Wittgenstein, Arendt, Popper & Kuhn, Foot & Thomson-LH 34-37, FL 27-28, WGU Introduction-p.35... [But first catch up on the Existentialists etc.]
Reports: #6 Dinah-Wittgenstein, Enrique-Arendt, Harlie-Popper & Kuhn; #7 Kaylie-Wittgenstein, Mikell-Arendt, Melvin-Popper & Kuhn #10 Zainab-Wittgenstein.
1. What was the main message of Wittgenstein's Tractatus?
2. What did the later Wittgenstein (of Philosophical Investigations) mean by "language games," what did he think was the way to solve philosophical problems, and what kind of language did he think we can't have?
3. Who was Adolf Eichmann, and what did Arendt learn about him at his trial?
4. What was Arendt's descriptive phrase for what she saw as Eichmann's ordinariness?
Discussion Questions:
- Was Wittgenstein's main message in the Tractatus correct? 203
- What are some of the "language games" you play? (What are some different things you use language for?) 204
- Can there be a "private language"? 206
- "Eichmann wasn't responsible..." 208 Agree?
- Are unthinking people as dangerous as evil sadists? 211
- Is "the banality of evil" an apt phrase for our time? 212
- Was Popper right about falsifiability? 218
- Was Kuhn right about paradigms? 220
- How would you respond it you woke up with a violinist plugged into your kidneys? Is this a good analogy for unwanted or unintended pregnancy? 226
- Pro wrestling is obviously staged. Why is it so popular?
- What do Burning Man attendees and other adults who like to play dress-up tell us about the state of adulthood in contemporary America? 245
- What do you think of Fantasy sports? 248
- Was Michael Jackson a tragic figure? 250
- Is pornography "normal"? 251
LH
ReplyDelete3. Who was Adolf Eichmann, and what did Arendt learn about him at his trial? Adolf Eichmann was a Nazi and his job was to create the timetables for the transportation of Jewish people to concentration camps. During his trial, Ardent learned that Eichmann was confident that he was innocent as he was only doing his job, and that he was an ordinary man who was not driven by hatefulness towards Jews.
4. What was Arendt's descriptive phrase for what she saw as Eichmann's ordinariness? Arendt said Eichmann had ''the banality of evil''.
5. Both Popper and Kuhn changed the way people understood science. What did Popper say about the method for checking a hypothesis and what name did Kuhn give to major breaks in the history of science? Popper said that it was a more logical to check a hypothesis by looking for where or if it is falsifiable rather than only looking for evidence that supports it. Kuhn called major breaks in science 'paradigm shifts', time periods when scientists could enter a new frame of thinking and abandon previous beliefs.
6. What is the Law of Double Effect? Many people who disagree with its principle--and with Thomson's violinist thought experiment--think that whatever our intentions we shouldn't play who? The Law of Double Effect explains how it is okay to bring about harm but only if its as a side effect of a greater good. Many people who disagree with this principle believe that intervening or to make a decision like that shouldn't be decided by one person as it would be playing God.
LH
ReplyDelete1. The Tractates was a guideline (system?) for societal improvements by being able to distinguish sense and nonsense
3. Adolf Eichmann was a Nazi who heavily contributed to the Holocaust. His role was identifying and transferring Jews to the infamous Auschwitz. Ardent learned at Eichmann's trial that he claimed not to be anti-Semitic and that saw his actions as a necessary order he had to carry out for the good of his country.
FL
I suppose when looking at the text and having the context of portions of his life I personally think that Michael Jackson was something of a tragic figure. One could look at his childhood and upbringing under a limelight of sorts and the pressures that come with it. There were also issues relating to his home life that might have caused a form of emotional disconnect. It is indeed sad that the sweet little boy under the pressure and filled with the void of fame turned to unfortunate means of self-fulfillment. Whether or not the sexual allegations against him were true it is undeniable he died of a drug overdose.
I have no strong thoughts on fantasy sports I do not find it to be meaningless or a delusion of physical activity. I find it a way for fans of a sport to come together and make poor financial decisions.