NC Spreading the Word

Spreading the Word: How to Stop Procrastinating

I don't remember where I read it, but the saying went something like this: when we don't control our lives, we try to control the lives of others. Indeed, the more I think about it the more I am inclined to agree. Self-control is a hard thing to master, but it is a self-reinforcing process, … Continue reading Spreading the Word: How to Stop Procrastinating

NC Communication, On Philosophy

Socrates and Phaedrus: Art of Thinking and Practice of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3)

This is the final part of the 3-part series on the art of thinking and pratice of persuasion as gathered from Plato's dialogue Phaedrus (a version of its translation available here). So far I have concluded that Socrates had the following goal in this dialogue: to demonstrate that no practice deserves to be called art if its practitioner does … Continue reading Socrates and Phaedrus: Art of Thinking and Practice of Persuasion (Part 3 of 3)

NC Spreading the Word

Spreading the Word: Language Obsession

This Friday I share with you a sheer pleasure of a podcast - in it, Stephen Fry tells about his lifelong obsession with language. Dive right in and enjoy! Link to the podcast: Obsession with Language Keeping up the "Spreading the Word" tradition, every Friday, I hope to share with you an article I've read … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Language Obsession

NC Communication, On Philosophy

Socrates and Phaedrus: Art of Thinking and Practice of Persuasion (Part 2 of 3)

Last week I published the first part of this 3-part series. This is the second part of the article where I continue by exploring in more detail the ideas that can be gathered from Plato's dialogue Phaedrus (a version of its translation available here). Of course, there are many insights that can be gleaned. The one I … Continue reading Socrates and Phaedrus: Art of Thinking and Practice of Persuasion (Part 2 of 3)

NC Spreading the Word

Spreading the Word: Power of Storytelling

This Friday I share with you another great podcast - about the power of storytelling. What more need I say? Relax and enjoy! Link to the podcast: The power of telling stories Photo by Sunsetoned from Pexels Keeping up the "Spreading the Word" tradition, every Friday, I hope to share with you an article I've read or a … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Power of Storytelling

NC Communication, On Philosophy

Socrates and Phaedrus: Art of Thinking and Practice of Persuasion (Part 1 of 3)

In Plato's dialogue Phaedrus (a version of its translation available here), Socrates discusses the merits of rhetoric as the art of speaking. He wants to establish whether rhetoric, as practised and taught in Athens by the orators at the time and understood as "a way of directing the soul by means of speech" (we could say - … Continue reading Socrates and Phaedrus: Art of Thinking and Practice of Persuasion (Part 1 of 3)

NC Spreading the Word

Spreading the Word: Emoji Communication

This Friday I share with you a fascinating podcast on the role of emojis in our modern-day communication. I absolutely enjoyed listening to it, not just because of the illuminating content but also because of all the times it made me laugh. Hopefully it will do the same for you. Also, in case you find … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Emoji Communication

NC On Philosophy

Reality as Being and Becoming

What do ancient Greek philosophers Heraclitus and Parmenides, the early 20th-century main protagonist of the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, and Latvian writer and poet of the turn of the 20th century known by his pseudonym Rainis have in common? Across centuries and geographies, they all share an idea: a belief that being and becoming are … Continue reading Reality as Being and Becoming

NC Spreading the Word

Spreading the Word: Philosophy of Language and Communication

This Friday I share with you a video on the relationship between language and communication. In it, Assistant Professor of Philosophy Karen Lewis explores what is considered to be the most philosophically influential theory on the question of how what we mean is related to what we say - H.P. Grice’s theory of pragmatics. I … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Philosophy of Language and Communication

NC history, On Philosophy, reality

Anaxagoras on Change: Everything Contains Everything

One of the last pre-Socratic philosophers of Ancient Greece, Anaxagoras hailed from the Ionian city of Clazomenae but is notable for being the first one to bring philosophy to Athens. There he taught and flourished for about 30 years until the mid-5th century BCE when he went back to Ionia due to charges brought against … Continue reading Anaxagoras on Change: Everything Contains Everything