After viewing Bertrand Russell's message below, what do you think Immanuel Kant's (or Susan Neiman's) and William James's (or John Kaag's) messages to future generations would be (see the concluding chapters of WGU and SSHM)? What is yours? Mine would include Kurt Vonnegut's:
Why you should read Vonnegut (YouTube)... Vonnegut : Unstuck in Time
* "What are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts bear out?
...Love is wise, hatred is foolish..."
What will you tell them about how people in the 2020s either did or did not become "good ancestors"? Did they reach and reject "Peak Fantasyland" then, and begin to really value truth, facts, and reality?
"...seven trillion people will be born over the next 50,000 years.
How will all these future generations look back on us and the legacy we're leaving for them?
...A global movement has started to emerge of people committed to decolonizing the future..."
And what do you think future generations' message might be, to us? Will it be anything like the following?
"We knew that we needed to save the planet and that we had all the technology to do it, but people were scared. They said it was too big, too fast, not practical. I think that’s because they just couldn’t picture it yet..."
- "We are all now stuck in a science fiction novel that we are writing together." Kim Stanley Robinson
- "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Abe Lincoln
- "The really vital question for us all is, What is this world going to be? What is life eventually to make of itself?" William James
More questions:
SSHM
- "Philosophy lives in words, but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation." 129 Can you (partly) describe an example of that?
- "Everything makes sense. Just not to you or me." 133 Does this make sense?
- What do you think it means to say "truth is our story about the facts"? 134
- Something's being "useful at a particular time for a particular person" does not make it true. 136 Why do you think so many of pragmatism's critics misunderstand this?
- What do you think it means to have "conversations with sensations"? 137
- Are you a meliorist? 143-4
- What do you think of the Gertrude Stein anecdote? 152
- Do you like James's "Hands off" message? 158
- How do you interpret Protagoras's "Man is the measure" statement? 161 Is it a "radical humanism"? 164 What does that mean to you?
- Do you agree about "the greatest use of life"? 169
- Do you agree about "the art of being wise"? 172
- How does chance make the difference between resignation and hope? 174
- Must James's "unseen order" be something supernatural? 177 Or can it just be aspects of nature not yet understood?
- Have you ever experienced "the sublime or the religious" in some mundane activity (like Whitman on the ferry)? 182
- Kaag concludes his book with a sunset, which Neiman (201) says young people typically have no time for. Do you?
Just one last Fantasyland question:
- Have we in fact reached "peak fantasyland"? Will future generations heed Bertrand Russell's message (above*) and be more committed than we to truth, facts, and reality?
E. Wayne Jones/ Section #4
ReplyDeleteApril 24, 2021
A Meeting of Minds: My Conversation with two Philosophers
It was early one Saturday morning in a small Tennessee town and my wife needed some Apricot Juice to make her famous Lemon Cake. Since she needed Apricot Juice, I needed to get up early and go to Wal-Mart—15 miles away in next town. I hopped in my old truck and decided to take the back way through South Mills Road down by Crawler’s Creek and get in and out as quick as possible, that was the plan. Upon arrival to Wal-Mart I noticed the usual crowd of people entering the store in what I called Pajamas. “When are people going to grow up?” I said out loud and I reached for the door nob to get out of my truck. That’s when I heard a squeaky voiced woman with a bit a Southern twang ask, “Why grow up?(2).” Nearly dropping my Covid 19 mask , I noticed a tan-skinned woman with curly black hair peering into the passenger window. Taking off her dark framed glasses, she said, “I’m Susan; you’ve been reading my book.”
Thinking I had forgotten to take my blood pressure medicine. “Have I lost my mind?” I asked.
“Oh no, I am quite real,” she replied, “do you think of growing up as a way of renouncing your hopes and dreams? (1).“Not really—I just see it as a way of claiming the responsibility, accountability that all adults must face. You know—like in the Bible—“When I became a man, I put away childish things…” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
“That’s a little ambiguous; I mean just what are childish things? “Do you agree that it takes courage to think for yourself?” (11) Do you think that quoting the Bible is thinking for yourself?
“It took thought for me to recall that verse if that’s what you mean. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get my wife some apricot juice; she’s making a lemon cake. And I just love lemon cake.”
“Sir, you never answered my question.”
“Mam it’s not about questions; it’s about faith--a Christian concept. I know you do not think like Christians think, so I think I need to go into the store.”
“But sir, “Is travel necessary when growing up?” (13-16)
“I don’t know mam. I just need to travel into the store.”
“That’s as far as you will go in life, if you do not have the courage to think for yourself (11).
“How do you know that is courageous? How do you know I’m not crazy, eh?”
“Sir this is a special day, and I have come all the way from my home in Berlin to talk to you. As you know, “Distracting older people from objects of desire …[like Apricot juice]…is slightly more complicated, but what ever difficulty there may be is compensated for by the fact that the things that can be used to distract us are nearly limitless” (9).
It was in that instant, that she snapped her fingers and a man appeared.
“Hello, Ernest, I’m John Kaag. You’ve been reading my work as well.” Before I could figure out if I were in a crazy dream, he continued. Ernest, Do you, “…realize how soon [you] will become [a] mere walking bundle of habits? (76) I mean buying Apricot Juice on a Saturday morning? Really? You could be doing anything and you choose this.
“Do you wish you had a Samoan childhood?” (WGA 27), chimed in Susan.
“Actually, I was quite fine with my childhood in Tennessee” minus a few uncomfortable times, I returned.
“I’ve got this, Susan,” said John. “Listen, why don’t you “practice yoga?” (91).
“Well, I’ve got a bad knee…” I started.
“Yoga can help you manage your habits effectively” (76).
I started to shake and he continued. “[You see] nervous systems, like our own, are not hardwired from the start (what fun would that be?) …” (76) Then in a manner straight from the mind of Willie Wonka he spun away in a whirlwind. As I stood there in amazement, I heard Susan say, “Here Ernest is your apricot juice. I must go now.” And just like that, she was gone.
This is a great start, funny and entertaining!
DeleteI'd like to encourage you to expand on the difference between how Christians (or religious folk generally) and western philosophers like Neiman think about growing up. And happiness, too.
You'll want to post this as an author post, so you can insert links etc.
How does chance make the difference between resignation and hope?
ReplyDeleteIt makes the difference through ones decision in weather or not to keep going in a situation. If you are faced against impossible odds against something in your life and believe that there is no way out, then you will slide into resignation. However, if you simply entertain the idea that there is always a chance that no matter what your dealing with or facing that you can make it out. The chance that something can go your way is at the core of hope, and if you have hope, you always have the chance of succeeding no matter the odds. So chance is hope and hope is chance and each provide that the other option is not resigned to defeat.
"No fact in human nature is more characteristic than its willingness to live on a chance." Wm James
DeleteSection 7.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'd say I'm a meleorist. I like his way of thinking about free will & our ability to act and improve.
Some things are much easier to explain and understand visually as opposed to verbally. Also, some people may not be very orally gifted, and have a hard time explaining things. Oftentimes, showing someone a philosophy through the way someone lives is more influential than a verbal explanation.
My message to the future is simple: Be kind, always. It goes a long way.
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That was also Kurt Vonnegut's other message to the future:
Delete“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Section 8
ReplyDeleteMessage for Future Generations?
--- I don’t know what I would say to future generations. I’ve never thought about it before. I think whatever I’d say will depend on what happens in the future, though. The quote under the TED video says, "...seven trillion people will be born over the next 50,000 years.” It’s hard to picture what Earth will be like in 50,000 years. It’s a long time, but especially because technology is getting advanced. Hopefully my generation won’t have to apologize to future generations. I think we can turn things around.
Do you agree about "the art of being wise"? 172
--- I agree that “knowing what to overlook” is a part of being wise, but I don’t think it’s the biggest part of being wise. There are many ways to be wise.
Kaag concludes his book with a sunset, which Neiman (201) says young people typically have no time for. Do you?
--- I do, and I think a lot of other young people do too. I think we just need to prioritize and use effective time management for things like this.
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50,000 years is a long time in human terms, though still just a blink of the cosmic eye. One thing I'd say to them is: I'm glad you're HERE, we weren't sure humanity would make it out of the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteSection 7
ReplyDeleteSSHM
1. Are you a meliorist? 143-4
- I would like to think that I am. I have always had difficulty effectively expressing myself through words, I am definitely a visual learner. I too see progress as a real concept that can help to improve the world.
2. Do you agree about "the art of being wise"? 172
- To a certain extent. I agree that it is crucial to know what things to overlook in order to be “wise”. However, I don’t think it’s the most important thing.
3. Message to the future
- My message to the future generations would be to appreciate every moment, and to live in the moment. I feel as though so many of us get caught up in what the future holds, that we forget to truly appreciate the moment we are living in now. The worrying and stressing will not change a single thing about the future. I would also tell them to do what makes you happy, not what makes others happy. Life is far too short to be doing something that doesn’t make you happy.
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Presented Midterm:3/11
Posted Midterm essay: 3/11
Keylee Crutcher Section 8
ReplyDelete• "Philosophy lives in words, but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation." 129 Can you (partly) describe an example of that?
Philosophy lives on to be learned through words, either a teacher speaking or someone reading a book. But the truths and facts that we see in philosophy are lived. You can try to articulate how feeling in tune with nature feels but you won’t be able to write or say exactly how that moment felt to you because there isn’t vocabulary for feeling connecting to things.
• "Everything makes sense. Just not to you or me." 133 Does this make sense?
In the sense of how everything works, yes. We don’t understand the universe or dark matter for example, but it serves some type of purpose and it exists because of something else that it’s related to or uses or causes or something. I don’t think this is correct in terms of like, “why did that earthquake kill hundreds of people” “why are people dying from preventable diseases” etc. I don’t believe things like that “make sense” in the way we mean “make sense.” They were caused by something that came before it and that was caused by something that came before it, that’s how those things make sense. They don’t make sense in some weird justification or “big idea” way.
• Are you a meliorist? 143-4
I believe in hard determinism.
• Do you agree about "the art of being wise"? 172
Yes, but I think it’s also possible to just try to come to terms with it. Life’s not useless just because the idea of it isn’t perfect.
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Section 4
ReplyDeleteI would like to think of myself as a meliorist. The world is the way is it because of humans so we are the only ones who can make any change. Lately though, we seem to be making progress but more problems are arising and problems never seem to get solved. Lots of people have been trying to make a change but there is still enough people to hold us back. Humans are the problem so we also have to be the solution as long as we don't let ignorance blind us.
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Do you agree about "the art of being wise"? 172
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the art of being wise. it is not the easiest thing just for everyone so for someone to take time and build knowledge on a subject it is critiquely hard for they have to know the positive and cons.
section 7
section 7
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Are you a meliorist? 143-4
ReplyDeleteI don't think I am. I don't believe that mankind can come together for the benefit of all. If people really cared for each other, then world peace would have been achieved already. One can be optimistic, but I'm a realist. I know in human nature, to be selfless is like losing an arm for some people. People typically think for themselves and not of others, therefore working against the common goal of peace for everyone. So I do not believe in meliorism.
Do you agree about "the greatest use of life"? 169
Yes, I want my life to be meaningful to me, and not time wasted on earth. I want to do something with my life that will still make an impact even after my time. That's what all the famous people are known for; they are gone but their works and efforts are still remembered. For example, Hammurabi lived around 1750 BCE, but he is still known for his set of laws. Cleopatra was a female pharaoh who also had influence in Rome. Charlie Chaplin was known for his silent films. All these people are gone, but they have works that continue to live on.
Kaag concludes his book with a sunset, which Neiman (201) says young people typically have no time for. Do you?
I try to make time in my day to go walking outside and enjoy the outside scenery to refresh my mind. Recently, I have been watching the sun set as I go walking in the evening, but I won't lie, there are days when just taking a small walk is difficult, and I miss the sunset. But now, I make a effort, no matter how busy I am, to take a walk and enjoy the scenery around me, no matter what time.
Are you a meliorist?
ReplyDeleteI would say I can be considered a meliorst to a certain extent because I know that we can in fact make the world a better place but I don’t think we are. We have the resources and power to stop poverty and even help out the environment tremendously, yet nothing has been done to do so. I believe that if we work together on an issue it can be resolved but I also believe that each of us has their own responsibilities and that it is hard to make such a change when everyone is worried about themselves.