Home, tired, and amused 10 Nov 2009 I arrived after a not-too-shabby flight on a Qantas A388. The American couple next to me couldn’t believe it was built by the French; I pointed out that a few other European countries also contributed. I actually slept for a while. Anyway, nothing sensible is going to come from me for a while, so here’s a page at 3 Quarks Daily on short definitions of philosophy. Some examples: Philosophy is the cure for which there is no adequate disease. Jerry Fodor He is a quantum philosopher. I can’t understand him and his position at the same time. S. Morganbesser His paper has a beginning, a muddle, and an end. Anon. Hegel loses a lot in the original. D. Stove Power corrupts. Powerpoint corrupts absolutely. Steffi Lewis Administrative Humor Philosophy
Administrative Oh ghods, I’m on TV 24 May 2008 Nothing is more excruciating to me than to see myself and hear myself. It’s even worse when I’m up against someone who presents so much better than I do. So watch Paul Myers (I think that’s how they spell his name) and me talk about Stuff at Bloggingheads.TV. The video… Read More
Epistemology On the suspension of belief and disbelief 9 Nov 201127 Nov 2011 I have often addressed the distinction between atheism and agnosticism but I haven’t said a lot about what agnosticism involves, apart from it being a suspension of judgement about belief claims. So a few remarks are in order, prompted (but probably misreading) a recent paper by Jane Friedman, “Rational Agnosticism… Read More
… nothing sensible is going to come from me for a while …. No problem. Just let us know when (if) you make the switchover.
Or if the switch does not happen take some philosophical comfort from the words of Ben Franklyn. “The Pleasure arising to a few Philosophers, from seeing, a few Times in their Life, the Threads of Light untwisted, and separated by the Newtonian Prism into seven Colours, can it be compared with the Ease and Comfort every Man living might feel seven times a Day, by discharging freely the Wind from his Bowels?
“Were all men philosophers, the business of life could not be executed, and neither society, nor even the species, could long exist.” William Smellie, 1791
I still find myself with a case of culture shock when it comes to both science and philosophy, most of my family are historians. When philosophy works and cuts through the material making it sing, its a joy. But it seems to be rather a bitch to work with and requires considerable effort getting there.