by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers0 commentstags: Human Condition, Virtuous Discourse
An open letter to Chris Bateman responding to his blog-letter Wisdom in Practice at Only A Game as part of the Republic of Bloggers. Feel welcome to provide your own input via the Comments! Dear Chris, Thank you for your response on December 8, 2015. My apologies for the tardiness of my reply. It is an undertaking to write a response that captures something I feel convinced off but struggled to articulate, especially something that I find to be complex. These letters have offered an opportunity to validate my biases and convictions so many thanks for engaging with me on this matter. We both agree that Modern Philosophy does have practices where smartness is placed above wisdom (the tone of your response in places is *smart*, but that’s fair given you’re a Philosopher practicing in Modern times – Ha!). It is at these times I would argue that Modern Philosophy could be ‘missing the boat’ despite claiming to be a vehicle of transport. Modern Philosophy is a cognitive exercise, which you consider to be a virtue as it provides a playground for nerds, intellectuals, and thinkers. This is the rub for me. While I value the cognitive intellect, I do […]
by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers0 commentstags: Blogging, Components of Human Nature, Contrarian, Human Condition, Human Misery, Self Analysis, Virtuous Discourse
Some Background This blog-post is an indirect response to a blog-letter discourse that Chris Bateman and myself recently concluded that was about knowledge and how we know that we know. You can read it if you are so inclined at https://onlyagame.typepad.com/only_a_game/2015/09/knowing-that-we-know.html In reading Chris’ response, I was struck by the examples he used, particularly how he refers to John Haidt’s bias against philosophy. This got me thinking… I too have a bias against philosophy. It is apparent that Chris Bateman and I have different approaches about this question of knowledge. His focus on knowledge is cognitively and philosophically (epistemology) based, mine was emotional. This difference is likely from divergent backgrounds: Chris is a game designer, author, philosopher, and professor, while I am a social worker, ex-politcal party activist, and a wanna-be game designer. It was my game design interest that led me to Chris Bateman’s blog, where he taught me the value and practice of Virtuous Discourse. Enough background; the intrigue for me and the focus of this post is about my bias against philosophy. The Folly of Modern Philosophy As a part of my university coursework, I took Introduction to Philosophy which I enjoyed and did well in, but […]
by Chris Billowsin Spirit Speculations0 commentstags: Components of Human Nature, Human Condition
Emotions are powerful experiences. They can have the subtle feeling of a gentle breeze or the violence and power of a hurricane. And its no coincidence that my analogies are references to weather. I see emotions being the equivalent to an internal weather system. They change and can be fleeting. Its for this reason I see emotions having an important role in one’s life, but should never be used to guide you. Emotions cannot guide, they are not a compass. They are more like a temperature gauge. So whatever emotions you experience you need to remember to 1) not take them too seriously since they will change like the weather, and 2) never use them as a compass but instead use your intelligence and wisdom.
by Chris Billowsin Spirit Speculations0 commentstags: Facing Death, Human Condition, Stages of Realization
The late Dr. Donald Low made some news headlines when he requested in his last days the right to end his own life in a fashion that is legal. Whenever this issue gets raised, there are always two sides that gets formed to argue their position. And in typical fashion, the media establishment loves to embellish the issue to attract interest so it can sell its advertising. On the one side, we see people who are faced with their own death, arguing that they should have the right to request a doctor to prescribe a lethal dose of medications to suppress their breathing and thus end their life in a manner that is considered to be more peaceful. On the other side, we see people who believe that life is sacred and any action that brings about death more quickly is unethical or immoral. In addition, there is a group of young disabled people who believe that this could lead us down a slippery slope of towards the euthanasia of people with disabilities. After all, if a person does not want to experience the chronic disability that is found in the final stages of one’s terminal illness, it can also […]
by Chris Billowsin Business Beller2 commentstags: Contrarian, Free Enterprise, Human Condition
One of the biggest criticisms I have heard from the anti-capitalist crowd (which I was once a part of in my younger years) against capitalism is that it is all about competition. Capitalism has no room for cooperation, or so we are told in the countless business and marketing books and courses (The Art of War) which focus primarily about how to beat the competition. Yet, this is a gross misunderstanding made by both anti-capitalists and pro-capitalists. Capitalism is not about valuing competition over cooperation. It is about having freedom to decide how to engage in the marketplace, either employing competition or cooperation or typically some fluid combination of both. Capitalism is the only system where voluntary economic cooperation can exist. Collectivist societies will place extensive social pressures on its members to “play nice”. This will determine what you are allowed to produce, who you are allowed to buy from, and who you are allowed to sell to. In a collectivist society you might not be allowed to sell your product to a particular region because they are not part of your social or ethnic group. The essence of being collectivist and having a common identity also means that there […]
by Chris Billowsin Mental Mischief0 commentstags: Human Condition, Human Mystery
Do you remember those superheroes or futuristic adventurers who could read minds and would possess an advantage that always allowed them to defeat the villain? I do, and I always thought it would be so cool to have Telepathy. If we could understand what everyone else was thinking, would that not make life easier? There would be no more guessing what your partner, family, coworkers thought. You just would know. It would improve understanding and make communication easier. Sounds like a good thing. But, now I think there are a couple of really good, solid, and practical reasons we did not evolve to have telepathy: Self-preservation and our need for solitude. Our self-preservation would be compromised If we knew exactly what other people were thinking. We would probably go insane if we had no way of shutting out another’s thoughts. Our own minds are crazy enough, so I would not also want to know everyone else’s thoughts. We would hear every stupid, hostile, and inane thought which would have us ending up in mortal strife with everyone. Look how poor communication creates problems already. Solitude allows us to keep secrets, plan in private, mull things over, and ultimately find some […]
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