51–60 of 337 posts
I'm not sure about the metaphors. The "Axe of Satisfaction" suggests that some of the ills of late-stage capitalism can be overcome through individual grit alone. Maybe we need to band together and target the root system rather than hacking down individual trees?
there are 25 comments here now, but none of them yet mention the opening idea of TFA, that if you click the first link you see on wikipedia and lather, rinse, repeat, you will get to philosophy every time. if true, this is fascinating. ... i just tried it a few times, and it worked! although the reason seems to be a bit less interesting. biography page: "so and so was a botanist" --> and we're headed to philosophy. "…
This is a little meandering so just to focus on one part: Philosophy can be valuable, but applying the ideas meaningfully requires discernment. I’m thinking particularly about the popularity of “Meditations”, for example. Take Plato, for example: He and his also-famous mentor believed knowledge was a form of recollection from past lives, an idea illustrated with an unconvincing geometry lesson in Phaedo (EDIT: It’s M…
Philosophy is just one of the liberal arts. This idea has declined in popularity in recent years but I still think there's a lot to be said for possessing a liberal arts education. If you have a good one your understanding of the world around you gets broader and deeper. You recognize why things are the way they are. In the long term you may spot opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise, or be able to solve problems…
Look no further than all the AI debates on HN: from the perspective of someone with a couple of college classes on philosophy (not even a minor), it’s looks like a bunch of five years olds debating particle physics. Complete ignorance of what the academic precedent is, retreading ideas that philosophers have moved on from hundreds of years ago.
I tried this for awhile, but was dissatisfied. I found myself a constant consumer of intellectual material instead of being an engaged participant. Once I realized that, I set course to become more of a producer of useful things. That's led me to woodworking, to running a consultancy, to producing AI/ML for nonprofits, and to writing academic works. All in all, I enjoy life substantially.
I find consumer vs producer to be very interesting and useful distinction. Sometimes very enlightening and somewhat scary when applied to personal time spending.
- Cooking a novel dish, then eating it
- Setting up a music server, then listening to music with it
- (With friends) Making a pen-and-paper game, then playing it
Just to pick one, the ego hit when jumping into a new field is real (I'm currently immersed in math & ML from a CS background). It's one of the things that I feel is least talked about. It's very easy to peak in a field and then rest on your laurels. Despite being particularly willing to start at the bottom, I also identify as "being smart," and getting schooled by 22 year olds stings.
But the rewards for "owning" two peaks are so huge, and much of the process is so satisfying.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I find consumer vs producer to be very interesting and useful distinction. Sometimes very enlightening and somewhat scary when applied to personal time spending.
Pairing production and consumption can be very satisfying. Some personal examples: - Cooking a novel dish, then eating it - Setting up a music server, then listening to music with it - (With friends) Making a pen-and-paper game, then playing it
For my part, one of the most striking things which I recall from my youth was reading Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the Abbé Faria contending that everything a gentleman needed to make his way in life was contained in less than 100 books --- which he had memorized the content of, and could impart to the young Edmond Dantes. A naïve younger me tried to brute force this by reading one non-fiction book from eac…
For my part, one of the most striking things which I recall from my youth was reading Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the Abbé Faria contending that everything a gentleman needed to make his way in life was contained in less than 100 books --- which he had memorized the content of, and could impart to the young Edmond Dantes. A naïve younger me tried to brute force this by reading one non-fiction book from eac…
It's always held a soft spot in my heart as my own experience was mostly reading derivative descriptions and the rare times when I was able to read a primary text during my coursework were always my happiest memories.
1. https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/great-bo...
Intellectualism for the sake of intellectualism is a road that leads to isolation. And then, what's the point of it all?
Connection and collaboration is where it's at - which is more or less what the author concludes, although still under the banner of intellectuality. Perhaps my definition of intellect is/was too narrow?