4 ms·
For me, it was the difference between “is” and “ought”. It sounds obvious when you first think about it, but I spent a vast majority of my 20’s with a view of
by buzzert 4y ago
For me, it was the difference between “is” and “ought”.
It sounds obvious when you first think about it, but I spent a vast majority of my 20’s with a view of the world filled with “oughts” instead of “is’s”, especially when it comes to things I can’t control. I.e., people “ought” to behave a certain way, versus the way people actually behave. The way companies/governments “ought” to operate, versus the way they actually do.
Thinking in terms of “oughts” can really cloud your judgement in ways that you might not be totally aware of. I guess this is kind of like the “realpolitik” philosophy, but coming to this realization in my early 30’s actually made me a lot happier and less confused about why the world is the way it is.
- satvikpendem 4y agoAre you familiar with the is-ought problem? Somewhat related. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is%E2%80%93ought_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is%E2%80%93ought_problem
- buzzert 4y agoOh wow, I wasn’t but this perfectly sums it up! Learned it the hard way. “Fact-value” is another good way of putting it.
- satvikpendem 4y agoYeah, David Hume has some good works. I recommend you read Treatise of Human Nature if you can, and follow along with commentary rather than trying to parse it all on your own, I took a class on modern philosophy where we covered it.