The Nature of Philosophy and its Relation with Empirical Science
In his Confessions, Saint Augustine (5th ct.) wrote: âWhat is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If someone asks me to explain it, I do not know.â You can substitute âphilosophyâ for âtimeâ in this quote and it will remain true: âWhat is philosophy? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If someone asks me to explain it, I do not know.â Perhaps I should refine this claim: the application of Augustineâs quote to âphilosophyâ is true at least for me. I donât know what philosophy is. And that is a source...
Book Review of Jay Garfieldâs Engaging Buddhism â Extended Version
When the Australasian Journal of Philosophy (AJP) asked me to review Jay Garfieldâs (2015) book Engaging Buddhism I didnât realize that they have a 400-word limit for âBook Notesâ. Thatâs the book-review equivalent of a haiku, which posed an interesting challenge, but which also required cutting 90% of the things I have (or want) to say about Garfieldâs book. This âextended versionâ of my review includes both the pre-publication version of my âBook Noteâ for AJP and a some additional, more detailed comments. pre-publication version of my âBook Noteâ for AJP In the preface of his book Garfield observes that...
Greece, Europe, and the Hegemony of Psychopathy
Question: Why canât Greece repay its debts? Answer: Because its economy is in shambles. Question: Why is its economy so bad? Answer: Because the EU destroyed it. Thatâs the short answer. Itâs not the answer youâll read in most newspapers or hear on the TV â those will tell you that itâs all the Greeksâ own fault. Their incompetent politicians and low productivity are too blame, theyâll tell you, or something similar. While it is undoubtedly true that Greece â like most other countries, by the way â has had its share of incompetent politicians, the story the mainstream press...
Anarchism as Metaphilosophy
Near the end of the prologue of Platoâs Republic, Socrates says to his opponent Thrasymachus that what they are discussing is âno ordinary/insignificant matter, but how we ought to liveâ (1.352d). As in many of Platoâs writings, Socrates here played the role of his mouthpiece: âHow we ought to liveâ was indeed no insignificant matter for Plato, but the starting point and ultimate purpose of his philosophical investigations. Relegating the pre-Socratic philosophers to the disciplineâs prehistory, it is sometimes suggested that Western philosophy started with Plato. Alfred North Whitehead even claimed that the history of Western philosophy âconsists of a...