Philosophy
We philosophers tend to take the etymology of our profession rather seriously: we are sort of obsessed with the love of wisdom. And because wisdom requires knowledge, and knowledge requires truth, we tend to focus on 'objective' truth, the kind of truth whose reality doesn't depend on the vicissitudes of any particular mind. Scientists also tend to fall into the same trap, and for the same reason. As such, we all have a tendency every now and then to ignore an important component of reality: our own subjectivity.
Sure, there are important philosophical and scientific implications here, but there are also important social consequences. We now know, for instance, that many of the presuppositions to come out of the Enlightenment, such as the fact that humans are intrinsically rational agents (over and above biological, psychological or social creatures) is simply false. If we want to succeed at educating the public or at persuading them to accept certain beliefs, we have to move beyond simply presenting the facts: how we present those facts is just as important, if not more so, than the facts themselves. The mind is a very quirky thing that works according to the historical accumulation of evolutionary adaptations, and these are not always consistent with optimal, rational design.
The following presentation by Rory Sutherland presents a fascinating and truly hysterical window into the workings of the mind from the point of view of a marketing expert. The main lesson he presents, and one that will be tough for philosophers, scientists and engineers to swallow, is that sometimes the most efficient solution to a problem could just be a change in our attitude and our perception. Are you wincing already? :)
Would you have ever guessed that philosophers and scientists would have to take lessons from an advertising guru? :)
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- What Is/ought To Be The Purpose Of Science Education?
I've been reading classic texts in alchemy the last few days. Interesting stuff. It's for the textbook in the history and philosophy of science that I am working on and the central idea is to have students pick the science of their interest and...
- Philosophers 101
Being related in any way to a philosopher can be a very rewarding experience. Philosophers tend to ask good questions and contribute wealth of knowledge to conversation in general; they are hard-workers; they often develop an interest or two outside of...
- Sam Harris On Free Will
The religious instinct is not merely limited to belief in God and supernatural agents. And to varying degrees, even hard-core atheists tend to be religious in this sense, since they still adopt beliefs that may be religious in origin. It's a little...
- Douglas Adams - Where Does The Idea Of God Come From?
The ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras is famous among other things for arguing that "man is the measure of all things." According to Plato's interpretation, this is the philosophical birth of relativism, the idea that there is no universally objective...
- Moral/ethical Question
The John Templeton Foundation often posts moral/ethical questions. Here is one with a selected response by Christine M. Korsgaard. If you are interested in other responses, just ask. Does moral action depend on reasoning? Christine M. Korsgaard [Christine...
Philosophy
Rory Sutherland - Life Lessons from an Ad Man
We philosophers tend to take the etymology of our profession rather seriously: we are sort of obsessed with the love of wisdom. And because wisdom requires knowledge, and knowledge requires truth, we tend to focus on 'objective' truth, the kind of truth whose reality doesn't depend on the vicissitudes of any particular mind. Scientists also tend to fall into the same trap, and for the same reason. As such, we all have a tendency every now and then to ignore an important component of reality: our own subjectivity.Sure, there are important philosophical and scientific implications here, but there are also important social consequences. We now know, for instance, that many of the presuppositions to come out of the Enlightenment, such as the fact that humans are intrinsically rational agents (over and above biological, psychological or social creatures) is simply false. If we want to succeed at educating the public or at persuading them to accept certain beliefs, we have to move beyond simply presenting the facts: how we present those facts is just as important, if not more so, than the facts themselves. The mind is a very quirky thing that works according to the historical accumulation of evolutionary adaptations, and these are not always consistent with optimal, rational design.
The following presentation by Rory Sutherland presents a fascinating and truly hysterical window into the workings of the mind from the point of view of a marketing expert. The main lesson he presents, and one that will be tough for philosophers, scientists and engineers to swallow, is that sometimes the most efficient solution to a problem could just be a change in our attitude and our perception. Are you wincing already? :)
Would you have ever guessed that philosophers and scientists would have to take lessons from an advertising guru? :)
.
- What Is/ought To Be The Purpose Of Science Education?
I've been reading classic texts in alchemy the last few days. Interesting stuff. It's for the textbook in the history and philosophy of science that I am working on and the central idea is to have students pick the science of their interest and...
- Philosophers 101
Being related in any way to a philosopher can be a very rewarding experience. Philosophers tend to ask good questions and contribute wealth of knowledge to conversation in general; they are hard-workers; they often develop an interest or two outside of...
- Sam Harris On Free Will
The religious instinct is not merely limited to belief in God and supernatural agents. And to varying degrees, even hard-core atheists tend to be religious in this sense, since they still adopt beliefs that may be religious in origin. It's a little...
- Douglas Adams - Where Does The Idea Of God Come From?
The ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras is famous among other things for arguing that "man is the measure of all things." According to Plato's interpretation, this is the philosophical birth of relativism, the idea that there is no universally objective...
- Moral/ethical Question
The John Templeton Foundation often posts moral/ethical questions. Here is one with a selected response by Christine M. Korsgaard. If you are interested in other responses, just ask. Does moral action depend on reasoning? Christine M. Korsgaard [Christine...