Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch: [ˈvɪnsɛnt ˈʋɪləm vɑn ˈɣɔx] ( );[note 1] 30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin whose work—notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty, and bold color—had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness,[1][2] he died aged 37 from a gunshot wound, generally accepted to be self-inflicted (although no gun was ever found).[3][note 2] Letters Vincent c. 1873 aged 19. Although many are undated, art historians have generally been able to put them in chronological order. Biography Early life Vincent c. 1866, approx. age 13 As a child, Vincent was serious, silent, and thoughtful. The house "Holme Court" in Isleworth, where Van Gogh stayed in 1876 [23][24] Van Gogh returned to England for unpaid work as a supply teacher in a small boarding school overlooking the harbor in Ramsgate, where he made sketches of the view. Etten, Drenthe and The Hague Emerging artist
Epictetus Roman Era Stoic Philosopher Epictetus (;[2] Greek: Ἐπίκτητος, Epíktētos; c. 50 – c. 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey) and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece for the rest of his life. His teachings were written down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses and Enchiridion. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Life[edit] Early in life, Epictetus acquired a passion for philosophy and, with the permission of his wealthy owner, he studied Stoic philosophy under Musonius Rufus,[9] Becoming more educated in this way raised his social status.[10] At some point, he became crippled. Roman-era ruins at Nicopolis Thought[edit] An eighteenth century engraving of Epictetus Influence[edit] Studies
David Chalmers David John Chalmers (/ˈtʃælmərz/;[1] born 20 April 1966) is an Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist specializing in the area of philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. He is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University. He is also Professor of Philosophy at New York University.[2] In 2013, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Life[edit] Since 2004, Chalmers has been Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Centre for Consciousness, and an ARC Federation Fellow at the Australian National University. A Rhodes Scholar raised in Australia, Chalmers received his PhD at Indiana University Bloomington under Douglas Hofstadter. He is the lead singer of the Zombie Blues band which performed at the Qualia Fest in 2012.[5] in New York. Thought[edit] Philosophy of mind[edit] With Andy Clark, Chalmers has written The Extended Mind, an article about the borders of the mind.[7] "Water is H2O"
Gaius Musonius Rufus 1st century AD Roman Stoic philosopher Gaius Musonius Rufus (; Greek: Μουσώνιος Ῥοῦφος) was a Roman Stoic philosopher of the 1st century AD. He taught philosophy in Rome during the reign of Nero and so was sent into exile in 65 AD, returning to Rome only under Galba. Life[edit] He returned under Galba (68 AD). Writings[edit] Chapter 1, page 1, of the works of Gaius Musonius Rufus, in Greek, edited by Otto Hense in the Teubner series, 1905. The Suda states that there are "speeches about philosophy bearing his name," and mentions letters to Apollonius of Tyana.[11] The letters that survive[12] are certainly not authentic.[13] It is unknown whether Musonius wrote anything for publication. The titles of the 21 discourses (Cora Lutz edition) are as follows: That There is No Need of Giving Many Proofs for One ProblemThat Man is Born with an Inclination Toward VirtueThat Women Too Should Study PhilosophyShould Daughters Receive the Same Education as Sons? Philosophy[edit] Papyrus fragment P.Harr.
Alan Turing Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS (/ˈtjʊərɪŋ/ TEWR-ing; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was a British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, pioneering computer scientist, mathematical biologist, and marathon and ultra distance runner. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general purpose computer.[2][3][4] Turing is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.[5] During World War II, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre. For a time he led Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. After the war, he worked at the National Physical Laboratory, where he designed the ACE, among the first designs for a stored-program computer. Early life and career[edit] Cryptanalysis[edit]
Stoicism (wikipedia) School of Hellenistic Greek philosophy Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC. It is a philosophy of personal ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to eudaimonia (happiness, or blessedness) is found in accepting the moment as it presents itself, by not allowing oneself to be controlled by the desire for pleasure or by the fear of pain, by using one's mind to understand the world and to do one's part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others fairly and justly. Stoicism flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD, and among its adherents was Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Name[edit] Origins[edit] Stoicism was originally known as "Zenonism", after the founder Zeno of Citium. Sometimes Stoicism is therefore referred to as "The Stoa", or the philosophy of "The Porch".[5] Modern usage[edit]
Marquis de Sade Life[edit] Early life and education[edit] The Marquis de Sade was born in the Hôtel de Condé, Paris, to Jean Baptiste François Joseph, Count de Sade and Marie Eléonore de Maillé de Carman, cousin and Lady-in-waiting to the Princess of Condé. Sade's father, Jean-Baptiste François Joseph de Sade. Title and heirs[edit] The men of the Sade family alternated between using the marquis and comte (count) titles. For many years, Sade's descendants regarded his life and work as a scandal to be suppressed. Scandals and imprisonment[edit] Sade lived a scandalous libertine existence and repeatedly procured young prostitutes as well as employees of both sexes in his castle in Lacoste. Beginning in 1763, Sade lived mainly in or near Paris. The first major scandal occurred on Easter Sunday in 1768, in which Sade procured the sexual services of a woman, Rose Keller;[9] whether she was a prostitute or not is widely disputed. He had been working on his magnum opus Les 120 Journées de Sodome.
Seneca the Younger Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist (c.4 BC-AD 65) Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (; c. 4 BC – AD 65),[1] usually known as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work, satirist from the Silver Age of Latin literature. Seneca was born in Cordoba in Hispania, and raised in Rome, where he was trained in rhetoric and philosophy. His father was Seneca the Elder, his elder brother was Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, and his nephew was the poet Lucan. In AD 41, Seneca was exiled to the island of Corsica under emperor Claudius,[2] but was allowed to return in 49 to become a tutor to Nero. Life[edit] Early life, family and adulthood[edit] Modern statue of Seneca in Córdoba Politics and exile[edit] Imperial advisor[edit] From AD 54 to 62, Seneca acted as Nero's advisor, together with the praetorian prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus. Retirement[edit] Death[edit] In AD 65, Seneca was caught up in the aftermath of the Pisonian conspiracy, a plot to kill Nero.
Charles Bukowski Life and work[edit] Family and early years[edit] Charles Bukowski was born as Heinrich Karl Bukowski in Andernach, Germany, to Heinrich (Henry) Bukowski and Katharina (née Fett). Charles Bukowski's parents met in Andernach in western Germany following World War I. The family settled in South Central Los Angeles in 1930, the city where Charles Bukowski's father and grandfather had previously worked and lived.[8][10] In the '30s the poet's father was often unemployed. In his early teens, Bukowski had an epiphany when he was introduced to alcohol by his loyal friend William "Baldy" Mullinax, depicted as "Eli LaCrosse" in Ham on Rye, son of an alcoholic surgeon. On July 22, 1944, with World War II ongoing, Bukowski was arrested by FBI agents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lived at the time, on suspicion of draft evasion. Early writing[edit] In 1955 he was treated for a near-fatal bleeding ulcer. 1960s[edit] Black Sparrow years[edit] Charles Bukowski in 1990 Death[edit] Work[edit]