The crisp autumn air blew around us as we walked. Leaves crunching under our feet and the sunlight behind the Parthenon casting a large shadow in the grass of Centennial Park. I walked with philosophers Julian Baggini, Kurt Anderson and Nigel Warburton to discuss the impact of philosophy in influencing a person’s ability to rationalize and empathize. In the shadow of the Parthenon, I began the philosophy session with these modern philosophers and asked: “Do you think philosophy can help people learn to respect truth, facts, reality, and one another, and to reject lies, deception, superstition, selfishness, polarization and other forms of agenda pushing, partisanship, and mutual hostility based on differences of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, belief and the many other categories and labels that we utilize to identify ourselves? That’s a pretty large question to work with but I’m curious as to what you all think about even just the merit of philosophy with everything going on in the world, and most excessively in America, right now. I also want to know what your opinions are about what you think that this world is going to be. What is life eventually to make of itself?”
Warburton responded, “Since we’re at the Parthenon, a replica of the monuments of the past, let’s start at the beginning. The Western tradition in philosophy, which spread from Ancient Greece values wisdom that is based on argument, reasoning and asking questions, not on believing things simply because someone important has told you they are true (pg 3). Socrates said that true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing, and his student Plato believed that only philosophers understand what the word is truly like. They discover the nature of reality by thinking rather than relying on their senses (pg 5). From these arguments, we know that through philosophy we can accept that we don't know anything and that through philosophy we can learn about truth and the nature of all things."
I chuckled, "So Bill and Ted were not far off the mark then?"
Warburton laughed, "No, they weren't. But what I didn't talk about in "A Little History" is that Socrates didn't talk much about how to treat others, he just asked that his students question everything. Bill and Ted were truly wise by Socrates' logic."
"It's not like they became students of his, but they were wise enough to say this: Be excellent to each other. What do some other early philosophers say?"
(The video is a 13 second clip from the end of the film, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) where Bill states "be excellent to each other" and Ted says "party on dudes" when asked for advice by the advanced civilization of the future that they influenced. Bill and Ted directly met Socrates in the film and are a good example of Socrates' message that true wisdom is understanding that we don't know anything, these boys don't know anything, actively admit it, and are shown to be very empathetic characters that are willing to learn from people of incredibly different backgrounds, beliefs, and understandings. Their personal philosophy is to "be excellent to each other" which certainly does not sound like they value deception, biased hatred or selfishness. It sounds like they are students of philosophy and the perspectives and experiences of others which helps them form a philosophy of good will.)
"Well, for Epicurus the key to life was recognizing that we all seek pleasure. More importantly, we avoid pain whenever we can. The best way to live, then, was this: have a very simple lifestyle, be kind to those around you, and surround yourself with friends (pg 5). Epicurus and his followers in The Garden also believed in philosophy as a form of therapy which the Stoics agreed with (pg 27). The Stoics believe that by being indifferent we can reduce unhappiness in the face of events that we can't control. But the cost might be that we become cold, heartless, and perhaps even less human. If that is the price of achieving calm, it may be too high (pg 33). I think that is my answer, though, to your question. I think that philosophy gives people the tools and practice to question everything, despite the importance of the people giving the information and making the rules, someone that philosophizes can question those in power, their motives, their biases, their agendas and to seek the truth and figure out what reality is. There are philosophies, like that of Epicurus, that tell us that happiness is a simple life, surrounded by friends, and acting with kindness to those around you. There isn't a 'but' to that statement. The takeaway is to be kind, not 'be kind but only to those that are the same race, religion or political alignment as you. I don’t know what life is going to make itself out to be, maybe it’s just this. The world will be what it is, and we will always wonder and search for questions that are satisfactory enough to fill our wondering." Warburton nodded, pleased with his answer.
(pictured is a screenshot from Nigel Warburton's twitter account, @philosophybites, where he retweeted a post from James Timpson regarding company hierarchy, stating that no one is more important than anyone else. Warburton's retweet emphasizes his agreement with the statement which argues for empathy and equality, both qualities that are lacking when a person employs prejudice to support their agenda.)
"Thank you so much, Dr. Warburton, for talking with me today and contributing to the discussion. What are your opinions?" I asked Julian Baggini and Kurt Anderson.
"Well, I think my opinion is probably pretty obvious considering the primary objective of my book, How the World Thinks, is to look at philosophy around the world. Philosophy is one of the cornerstones of culture in every society across the world. I even stated in my prologue that, "If we thought that there was a motley collection of mechanisms and principles governing different parts of reality, with no connections between them, then the universe would be a less comprehensible place. Assuming a kind of unity is a prerequisite for any serious attempt at systematic understanding." That goes for the nature of human experience in general. Despite how different we are culturally, religiously, ethnically, politically, we share commonality in our search for the understanding of everything. And because we are one in that, we must all be governed by the same set of mechanisms and principles. I want to focus on philosophy’s effect on partisanship and polarization, though, because I specifically mention this in the 4th chapter of How the World Works.
“The problems of Western democracy are a kind of allegory for the problems of Western philosophy. Its pursuit of distinction between true and false creates a default either/or mindset. …. Yet when we are dealing with values and preferences, different visions of the good life, even if there is some ultimate sense in which only one view is correct, in practice we cannot determine one and only one winner. A dualistic culture can get around this if it maintains an equilibrium between both opposites, granting as much to one side as to the other. But there is always the risk that such an equilibrium will not be reached and that the logic of either/or turns into the logic of the zero-sum game, in which only one side can win. And when there are several plausible views, a binary mindset finds it hard to manage the complexity it creates.”
I think that through studying philosophy, all philosophies and not just Western tradition, we find more commonalities than differences, such as the search for a good life and happiness. An either/or understanding of the world creates more problems than it solves and divides more than it unites. Having a certain distance makes the broad outline clearer than it is to those working close up, who in studying the unique features of every tree often forget that they are all of the same species, the one that gives the whole forest its distinctive character (Introduction).”
“Wow. Thank you Dr. Baggini. I agree that a binary view makes it difficult to reconcile with those in opposition. I think that seeing the bipartisan system in place in America and how it has affected, not just national politics but even interpersonal discussions on politics, contempt is festering. Americans have particularly lost sight of the bigger picture and I think that we are all suffering because of it. I wonder how much some people in positions of extreme opposition are willing to lose when they are so desperate to win. Thank you for your contribution to the discussion. That leaves your thoughts, Mr. Andersen.”
“I guess I’m more cynical, but we are freer than ever to custom-make reality, to believe whatever or to pretend to be whomever we wish. Which makes all the lines between actual and fictional disappear more easily. Truth in general becomes flexible, a matter of personal preference (chapter 1). I don’t know if philosophy will help people value the truth, I think that people, and especially Americans, have been told that they have the right to be absolute individuals without regard for truth and reality and so they grip on to fantasies with iron fists. If people did suddenly start learning about philosophy and practicing the mental workout themselves, it would be really hard for them to see their experience of reality being challenged as false. Like Warburton said earlier, people will do anything to seek happiness but avoid pain. Being told that you’ll probably be an accountant when you grow up instead of an astronaut like you want is a painful realization. It’s another painful realization though when the president in real life is a “reality” tv star and a short-fingered vulgarian."
(The picture is an edited image of the president where his hands were made to appear as if they are the size of a baby's hands. This became a popular meme during the 2016 election, ten years after Andersen coined the term "short-fingered vulgarian" in 2006 while writing his book Spy.)
“Thank you, Mr. Andersen, for your insight. As a kid receiving an education post-Columbine and becoming an adult with the Trump presidency, I understand your point of view. It’s tiring to be so surrounded with lies and fantasy all the time. I’m much more optimistic that younger generations will rely on critical thinking skills than their predecessors. I myself believe that the world is our garden rather than our oyster. I think that we’re learning to take care of things rather than wanting decadence. I appreciate all of your opinions, gentlemen, and I’m so glad that we were able to have this discussion. Have a wonderful rest of the day and I hope you enjoy this lovely weather.”
Zoe Hovinga section 12!
ReplyDeleteNice idea, bringing them to the Parthenon.
ReplyDelete"Socrates didn't talk much about how to treat others"... well, the Socrates who turns up in the Platonic dialogues talks about everything Plato wants him to talk about, including every aspect of virtue. That definitely includes social relationships.
This is a civil conversation, the authors all make their main points effectively, and the lovely forest image and analogy remind us that it takes biodiversity to make an ecosystem, and human diversity to make a society. Well done.