Phun with Philosophy!
I recently discovered The Philosopher's Magazine Online, which includes some very exciting (to me) "games". I recommend all except "Strange New World" and the interactive philosophy quiz. The games deal with some pretty relevant and interesting topics, such as God, ethics, and consistency, and I think they'd be fairly accessible for those without a background in philosophy, although I'm probably a bad judge of that. The activities may be particularly worthwhile for those who have a feeling that philosophy is so much horse poo*, those who just want an introduction to some of the big questions it addresses, and those who think they're right about everything. Check 'er out.
*I don't want to give the impression that none of philosophy (or what we call philosophy) is horse poo. In the words of Cicero, "There is nothing so absurd but some philosopher has said it." But a lot of it's hella good.
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4 comments:
What is philosophy? The word comes from the Greek (PHILO love sophia wisdom). That is to be a lover of wisdom or, as I would put it, a searcher for absolute truths. To be a philosopher there is one essential requirement, to be intelligent. Everyone confuses cleverness and intelligence. Intelligence, intelligent, from Latin intelligere understand (INTER+legere gather, pick out).
Clever, Adroit, dexterous, skilful, talented.
What do you understand by intelligence? What is the difference between being intelligent and being clever? Can a person be intelligent without being clever and visa versa? The current IQ test has been used (with modifications) for over 100 years. The average IQ score is 100. An IQ score of 160 places you into the genius category and a score of >200 is categorised as unmeasurable genius. Computers are becoming ever more powerful and sophisticated. Is a computer intelligent? No, it will never be able to comprehend and understand. It might appear to do so but that will be an illusion. It will only ever be a programmed machine. Even if it is programmed to generate its own coding it will do so as an uncomprehending programmed manner. It will never think (I think, therefore I am). It will only appear to be as clever as the men or women that programmed it. If you do not comprehend and understand this then you are not intelligent (having understanding). There are young children (seven to ten years old) who have genius IQs of 160-170. They have above normal learning abilities and talents. However, like an autistic savant they are clever not intelligent. They see the world in a simplistic child like way. One of them may write music and play the violin to a professional standard. Another might be able to do complex mathematical problems. However, they do not have understanding. You would not expect complex philosophical insight and understanding from any one of them. The IQ test should be called the CQ test (cleverness quotient) for it has everything to do with measuring cleverness and nothing to do with measuring intelligence.
The casual misuse of the word philosopher shows the complete misunderstanding of it. When I listen to someone talking about another person’s philosophy, I know I am talking to someone who does not understand. It is as if you can all have different absolute truths, which of course is nonsense. To be a philosopher requires you to be intelligent and have a doubting curious mind. To use observation and logic putting misleading emotions aside and being able to accept the unacceptable. If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. Rene Descartes
The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt. Rene Descartes
As for accepting a thing as true without a doubt, never, you must always be ready to change and update.
What are you (should be) searching for as a philosopher? The answer is the absolute truth about everything. From astronomy to quantum mechanics. From what is absolute love to the nature of God? From what is consciousness to who, why and what you are. From what is real and what is not. From religion to madness. You do not have to be clever to be a philosopher but you do have to be observant and have a good general understanding of every subject under the sun. Do you have a desire to measure up? My intelligent guess is no..smile. A simple question for you so called philosophers..how many neurons in the human brain. If you do not know, you will never be a philosopher. It is not the knowing the answer that is important but why you wanted to know.
Robert robert77@fsmail.net
Jacob,
You say that 20 feet is the radios of your world. You confine yourself by both the distance (20ft) and the word world. The world is an 8,000-mile diameter ball of molten rock and iron with a thin unstable floating crust. It circles a star travelling at 18 miles each second through the dark vacuum of space. The radius of my existence is beyond and outside the know universe. Even the blue whales world is thousands of miles in radius. Did you know that your body is made up of approximately 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 unthinking atoms. If that is true (which it is), how is it that you are aware and can think? How curious are you? What beliefs will you be prepared (and want to) to abandon in the search for absolute truths? If the answer is not everything then I suggest with insight and knowledge for you to carry on as you are now and be satisfied with your 20ft radius..smile.
Robert robert77@fsmail.net
Jacob,
Let me give you an example of the way a philosopher reasons using only logic to come to a correct conclusion. You might have seen the film Alien. At one point in the film, the android Ash describes the alien as being perfect and uses words of admiration in describing it. Would YOU use similar words to describe that alien if it was in front of you? Now consider the lion or tiger. Both would devour you in cold blood without a thought for you. Would you want to be described as a lion, a predator with no intelligence that stalks and kills? The true philosopher is not fooled by emotions. He/she knows that both the lion and tiger are ugly (as is the alien). But you would have to turn aside from a lifetime of being told that they are both beautiful and worthwhile. My guess is that you cannot do so..smile. If you cannot you will never be a philosopher.
Robert robert77@fsmail.net
Now let us consider the nature of your God.
The profile of God is of an eternal entity morally perfect and wise with absolute power to do whatever it/he desires and is the maker of everything. It /he desires/demands to be loved, admired, worshiped, knelt before and obeyed for reasons of the preceding qualities. Consider how puerile this is. If you were the father of a young boy or girl you would not say ‘Because I am wiser than you and can do many things that you can not and was responsible for you being here kneel down and worship me’. If you did so, you would be mad. That is absolutely true of the biblical God. Open your eyes and think. At this point, I should point out that the biblical Satan desires the same as God that is for you to kneel down, worship, and admire him.
Worship (OE weordhscipe (WORTH, -SHIP)) worthiness, merit, recognition, honour & respect, reverent homage or service paid to God, adoration or devotion, adore as divine etc, etc.
For the purpose of this discussion let us suppose that an entity (God or whoever..the whoever is very important) designed and made/fabricated the Universe and everything in it. Remembering that he is perfect in every way; would he want or desire to make anything that was flawed? Or being God would not all of his works be perfect as he supposedly is? Consider your body. How extremely fallible it is in so many ways. Your reproductive areas (the penis, vagina etc) are right next to the part of your body that excretes waste matter (faeces). Would you design them so aesthetically wrong? If you were living from before 200 years in the past how disgusting it must have been. Even now if society broke down and you had no soap or toilet paper think of how disgusting and smelly you would be. You live on a ball of very hot iron and molten rock with a thin unstable crust. It has a thin atmosphere and is continuously bombarded by radiation from the sun which if it was not for the earth’s magnetic field would destroy all life. This ball (the planet earth) travels at 18 miles each second through the black vacuum of space in a circle round the sun. Consider how bizarre and grotesque this is. Ask yourself; is the mind of God bizarre and grotesque?
The whole of Gods creation is ugly and flawed, any intelligent person can see that. Consider that it might be deliberate maliciousness on Gods part.
To be evil, malicious, harmful and a liar means that you are flawed (mad). Would a morally perfect entity (God) make anything that could become so? And even if he did, would he not remove it instantly if it did?
Putting aside the naïve, puerile fairy story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden consider the free will argument that religious people use to excuse the badness/ugliness of man and consider your position. A person that lies, cheats, is malicious or amoral HAS NO FREE WILL. A mad flawed person does not have intelligence (understanding) or free will. He/she might be clever (most successful criminals are) but does not have free will. There is no logic in the argument of free will. Does the lion, tiger, leopard, eagle, crocodile, and shark, have free will when they stalk, kill and devour their prey? Does the suicide bomber, the person/soldier killing, raping or torturing, the embezzler, all the ones exploiting others, the thugs and uncaring criminals have free will? No, they do not. They do not have intelligence (understanding) or free will. According to the so-called Holy writing who is responsible? Where does the buck stop? If you are religious, the answer is God. He is supposedly both all-powerful and perfect in righteousness. How and why does this supposedly perfect entity for a microsecond allow all the evil and badness?
Consider that we are made in Gods image (Genesis 1:27). If we are corruptible and flawed..so is God. If God has perfect wisdom and is all powerful (as we attribute to him) he would have known and understood ALL the possibilities that lay ahead. Could you for one moment turn aside if you had the ability to stop a human being from being tortured? God has allowed thousands of years of lies, suffering, torment, degradation, torture, sadness, murder, slavery. NOTHING in this universe or elsewhere can excuse that. If he exists, he is a mad, ugly, a criminal beyond belief.
Why do you not open your eyes?
Pause.
Now you might give the perfect stupid, worthless and puerile reply…God moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. You might say..I have faith. Do you have faith that God will stop you from being robbed? Do you have faith that God will stop you from getting cancer and heal you when you do? Do you have faith that you will not be attacked at any time? Do you have faith that the world is good when it obviously is not? Do you have faith that God will guide all your footsteps and protect you? Do you have faith that the meek will inherit the earth? Do you have faith that Allah will take you to paradise and reward with 72 servile virgins after you blow yourself up and everyone else in your vicinity? Do you have faith that all the bad and evil people will get there comeuppance? Do you have faith that a fictional person will give you an eternity in paradise when you die? Do you have faith when you are dieing of hunger that it is Gods good will for you? Do you have faith that when you are old and alone and your body hardly functions and your memory is almost gone that it is Gods good will for you? Do you have faith when your child/husband/wife is cruelly taken from you that it is Gods good will for you? Do you have faith if you survived the evil Holocaust that it was a good Gods way of punishing/testing you?
If you do, you are like Alice living in an ugly fairytale wonderland.
Robert robert77@fsmail.net
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