Thinking about Thinking...

[Shade_Wilder]

 

It is a truism for me that when I hear the word "Philosopher" or "Philosophy", I tend to think about old dead Greek guys from two thousand years ago. However, that simply ain't right.

Big Think (bigthink.com), a website devoted to bringing forth different ideas from some of our best, modern thinkers, dropped an article about ten great ideas in modern philosophy and they are worth a look for those who make an effort at critical thinking and challenging their gray matter.

Of particular interest, I would recommend number two, Julia Kristeva, a Feminist writer who initiated the idea that "...women must free themselves from the idea that they should be like men." I must confess that I am not familiar with the work in question, but I have noticed that I, and many male expats, came and settled in Thailand because we found the 'Fairer Sex' far more appealing here than in our respective homes. And, of course, the food, the weather, the madness, etc.

The other work of particular interest to me is number ten, James Lovelock and the Gaia Hypothesis. Waaaaay back in the day, I lived for several years among rural Indonesians and was fascinated and enthralled by how they lived in harmony with their surroundings inside the principles of Animism and Adat (local culture). Of course, I am familiar with the Gaia Hypothesis, but I have to admit that I have never actually read Lovelock's work and intend to rectify this oversight during the hot season.

Any of the ten stick out for you? Or, are you still thinking of old dead Greek guys?

https://bigthink.com/thinking/10-great-ideas-philosophy-last-50-years/

 

[BigHewer]

8 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

Any of the ten stick out for you? Or, are you still thinking of old dead Greek guys?

https://bigthink.com/thinking/10-great-ideas-philosophy-last-50-years/

Thank you for sharing SW.

For me, without question the most interesting title is #4 The Language of Thought. How many times do we go through life and ask ourselves, "How does he/she come to think that way?" "I don't understand his thinking". I think there might be a a few nuggets of interest in that book.

#1 Law of the Peoples worth a look as well and the context of what has happened since the book was written makes it potentially very interesting reading.

For some of the others, it's a matter of what I wouldn't want to read, to be honest. If I read a leaflet of a book based on theories and opinions and find that a) I knew that already or b) I completely agree with the hypothesis, then the book holds no interest for me. I want to learn and scaffold what I already know when I read, So #2, #3, #5 and #6 fall by the wayside.

#10 Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth has some history with me. In my very first job, I was a national park guide and in my down time, I worked in a visitors center talking to tourists and selling books and trinkets. The Lovelock book was in the shop. I did a lot of reading in that time, especially mid-afternoon when it was 45 degrees and there were no customers. I never read the Lovelock book because I was put off by the kind of people who bought it 

[Shade_Wilder]

1 hour ago, BigHewer said:

Thank you for sharing SW.

For me, without question the most interesting title is #4 The Language of Thought. How many times do we go through life and ask ourselves, "How does he/she come to think that way?" "I don't understand his thinking". I think there might be a a few nuggets of interest in that book.

#1 Law of the Peoples worth a look as well and the context of what has happened since the book was written makes it potentially very interesting reading.

For some of the others, it's a matter of what I wouldn't want to read, to be honest. If I read a leaflet of a book based on theories and opinions and find that a) I knew that already or b) I completely agree with the hypothesis, then the book holds no interest for me. I want to learn and scaffold what I already know when I read, So #2, #3, #5 and #6 fall by the wayside.

#10 Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth has some history with me. In my very first job, I was a national park guide and in my down time, I worked in a visitors center talking to tourists and selling books and trinkets. The Lovelock book was in the shop. I did a lot of reading in that time, especially mid-afternoon when it was 45 degrees and there were no customers. I never read the Lovelock book because I was put off by the kind of people who bought it 

 

Good post, BH; I was beginning to think that no one was interested.

A few comments... Yup, as you aren't that interested in some of them as you are already quite familiar, the same goes for me.

Number one is fascinating, but to get a real understanding I think you'll have to look back rather than forward. More specifically, I think you need to go back to 1648 and the Treaty of Westphalia with its notions of sovereignty, including whether people had rights outside of their state citizenship (spoiler alert; they didn't). And, if you have a lot of free time and an interest, have a look back to the formation of the United Nations and the "Freedom Froms"; it really was where the idea that individual people had rights inherently rather than simply because they were citizens of a State. If you are interested in where this idea is going, you need to understand where it came from.(Dear God, I am having flashbacks to my post-grad Poly-Sci classes.)

I chose number two largely for understanding my own existence. I am the youngest of four and my Mom spent (wasted?) more than twenty years taking care of us when she could have been doing great things; she was MUCH smarter than my Dad (sorry Dad, but you know it was true). When I was old enough, I became one of the pioneering "Latchkey Kids' while she opened a business; what she might have achieved if she could have started earlier? That is where I approach the issue; how do we square a circle of women being treated fairly despite the differences? "Separate but Equal" as a motto has terrible historical resonance and I am looking for a framework where the sexes could co-exist fairly and reasonably.

Yup, I should have added number four, The Language of Thought. In my defense, I posted at 6 AM while jacked up on caffeine and endorphins. It's Way-Cool. 

In regard to the Gaia Hypothesis, I think you and I approached it differently. I am guessing that you saw Birkenstock-wearing, long-haired and bearded SJWs buying it and thought "Not for me;". One, if I might bastardize an old but good saying "Never Judge a Book By its Purchaser." More importantly, while you (might) have decided "No" for the reasons previously noted, I had my interest piqued from a Science/Science Fiction angle. Carl Sagan once famously said that we are all made up of 'Star Stuff', and that has always implied interconnectivity in all things. The second place I got hooked on the idea is the end of Asimov's Foundation series where in looking at the idea of 'Gaia', he took it to a new level with the idea of interconnectedness of "Galaxia". And, the idea of interconnectedness has stuck ever since; intuitively it just seems right.

What to say? This year 'Hot Season' is a bitch, so time to crank up the aircon and get smarter.

 

 

[Rookiescot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky

This guy runs at an intelligence level that leaves most people in the dust.

Watch his interviews on youtube. You might not agree with him but he will get you thinking. And thats his point.

[BigHewer]

37 minutes ago, Shade_Wilder said:

More specifically, I think you need to go back to 1648 and the Treaty of Westphalia with its notions of sovereignty, including whether people had rights outside of their state citizenship (spoiler alert; they didn't).

You’ve hit on another point close to my heart SW, as I lived in Westphalia (or Westfalen as it is known locally) in my high school days. Even went to Muenster on a school trip . Appreciate the significance more now than I did then.

42 minutes ago, Shade_Wilder said:

I am the youngest of four and my Mom spent (wasted?) more than twenty years taking care of us when she could have been doing great things; she was MUCH smarter than my Dad (sorry Dad, but you know it was true).

With this you’ve stimulated an idea I’ve never considered before. I come from a family where the intellectual power rested with Dad (sorry Mom). I wonder what effect this has? Something worth exploring.

47 minutes ago, Shade_Wilder said:

I am guessing that you saw Birkenstock-wearing, long-haired and bearded SJWs buying it and thought "Not for me;". One, if I might bastardize an old but good saying "Never Judge a Book By its Purchaser."

You might be right here and I am self reflecting (considering the flaws of the younger me). I will reconsider and revisit the idea