Encyclopedia of Philosophy Logical Paradoxes 25 Great Thinkers Every College Student Should Read By Donna Scott College is for expanding one’s intellectual horizons. Unfortunately, drinking and having fun, can distract from learning about history’s great thinkers. Western Philosophers Western universities understandably tend to focus on Western philosophers and thinkers. Ralph Waldo Emerson: Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Emerson was an influential figure in the first recognized American school of philosophical thought. Eastern Thinkers Eastern philosophies have proven influential on figures throughout history from Marco Polo to the Beatles. Confucius: A Chinese thinker and social philosopher, Confucius emphasized personal and institutional morality as well as justice and proper social relationships.Avicenna: This Persian mathematician is perhaps one of the most widely known Muslim philosophers. Statesman Polls show few people trust politicians. Winston Churchill: In his nation’s darkest hour, Winston Churchill served as a beacon of inspiration and support. Writers and Artists
An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments Logical Fallacies Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave" "In fact, you get pretty good at understanding how the patterns in the show work, and everyone else chained up is like, 'Holy shit bro, how did you know that that tree was going to fall on that guy?' and you're like, 'It's because I fucking pay attention and I'm smart as shit.' You're the smartest of the chained, and they all revere you." Glaucon: "But Socrates, a tree didn't really hit a guy. It's all shadows." Socrates: "No shit, Glaucon, but you don't know that. "So eventually, someone comes and unchains you and drags you out of the cave. "Slowly, as your eyes got better, you'd see more and more shit. "Finally you'd want to go down and tell everyone about everything you've discovered. "Philosophy, same thing.
The Partially Examined Life | A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog We're Underestimating the Risk of Human Extinction Unthinkable as it may be, humanity, every last person, could someday be wiped from the face of the Earth. We have learned to worry about asteroids and supervolcanoes, but the more-likely scenario, according to Nick Bostrom, a professor of philosophy at Oxford, is that we humans will destroy ourselves. Bostrom, who directs Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, has argued over the course of several papers that human extinction risks are poorly understood and, worse still, severely underestimated by society. Some of these existential risks are fairly well known, especially the natural ones. But others are obscure or even exotic. Despite his concerns about the risks posed to humans by technological progress, Bostrom is no luddite. Some have argued that we ought to be directing our resources toward humanity's existing problems, rather than future existential risks, because many of the latter are highly improbable. Of course there are also existential risks that are not extinction risks.
Mind-Blowing Story: “Talking to God…” I met god the other day. I know what you’re thinking. How the hell did you know it was god? Well, I’ll explain as we go along, but basically he convinced me by having all, and I do mean ALL, the answers. Every question I flung at him he batted back with a plausible and satisfactory answer. Which is odd, because I’m still an atheist and we even agree on that! It all started on the 8.20 back from Paddington. What did he look like? Well not what you might have expected that’s for sure. ‘Anyone sitting here?’ ‘Help yourself’ I replied. Sits down, relaxes, I ignore and back to the correspondence on genetic foods entering the food chain… Train pulls out and a few minutes later he speaks. ‘Can I ask you a question?’ Fighting to restrain my left eyebrow I replied ‘Yes’ in a tone which was intended to convey that I might not mind one question, and possibly a supplementary, but I really wasn’t in the mood for a conversation. .. ‘Why don’t you believe in god?’ The Bastard! But then I thought ‘Odd! He paused
Paralogical Thinking | Science and Nonduality In this article standup philosopher Tim Freke articulates the nature of ‘paralogical’ thinking, which is the foundation of the philosophy and practices he shares to guide people to a ‘deep awake’ state. The need for paralogical thinking arises from an important insight. Life is profoundly paradoxical. I’ve already mentioned in passing the paradox that on the surface of life we live in a world of separate things, but at the depths all is one. At first such spiritual paradoxes can sound like mystical mumbo jumbo. So I want to ground our discussion of paradox in the empirical discoveries of hardnosed science, before using paralogical thinking to cast new light on the insights of spirituality. I want to focus on one particular paradox that scientists have found informs reality on a very deep level. So is light a wave or particles? This is all very hard to understand, so don’t be surprised if you feel bamboozled. Logical thinking is either/or thinking. Dick: Yes. Dick: Why do you say that?
25 Beautifully Illustrated Thought-Provoking Questions « CHERYL & LESLIE'S MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES Since I have embarked in to a new career after 13 years working as a Clinical Social Worker in an Intensive Care Unit, I am forced to think about things other than motorcycles. My new career, Organ Donation Coordinator in a hospital makes me question so many things in my life. It is scary to go from a job where I was unconsciously competent to a job that I am consciously incompetent. Well, that is how I feel at the moment and can only hope one day I will feel competent. We are interested to hear answers to some of the questions….please feel free to post any comments and let us all know how folks would answer these. ;-) Thanks. Posted by Alexander on Sept 8, 20 A question that makes you think is worth asking… At the cusp of a new day, week, month, or year, most of us take a little time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. Remember, these questions have no right or wrong answers. Here’s a sample of 25 recent thought questions posted on the site:
10 Mind-Blowing Theories That Will Change Your Perception Of The World by Anna LeMind Reality is not as obvious and simple as we like to think. Some of the things that we accept as true at face value are notoriously wrong. 1. Great glaciation is the theory of the final state that our universe is heading toward. 2. Solipsism is a philosophical theory, which asserts that nothing exists but the individual’s consciousness. Don’t you believe me? As a result, which parts of existence can we not doubt? 3. George Berkeley, the father of Idealism, argued that everything exists as an idea in someone’s mind. The idea being that if the stone really only exists in his imagination, he could not have kicked it with his eyes closed. 4. Everybody has heard of Plato. In addition to this stunning statement, Plato, being a monist, said that everything is made of a single substance. 5. Time is something that we perceive as a matter of course, if we view it at the moment, we usually divide it into past, present and future. 6. Enternalism is the exact opposite of presentism. 7.
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION IN FILM: A LIST Below is a categorized list of about 200 noteworthy films that deal with philosophical and religious themes. For a more comprehensive list of around 500 titles, see the Philosophy and Film Database. Call numbers are included for Videos and DVDs in UT Martin’s library. Fight Club (1999; young executive seeks for meaning through anarchism and violence) Gates of Heaven (1778; Errol Morris documentary explores impact of relocated pet cemetary) [VIDEO 4556] Ghost World (2001; cynical young girl seeks for meaning while hurting everyone in her path) [DVD 123] Leaving Las Vegas (1995; an alcoholic and a hooker enable each other) [DVD 100] Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983; series of avant-garde skits) [VIDEO 3448] O Lucky Man (1973; Coffee salesman travels UK searching for meaning) [VIDEO 4566-67] On the Beach (1959; last people alive after nuclear war search for meaning; remade in 2000) [VIDEO 2155 (1959 version)] Quadrophenia (1979; young british mod self-destructs in quest for meaning) A.I.
The Feminist Theory of Simone de Beauvoir Explained with 8-Bit Video Games (and More) Simone de Beauvoir, existentialist philosopher, feminist theorist, author of The Second Sex, whose birthday we celebrate today. Metroid, an action-adventure video game designed for the Nintendo in 1986. At first glance, they’re not an obvious pairing. But in 8-Bit Philosophy, a web series that explains philosophical concepts by way of vintage video games, things kind of hang together. Gamers remember Metroid for being the first video game to feature a strong female protagonist, a character who blew apart existing female stereotypes, kicked some alien butt, and created new possibilities for women in the video gaming space. Clocking in at just 3:45, the clip offers but a brief introduction to de Beauvoir’s theoretical work. Or, better yet, go to the source itself, and listen to de Beauvoir talk in two lengthy interviews, both featured on Open Culture in years past. Follow Open Culture on Facebook and Twitter and share intelligent media with your friends. Related Content: