What Is a Philosopher? - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

[Nick Thompson]

Jack Stafaruk forwarded this to me, and I it might be of general interest. 

 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/what-is-a-philosopher/?ref=opinion&nl=opinion&emc=tya1

 

I love the idea that the clock is the thief of time!

 

Is the story of Socrates death correct as he tells it?  I have never heard it told that way before. 

 

Nick

 

 

Nicholas S. Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,

Clark University ([hidden email])

http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe]

 

 

 

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[glen e. p. ropella-2]

Nicholas Thompson wrote circa 10-05-17 11:14 AM:
> http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/what-is-a-philosopher/?ref=opinion&nl=opinion&emc=tya1

Very nice article!  Thanks.  This is worth passing on.

--
glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com


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Nick --

Time is indeed a fascinating topic in philosophy. You may be familiar with Eva Brann's writings on Time:

http://pauldrybooks.com/eva.php

I can't confirm that "The Apology" was time-constrained - at St. John's, I suppose it was, in that it was limited to a combined Seminar with the "Crito", meaning that it was a shared dialogue for one 2-hour Seminar slot (on both campuses).

I'm fond of a technique attributed to Max Warburg for announcing an evening's entertainment was over - "Why, you naughty clock! You're chasing my guests away!"

- Claiborne Booker -

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[Owen Densmore]

Several of us lately have taken the time to read, of all things, a  
(thick) comic book .. or as it is more properly called, a graphic novel.

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos  
Papadimitriou: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1596914521/

Both authors are interesting, one a polymath world traveler currently  
living in Greece doing theater, the other a world renown computer  
scientist.

 From the book description: This exceptional graphic novel recounts  
the spiritual odyssey of philosopher Bertrand Russell. In his agonized  
search for absolute truth, Russell crosses paths with legendary  
thinkers like Gottlob Frege, David Hilbert, and Kurt Gödel, and finds  
a passionate student in the great Ludwig Wittgenstein. But his most  
ambitious goal--to establish unshakable logical foundations of  
mathematics--continues to loom before him. Through love and hate,  
peace and war, Russell persists in the dogged mission that threatens  
to claim both his career and his personal happiness, finally driving  
him to the brink of insanity.

    -- Owen


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[glen e. p. ropella-2]

Owen Densmore wrote circa 10-05-17 01:04 PM:
> Several of us lately have taken the time to read, of all things, a
> (thick) comic book .. or as it is more properly called, a graphic novel.
>
> Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos
> Papadimitriou: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1596914521/

Note, however, this response re: logicomix from another forum:

> xyz wrote:
>>
>> Here is a list of a few historical
>> inaccuracies in the book.
>>
>>   Russell never met Frege.
>>
>>   Russell never met Cantor.
>>
>>   Russell did not attend a lecture by Goedel on the incompleteness results.
>>
>>   Russell's Uncle William was insane, but not locked up at Pembroke Lodge.
>>
>>   Russsell never confessed his love to Evelyn Whitehead (though he does
>>   seem to have been attracted to her).
>>
>> In defence of Doxiadis and Papadimitriou, they admit that they have
>> invented all kinds of things that never happened.
>>
>> One thing that irritated me about the book is that they make Russell,
>> who spoke impeccable prose, into a ridiculous stage Englishman with
>> phrases like "old bean", "old chap" and so on and so forth.

--
glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com


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[Owen Densmore]

The inaccuracies were discussed fully in the book itself, with a  
special appendix devoted to them.

Can you think of any book that doesn't have detractors?

     -- Owen


On May 17, 2010, at 2:23 PM, glen e. p. ropella wrote:

> Owen Densmore wrote circa 10-05-17 01:04 PM:
>> Several of us lately have taken the time to read, of all things, a
>> (thick) comic book .. or as it is more properly called, a graphic  
>> novel.
>>
>> Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis and  
>> Christos
>> Papadimitriou: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1596914521/
>
> Note, however, this response re: logicomix from another forum:
>
>> xyz wrote:
>>>
>>> Here is a list of a few historical
>>> inaccuracies in the book.
>>>
>>> Russell never met Frege.
>>>
>>> Russell never met Cantor.
>>>
>>> Russell did not attend a lecture by Goedel on the incompleteness  
>>> results.
>>>
>>> Russell's Uncle William was insane, but not locked up at Pembroke  
>>> Lodge.
>>>
>>> Russsell never confessed his love to Evelyn Whitehead (though he  
>>> does
>>> seem to have been attracted to her).
>>>
>>> In defence of Doxiadis and Papadimitriou, they admit that they have
>>> invented all kinds of things that never happened.
>>>
>>> One thing that irritated me about the book is that they make  
>>> Russell,
>>> who spoke impeccable prose, into a ridiculous stage Englishman with
>>> phrases like "old bean", "old chap" and so on and so forth.
>
> --
> glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com
>
>
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> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

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[glen e. p. ropella-2]

Owen Densmore wrote circa 10-05-17 01:28 PM:
> The inaccuracies were discussed fully in the book itself, with a special
> appendix devoted to them.

Understood.  I just wanted to emphasize the fictional aspect.

> Can you think of any book that doesn't have detractors?

The guy who wrote that post to the other forum isn't/wasn't a detractor
so much as simply warning the potential buyer/reader.  It's fiction,
despite it's weighty content.

I know it may seem silly to those of you who carefully parse where we
get our information.  But there are some who blur fiction and fact quite
readily with very little critical thought.  I have in mind a friend's
girlfriend, who _regularly_ reads historical fiction and uses the
elements of what she reads in various conversations.  It's fine if
there's an internet connection nearby or someone in the conversation is
well versed in that particular sub-domain of history and geography.  But
it gets pretty hairy without such resources.

--
glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com


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