Tag: Nietzsche
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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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Psychologizing Philosophy: My Own Philosophical Temperament
by Kevin Currie-Knight ___ Recently, I wrote an article here defending the position — held also by Nietzsche and William James — that a person’s philosophy must reflect their temperament and attitude toward the world. Different folks with different temperaments (and experiences) will inevitably have at least some different starting assumptions, respond differently to different…
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Growing Up Grunge
by Kevin Currie-Knight ____ My most grunge moment happened in what is arguably the most grunge place: a coffeehouse. And I was there to do a most grunge thing: play an acoustic set with my garage band. Whether it was before or after our set, my bandmates and I were sitting and chatting with fellow…
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Why We Do History
by Kevin Curry-Knight ___ Recently, a friend of mine – a Nietzsche scholar – posted on social media that he wished all of those engaged in arguments over antiracism in history education would read Nietzsche’s essay “On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life.” The friend didn’t elaborate, but I respect his judgment and…
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Confessions of an Amateur Philosopher
by Scott F. Parker After reading Daniel Kaufman’s essay “The Decline and Rebirth of Philosophy,” I found myself wondering what exactly philosophy offers those of us who are not professional philosophers and, specifically, what it has given me. Responding to these questions has entailed reflecting on my views and my case as one example of…
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Provocations
by Daniel A. Kaufman __ American politics is dead, or at least, it’s so completely fucked that it would be better off dead. What we call “politics” today, when compared to the genuine article, is a little bit like UFC when compared to boxing. At some level, everyone knows that beating to a bloody pulp…
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The Special Standing of Moral Skepticism
by Daniel A. Kaufman I want to describe a kind of moral skepticism that I believe enjoys special standing. It is skeptical, insofar as it denies that there are good reasons for believing in moral properties. It has special standing, because unlike general skepticism – by which I mean, skepticism about the external world –…