(Or The Folly of Philosophers) As is typical, the title of this post is much more grandiose than the conclusions that I will be able to come to by the end of the essay. What I intend here is a response to a specific problem that has floated about in philosophical circles, but I believeContinue reading “What Is ‘Knowledge’ and How Is It Known?”
Tag Archives: philosophy
Natural Confusion
Though it is never the purview of philosophical reflection to impose the correction of errors it perceives in daily life, such theorizing can render clearer aspects of our habits that may make us reconsider our actions – whether this induces a change in behaviour or merely changes our perceptions of what we do. Herein, IContinue reading “Natural Confusion”
A Note on the ‘Individual’
Our age is, by and large, one that we might describe as individualistic. What precisely is meant by individualism is not always clear, though I believe there are some common tendencies in the way that this word is used today. This notion was perhaps best captured by J. S. Mill in his seminal On Liberty,Continue reading “A Note on the ‘Individual’”
Love in the Search
For Ian, my profoundest teacher of this disposition To seek answers that may himself explain,Outward his eyes first gazed upon the world;He looked for indications to sustainA sense of self – which Being had unfurled. And yet, with Phaedrus, questioning the pow’rContained in this approach – the kósmon, whole,Ever beyond the grasp of men’s control.Continue reading “Love in the Search”
Poems & Poetry
The nature of beauty and its reality as something ‘objective’ or ‘real’ has, as far as I can tell, been utterly corroded in recent centuries. As someone who loves poetry, I have found that many people resist my preference for formalized poetry and my tendency toward lofty themes. When I argue that poetry should helpContinue reading “Poems & Poetry”
Socialism & Modernity: Considerations from George Grant
For P. T. K., an ever-enlightening interlocutor Socialism is a topic that, like many other contemporary “-isms,” I do not think has a particularly stable definition. One can provide rough histories of the topic that either associate it with the theorizing of figures like Karl Marx or reasonably connect it to the workers’ movements ofContinue reading “Socialism & Modernity: Considerations from George Grant”
On Being “Open Minded” – Pt. 1
The culture of our contemporary anglophone world, to my eye, seems ordered toward the ideal of ‘toleration.’ There is much wrapped up in this claim, but the general thrust is that we believe in some form of individualism and therefore want to allow each person to pursue life as he or she sees fit –Continue reading “On Being “Open Minded” – Pt. 1″
Dialectics and History
Plato is well known to have composed his philosophical texts in a dialogue form. Most frequently, he places the historical person of Socrates in the center of his dialogues; the great philosopher who wrote nothing down then engages with various other historical characters, more or less antagonistically, depending on the dialogue, and questions them aboutContinue reading “Dialectics and History”
Some Notes on Humour
You know – nostalgia just isn’t what it used to be… A somewhat niche topic of interest to me has been the philosophy of humour. It is not a booming field, and I recognize that many people do not like to critically unpack jokes – I am sure many of us have had the gruelingContinue reading “Some Notes on Humour”
A Note on Agentic Attribution
What I here wish to discuss is, in some ways, a criticism of one way that people speak metaphorically despite that my concern is about what people believe literally. Despite this caveat, I do think that people often allow metaphors to become somewhat unmoored from what they were initially meant to convey – and myContinue reading “A Note on Agentic Attribution”
Hoping for Clarity 