Tag: Kant
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The Philosophers Behind the Texts
by Bharath Vallabha ____ For sixteen years I studied and taught philosophy. As a professor I taught Plato, Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein and Heidegger. I thought I knew Western philosophy. Boy, was I wrong. Though I taught the great texts, in an important sense I didn’t understand them or the thinkers who wrote them. For —…
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Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Leaders … Perhaps
By Kevin Currie-Knight ____ Something interesting happened in 2020 that changed my view of the importance of books and snobbish attitudes about their importance. I found out that an author I admire, Jon Ronson, had published two works that I didn’t know about: The Butterfly Effect and The Last Days of August. Ronson is the…
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Beyond Polarization
by Bharath Vallabha___ Our society is becoming more polarized. Nuance and subtlety are marginalized as things are reduced to all-encompassing binaries such as red vs. blue. This is as absurd as sorting items in a house in terms of their color instead of their function. Who in their right mind would give up categories such…
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Bits and Pieces: The Obligatory; The Supererogatory; Prudential Cases; Arguments.
by Daniel A. Kaufman ___ [1] Philosophers sacralize moral obligation and maintain that moral considerations are always overriding of all others, and yet ordinary people (as well as philosophers in their ordinary lives) hold actions done from earnest desire in much higher esteem than those done from duty. “Don’t just do it out of a…
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Morality and Distance
by Daniel A. Kaufman ___ There are two conceptions of distance that I am interested in with respect to moral questions: Emotional distance: the distance from sentiments and feelings that results when one adopts a disinterested stance, in response to morally significant situations. Theoretical distance: the distance from the particularities of circumstances, people, and relationships…
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Philosopher Kings and Queens
by Miroslav Imbrišević ___ At the age of sixteen, I found the idea of being a philosopher very attractive. Much later in life, I asked myself why that was and decided that my chaotic family was to blame. Philosophy allowed me to shut out the world, but at the same time I could figure out…
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On our Use of the Moral Idiom
by Daniel A. Kaufman ___ 1. An unpopular, overweight teen – call her “V” – is in her high school cafeteria, eating alone. Several other girls taunt and humiliate her, to the point that she bursts into tears and begs them to cease their torments, crying, “You’re hurting my feelings, please stop!” 2. What would…
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Foundationalism, Gettier Cases and Wittgenstein — A Conversation with Joshua Rasmussen
A dialogue with Joshua Rasmussen of Azusa Pacific University, in which we discuss a number of topics in Epistemology, including: Foundationalism and criticisms; Gettier Cases; Internalism and Externalism; Transcendental Arguments; and Wittgenstein’s “On Certainty.” This dialogue will also appear as part of the Sophia program at MeaningofLife.TV. https://youtu.be/5EZeUqm3iUI