Come on Spring!

Spring Break is here and, as a result, posts will be at a premium until early April.

I will not have much access to computers throughout the following two weeks , however, when I return I plan on creating one of the most through and detailed post ever constructed.

Until then,

Be well.

JS

Spring Break and yes...an essay by Richard Rorty

Spring break is near. And Ryan and I have quite a trip coming up.

We'll depart with our group on this upcoming Monday for Cambridge Oxford and London whereupon we'll spend about 4 days seeing sights and visiting museums...mmhmm.

After the organized trip to London concludes, Ryan and I are off to three respective destinations: Paris for three days, the Fjords Norway for 5 days and then wholly idyllic Iceland for another 5 days.

We'll be visiting a friend of ours in Reykjavik and hopefully getting a healthy serving of local flora.



And here is an essay by Richard Rorty for those a bit skeptical of his sincerity. This piece was originally published in his Philosophy and Social Hope.


Enjoy and be well.

JS

Le Tour de...YouTube

Yes, indeed. It's that time again. Well, this is actually a precedent for this humble blog (but there will be more to come in future months...just willingly suspend belief for the time being).

Therefore, in dedication to Michel Foucault, Le Tour de YouTube is finally (?) here. And, as a result, you will find belo YouTube videos that have captured my attention most strongly in the past few weeks. Enjoy.

Justice Vs. Power - Chomsky Vs. Foucault, Part 1.

From the Earth to the Moon (Featurette).

Derrida on Love.

Arcade Fire (on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic).

Skepticism

Continuing my book list...

Stanley Cavell's The Claim of Reason is fascinating. Let me say this much, first.

I actually discovered the book through Rorty's essay titled Cavell on Skepticism which has, I am certain, formed my opinion of Cavell thus far. He is best known for this book as it form(ed/s) the centerpiece of his work, and which (apparently) has its origins in his doctoral dissertation.

I specifically find Cavell's statement on page 154 particularly interesting. States Cavell,

"I understand ordinary language philosophy not as an effort to reinstate vulgar beliefs, or common sense, to a pre-scientific position of eminence, but to reclaim the human self from its denial and neglect by modern philosophy."The above quoted, in some sense, is at the center of Cavell's vision (at least within the work presently in discussion). Interestingly, Cavell, in a recent interview, states of his book that

"...for the past 200 years, let's say, philosophers have been professors of philosophy. Kant is the philosopher that showed us that you can be a professor and produce great philosophy. It wasn't clear before. Descartes wasn't a professor of philosophy, Locke wasn't, Hume wasn't, Schopenhauer wasn't, Spinoza wasn't. But you could say of them and of their successors that they attempt to produce a system that answers the basic questions of existence. That system, or something of the sort, has since the 17th century converged on questions of knowledge, rather than on the questions of beauty or of goodness, though every philosopher has some view of all of these things. Or, philosophers can undertake to question all efforts to create a system of philosophy. But in my book, the compulsion to systematization and the compulsion to question systematization are equal human drives. And so I question both of them."

The Claim of reason is a fascinating read. And it is a book that, In Rorty's words, "helps us realize what Wittgenstein did for us." That is, it is a book that calls into question the moral worth of epistemology courses and of the discipline (that is philosophy) itself.

Want to know if your cut out to be a philosopher, Cavell has some interesting things to say in this respect, too.

"When I asked my philosophy teachers, I found myself doing this day and night, I said, "How do I know if I'm really doing this, if I'm really responding in a way that means anything to these texts or that means anything to anybody else but me?" And the awful and the wonderful thing is there really is no answer to this question. A famous story for some of us is that Wittgenstein, whom many of us do not doubt was an original and important philosopher, asked this question of Russell, "Am I a philosopher or am I a complete fool?" And Russell told him he wasn't a complete fool. But there's still a prior question, which is why Wittgenstein asked it of this person, and why this person was credible to him as an answerer. So, you pick your shots."


JS

Way Back in 84'

This past Friday a group of us found Theater Royal tickets to a local youth theater production of Orwell's 1984. To my surprise, however, I wasn't aware of the shows' status as a youth theater production until about a third of the way through. I began wondering where the adults had gone. I then expressed my concern to Ryan whereupon I was told that, indeed, I would not be seeing any adults the entire evening.

The production was quite enjoyable, nonetheless. I found myself engaging quite well with the cast. Their adaptation ended up following the book quite well as I left the theater feeling satisfied with what had transpired.

Then, Saturday morning, the entire group arose early and hopped on a chartered bus to perhaps the most glorious portion of English countryside I've yet experienced. Our destination was Fountains Abbey, Britain's largest monastic ruin, which was founded in 1132 by 13 Benedictine monks seeking, what they called, "a simpler life." The countryside and compound (in pristine condition thanks to the National Trust) was positively enchanting. Amidst the flocks of sheep (yes, real flocks!) and green rolling hills, lurk gorgeous Medieval ruins that hearken back to an entirely different era. Our tour guide, a History professor here at the University, led us around the now defunct abbey with rather confident determination. I'm glad a "professional" was with us. It helps when proficient people guide such outings as the day feels more productive as a result.

On another note, if anyone is interested, I am providing a link to a lecture Judith Jarvis Thomson gave at U.C. Berkeley on "Normativity." I watched it last night and concluded that it's a bit of a snoozer; but like I said, if you feel remotely interested, check it out. More importantly, the lecture addresses some pertinent issues in the Meta-Ethical field that Thomson articulates cogently.

Be well.

JS