Hello Philosophy Society!

Discussion 1: Zarathustra

We began this week with a summary of one of the major writings of the philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. This book is about Zarathustra, a philosopher who cannot live in the city with the people there. He finds their way of living so distasteful that he moves out into the forest by himself.It is difficult for Zarathustra to abandon the people and finds himself going back to try and communicate with them but is continually frustrated by their values.

Discussion 2: Falsification

Our capacity for reasoning is improved when we learn how to formulate beliefs in such a way that they can be tested. A good example of how this was not done correctly is in Marxism. Basically, Engels and Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto where they discuss how the end of the class struggle between the proletariat, the working class, and the bourgeoisie, the owners of the means of production, will be due to a revolution. The proletariat were to rise up and take the means of production away from the bourgeoisie. The problem is that this has not happened and there is no means to test whether it will. Marx did not identify a specific time period or set of conditions that, if the revolution did not occur, his theory would be disproven.

The communist theory lacks falsification or the ability for it to be proven wrong. This means that we can never truly know if it is correct. Predictability or the capacity to test a theory is essential to determine its quality scientifically. How we structure our ideas or thoughts can be done in such a way to make them testable or falsifiable. This ensures that our beliefs or theories are realistic. How we structure our thoughts and ideas determines the quality of those thoughts and ideas.

Once we have falsified a belief, there is an element of letting it go. We have to develop a greater sense of identity and self that the specific content of the beliefs that we have. Once we have this meta-self, any specific belief that has been falsified we can dispose of because the identity of falsifying information is more important than some specific information itself. This is where accepting our fallibility, being indubitable and incredulous are very important. It is not the present or past self that encompasses the totality of our being. The process of becoming, which means letting go of that which no longer serves us, is fundamental to our existence in the cosmos.

Discussion 3: Philosophy Society Method

There are certain kinds of rules or practices that are fundamental for the Philosophy Society. As one is being exposed to these practices and skills, it is best to make it relevant to the individual so that they understand the new information from their own personal experience and perspective. Learning content from a self-referential perspective increases our ability to apply and remember that information.

As people are being exposed to the method, the parts that they learn they will be able to use in participation later on. Once one individual knows something they incorporate it into the larger group discussion. All of the principles and skills are applicable to everyone and can be used by everyone. This increases participation and group cohesion because the rules are the same for everyone and we all learn more from observing others apply principles and skills.

Genius Pub: Professor and the Philosopher

Discussion 1: Anti-Vaxxers and the Trucker Blockade

The discussion started with the problem of the anti-vaxxers. An issue with the pandemic was a lack of scientific literacy amongst our population. In the event of a pandemic where vaccination is necessary for herd immunity, not understanding epidemiology or virology is a serious problem to curtail the growth of the virus.

The truckers blockade in Ottawa was another example of a lack of scientific literacy. There is a serious problem blocking bridges and major roadways where emergency vehicles and food cannot travel. First is the limitations of a peaceful protest. Blocking supplies and bridges to a city is not peaceful but could be considered an act of war.

The second major issue with the truckers is the ignorance to the fact that your occupation demands that you travel across the country or continent, the world is in the middle of a pandemic, and the virus will be transmitted because of your transportation yourself over long distances. Vaccination is not mandatory unless you are in a position where your occupation will increase the likelihood of transmission and hence growth of the pandemic. Understanding the larger picture of how viruses function is essential to appreciating that it is unacceptable to participate in acts that will increase the transmission of a deadly virus.

Discussion 2: Capitalism

We discussed how the truckers felt exploited essentially because of the inherent structure of capitalism itself. Capitalism is an economic mechanism to exchange resources and develop a country. The problem is not necessarily capitalism but the value of the development of capital as an end in itself. If one has a fixation on the accumulation of resources then problems like the violation of human rights from exploitation becomes an issue.

Discussion 3: The Value of Time

Instead of the most important thing in our lives being money and the accumulation of capital, it makes more sense to socialize ourselves with a value that is tied to the human condition. The most important factor in our condition is time. Our time is something we have a limited amount of and if anything all of our efforts are best spent to increase the quality duration of it. Nietzsche’s revaluation of values is an appropriate principle for us to apply in where time vs the accumulation of capital/money is in our value hierarchy.

How our time is being spent is seriously important. Certain properties in our relationship with time are presentness, the quality of time, and the efficiency of its use. In the context of the efficiency of the use of our time, we can learn from socrates’ reminder that “an unreflected life is not worth living.” This is important because we will forever repeat our mistakes if we do not learn from them. Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence, where we are to live the same life over and over again for eternity is also relevant. Unless we learn from our time, we will not be using it efficiently.

The way to solve the exploitative problems of capitalism is not to necessarily do away with it, but put it in its proper place. There are values that are more important than capital and time is one of them.

Reflections: Difficult Decisions

Sometimes we are in a state of mind where we are barely conscious or are simply overwhelmed emotionally. There are situations we will be faced with that arise when our states of mind are not necessarily optimal or sound. These situations will require a decision from you or else there will be consequences that are not in your interest. For your well being and the well being of others, you will be faced with a decision that does not feel correct.

How we feel about something is not always relevant to deciding on it. To correct this feeling not relating to our best interests, we can visualize the situation post decision success. This visualization exercise compared to the existing situation can be all the motivation needed when our current emotions are not sufficient. Our current state may not be necessarily reflective of the factors necessary for the correct decision. There are factors outside of the existing emotional state that are relevant to the decision.

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