Yes, I can hear some of you out there saying, Amen to that, Sister! Philosophy does bite. And I might have agreed with you--until now. Through some series of links on which I am already not quite clear, I came across this website, which offers free short podcasts on philosophical topics--it's kind of like those Audioforum lectures you always see advertised with famous professors, except that these are short, free and, well, manageable.
Actually, in theory, I like philosophy, as long as it is, uh, dumbed down enough for me to comprehend. Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder was about my level, mainly because it was originally written for children, and there's a popular book called Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar, which is about understanding philosophy through jokes that I enjoyed skimming through.
Anyway, you can go to Philosophy Bites and listen to a sample and if you like it sign up for their email. I just got one last night about Meaning in Life by Susan Wolf. This was a relatively straightforward piece, but I liked the way she laid it out. I do think she was a bit hard on Sudoku, though. And unlike Wolf, I don't even attempt them.
Raul Castro Squandered His Last Chance
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14ymedio, Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 22 March 2017 — A year ago
Cuba had a once in a lifetime opportunity. US President Barack Obama came
to the ...
7 years ago
This looks like a great idea. I think I'll start with Pat Churchland. Better that than some guy telling me not to eat meat.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I've only listened to the one so far. But it was thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI'll need something to listen to during slow time at work now that the World Cup is nearing its end.
ReplyDeleteI've seen books linking philosophy to humor, the Simpsons, and even Twilight. Surely someone can think of a way to link it to soccer.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that's been done. Last World Cup, I read a book whose thesis is that the Dutch philosophy of total football, of making maximum uses of the space on field, stems from the relative lack of space in that small country.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but it has to be packaged in a commercially attractive book that people think will link them to the thing they love while teaching them about the thing they fear.
ReplyDeleteIn this case it may have been the opposite, an attempt to make readers feel intellectually respectable about a game -- to make a subject seem more intellectually rigorous rather than less.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to Wolf's "bite", I'll be waiting to hear someone hold forth on why Sudoku is actually a very respectable use of one's time. Not that I'm a Sudoku type, really. I just don't like seeing people's pastimes put down as a waste of time. We all waste time. That's the beauty of freedom. It doesn't all have to count for something.
ReplyDeleteSudoko seems odd and its poularity incomprehensible, but I could well imagine someone deriving a liberating sort of mental stimulation from it. Maybe one could use sudoko as mentral preparation for something really worthwhile, like Scrabble/
ReplyDeleteMy friend who runs a busy restaurant finds them meditative, where I just find them tedious. I do like crosswords however, though rarely do them, and I can imagine Wolf feels the same quality of enjoyment and simultaneous thought that she should really be doing something else with Sudoku.
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