Ever wonder what Socrates meant when he said “the unexamined life is not worth living?” I’ll take a crack at explaining. Basically, when we talk about “purpose” we can talk about two types: first-order purpose (or quasi-purpose) and second-order purpose (self-reflective purpose). First order purpose is basically what distinguishes living things from matter. It is…
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philosophy
Critiquing and Criticizing. They’re not the same thing.
“We critique far too soon, we must first seek understanding.” – Marshal McLuhan I come from the art world. Critiquing is something I do often so I’m very familiar with the term. However, lately I’ve been reading a lot of theoretical, academic essays dealing with the “critique” of various theological/philosophical/sociological ideas and/or movements. I’m finding…
Tripp Fuller on Background Checks
Exceptional Art & Alluring Art or What Makes Some Art More Important Than Other Art
In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it. The above quote comes from German educator Ernst Fischer. His view of art’s purpose and place in society closely…
Diogenes the Dog; So you want to be a Cynic do you?
Diogenes was the first of a group of thinkers who became known as the Cynics, a term taken from the Greek kunikos, meaning “dog-like.” It reflects the determination of the Cynics to spurn all forms of social custom and etiquette, and instead live in as natural a state as possible. They asserted that the more…
A New Year & Time Keeps on Ticking; But Does It Have To? | Art by Jenny Brown
Modern society is unimaginable without clock time. With the rise of the chronometer came a vast increase in discipline, efficiency and social speed, transforming every institution and human endeavor. The factory, the office, transportation, business, the flow of information, indeed almost everything we do and relate to is to a greater or lesser extent controlled…
Spirit Is More Solid Than Ice
“Listen carefully, then. It is a widespread misunderstanding that Spirit is a thing that is more ‘airy’ than vapor. On the contrary. Spirit is more solid than ice.” “That never occurred to me.” “And now I’ll tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a man who didn’t believe in angels. One day,…
The Only Thing We Need To Be Good Philosophers: A Prayer For My Son
THE ONLY THING WE REQUIRE TO BE GOOD PHILOSOPHERS IS THE FACULTY OF WONDER. Babies have this faculty. That is not surprising. After a few short months in the womb they slip out into a brand-new reality. But as they grow up the faculty of wonder seems to diminish. Why is this? Do you know?…
So what is your poem about?
In “The Well Wrought Urn” — that well-known and well-wrought book of literary criticism — Cleanth Brooks described what he called “the heresy of paraphrase.” The main idea — that efforts at paraphrasing poetry into prose fail in ways that parallel attempts for prose do not — was not new. It has been generally agreed…