Happy World Philosophy Day!
How is everyone celebrating World Philosophy Day? How about celebrating by pondering these four philosophical dilemmas, posed by the BBC?
- Should we kill healthy people to harvest their organs?
- Are you the same person who started reading this article?
- Is that really a computer screen in front of you?
- Did you really choose to read this article?
I’m off to plan a worship set, but when I’m done, I’ll drop some thinky thoughts in the comment section. Read the article, it’s cool.
I’ll celebrate by….going to my philosophy class? I bet my teacher is excited…
I wish I had thinky thoughts. In the immortal words of Charlie Chan, I “had a thought once, but it got lonely and left.”
Still, I did choose to read the article (even if Fred knew I was going to read it shortly after the Big Bang)
4. Did you really choose to read this article?
Hasn’t this been addressed here before?
I like #3… Very Descartes-esque…
Though I don’t intend to try the Wax Argument anytime soon with my MacBook Pro… :/
#3 isn’t just Descartes-esque, it’s straight Descartes. Radical skepticism, the collapse of all empirical trustworthiness, and the only thing left is “I think, therefore I am.”
Which, it turns out, is wrong. There are several options Descartes didn’t consider. Maybe he’s not the one thinking. Maybe his thoughts are the echo of someone else’s thoughts, and maybe the same is true of every person alive.
Really, the only thing Descartes can absolutely know for sure is “Someone thinks.” Not a very sturdy platform for knowledge.
And there you have it, kids. The rise and fall of the enlightenment, at least as it relates to philosophy. Now go fetch grandpa a beer. If there is such a thing as beer. And if you have free will.
from Descartes to Kant… I like this post :)
There is such a thing as beer.
Prove it.
Someone drinks.
Sharolyn, I simply can’t accept this conclusion without rigorous, repeated testing. Mmmmmmmm. Experimental rigor. Mmmmmmm.
Drink responsibly. Don’t operate any machinery that could result in a devastating outcome, such as a car or Pro Tools 8.
Oh Sharolyn, wonderful things happen when you combine mind-altering substances and Pro Tools.
So, if you follow Mike’s link, and click on the song “National Anthem,” I think you might hear my all time favorite lo-budget but extra awesome bass part.
Which, oddly enough, sounds like 70% of David Holmes’ bass parts in the Ocean’s 11 sequels…
Hooray for musical diversity? … :/