Is Philosophy Still A Thing ?

[matticus]

I don't believe in a christian god.

Any reference to pop/rock brings this to mind:
"
I don’t believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Not to touch a hair on your head
To leave you as you are
And if He felt He had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms
"
INTO MY ARMS
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS


Perhaps Dylan, Cohen, Lennon et al are our modern philosophers?

 

[Archie_tect]

Wavering 'just in case' Drago?

Stay strong... you're a long time dead.

 

[mudsticks]

There are often questions about philosophers on University Challenge, many from ancient times, many from 18th and 19th centuries, a few from the 20th century. But they seem to stop around the 1960’s. Outside of quiz shows and history programmes I have never heard them mentioned. From time to time we hear reports in the news of advances in all sorts of highly academic subjects, physics, maths, sometimes history, but never anything, I stand to be corrected, about philosophy. Do philosophers still exist now ? And in what way does their work contribute to modern life ?

Yes it is, Western philosophy is still taught and studied.

But it seems that nowadays the more holistic integrated philosophies that originated elsewhere are becoming more popular.

Such as say Buddhism.

 

[MichaelW2]

The current crop of philosophers seem to be investigating gender/identity issues or AI and consciousness*. If we ever get the latter, the former will become irrelevant.

*What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" is a paper by American philosopher Thomas Nagel, first published in The Philosophical Review in October 1974,

 

[Seevio]

Pascal’s Wager

“If the Christian God does not exist, the agnostic loses little by believing in him and gains correspondingly little by not believing. If the Christian God does exist, the agnostic gains eternal life by believing in him and loses an infinite good by not believing.”

Pascal's wager only works if a Christian god is the only possible God. Suppose that Odin really doesn't like believers in false gods and condemns them to eternal torment whereas agnostics just get limbo. In this scenario being agnostic is an advantage.

 

[Dirk]

Pascal’s Wager

“If the Christian God does not exist, the agnostic loses little by believing in him and gains correspondingly little by not believing. If the Christian God does exist, the agnostic gains eternal life by believing in him and loses an infinite good by not believing.”

Pascal's Wager has been debunked numerous times. It does not posit a Christian God - merely 'God' in general deistic terms.
Wouldn't an omniscient Christian God know that the agnostic was faking belief for personal benefit and thus the wager would fail?

 

[palinurus]

Solipcism has always interested me. How does one know that everything is not merely a figment of ones own imagination?

This reminded me of something- did a little search and I guess I read it in the Oliver Burkeman column in The Guardian: "The theologian Alvin Plantinga claims once to have visited a university department where one elderly, frail professor was a solipsist. "We take very good care of him," a younger academic told Plantinga, "because when he goes, we all go…"

 

[swee'pea99]

If it was, how would we know?

 

[swee'pea99]

This reminded me of something- did a little search and I guess I read it in the Oliver Burkeman column in The Guardian: "The theologian Alvin Plantinga claims once to have visited a university department where one elderly, frail professor was a solipsist. "We take very good care of him," a younger academic told Plantinga, "because when he goes, we all go…"

Friend of mine at university tried starting a solipsist society, but no-one came.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

This reminds me of the old anecdote about a philosophy exam at Oxford.

• Question: Is this a question?
• Answer which achieved a distinction: Yes, if this is an answer.

I have no idea if this actually happened or not.

 

[matticus]

This reminds me of the old anecdote about a philosophy exam at Oxford.

• Question: Is this a question?
• Answer which achieved a distinction: Yes, if this is an answer.

I have no idea if this actually happened or not.

The version I heard was:

• Question: Why?
• Answer which achieved a distinction: Because.

I also have no idea ... etc etc ...

 

[mudsticks]

There's a Pete and Dud sketch along those lines. From memory "Yeah, but what if you live your life as a good Christian, and you die and Buddha says ha ha ha Buddhism's right and Christianity is wrong. And sends you back as a worm."

Worms rock 👍🏼🌾🍆🌱🧄🌻🪱🍅🫑🥦

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

At least I can easily understand what value worms contribute to the World. I can’t say the same about philosophers but I’m happy to be enlightened.

 

[mudsticks]

At least I can easily understand what value worms contribute to the World. I can’t say the same about philosophers but I’m happy to be enlightened.

As I understand its, philosophy is thinking about the nature of the world, and our existence as sentient, and concious beings within that world

It's even 'thinking about about thinking'

Science, including that of earthworms, used to be called 'natural' philosophy .

And the ph in PhD still reflects this older meaning .

There will be plenty of philosophical thoughts, out there already, I'm sure, about perceived relative value, that of humans and that of earthworms.

My take is that we have neglected to take enough account of the value of the earthworm, and quite possibly over egged our own importance, in the scheme of things .

However I think it could easily be argued that a philosopher, at least does a lot less harm to the earthworm, by plying her trade, and sitting and cogitating on the nature of 'being'

Than those engaged in many other rather more destructive fields of human endeavour ..

So personally I'm happy for them to carry on philosophising

Ooo someone's made lunch .

I'll see what their take on it all, is.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

As I understand its, philosophy is thinking about the nature of the world, and our existence as sentient, and concious beings within that world

It's even 'thinking about about thinking'

Science, including that of earthworms, used to be called 'natural' philosophy .

And the ph in PhD still reflects this older meaning .

There will be plenty of philosophical thoughts, out there already, I'm sure, about perceived relative value, that of humans and that of earthworms.

My take is that we have neglected to take enough account of the value of the earthworm, and quite possibly over egged our own importance, in the scheme of things .

However I think it could easily be argued that a philosopher, at least does a lot less harm to the earthworm, by plying her trade, and sitting and cogitating on the nature of 'being'

Than those engaged in many other rather more destructive fields of human endeavour ..

So personally I'm happy for them to carry on philosophising

Ooo someone's made lunch .

I'll see what their take on it all, is.

I hope your cook isn't religious. When it comes to food, Papal Bull is better than a Diet of Worms.