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Philosophy as a public service
- yipbub 7y agoI like this, but wonder if this kind of art is at all accessible to the people who need to hear its message.
- pboutros 7y agoGood question. I'm certain it isn't, but also, you can't give all things for all people. These thought experiments are useful, interesting, and appealing to certain segments of people. There should be different ways to transmit the same message to others, instead of looking for 'one-size-fits-all'.
- nathias 7y agoI don't see how this has anything to do with philosophy, thought experiments as such arent't philosophical, some philosophy (mostly anglosphere) just uses them to draw conclusions from common sense intuitions. This kind of 'philosophy' has been a public service for as long as art exists which often draws from concepts of science and philosophy and presents it in a easily digestible form to common sense.
- jeliotj 7y agoIt begs the question of what philosophy is. If it is "love of wisdom", as the Ancient Greeks suggested, then it seeks to know all things. That is, it seeks knowledge of what is, not of what is most likely, which is the domain of modern science.
- finaliteration 7y ago> begs the question I normally wouldn’t be pedantic about this but because this is a discussion about philosophy I have to point out that it doesn’t “beg the question”. “Begging the question” is an informal logical fallacy where an argument’s premises assume that its conclusion is true so it ends up being circular. I think you mean it “raises the question”.
- SantalBlush 7y agoIt was clear from the context that "begs the question" here essentially means "raises the question," as is often the case. If there is no confusion, there should be no need for clarification.
- jcims 7y agoThe problem is 'begs the question' is not an intuitive phrase to describe the formal definition, so we're going to be stuck with this correction forever. At this point I feel it has only survived as a form of shibboleth.
- throwlaplace 7y ago>The problem is 'begs the question' is not an intuitive phrase to describe the formal definition it does if you look at the etymology; beg comes begging off i.e. asking for exemption from something. it's archaic at this point of course but still fairly intelligible in that use; "he begged off doing his chores".
- philwelch 7y agoYou’d think that, but we pedants managed to rescue the word “ironic” at one point.
- GauntletWizard 7y agoBut you've figuratively lost "literally".
- philwelch 7y agoThat's just highly advanced irony; using the word "literally" non-literally.
- jeliotj 7y agoYou're correct, I appreciate you noting that.
- shard972 7y agoPostmodernist's would disagree with you heavily that the two domains intersect. Philosophy goal is uncover truth where science is restricted mostly to the realm of facts and empirical truths. An example would be the question of the meaning of life, science has little ability to answer this question other that to claim it doesn't actually exist or it's just a complex expression of atoms working together where with philosophy there are countless ways to answer this age old question.
- gloriousduke 7y agoThis may sound absurd, but you actually need some (mostly settled) philosophy to determine what “facts and empirical truths” are.
- shard972 7y agoYes i agree and that is probably what my original point should have been. There is a common thread ive seen among alot of people today where everything is understood through a truth lens of science based materialism as it is inherently assumed in western culture that the source of all truth is science. It's a topic that could be debated for years but I think a lot of the issues around fake news are heavily influenced by this cultural bias and the inability for people to reason about events conveyed to them by unreliable facts.
- pmoriarty 7y ago"it seeks knowledge of what is, not of what is most likely, which is the domain of modern science" Physics, arguably the bedrock and most "certain" of the sciences, has long struggled with what the phenomena it studies actually are, leading to a "shut up and calculate" attitude popularized by Feynman, where physicists just throw their hands up and focus on the mathematics and abstractions rather than engaging with the ultimate what and why questions, which they leave (rightly) to philosophy. The boundary questions (for example, what is physics, what is chemistry, what are their proper objects of study, and so on) are also philosophical questions, and not anything any amount of empirical study, hypothesizing, predicting, or model-making can solve. Questions about what humanity as a whole, any subgroup of humans, or any individual one of us should do are also not amenable to scientific inquiry. Neither are questions of what is right and wrong. Science can only ever be descriptive, not prescriptive.
- bscphil 7y agoI have a degree in philosophy, and I agree with you. I don't see what this article has to do with philosophy as it's understood academically, and I'm also pretty unsure what the (rather self-aggrandizing) title (the site uses the title Philosophy Is a Public Service) has to do with the contents, since there's very little there to defend that claim or even talking about philosophy's role in the public sphere at all. A more apt title would be "How I Developed Several Public Art Projects".
- gowld 7y agoThe artist has a degree in philospophy, so he calls his art philosophy. Is putting a ring on a tree to measure its growth (and highlight the lack thereof) any more "art" than "philosophy"?
- idoubtit 7y agoIn this case, philosophy clearly is an art. Creating artistic sculptures, imagining a long-term future, playing with the notion of time, inducing debates… all of this is relevant of arts. From my experience, this is not specific to this philosopher: modern philosophy is the art of playing with words and concepts. Philosophy is indeed a public service, even if it's rather a niche one. People have a large access to many kind of arts and activities. Some will enjoy reading etiology books or discussing ethical themes, some will visit museums, some will watch Scorcese's movies, many will watch Avenger entertainments. We all need some kind of artistic culture around us. So philosophy is a public service because some part of the public enjoys it to the point that it is important in their life. This "public service" status is not restricted to arts and entertainment. For instance, the science on the human evolution has no practical goal — extending knowledge has no direct impact on us. Just like philosophy, it will not really influence the way we live. Yet many people want to know more about human origins, which is a excellent reason for continuing research.
- tyri_kai_psomi 7y agoEverything is an art. Science is an art. Even "pure mathematics" can be artful and beautiful. There is beauty in all the miracle of the application of human creation, thought, and skill. There is beauty in process, in discovery, of discovery, etc. And this is all so beautifully meta as well, because this too, is a philosophical statement.
- crimsonalucard 7y agoYes it's beautifully meta. This happens because everything that exists and doesn't exist including philosophy itself falls under the purview of philosophy. It's the ultimate definition given to a word. Now imagine this brain twisting concept: The Philosophy of "The Philosophy of philosophy." Yes discussions about philosophy are in itself philosophy and that by induction causes an infinite chain to form where you can talk about the the philosophy of philosophy of philosophy ... Let's get even more meta. What do we call discussions and debates about this infinite long chain of philosophy? Imagine a higher order description, a word that describes the nature of the infinite chain but is in itself above it. Some people call this word "philosophy" as well but that will simply create another infinite long chain of meta definitions that never ends. Yes you can do this, and you can keep doing this, but let's again go a level higher above it all. What is the word that describes every possible usage of philosophy, every possible infinite chain of meta descriptions that could exist? Believe it or not a word for it does exist that sits above all possible usages of philosophy, but the word and concept itself is so mind blowing that I can only give you the acronym for it and leave it up to you to deduce what it stands for. The acronym is B. S. Think on that. Side note: If you have trouble figuring it out: I have found that some of my most novel ideas pop out when I'm sitting on the toilet. It's a quiet and safe area and thus a good place to think and find the answer.
- Thorentis 7y agoI wanted more exploration of the Bristlecone time thought experiment. How did you anticipate people's actions changing based on adherence to this new time? If a tree year is now 2 earth years (for example) , how does that change our behaviour, and how does this have a positive/negative effect on the environment (which is presumably the aim of this thought experiment?) How does one properly adhere to this new time in order to have the desired positive effect?
- rahuldottech 7y agoRelatedly, if anyone is looking to get started with philosophy, Crash Course has a fantastic video series on it: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNgK6MZucdYldNkMybYIHKR https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNgK6MZucdY...
- brudgers 7y agoAnother approach is just listening to what philosophers are thinking. The Philosophy Bites podcast catalog is great for that. https://philosophybites.com/ https://philosophybites.com/
- pmoriarty 7y agoAnother excellent philosophy podcast is The Partially Examined Life: https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/ https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/
- xtiansimon 7y agoI’ve listened to every episode since they were recommended on Slate Culture Gabfest in 2014
- lbotos 7y agoI enjoyed http://philosophizethis.org/ http://philosophizethis.org/ for another option!
- jakobloekke 7y agoMe too. This is one of my favourite podcasts.
- bananamerica 7y agoAnother approach is reading a few articles from https://www.iep.utm.edu/ https://www.iep.utm.edu/ and http://plato.stanford.edu/ http://plato.stanford.edu/ But IMHO the best course of action would be to acquire logic proficiency first. And no, I'm not talking about the logic programmers usually know, but rather formal and informal philosophical logic. Proficiency in logic is to philosophy like reading sheet music is to music. You can get by without it, but it will help you immensely.
- DrNuke 7y agoThe problem with philosophy that irks so many over here mainly stays in the anglophone curricula these days, which prepare pupils analytically aka to function (get a job, be independent, start a family, pay taxes, buy goods) instead of continentally aka to live (grow a conscience, ask who you are, live for experience, avoid authority, exchange and reuse goods). Another point is that competitive societies do not rate aggregative unfruitful manners, which also shows in the borderly sociopathic attitude towards any kind of regulation.
- shashanoid 7y agoPhilosophy is dead. Dead words nothing else -- a therapy. Transformation only possible through meditation.
- shard972 7y agoHow do you know mediation is the answer to anything without Philosophy?
- crimsonalucard 7y agoI call B.S. on this.
- SketchySeaBeast 7y ago> Transformation only possible through meditation. Descarte's Meditations on First Philosophy? That's quite a place to start.
- dr_dshiv 7y agoIf you want to really understand philosophy, start with Pythagoras, the man coined the term Philosophy and Cosmos -- and conducted the first attested scientific experiment in history. His legacy, through Plato, was resurrected as a key element of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. It makes modern philosophy look like a sad farce since this legacy of modern thought probably isn't taught in a single modern philosophy course (happy to be proven wrong).
- mod50ack 7y agoIf my "modern philosophy course" you mean a course dealing with only modern philosophy, then of course not: they're not seeking to delve into the ancient history, but deal with whatever era is on the docket. That's not the point of the course. But philosophy majors at many universities do have to deal with that as well. It just isn't the focus of a course in modern or contemporary phil. But as for courses dealing with presocratic philosophy, history of ancient Greek philosophy, mathematic and science ... They most certainly do exist and deal with exactly this legacy.
- dr_dshiv 7y agoBut the point of learning about Pythagoreanism isn't to learn ancient history. It is to learn philosophy. And if pythagoreanism-platonism is the most influential thread of philosophy of all time, then modern philosophy would need to obviate that legacy (like modern chemistry obviates ancient chemistry), integrate it, or simply remain ignorant of it.
- SketchySeaBeast 7y agoYou wouldn't start a Tudor England history course with the Roman Empire just because they had historical influence. You'd probably be aware of the linking via the introductory courses. Not every course needs to discuss every facet of a topic, foundational or not.
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- acephal 7y agoThe article is more about the hoped-for value of mimicking survival mechanisms found in nature in order to endure climate change rather than explaining "Philosophy as a public service". I actually think that once you're in the realm of implementation you're no longer in the realm of philosophy, which should, IMO, remain abstract. A book like "A Thousand Plateaus", "Being and Time", "The Critique of Pure Reason" are philosophical works of art but I wouldn't consider the pinecone clock a philosophical work of art but rather inspired, and clever, engineering.
- Der_Einzige 7y agoSigh Why do people here like Deleuze and Guattari? They're intellectual charlatans of the highest caliber.
- ukj 7y agoOnce you are in the realm of implementation Philosophical/theoretical idealism goes out the window. No story survives contact with reality, and that is all Philosophy gives us - stories. A.k.a theories. Risk management requires counter-factual reasoning.
- lordleft 7y agoThe greatest public service Philosophy can provide is helping us become better people. This is philosophy as understood in the Socratic tradition, and many people have since forgotten this once chief aim of philosophical endeavor.
- xenologist 7y agoI believe what the world needs now is philosophy. What we're experiencing is a crisis of meaning. Philosophy is a shield against meaninglessness and conceptual confusion. In an information environment full of overabundant conflicting and clashing signals, we need philosophy to straighten it out and confer order to the perceptual field. The fact that many people don't understand or hold philosophy in contempt is a major disservice to their own capacity for mastering their intellectual horizons. As Chesterton said, philosophy is simply thought that has been thought out. We're going to work with thoughts either way, but if we haven't thought it out, we are sleepwalking, under the influence of a foreign presence we have not taken the time to identify and dissect.
- simmanian 7y agoI think the crisis of meaning is happening because existing philosophies do not provide enough value anymore in today's world. I believe a non-reductionist and non-dualistic worldview can be the solution. We must see that the world is not a "war of all men against all men" as Hobbes describes in the Leviathan, and realize we are all interdependent beings that exist as expressions of relationships, which we form together.
- merpnderp 7y agoBut it is in our very DNA to war for status and prestige. Every animal does it, there's a pecking order for every species. No brain surgeon will happily get stuck taking out the trash because a philosopher says we all need to get along and stop striving for position. Philosophy should be telling us that hierarchies are natural and playing the game is healthy, as even if you're on the low end there's still plenty of game to "win".
- bittercynic 7y agoI don't think it is universal or unavoidable to have to play games to establish yourself in a pecking order. In many situations it seems like we work together with our fellow humans towards some common goal, or just enjoy each other's company. This is just one middle-aged mid-status dude's perspective, though, seems your perspective is in conflict with mine.
- pdonis 7y agoThis article isn't about philosophy, it's about science. The author is making scientific claims and advocating scientific methods of measurement. If the scientific claims the author is making are false, or even if the error involved in the measurements is significantly larger than he believes it is, his entire scheme falls apart.
- 11thEarlOfMar 7y agoWhen I was in college, my friends/housemates and I took out an ad in the yellow pages under 'Philosophers'. We were 'Murvanowski & Associates, Philosophers at Large'. Each of us specialized in a philosophy, spanning Realism, Epicureanism, Daoism and of course, Hedonism. Every couple of weeks, we'd get a call from a student who had stumbled on us when trying to reach the Pharmacy, while simultaneously struggling with their Philosophy course. We liked to think we did provide a valuable public service.
- senderista 7y agoThis is interesting as public performance art, but has nothing to do with either philosophy or realistic solutions to climate change and mass extinction.
- Fezzik 7y agoIt is tangential, but I’ll take this opportunity to plug one of the best* podcasts ever: The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps. If you want thought provoking summaries of philosophical thought, spanning the history of philosophy, this podcast is for you. I have no affiliation with it, I just enjoy it: https://historyofphilosophy.net/ https://historyofphilosophy.net/ * subjectively, from a person with a BA in Philosophy and a JD, FWIW.