1. Brain in a Vat. "Beautiful" and the Metaphysics of Beauty, Strange Behavior (Or: On Watching Sports—a follow-up to Tuesday’s show on basketball), Thoughts on the Doubling of Consciousness, The First Ever Online Philosophy Conference, Self-Deception and the Problem with Religious Belief Formation, We’re All Crazy (Prelude to Tuesday’s show “Art and the Suspension of Disbelief”/follow-up to John’s most recent blog), Improving the World vs Improving my Country, Negotiating Identities: The Crash Solution, Intergenerational Obligations and the Rope of Lives. The term was probably coined by Pythagoras (c. 570 – 495 BCE). Works included in the philosophical canon are by definition highly productive—giving rise to whole philosophical traditions and counter-traditions, and vast, labyrinthine literatures. Why do we dream? There’s a diverse tangle of considerations involved which can flow together or come apart, and no clear metric for weighing them against one another. Subscribe to receive new ideas, inspiration, news, and event information each month! The Post-Modern Family Values: Open Blog Entry. What is the difference between knowing something and just believing it? The-Philosophy helps high-school & university students but also curious people on human sciences to quench their thirst for knowledge. Does Postmodernism Mean Moral Relativism? In ancient times, the good is defined as an ontological category (see Plato and Ideas). The term ‘good’ has many uses. “To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can still do for those who study it.”. If so, do we have free will? One is that good philosophy is often transformative. Traditional questions include the following: How can we know that the ordinary physical objects around us are real (as opposed to dreamed, or hallucinated, as in the Matrix)? A philosophical work is productive to the extent that it spawns more philosophical work in an ongoing research tradition. Philosophy uses the tools of logic and reason to analyze the ways in which humans experience the world. They seemed genuinely interested in publishing it---until I told them I did not wish to have my picture in the paper. Where does your self-worth come from? From Plato and Sextus Empiricus to Wittgenstein, many important thinkers have thought of philosophy as a type of therapy. But it’s important to recognize that the productivity of a philosophical work rests as much in the social, intellectual, and political milieu into which it is born as it does on the work’s inherent strengths. 2. Men like Hume and Rousseau grabbed their attention. If so, what is it? So, what other guidelines can we turn to? But that’s not the … Affirmative Action – Too Little or Too Much? The common good belongs to a family of concepts that … google_ad_width = 728; What should be the goal of humanity? Philosophy Talk Holiday Treats Coming Soon! If a philosophical work is sloppy—for instance, because it relies on fallacious reasoning, out-and-out contradictions, or ignores counterexamples—this certainly might count against its being good philosophy. It is a fundamental normative concept. In justice, beyond the grayness of fair. Some of the greatest thinkers in world history have lived within the field of philosophy. Put it, if you wish, under the heading, philosophy of language. In democracy, the truth that we hold self-evident. And in some cases, the quest for technical expertise just seems irrelevant. I dedicate myself to ensuring my clients are successful.’ Richart Ruddie, Owner, Profile Defenders. Yet, there is nothing civil about either act. Welcome to Philosophy Talk's Community of Thinkers, Why Science Will Never Replace the Humanities, Do Natural Laws Prove That God Exists? Philosophy Majors: Unexpectedly Employable. How could we have such wildly different assessments of the same guy? In Western philosophy: Philosophy …Form is that of the Good. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual history of many civilizations. Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. In philosophy, something is good if it is important or valuable. Philosophy Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language. (Part of the answer is that you can have false beliefs, but you can only know things that are true. and they would be considered not bad or good but simply incorrect, right? How will humans as a species go extinct? You are the designer and creator of your own Universe. 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To wrap up, it’s hard to spell out exactly what good philosophy boils down to. I took the position that Freud was a good philosopher (in fact, an excellent one) while Joshua expressed the opposite view. If Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex had been written in 14th century Paris, it would have had a rather different reception than it did in 1949. So, good philosophy MAY be strictly in the eyes and ears of the beholder and what that beholder wants to believe, based on preferences and/or that cognitive bias, briefly discussed in an earlier post. The-Philosophy.com - 2008-2019, https://www.the-philosophy.com/good-philosophical-definition. Good philosophy, though, is, arguably, that which gets published, or at least that which affords a livelihood for its'. That's the thing about beliefs and opinions---there are dozens of them out there... Over the last two days, I have 'pitched' an essay to a local newspaper. Philosophy (from Greek: φιλοσοφία, philosophia, 'love of wisdom') is the study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Follow him at @jdmagness What does it mean to live a good life? The founding principle of philosophy is perhaps the astonishment, source of the questions. One is that it’s possible (and I dare say quite common) for a philosopher to argue impeccably and yet produce philosophical work that’s utterly vapid, not to mention the fact that overly conscientious efforts to plug every argumentative hole by anticipating every possible objection can bury an interesting thesis under a mudslide of qualifications. 2. , which is one of Western philosophy’s biggest hits, didn’t immediately fly off the bookstore shelves. I’ve never heard anyone gush that a work of philosophy changed their life because all of its arguments are deductively valid. You know, the absolute. Whether a seed produces a plant depends in large measure on the soil upon which it falls. Before being a field of study, it is above all a way of seeing the world, of questioning it. Pursuing a bachelor's degree in philosophy is a good way to structure these studies, but many great philosophers were also self-taught. I may even revisit Habermas, because apparently my first exposure to his notions was too early in the game. Philosophy for the Young: Corrupting or Empowering? Any contribution, large or small, helps us produce intelligent, reflective radio that questions everything, including our most deeply-held beliefs about science, morality, culture, and the human condition. Literally, it means “love of wisdom.” But, really, philosophy begins in wonder. So, what is good philosophy? "What is the good life?" What IS good philosophy? Philosophers who ring resoundingly for me, may ring resoundingly hollow for someone else, and the other way round. 4. Some kinds of writing are more likely to have greater impact on some people than other kinds have, even if they all express exactly the same ideas. Objects (things), people, ideas, and actions can be good. It is because the people are members of a group that the common good applies to those people. Freedom, rights and technology (Why Free Software is Important), The Politics of Illusion: From Socrates and Psychoanalysis to Donald Trump, Why Rubio Is Wrong about Philosophy in 150 Words, Collective Immortality: Living on Through Others, In Praise of Love - Plato's Symposium meets Bernstein's Serenade, Social media, knowledge of others, and self-knoweldge, Ashley Madison, accommodation, and silencing. Philosophy Overdose. It helps us to see the world in new ways, revealing aspects that were previously invisible. Learn Right From Wrong with Oxford’s Free Course A Romp Through Ethics for Complete Beginners. Philosophy is truth, and truth is neither good or bad, it just is. That’s why such judgments often take pride of place as a sieve through which journal submissions are passed when editors have to make a call about whether to accept or reject an article for publication. Fascinating topic, that. That’s true even if the originator doesn’t pursue an answer to the question very well (or even if they never try to answer it—think of Socrates). An individual who is completely alone and isolated from society cannot have a common good. All Rights Reserved. Besides, your strength is limited. [VIDEO] Is it OK to Kill Animals for Food? Michel Foucault has his loyal admirers. How to Live a Good Life? One is that it’s possible (and I dare say quite common) for a philosopher to argue impeccably and yet produce philosophical work that’s utterly vapid, not to mention the fact that overly conscientious efforts to plug every argumentative hole by anticipating every possible objection can bury an interesting thesis under a mudslide of qualifications. Is Being Human More Like Being a Weed than Like Being Water? Here's a late entry, based on language and the ways we can misuse it. “Being” in this context does not mean existence, but something specific—a human, a lion, or a house—being recognizable by its quality or shape. Some fairly worship Davidson, Dewey, Nagel and others of the ilk; while some think Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Nietzsche, et al, had the most to say about human conditions (The Human Condition is a tired platitude which ought to be re-tired or buried, even though I still use it, in the context of that caveat.) – In ethics, the good is that which conforms to the moral ideal. My previous comment, above (February 9, 2020)might serve as an introduction, of sorts, to the following: ...It is seductive to posit that if there were a continuum on which opinion,belief and knowledge might rest, belief would naturally fall somewhere between the others. I left the conversation feeling perplexed. August 10, 2017 By. Philosophers pick and choose amongst these theories, and there is an additional debate about whether morality is objective. Opinions can be based on facts and other bits of knowledge, while knowledge obtains its own unassailable standing, PRO SE. A philosophical work is productive to the extent that it spawns more philosophical work in an ongoing research tradition. ’s Joshua Landy about whether Sigmund Freud was a good philosopher. The basic idea of Epicureanism can be encapsulated by the Tetrapharmakon: Don't fear god, don't fear death, what is good is easy to get and pain is easy to endure. At first, I thought that one of us must be wrong, and started to worry that it was me. While opinion may be based, in part, on knowledge, this does not work the other way round. I took the position that Freud was a good philosopher (in fact, an excellent one) while Joshua expressed the opposite view. 5. Millennials and Social Media, a Deadly Mix? His philosophical views in ethics, e... Simone de Beauvoir is often cast as only a novelist or a mere echo of Jean-Paul Sartre. Should the ethics of Presidential candidates matter? Watch Philosophy Animations Narrated by Stephen Fry on Aristotle, Ayn Rand, Max Weber & More. More often, a belief is based only on what someone has said about about something, rather than any nuggets of indisputable fact. Good is a moral concept nowadays. So good … Perhaps, then, there are many ways that works of philosophy can be good, and the fact that smart, well-informed people can disagree so vehemently about them should be celebrated as reflecting the richness and complexity of our peculiar discipline. you can be an artist in lots of different ways. – Bertrand Russell. In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy.In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is usually perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good should prevail and evil should be defeated. Have unshakeable faith. Instead, it “fell dead-born from the press, without reaching such distinction as even to excite a murmur among the zealots,” as Hume put it in an autobiographical sketch. Alfred North Whitehead’s famous remark that the European philosophical tradition consists of a series of footnotes to Plato epitomizes this idea. Socrates is one of the most excellent and offbeat … What is the single truth that solves them all, I think it is good to know. Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton on Politics and White Poverty, Getting from Space and Time to Space-time. Know first of all that there is no single answer to this question. [AUDIO] What Role Should Anger Play in Our Lives? Article ID: JAR6316 | By: Robert Velarde. It helps us to see the world in new ways, revealing aspects that were previously invisible. Should Sex-Identity Be on Birth Certificates? Philosophy Talk relies on the support of listeners like you to stay on the air and online. Copies of David Hume’s. Dec 7, 2018 Ethics Links Historically, there is a debate in which one or another thing is defined as good or ethical. Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? Determining whether an argument is valid is, at least in principle, a purely objective matter. You will also learn how to write a good philosophy paper by comparing several philosophers whose work aligns to your task. And I have learned from a diversity of philosophical treatises. A blog for Christmas, Deconstructing the College Admissions Rat Race, Health Care – is it a right or a privilege. Julien Josset, founder. What is true? Ken and John and Übermensch-at-large Brian Leiter discuss everyone's favorite syphilitic philosopher. ', What’s to be done?. Hardcover. Alfred North Whitehead’s famous remark that the European philosophical tradition consists of a series of footnotes to Plato epitomizes this idea. One is that good philosophy is often. First Contrast: Welfare Consequentialism. Another problem is that even the “great” philosophical works—the ones that are included in the canon—are far being entirely lucid fallacy-free, even though their devoted interpreters may have a penchant for papering over cracks in their arguments. Life without experience and sufferings is not life. The larger mistake occurs when belief is confused with either of the former. Transgression is no more than a watered-down term for aggression; a linguistic distinction with a softened prefix, in a guise of civility via diplomacy. A few more thoughts on my 02/11/2020 comments:: You can’t do it on your own. How is the Internet Changing Friendships? Believe in God. Diseases of the Mind: Philosophy of Psychiatry, #FrancisOnFilm: Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Subway Spreading and Personal Space (Part II), Subway Spreading and Personal Space (Part I), Puzzle About Conspiracy Theorists (Part II), A Puzzle About Conspiracy Theorists (Part I), The Twilight Zone and the Human Condition, The “Complicated” Causes of Gun Death (Part II), The “Complicated” Causes of Gun Death (Part I). Whereas opinion and knowledge reside, roughly, on the same 40 acres, belief lives on a totally different farm... What is GOOD philosophy? had been written in 14th century Paris, it would have had a rather different reception than it did in 1949. Independent from any institution or philosophical thought, the site is maintained by a team of former students in human sciences, now professors or journalists. Is there a meaning to life? A new multi-level hierarchy of ethics and morality. 3. But logic and precision aren’t everything, and there are several problems with leaning too heavily on this criterion. practitioners. I still don't know, but keep trying to write some anyway. Complaining that Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra is short on clear, explicit, logical argumentation simply misses the point. But it’s important to recognize that the productivity of a philosophical work rests as much in the social, intellectual, and political milieu into which it is born as it does on the work’s inherent strengths. Originality is often tied to. (Ask a Comedian). (1)Posed by ancient Greek thinkers and incorporated into the thought of Socrates through Plato, and then Aristotle, this question gets at the heart of … There are though many philosophical ideas that have been proven untrue through the tests of time, Plato's forms for example. – The Good according to Plato: “Good is not an essence, but something to” pass away gasoline in majesty and power (The Republic), – The Good according to Aristotle: “The good is that toward which it tends in all circumstances ” (Nicomachean Ethics), – The Good according to Spinoza: “By good, I mean, any kind of joy, all that fills the wait”, – The Good according to Locke: “Good is everything in us pleasure” (Essay Concerning Human Understanding, – The Good according to Descartes: “The highest good of all men is a whole heap of all property, both the soul and the body of capital, which may be in some men but that of each individual is in anything else and it consists only of a determination to do well, and contentment q’elle product “(Passions of the Soul), – The Good according to Kant: “The virtue and happiness are the highest good” (Critique of Practical Reason), . The Best Philosophy Books. On this view, to describe a person as “happy” means that they “feel good,” and a happy life is one that contains many “feel good” experiences. And the good news is that I'll bet everybody watching this has some idea of how to do philosophy already. I left the conversation feeling perplexed. Copies of David Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature, which is one of Western philosophy’s biggest hits, didn’t immediately fly off the bookstore shelves. Works included in the philosophical canon are by definition highly productive—giving rise to whole philosophical traditions and counter-traditions, and vast, labyrinthine literatures. “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” ― … Philosophy degrees are all about asking big questions - the value of life, the basis of morality, the nature of the world around us. Apparently, the notion of privacy is archaic.

what good is philosophy

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