Philosophical bits and ramblings: Nietzsche and Emerson

One of my former students was asking about Emerson and Nietzsche. Quine even. Here was my first reply: 

Nietzsche was vocal about his admiration of Emerson, especially in his The Gay Science. One of Emerson's essays mentions the over-soul.

A lot of Emerson's impact has been dampened by those who think "American philosophy" is insignificant. Nietzsche was didn't bother with such a view. In at least one instance Nietzsche wished he thought in French or English, Walter Kaufmann, if I remember correctly also claimed Nietzsche was aware of American English

Philosophical bits and ramblings: Introduction

To get some writing going, I will be posting some of my answers to some of questions posed to me by my former students. Some context given but also lost. We'll see.

Barry Stroud on Philosophical Scepticism

There is a very general philosophical question which asks how, on the basis of what human beings get through the senses, they can ever have good reason to accept the beliefs, hypothesis, and theories they hold about the world. What is in question are the credentials or the degree of well-foundedness of what is taken to be a fully-formed conception of the world and our place in it, as embodied in everything we believe. To show how (or which of) those beliefs amount to knowledge, or to beliefs we have good reason to hold, would be to explain, philosophically, how knowledge of the world is possible. If there are no such questions, our best reasons are inadequate, scepticism is the right answer, we do not know what we think we know.

[This passage (1999, 139) by Stroud is culled from The philosophy of Donald Davidson, edited by Lewis Hahn. One would wish that Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye had read this. Before they made their pronouncements about philosophy.]

In what way is a theory of truth, a theory of meaning? From Donald Davidson's Truth and Predication

"A theory of truth for a speaker is a theory of meaning in this sense, that explicit knowledge of the theory would suffice for understanding the utterances of the speaker. It accomplishes this by describing the critical core of the speaker's potential and actual linguistic behavior-in effect, how the speaker intends his utterances to be interpreted. The sort of understanding involved is restricted what we may call the literal meaning of words, by which I mean, roughly the meaning the speaker intends the interpreter to grasp, whatever force or significance the speaker may want the interpreter to fathom" (2000, 53).

Reading Shakespeare 1: Macbeth Tomorrow Soliloquy

     I am making this post because 2016 means 400 years of Shakespeare. I will try to get to a lot of the verses I know and maybe some of the more significant ones for 2016.

     And by "Reading Shakespeare", I mean reading his verse aloud. It's obvious to some, but if you want to get it, read it aloud. After all, this was meant to be performed. I have seen Kenneth Branagh do Macbeth (The National Theatre Live). I will also be seeing Patrick Stewart's soon.  Here is the soliloquy:

She should have died hereafter.

There would have been a time for such a word.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

 

I wonder how many who viewed Inarritu's Birdman (2014) notice it being recited there? I first encountered a snippet of this in Diane Barsoum Raymond's Existentialism and the philosophical tradition.  Then I saw Kurosawa's Throne of blood (1957) for a class on Shakespeare. I have yet to see the Justin Kurzel's 2015 adaptation of Macbeth (with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard).

 

 

3rd Call for Papers: Project Einstein 2015

www.theingeniousproject.org #CFP #100yearsofGeneralRelativity #Einstein

All Roads Lead to Philosophy: Pathways to Research 3 July Friday at De La Salle University Manila

De La Salle University Graduate School of Philosophy presents
All Roads Lead to Philosophy: Pathways to Research
3 July Friday. ADMISSION is FREE

Skepticism and the Problem of Knowledge: Passages from Rene Descartes 2

—      "So that after having reflected well and carefully examined all things, we must come to the definite conclusion that this proposition: I am, I exist, is necessarily true each time that I pronounce it, or that I mentally conceive it."

     "But what am I, now that I suppose that there is a certain genius which is extremely powerful, and, if I may say so, malicious, who employs all his powers in deceiving me? Can I affirm that I possess the least of all those things which I have just said pertain to the nature of body? I pause to consider, I revolve all these things in my mind, and I find none of which I can say that it pertains to me."

      "—What of thinking? I find here that thought is an attribute that belongs to me; it alone cannot be separated from me. I am, I exist, that is certain. But how  often? Just when I think; for it might possibly be the case if I ceased entirely to think, that I should likewise cease altogether to exist."

Skepticism and the Problem of Knowledge: Passages from Rene Descartes 1

   

     "I suppose, then, that all the things that I see are false; I persuade myself that nothing has ever existed of all that my fallacious memory represents to me. I consider that I possess no senses; I imagine that body, figure, extension, movement and place are but the fictions of my mind. What, then, can be esteemed as true? Perhaps nothing at all, unless that there is nothing in the world that is certain."

     "—But how can I know there is not something different from those things that I have just considered, of which one cannot have the slightest doubt? Is there not some God, or some other being by whatever name we call it, who puts these reflections into my mind? That is not necessary, for is it not possible that I am capable of producing them myself? I myself, am I not at least something? But I have already denied that I had senses and body. Yet I hesitate, for what follows from that? Am I so dependent on body and senses that I cannot exist without these?" 

      —Not at all; of a surety I myself did exist since I persuaded myself of something [or merely because I thought of something]. But there is some deceiver or other, very powerful and very cunning, who ever employs his ingenuity in deceiving me. Then without doubt I exist also if he deceives me, and let him deceive me as much as he will, he can never cause me to be nothing so long as I think that I am something"

Project Einstein 2015's site: www.theingeniousproject.org

It's been up but still under construction. The deadlines have been extended too.



www.theingeniousproject.org

Why Albert Einstein and Philosophy of Science (see previous post too ;) )

Instead of writing and working on Einstein and his relation to philosophy, I have narrowed it to Einstein and his relation to philosophy of science. Part of it is significantly historical. For instance, one can look Einstein's connections to logical positivism/ logical empiricism. One can situate the classic problems of philosophy of science in terms of the issues raised by Einstein's theory of relativity (special or general). Or one might ask further of Einstein whether he was a verificationist, a conventionalist or a realist (none of the above?). I don't think it too problematic to say that "philosophy of science" is also just shorthand for "history and philosophy of science."

The other part is that there is much to learn from the study of philosophy of science for the layperson. If this claim is correct, then the implication there is that at the very least one can learn something from philosophy!  Hehe :)  What is there to learn from philosophy of science for the layperson? Well that would be another topic for another day.

Albert Einstein: The Scientist as Activist at De La Salle University Manila 20 March 2015

On the 20th of March, I will be one of 3 speakers on Albert Einstein. I will be talking about Einstein's relationship to philosophy of science (as contrasted to recent physicists like Hawking and deGrasse Tyson). Hawking's pronouncement is that philosophy is dead. DeGrasse Tyson claims that philosophy is distracting. Never mind if they both have, and are probably still making, philosophical comments and recommendations (i.e. with some of the classic issues/problems in philosophy). It is a different question, however, if their comments and recommendations that recall philosophy are any good.

It is true that many intellectuals, philosophers included, have neglected the advancements and contributions in/from science. But it would appear the a similar charge may be given to Hawking and deGrasse Tyson regarding the developments in philosophy of science. Yes they can really be quite different. Still Einstein was not averse to them.



Enough rambling for the moment :)  This particular series of lectures is also for Project Einstein 2015

Something to read and refer to :)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8520033/Stephen-Hawking-tells-Google-philosophy-is-dead.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/82/Hawking_contra_Philosophy
http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2014/05/22/why_does_neil_degrasse_tyson_hate_philosophy.html

Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science 2015

More than a month ago, I received the notification of acceptance for CLMPS 2015. I will be fixing a number of things before I can really go there. From their page (http://clmps.helsinki.fi/history.php):

Starting from 1960 the International Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science has been held every four years in capital cities and/or by famous university centres.

• 1960 Stanford, California, USA
• 1964 Jerusalem, Israel
• 1967 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 1971 Bucharest, Romania
• 1975 London, Ontario, Canada
• 1979 Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany
• 1983 Salzburg, Austria
• 1987 Moscow, USSR
• 1991 Uppsala, Sweden
• 1995 Florence, Italy
• 1999 Krakow, Poland
• 2003 Oviedo, Spain
• 2007 Beijing, China
• 2011, Nancy France

Call for Papers: Project Einstein 2015 at De La Salle University Manila and DLSU Science and Technology Complex

Project Einstein 2015  
https://www.facebook.com/DLSUEinstein2015
 http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/conferences/project-einstein/
Submission of Papers, Performance, and Artworks:

December 15, 2014 to March 15, 2015

Project Einstein 2015
Date: September 29 to October 1, 2015

Theme: The Centennial of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity

We invite the academic community, our partners and research collaborators to submit papers, performance, and artworks related to the following research themes:

1. Physics: Einstein’s works, their use and influence in theories developed later in the field
2.Literature: Einstein’s love for fairy tales and children’s literature, literary genres influenced by or connected to Einstein’s works
3.Philosophy: Philosophy of Science, Religion, Politics that relate to Einstein’s life and works, Comparative studies in science and mysticism
4.Mathematics: Relationships between Mathematics and Einstein’s work in Physics, influences of Mathematics on Einstein’s work
5.Religion: Einstein’s religious views, philosophical discussions on pantheism and atheism, intersections between religion and science
6.Music: Issues in composition, performance, etc., related to Einstein’s works and his love for playing the violin
7.Education: Pedagogical issues spurred by Einstein’s works and view on life and intelligence
8.Psychology: issues in the making of geniuses, including struggles with learning disabilities
9.Politics: Einstein’s view on politics, his private thoughts and publicized positions.
10.Holocaust: Einstein’s stand on the Holocaust, other scientists who lived through or were victims of the Holocaust, and related issues
11.Art: Science and Math based Art and Art works addressing Holocaust/genocide themes
12. Einstein for non-scientists: Issues related to the translation of Einstein’s technical works for non-scientists
13. Gender Studies: Involvement of different genders in the disciplines of science, philosophy and art.

Submitted papers, performances, artworks will undergo a review process and once accepted it will be presented during the scheduled sessions of the conference.

Submission of Abstracts and Full Papers

Important dates:

o Abstract Submission: Opening Date: December 15, 2014

Closing Date: March 15, 2015

o Notification: December 19, 2014 – January 10, 2015

o Submission of Abstract with Full Paper: April 15, 2015

o Research Congress: September 29 to October 1, 2015

Hilary Putnam is now on Blogger

I guess this means I'll be here more often too hehehe... Looking at what Hilary Putnam has to say. Especially with the plans for the centenary of Einstein's theory of general relativity (in 2015).


At the moment I am handling more than 4 courses this trimester. Later I will handle 4 courses in one day! Onward ever onward!

Leiter linked this to his blog:  http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/13/martin-heidegger-black-notebooks-reveal-nazi-ideology-antisemitism


"The philosopher's sympathies for the Nazi regime have been well documented in the past: Heidegger joined the party in 1933 and remained a member until the end of the second world war. But antisemitic ideas were previously thought to have tainted his character rather than touched the core of his philosophy – not least by Jewish thinkers such as Hannah Arendt or Jacques Derrida, who cited their debt to Heidegger.
This week's publication of the "black notebooks" (a kind of philosophical diary that Heidegger asked to be held back until the end of his complete work), challenges this view. In France the revelations have been debated vigorously since passages were leaked to the media last December, with some Heidegger scholars even trying to stop the notebooks' publication."


Now will wait for what sorts of discussion this will have.

Another Philosophy and Science video

Like I wrote in this entry, I decided to do something different for my classes this term. Here's another of their videos.
"This is our mini web series, Philosophy and Science. In this series, we, students of Philosophy of De La Salle University - Manila, will talk about the effect of Science on the different issues in Philosophy.
In this episode of P&S, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Medina talk about God and the Problem of Evil."

Philosophy and Science Episode 2

Decided to do something different for my class. We worked some of this out thru an activity, then we discussed further some of the motivations for it (i.e. Rorty and his use of Oakeshott in Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature). Then the students did this themselves.

"This is our mini web series, Philosophy and Science. In this series, we, students of Philosophy of De La Salle University - Manila, will talk about the effect of Science on the different issues in Philosophy.
In this episode of P&S, Mr. Zimmermann and Mr. Gacula talk about Time Travel and Free Will."

Still looking out for other philosophy and philosophy-related CFP's

This term I've been working on a new course and that has taken up some of my time. However, this has not stopped me to look for other CFP for 2014. Doing a conference also is an opportunity for travel. Travel is another avenue for learning new things. The new course seems to be a good way to learn too.

The Philippines has been hit with a number of typhoons and I've been also trying to deal with that (i.e. leaking roofs, gathering supplies etc.) It appears there is another one on the way.

I just might have to buy extra supplies tomorrow just in case.

So you want to be an actor? Meisner's On Acting

Here is another recent read for January. Meisner and Longwell's On Acting, with an introduction by Sydney Pollack.

I think this is the last book for January. I was thinking of posting this during the time of James Gandolfini's (of "Sopranos" fame) untimely passing. Gandolfini studied the "Meisner technique." At the time of this entry, I have yet to see Gandolfini in Inside the Actor's Studio.
But, thinking about Meisner reminds me of Dustin Hofmann's impression of Robert Duvall.Hofmann did his impression when he was a guest at Inside. Let us just say that Duvall had no kind words for Lee Strasberg, Hofmann's teacher. Well, Meisner also has no kind words for Strasberg in On Acting.One instance of Meisner's dim view of Strasberg, is his claim that Pacino is good in spite of Strasberg!

Meisner's book might not be the best place to start if one is just beginning to study what actors do. But it is worth a read for those who have gone thru some experience and training. Even for those who write plays and have worked with actors, I would add, might benefit from reading Meisner's .