Time wasting 23 Aug 2009 Sometimes I am asked why they, the questioner, should bother with philosophical questions. I am often at a loss to say why, because it is so damned obvious to me we must address the metaquestions. So I was pleased to find this post at Maverick Philosopher: People talk glibly about wasting time on this, that, and the other thing — but without reflecting on what it is to waste time. People think they know which activities are time-wasters, philosophy for example. But to know what wastes time, one would have to know what is a good, a non-wasteful, use of time. And one would presumably also have to know that one ought to use one’s time well. One uses one’s time well when one uses it in pursuit of worthy ends. But which ends are worthy? Does this question have an answer? Does it even make sense? And if it does, what sense does it make? And what is the answer? Now these are all philosophical questions. Someone who holds that philosophy is a waste of time must therefore hold that these questions are a waste of time. He must simply and dogmatically assume answers to them. He must assume that the question about choice-worthy ends makes sense and has an answer. And he must assume that he has the answer. He must assume that he knows, for example, that piling up consumer goods, or chasing after name and fame, is the purpose of human existence. Or he must assume that getting to heaven, or bringing down capitalism, or ‘helping other people,’ is the purpose of human existence. Go read the rest… Philosophy
Philosophy Yes, the bushfires are made worse by climate change 30 Jan 202030 Jan 2020 Says this report by the Washington Post. They note: “Australia, colored a crimson red, sticks out on the global map.” Read More
History A philosophical apology from 1919 for not being pro-war 21 Jan 201221 Jan 2012 Leiter posted the PDF of this on his site. I can’t help but reproduce some of the choicer quotes: “DEAR FRIEND: Your letter gently but un-mistakably intimates that I am a slacker, a slacker in peace as well as in war; that when the World war was raging bitterly I… Read More
Accommodationism Accommodating Science overview 13 Mar 2014 I have done quite a lot of blogging under this heading lately so I thought it might be useful to get all the posts used in order: On beliefs Why do believers believe silly things? The function of denialism Why do believers believe THOSE silly things? The “developmental hypothesis” of… Read More
Are you recommending that we read the post or the blog? The blog is, well, different than my usual reading.
Some folks never think outside the box. I have been able to do it on occasion, only to find myself in another, larger box.