The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other — T Clark
I don't think it is any pre-requisite to read Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant and so on, to engage in and participate in discussion. — Manuel
I don't particularly like advertising this but, it's relevant to the OP. As someone who has a PhD in philosophy, I must say, I think you are 100% correct. "Philosophy" is much, much broader than the Western tradition, and insights come from all aspects of life.
I would only put in the caveat that I think topics like free will or materialism are interesting - to those that find them interesting, which includes me. However, if that's not something that floats your boat, then that's perfectly fine. — Manuel
Yes, the Father was one of my favorite religious philosophers. — T Clark
I want to make it clear that I wasn't criticizing people who find their way in philosophy through the writings of the great philosophers. — T Clark
Actually, I'm hoping that someone will make a good case that I should be reading those books. I wonder what I'm missing, but my understanding of the world doesn't feel like anything is missing. — T Clark
I want to make it clear that I wasn't criticizing people who find their way in philosophy through the writings of the great philosophers. Actually, I'm hoping that someone will make a good case that I should be reading those books. I wonder what I'm missing, but my understanding of the world doesn't feel like anything is missing. — T Clark
Nope, you don't. I well remember, though, what was said to us on earning our undergraduate degrees, "Welcome to the community of educated persons!" But it's true that education takes many forms. Tell us, though, when ignorance was ever an indication that a job would be well done.I don’t need no stinking.., or any of those guys. — T Clark
Tell us, though, when ignorance was ever an indication that a job would be well done. — tim wood
What do you think the philosophers that made contributions to science? Pierre-Simon Laplace, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and Isaac Newton (just to name a few). Back then great thinkers that were empirical minded were called "natural philosophers". Currently (unfortunately?) "natural philosophy" has been largely replaced by "science".In my defense, although I have not studied philosophy formally, I have been a practicing field epistemologist for 30 years. As an engineer, my job was to know things, know how I knew them, understand the uncertainties in my knowledge, and the consequences of being wrong. Then I had to write summaries of all of those factors for other, sometimes non-professional, decision makers. I think this experience has given me insights that reading and studying would never have given me. — T Clark
So, I’d like to put forth the hypothesis that I don’t need no stinking Kant, or Hegel, or Schopenhauer, or Kneechee, or any of those guys. I have expressed my skepticism about western philosophy many times before on the forum. Rather than being defensive about it, I have decided to raise laziness to the level of sanctified philosophical principle. Stop reading, arguing, writing, building little intellectual kingdoms out of the sand of your benighted psyches. Just pay attention. To the world and to yourself. — T Clark
Apes together strong. Ape sitting a room ruminating on air, almost certianly utterly moronic. — StreetlightX
Stanley Fish (a critic I am no real fan of) has a routine he calls 'philosophy doesn't matter'. His argument is while it is true that people hold views about things (derived from philosophical positions in a haphazard way), essentially no one makes any serious decisions in their life - who to live with, what house to buy, where to work, where to shop, who to vote for, etc - based on the problem of induction, whether math is discovered or invented, or if physicalism is false, etc. — Tom Storm
Fish picked examples of impractical philosophy. — hanaH
Or consider the philosophes who freed us from the dominance of superstition. — hanaH
Actually, I'm hoping that someone will make a good case that I should be reading those books. — T Clark
Agree. Or consider the scientists who freed us from disease and gave us cell phones. I don't read any science if I can help it. — Tom Storm
Until the middle of the 20th century, infant mortality was approximately 40–60% of the total mortality of the population. If we do not take into account child mortality in total mortality, then the average life expectancy in the 12–19 centuries was approximately 55 years. If a medieval person was able to survive childhood, then he had about a 50% chance of living up to 50–55 years. That is, in reality, people did not die when they lived to be 25–40 years old, but continued to live about twice as long.[5]
Most of the controversy in philosophy is related to differences in metaphysics and the fact that most philosophers don’t recognize that ways of seeing reality are not right or wrong, they are just more or less useful ways of seeing things — T Clark
You're a pragmatist. We get that. Not everyone has to agree with your pragmatism.“Pragmatism” by Willilam James has helped me put my thoughts into words. — T Clark
Apes together strong. Ape sitting a room ruminating on air, utterly moronic. — StreetlightX
Stop reading, arguing, writing, building little intellectual kingdoms out of the sand of your benighted psyches. — T Clark
Sure, if you just make things up. — StreetlightX
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.