Max Horkheimer’s Passionate Exploration of Reason’s Duality
“Max Horkheimer’s “Eclipse of Reason” explores the distinction between subjective and objective reason in industrial culture.
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Tag: Socrates
The Philosophy of Socrates: Exploring the Examined Life and the Pursuit of True Knowledge
Excerpt: Socrates was a Greek philosopher known for his unique method of questioning, the Socratic method, and his theory of knowledge, which held that true knowledge was something that each individual had to discover for themselves through careful thought and examination. He believed in the importance of critical thinking and the examined life, and his ideas continue to be influential in the Western philosophical tradition. Socrates is also known for his beliefs about ethics and the good life, which were connected to his belief in the importance of reason. Despite the debates surrounding his ideas, Socrates remains a significant figure in the history of philosophy.
Continue readingIntelligence Is Killed by Pathogenic Ideas
“The West’s commitment to freedom, reason, and true liberalism has never been more seriously threatened than it is today by the stifling forces of political correctness.” Gad Saad, The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense The main thesis of this book is that our world is dominated by pathogenic ideas (bad ideas, they generate “ill” thinking) which are killing common sense as the ability to reason. If you have read my previous article Is Common Sense Defeating Your Thinking Power? you know how the Socratic method works, at least in its essential structure. The Socratic method for
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Is Common Sense Defeating Your Thinking Power?
by Maurizio Bisogno Is it because we fear the hostility of others that we do not question the status quo? Our capacity to doubt can be shattered by an inner sense that convention of society must have a firm basis, even if we are not exactly sure what this may be. Does it seem unlikely to you that our society could be seriously mistaken in its beliefs? Do you fear you would be alone in noticing that? My suggestion is that you should not suffocate your doubts and follow the flock but turn to the philosophers for help. You may
Continue readingThe Socratic “Foot Massage” dialogue in Pulp Fiction
by Maurizio Bisogno In starting this article, I have made two assumptions: the first is that you have seen Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction. The second one is that you should have a basic understanding of the Socratic method. After reading this article again I decided that, in fact, you will be able to understand it even if you don’t satisfy the two conditions above. What I am going to show you is an application of the Socratic dialectical method in a particular scene of Pulp Fiction. In this scene, the two main characters Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vince (John
Continue readingThe Dominant System of Thoughts and the Possibility of Dissent.
The dominant system of thoughts and the possibility of dissent. Every society, every historic period has a way of thinking or a view of the world that is more common, more popular than others, that is dominant; nevertheless there is always a different way of thinking that starts at a certain time in that same society. Probably the most known of the ancient Philosophers, thanks to Plato who wrote a series of dialogues in which Socrates is the main character, Socrates was somebody who dedicate his life to questioning men and authorities and he paid with his own life his
Continue readingThe Socratic Illusions
The Socratic Illusion “This illusion consists in the imperturbable belief that, with the clue of logic, thinking can reach to the nethermost depths of being, and that thinking can not only perceive being but even modify it. This sublime metaphysical illusion is added as an instinct to science and again and again leads the latter to its limits, where it must change into art; which is really the end to be attained by this mechanism.” F. Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, p.53, 1955, Dover Publications, NY
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