"Project Logic" #3

[chaz wyman]

Almost a week ago Project Logic announced it would pay five thousand dollars ($5000.00) to the first person who submitted a purpose for doing Philosophy more beneficial to mankind than understanding and teaching the process of realistic thinking. There has been no response. I believe it reasonable to assume that those who are aware of the offer can not think of a purpose for doing Philosophy more beneficial than this. In this case, if the #1 purpose of doing philosophy is to understand the process of realistic thinking, what is the first concept that philosophers have to understand before it is possible to begin to understand the process?

Wayne Leggette Sr.

You are getting more an more desperate!!

Wot about Idealistic thinking?

[Ginkgo]

Almost a week ago Project Logic announced it would pay five thousand dollars ($5000.00) to the first person who submitted a purpose for doing Philosophy more beneficial to mankind than understanding and teaching the process of realistic thinking. There has been no response. I believe it reasonable to assume that those who are aware of the offer can not think of a purpose for doing Philosophy more beneficial than this. In this case, if the #1 purpose of doing philosophy is to understand the process of realistic thinking, what is the first concept that philosophers have to understand before it is possible to begin to understand the process?

Wayne Leggette Sr.

I'll have a go. I think one of the main purposes of philosophy is to stop us wanting to retreat into the virtual world. As I said in different post somewhere else. This 'escape' is not restricted to Hollywood movies and computer games. This 'escape' is evident in our social, political and economic lives. At the risk of repeating myself I think we have some sort of innate desire for illusions. The bigger and wider the illusion the better.

In other words, we have ended up with a society that is addicted to ideology, especially of the political, economic and scientific types. This gives us no understanding in terms of the relationship between what we ideally know and what we should actually do.
Unless we keep checking what we believe with the reality of what is happening then we tend to retreat further into the ideology in order to find satisfaction.

The purpose of philosophy in this case is to to hopefully stop us being bewitched by our own intelligence. At the moment we are being dictated to by our capacity to provide rational explanations and solutions to the problems of being human.

Seeing as there is no one else, do I win?

[wleg]

Ginkgo,

Would you say we have a tendency to "want to retreat into the virtual world" because we are thinking realistically, unrealistically, or our thinking has nothing to do with what we want?

[tillingborn]

if the #1 purpose of doing philosophy is to understand the process of realistic thinking

It isn't. The purpose of philosophy is to challenge your own beliefs and what other people say. The process of realistic thinking is called logic, but it is worse than useless if your beliefs are false. For instance, that it is possible to fool people into thinking you will pay them for propositions that will prove two and a half millennia have been wasted on philosophy.

[Felasco]

At the risk of repeating myself I think we have some sort of innate desire for illusions.

Indeed. And what precisely is happening in this process of illusion?

I propose it's a psychological movement out of a reality that is beyond our ability to control, in to a reality of our own making, where we are God. In the real world we are infinitely small, in the world we create, we are infinitely large.

Reason, philosophy, and "realistic thinking" is an attempt to control the larger real world, and in terms of meeting the needs of the human body, it's been impressively successful. Ironically, the price tag has been the creation of more illusion, due to the nature of thought itself. And...

Reason will never be able to compete with illusion in terms of meeting the needs of the human mind. Reason is never going to turn us in to gods, and that is what we want, and what illusion can deliver.

Seeing as there is no one else, do I win?

Speaking of illusions, um, nobody is ever going to win any of these Project threads...

[chaz wyman]

The purpose of philosophy in this case is to to hopefully stop us being bewitched by our own intelligence. At the moment we are being dictated to by our capacity to provide rational explanations and solutions to the problems of being human.

Seeing as there is no one else, do I win?

Dream on!

[chaz wyman]

if the #1 purpose of doing philosophy is to understand the process of realistic thinking

It isn't. The purpose of philosophy is to challenge your own beliefs and what other people say. The process of realistic thinking is called logic, but it is worse than useless if your beliefs are false. For instance, that it is possible to fool people into thinking you will pay them for propositions that will prove two and a half millennia have been wasted on philosophy.

I think the irony will be missed.

[wleg]

Announcement:

Project Logic has been a test, trying different techniques, to determine if it is possible to encourage collaboration to create and collect propositional statements that enhance philosophical knowledge. The Project believes it is possible but not on a philosophy forum where there is no control to keep the systematic process from being disrupted and fragmented by the post of those with no interest in advancing the knowledge. The Project believes the technique necessary to exercise control is to have its' own website. Once the website is established, a link will be posted on this and other philosophy forums. All those interested in advancing philosophical knowledge are welcome to participate.

Wayne Leggette Sr.

[Felasco]

[reasonvemotion]

What's going on here is they have their own private agenda.

Collecting stats perhaps.


Money is not a "carrot" for fine thinking minds. Something missed by Wayne Leggette "Senior" LOL

[Felasco]

Project Nonsense will pay $45,284 to any poster who can provide an authentically philosophical carrot.

[Impenitent]

the carrot in itself doesn't exist if bugs bunny isn't observing it

-Imp

[HughKnows]

Maybe Bugs Bunny doesn't exist unless he is observing carrots?

[Ginkgo]

Announcement:

Project Logic has been a test, trying different techniques, to determine if it is possible to encourage collaboration to create and collect propositional statements that enhance philosophical knowledge. The Project believes it is possible but not on a philosophy forum where there is no control to keep the systematic process from being disrupted and fragmented by the post of those with no interest in advancing the knowledge. The Project believes the technique necessary to exercise control is to have its' own website. Once the website is established, a link will be posted on this and other philosophy forums. All those interested in advancing philosophical knowledge are welcome to participate.

Wayne Leggette Sr.

A suggestion would be that if there is a new website then it should be an 'abuse free zone'. In other words, bad language. intimidation comments about a person's intelligence or any hint of such will be deleted immediately with no questions asked and no correspondence entered into. In other words, zero tolerance.

I think this would help improve the quality of the arguments.


That would be my suggestion

Ginkgo

[reasonvemotion]

You see, Wayne Leggette, Senior, they wanna play...........


Your philosophical charisma is lacking. Maybe a bunnie suit?