CAPITALISM: EP. 1

We are surrounded by the idea of capitalism but shockingly little thought is commonly given to what it is, where it has come from and where we are likely going. An attempt to rectify this in a new series. The standard definition of Capitalism:

Private ownership of the means of production and distribution.

Market-based exchange, where goods and services are produced for profit.

Competition, which drives efficiency and innovation.

Minimal government intervention, though the degree varies (e.g., laissez-faire vs. regulated capitalism).

Marx included Exploitation, wage labor and class conflict . . .

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It seems so simple, and yet this story from Ancient Greece captures many of the problems with time, identity, and meaning - a kind of one paragraph version of Heidegger’s Being and Time. It also brings into focus, at least for me, how thinking slowly about simple things can really reveal how tenuous our grasp on the world really is.

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Perhaps the most influential philosopher of the 20th century, he defeated Russel’s attempt to provide a perfect foundation for mathematics and elaborated a linguistic approach to philosophy that dominated English language philosophy for decades. His gnomic writing style and the existence of most of his work as lecture notes compiled from his students make his published legacy quite problematic. Nonetheless, a crucial thinker in the history of philosophy.

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READ ALONG SERIES - KANT'S "PROLEGOMENA"

In these sections Kant lists out the requirements that must be met, according to him, to make any meaningful metaphysical claims. In doing so, he limits our access to the world by removing the opportunity to know things as they are and giving us only the possibility of understanding our world through our perceptual limitations. This fundamental insight, which seems quite obvious when clearly articulated, is a major limitation in the human capacity to understand the world. Yet Kant also sees it as providing a foundation for certain kinds of absolute knowledge. Whether he is correct or not, Kant raises an entire series of challenging questions that really cannot be ignored if one want to think seriously about the possibilities of knowledge.

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THE ISOLATED GENIUS:

In the concluding chapter I explore the poisonous idea of the isolated genius. By emphasizing the individual and the product rather than the community and the process, our society consistently tells us that it is wrong and limiting for us to cooperate with others in spaces or projects that don’t reward directly as individuals. The historical record is clear, however, that much more great work has grown from communities than from isolated individuals and that sustainable, life enriching processes are more important and likely more productive than the oft presented examples of self-destructive individuality.

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"PARABLE OF THE TALENTS" FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT - EP. 3

I like this parable from the New Testament because it highlights one of the great tricks of philosophical ‘reasoning’ - the assumed frame. Allow me to frame an argument and I will win it. This common homily is so completely misread and the assumptions so horrifying it makes a fun example.

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READ ALONG SERIES - KANT'S "PROLEGOMENA"

Kant’s introduction seems so humble and straightforward but this masks a project of breathtaking scope. Whether or not Kant ultimately achieves his aims is mostly beside the point. Here, he really does make a radical break with the past and tries to reorient not just our thinking about metaphysical questions but how we understand thinking in its entirety. Rarely has a thinker attempted such a sweeping revaluation and re-grounding of knowledge. Kant’s influence grows from the inability of later thinkers to ignore this challenge and, hence, he reshaped almost all the philosophy that came after him.

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SOCRATES AND DIOTIMA IN THE SYMPOSIUM - EP. 2

The Symposium is oft quoted and seemingly rarely read. This crazy scene explaining - well something - based on this completely fabricated myth captures much of the power of Plato’s capacity for storytelling and how he leads the reader along the most preposterous paths to often quite amazing conclusions. Aristophanes ridicules Socrates in the Symposium for using these kinds of arguments.

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VALUES ARBITRAGE:

I argue that we have developed a deep seated sense of cynicism from continuous exposure to an environment where our values are systematically used against. Consciously or unconsciously aware of being exploited, we become cynical about the very ideals we need to cultivate in order to inhabit the house of the intellect. I review these core values and how we can defend them despite our environment. 

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PHILOSOPHICAL FIRESIDE CHATS 🔥 🪵 - EP. 1

This scene from Book II of Thus Spake Zarathustra - the Riddle and the Vision - is one of my favorites and captures some of Nietzsche’s ability to create a visceral sense of the challenge of addressing our most deeply held habits and beliefs.

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