The Only Thing I Know is That I Know Nothing

Interested in philosophy, history, and mythology. Currently reading: Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature and Ovid's Metamorphoses

[artist-redon]

Immediately three goddesses arise (plate 11), Odilon Redon

Medium: lithography,paper

[paintingispoetry]

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Portrait of a Woman detail, ca. 1787

[acti-veg]

You mentioned picking up a good philosophy anthology to another anon, can you name your preferred titles? I'm super interested in reading through one.

Sure, I’d be happy to make some recommendations. Only the first one is an anthology, but I’d say that all of these are good as introductory texts or to give you a flavour:

Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings is the anthology which a lot of universities use, it has a really broad range of philosophical texts and excerpts, I’d say that starting with a good anthology like this is a much better method than going for one of the modern introduction to philosophy type texts.

The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell is surprisingly accessible and shows you a great example how philosophical writing looks.

People tend to be a bit hesitant to approach the classics, but Plato: Five Dialogues is very straightforward to read, he pretty much invented the subject and it’s  still really relevant to the issues being discussed in philosophy and theology today.

For one probably more directly applicable to your interests, The Case for Animal Rights by Tom Regan is really good, it’ll give you a great grounding in the philosophical and ethical argument for animal rights and I think it’s one that I think every activist should read.

I would also suggest a look at formal logic, learning the basics of logic will make the texts above more accessible and you’ll definitely get more out of them:

Peter Smith has a really accessible introduction to formal logic which will give you a good understanding of the basics.

Logic for Philosophy is a bit more advanced and more difficult to read, but it shows you what can be done with formal logic and it’s applications.

An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments is one of my favourites, it’s really short and couldn’t be easier to read, it’s essentially a picture book which lists logical fallacies with fun illustrations and examples.

[achasma]

Detail from Allegory of Vanity by Antonio de Pereda.

[oupacademic]

Timothy Williamson explains what it is that philosophers do, and how the seeds of philosophy are sometimes sown through the childlike questioning “why?… but why?”

GIF by Nicole Piendel & Video by Harry Orme for Oxford University Press 

[acknowledgetheabsurd]

Albert Camus to Jean Grenier, Correspondence 1932-1960

[ancient-mystery]

“Dear Philosophers,

This Section is in Alphabetical Order - insofar as alphabets, order, or indeed anything can be said to truly exist. Please cease efforts to deconstruct established phonetic codification & Put things back where you found them!

<3 Thank you”

[philosophicalpages-blog]

“When experience has once given us a competent knowledge of human affairs, and has taught us the proportion they bear to human passion, we perceive, that the generosity of men is very limited, and that is seldom extends beyond their friends and family, or, at most, beyond their native country.” 

- David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature

[jamabushi]

Alexander the Great found the philosopher looking at a pile of human bones. Diogenes explained, “I am searching for the bones of your father, but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave.”

[philosophicalpages-blog]

“The study of history confirms the reasonings of true philosophy; which, shewing us the original qualities of human nature, teaches us to regard the controversies in politics as incapable of any decision in most cases, and as entirely subordinate to the interests of peace and liberty.”

- David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Burning (Lee Chang-dong, 2018)

[noosphe-re]

BLACKBOXING: An expression from the sociology of science that refers to the way scientific and technical work is made invisible by its own success. When a machine runs efficiently, when a matter of fact is settled, one need focus only on its inputs and outputs and not on its internal complexity. Thus, paradoxically, the more science and technology succeed, the more opaque and obscure they become.

Bruno Latour, Pandora’s hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies (via inthenoosphere)

[philosophicalpages-blog]

“Tho’ the rules of justice be artificial, they are not arbitrary. Nor is the expression improper to call them Laws of Nature; if by natural we understand what is common to any species, or even if we confine it to mean what is inseparable from the species.”

- David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature

[scientificphilosopher]

How did you know grad school for philosophy was right for you? I'm an undergrad philosophy major considering grad school and I do very well in my philosophy classes, but I don't think I'm an exceptional thinker. I'm improving at clear thinking and writing every term (speaking clearly/precisely is an entirely different problem for me), but it's a slow process. If I'm not an exceptional thinker now is this something I can substantially improve upon in grad school?

My educational adventure has been quite a jaunt. I went through high school with a bit of a distaste for school. And by a bit of distaste I mean I couldn’t fucking stand it and the thought of going to college was about as appealing as giant butthole spiders. So I definitely was not an ‘exceptional thinker’ in any conventional sense. Ultimately, though, the decision to put college on hiatus proved to be invaluable for my intellectual path. This gave me the privilege of accruing meaningful life experience, to explore who I was and what I valued. This is why, in my mid-20′s, I decided that I loved learning. And I loved learning philosophy and science in particular. And, much to the chagrin of my spikey-haired, anarchy-emblazoned high school self, it turned out that I really cared about people and the state of the world. Quixotic or not, I wanted to (and still want to) make a difference. 

So I went to college. And my love for philosophy only deepened. So I went to grad school. And it deepened even more. I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything. My story is not everyone’s story, though. This is just what happened to happen to little ol’ me. At any rate, I can tell you that my ability to think and write and speak, all of these things have improved dramatically over these last several years (at least I like to think so). Going back and reading my undergrad papers is an exercise in humility. It’s really bad. And that’s okay. That’s good, even! Writing and thinking are skills that have to be developed. Just like learning to play the saxophone, or becoming fluent in Spanish or Xhosa, or going to the gym and building up some veiny monstrosities that you call biceps–all these things take years of committed practice. Philosophy is no different. Of course it’s a slow process! It’s hard as heck. ‘The brain is like a muscle,’ said my boy Saggy C. ‘When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.’ So keep curling that Carl. Deadlift some Darwin, bench some Beauvoir. And then wash it all down with a protein shake of self-reflection. You don’t need to be an ‘exceptional thinker’ to do philosophy. You can become an exceptional thinker by doing philosophy.* 

Ultimately, there is no way to determine with certainty whether philosophy (or any other pursuit) is the right decision for you. And you don’t want other people deciding for you. There will be unique difficulties no matter what fat purple fig you pull from the branch. I can tell you this with confidence though: pursue your choice with passion and dedication and the odds are very high that you will be exceptional in the right kinds of ways. 

(*Nota bene: there’s nothing to say that doing philosophy will necessarily or automatically make you an exceptional thinker. The history of philosophy is rife with counterexamples to that idea. But it can, perhaps better than any other academic discipline, equip you with the tools to think better. But I am a huge advocate of making your education as eclectic as possible. Dip that philosophy cookie into some psychology milk. Smear some physics peanut butter and biology jelly in between those philosophy buns. Sprinkle some sociology salt on those philosophy fries, and then squirt on some critical theory ketchup. Guard against academic provincialism.)

[victoriousvocabulary]

“Socrates said, “The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.” He wasn’t talking about grammar. To misuse language is to use it the way politicians and advertisers do, for profit, without taking responsibility for what the words mean. Language used as a means to get power or make money goes wrong: it lies. Language used as an end in itself, to sing a poem or tell a story, goes right, goes towards the truth. A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper.”

— Ursula K. Le Guin (via jonnoxvxrevanche)

[archaicwonder]

Gold and Garnet Snake Bracelet with Heracles Knot, 4th Century BC - 1st Century AD

Snake jewelry was among the more popular luxury items in the Greek and Roman civilizations, including in the Greek colonies which flourished around the Black Sea. Extensive trade with these settlements spread Greek art, and its influence, across much of Eurasia. Some styles were copied so closely that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to be certain who crafted an item.

Continua a leggere

[philosophicalpages-blog]

“Tis true, there is no human, and indeed no sensible, creature, whose happiness or misery does not, in some measure, affect us when brought near to us, and represented in lively colours: But this proceeds merely from sympathy, and is no proof of such an universal affection to mankind, since this concern extends itself beyond our own species.” 

- David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature