"Transcending all goals, reflection wonders, "What's the use?" There then blazes forth the absurdity of a life which has sought outside of itself the justifications which it alone could give itself. Detached from the freedom which might have genuinely grounded them, all the ends that have been pursued appear arbitrary and useless."Simone de Beauvoir in … Continue reading Freedom to Give Meaning
Friedrich Schleiermacher and the Art of Understanding
Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768–1834) was a German philosopher and theologian who is considered to be the founder of modern Protestant theology and modern hermeneutics as a philosophy rather than a specialised subject-matter method (such as used in theology or law). Schleiermacher was interested in developing a systematic and comprehensive theory that deals with our … Continue reading Friedrich Schleiermacher and the Art of Understanding
Humans as Liminal Beings
German philosopher Bernhard Waldenfels - a recognised phenomenologist interested, among other things, in the theme of a 'stranger' or 'alien' - suggests that humans are liminal beings. He presents this idea in his book Phenomenology of the Alien: Basic Concepts. What does Waldenfels mean? In the first chapter of the book, he introduces and explains … Continue reading Humans as Liminal Beings
How to Understand Identity
What is your identity? When someone asks you who you are, what are the first things that come to your mind? Are they your identity? Thinking about our identities is crucial for people, and we do it many times in our lives. It is unsurprising that throughout history, philosophers have engaged with the question of identity … Continue reading How to Understand Identity
John Stuart Mill on Truth and Meaning in Philosophy
What do we want to know when we ask why someone does something? For example, if you asked me, ‘Why are you writing this article?’ what answer would satisfy your expectations? I can respond in at least two ways. One would describe my writing as an act of the body, a certain physiological functionality manifesting … Continue reading John Stuart Mill on Truth and Meaning in Philosophy
What Is A Good Book? Philosophical Response
What do we mean when we evaluate a book as good or bad? Let's take a philosophical look at it.
Sensation of Life: a lesson from feline philosophy
What can we learn from cats about the art of living a fulfilled life?
Can We Understand Meaning Without Language?
Is language fundamental to our understanding and interpretation of experiences? Can something be experienced as meaningful without our participation in a language-world and its structures of meaning? Would we even consider something an experience if we couldn't make sense (i.e., create a meaningful unity relying on meaning structures we inhabit) of that "something" we encountered? … Continue reading Can We Understand Meaning Without Language?
Spreading the Word: Art, Understanding, Meaning
Can art be a channel of understanding? Does it have a claim to truth, to knowledge? What comes first, understanding or knowing? Does art have a part to play in our processes of meaning-making? These are just some of the fascinating and stimulating questions explored in the video I share with you today. It is … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Art, Understanding, Meaning
Spreading the Word: Connecting Art and Science
What connects art, science, education, and nature? Watch this video where a visual artist, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, and an educator discuss what I would call the human experience. Perhaps unsurprisingly, communication in its various forms is at the heart of our meaning-making. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R11FofCPoQ4 Keeping up the "Spreading the Word" tradition, I hope to … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Connecting Art and Science
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