — Bitter Crank
Foreign aid given Per Capita
1. Norway $812.58
2. Sweden $701.10
3. Luxembourg $609.48
4. Denmark $447.05
5. Switzerland $421.37
6. Netherlands $338.38
7. United Kingdom $284.85
8. Finland $234.13 — ssu
And of course the question ought to be just how astronomical your charity is without universal health care, absence of free education or other "socialist" things that other, poorer countries pay with taxes? — ssu
Are you sarcastic, Hanover?Your comment about the generosity of Americans being explainable due to their lack of spending on healthcare doesn't follow. Americans are the most personally generous nation and they spend the most per capita on healthcare. — Hanover
Are your universities also free? In fact only the UK is comparable in tuitions to the US.Education in America is free from kindergarten to 12th grade. Pre-kindergarten and college is also free in my state. — Hanover
Are your universities also free? In fact only the UK is comparable in tuitions to the US. — ssu
You may think I´m Mr Scrooge, but actually I´ve been a volunteer in the past with Cáritas, Manos Unidas, green groups, and helped people I did not even know. I´ve also been on the receiving end of charity when I was in dire straits. But precisely those experiences taught me that there was a much more ethical and healthy way to act in the world. — DiegoT
Are you sarcastic, Hanover? — ssu
Are your universities also free? In fact only the UK is comparable in tuitions to the US. — ssu
I think American culture is hypocritical — Drek
We are prisoner's of our own minds. We need to be free. — Drek
How do you teach children ethics? How do you teach people to care? — Drek
***American Federation of Police & Concerned Citizens
Titusville, Fla.
***Disabled Police and Sheriffs Foundation
Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
***Firefighters Charitable Foundation
Farmingdale, N.Y.
***National Association of Chiefs of Police
Titusville, Fla.
***United States Deputy Sheriff's Association
Wichita, Kan.
Veterans
***Disabled Veterans National Foundatio
Lanham, Md.
***Help Heal Veterans
Winchester, Calif.
***Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation
Annandale, Va.
***Paralyzed Veterans of America
Washington, D.C.
***Veterans Support Foundation
Silver Spring, Md.
***California Police Youth Charities
Sacramento, Calif.
***Law Enforcement Education Program
Troy, Mich. — Consumers Union
My hypothesis is government and business are in bed together. — Drek
How...do...we...live? So morals are dead? So fuck the founding father's then? What do we use as guidance then? Satan? — Drek
IF they are doing that, what is our obligations then? — Drek
Just take it up tha ass? — Drek
So what are we really then a corpocracy? — Drek
Wrong, you simply have to take into account all of the expenses. Just as Tzeentch above comments.Your position was that an American charitable giving evaluation had to account for the selfish withholding of money from public healthcare. — Hanover
And here there are no tuitions for universities. Hence, and hopefully you would get my point, to compare the the two systems you have to look at how much more taxes then I pay than you. So if you give to voluntary charities there, you do have to take into account similar aid is given otherwise through taxes.I pay $4,000 total tuition per year for 2 kids both at major research universities (that's $1,000 per semester for each child) — Hanover
Indeed. I've myself pointed out that basically in research and the volume of scientific papers just one single Ivy League university, MIT, is equivalent in scale to all universities and R&D sector here. Btw, in MIT nine months’ tuition and fees for 2017–2018 are $49,892. (Should be added that a third of the students attend tuition-free and half have scholarships. The other half however...)The world fills our universities, they are open to all levels of achievement, and are the envy of the world. — Hanover
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