philosophy

All posts tagged philosophy

Humans - (2015 show) image

Entertainment > Television >

(on Wikipedia)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4122068/
https://www.amc.com/shows/humans
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/humans

Synthetic humans are created, but once again philosophers weren't involved, and when some present intelligence and emotion they take umbrage at being slaves.

Adequate, but neither revelatory nor particularly interesting. Not particularly recommended except for people who like the general topic (which is why I made a tag for it).

See also:



Continue Reading

The Last Lecture - (2008 book), by Randy Pausch cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)
https://web.archive.org/web/20210721110427/https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/

A dying guy writes about how awesome he had it, and gives advice to his children.

It takes almost half of the book to mine more than two interesting points. It is a glaring reminder of how important it is to have a solid first chapter. Instead, chapter after chapter this book keeps promising something interesting, forcing the reader to cling to the "I'm dying" parts to hope for something better.

For people who stick it out, there is a lot of fluff which I was able to trivially summarize with two pages of bullet points. That's nothing to sneeze at, so I suppose this is worth reading for some, though I won't recommend it.



Continue Reading

the-prince-1910-by-niccolo-machiavelli-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

A tactically-minded man creates an instruction manual for action and understanding in the realm of high-lords of kingdoms.

At under 70 pages, this book may be thin but it's incredibly dense. I found myself reading paragraphs three times before moving on. Although nothing in it surprised me, I can still easily recommend it. It's been, somehow, given a bad name. I only found a slight tinge of "evil" creeping in at about the half-way mark, but nothing inexcusable.

I understood it well enough to add strong commentary, and to give much improved explanation in the latter half which draws from the former. It's interesting to me that the author himself didn't catch on to the trends in his own advice.

Like The Art of War - (~476 BC book), by Sunzi, people have interpreted this text for all manner of uses such as the business world.



Continue Reading

bushido-1924-01-03-book-minoru-tanaka-cover

Entertainment > Reading > samurai >

(on Wikipedia)

A book on Bushido, the old way of the samurai, as created in conversation with an old master-turned-monk.

In a time when the others were softening up, a samurai who had lost his master and left to live in a monastery spoke in hushed tones to a friend about the old ways he grew up in. Although he and others insisted the manuscripts be burned, the promises were broken when they were kept secret. They would be later compiled and published, and even later translated from its original Japanese.

A particularly interesting book. Although most of it is definitely not directly-applicable today, I think anyone who already has a sufficient "wisdom" (whatever that means) will find bits and pieces of insight.



Continue Reading

propaganda-1928-by-edward-bernays-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)

The author works to sell the notion of propaganda as a skill and service, inventing what is best described as "ethical propaganda". He used this to manufacture his relevancy and sell his career. This book is particularly interesting in that the author and what he writes can itself be understood by what is written. The teaching can be used on itself.

Its first half is boring as hell to me, but I guess it would have been fascinating back then. A little after the half-way point it has grown very dark, talking about leaders instead of elected officials and manipulation instead of representation.

It does show its age in a number of places, but its stories are trivially generalizable.

So far I guess I'd put this on an intellectual's book shelf, though it all seems obvious and not even particularly collectible. I'm not sure if it would "red pill" an everyday person or even be interesting to one.

TODO - re-read and especially the other essays.

Not the cover of my edition.
Not the cover of my edition.

Entertainment > Reading >

I'm either stupid or arrogant to say that this isn't particularly good. I'll have to re-read it yet again before I can either give a description or a proper opinion.

  1. 1942 - The Myth of Sisyphus

    • First translated into English in 1955.
  2. (other essays noted below) TODO

sjws-always-lie-2015-08-25-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GMBUR4

A sort of "Art of War" on the the topic of the more recent so-called "Social Justice Warriors".

Highly recommended, though not necessarily because of its topic. With history and opinion, and descriptions of tactics and rhetoric, it's a fascinating set of opinions, positions and stories. I didn't understand half of its references, but this sort of book reveals a kind of contemporary philosophic writing that I find fascinating.

I read this just after Free Speech Isn't Free - (2016 book), by Roosh V, which I think helped a lot.



Continue Reading

the-fountainhead-1943-book-by-ayn-rand-cover

Entertainment > Reading >

(on Wikipedia)
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0452273331

A famous work of philosophy, especially because it's told using a story.

A terrible work of storytelling that entirely shrouds any philosophy it may have. From the first sentence I rolled my eyes and couldn't make it through the first half-page before setting it down in disgust. I still haven't been more than a handful of pages in.. it's just so god damned bad.

This'll sit on my shelf, among its betters, probably for years before I get around to trying to read more of it. Just as books in ancient Greek need translating, I think this needs a real writer to re-tell the story.



Continue Reading

Philosophy in the Flesh - (1999 book), by Lakoff, Johnson image

Entertainment > Reading >

https://www.alibris.com/Philosophy-in-the-Flesh-George-Lakoff/book/10659440

To read

This book is mind blowing. I think the best description I can give of what it's topic and goals are is to present the first chapter, in full. From here I think anyone interested in the subject will understand fully where this book is going and the intentions of the authors.

  • Properly titled Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought
  • By George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.

  • ISBN-10 0-465-05674-1

  • TODO - The various Wikipedia topics would need references to cognitive philosophy as a contraindication to the various topics, and in those topics to specifically cite passages in the introduction in this book.
  • TODO - Finish the linking.



Continue Reading