Philosophy Now Forum

Hi!

I studied physics for one year, and chemistry for about so.

I am living in Switzerland, and my maternal language is french - so I request you to be a little tolerant if my english is not perfect; but I think to be able to understand - if no I would use a dictionary - and I think to be understandable for an english person.

My other domains of interest are - "philosophy" as a large domain - but more precisely:

• metaphysics understood as being between philosophy and religion, or again beyond physics,
• epistemology as being a deep domain between philosophy and science.

I must add the psychology, more precisely cognitive psychology, which could be - I guess - included under epistemology.

Nowadays am I computers learner, and am about to specialize myself in "structured" databases conception (or later: audit). I think I have learnt more (mathematical) concepts in this speciality, than in my year in physics.

Thank you.

Hi and welcome.

J'habite Angleterre, et Je suis Anglais. Je ne parle pas Anglais.

Sprecken sei Deutsche?

Sounds like you will be ok.

I think with those domains you will fit right in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM



"C'est que où est le garage... ma petite ami. Je suis desolé je ne comprends pas Francais bien que, malheureusement. "

Hello Blaggard,

I continue in english as it is the conventional langage of this site, although it ends in ".org".

I saw you was pretty active in welcoming, and I am happy that you wrote me this friendly message, and thank you for the humoristic link! I translate anyway your pseudo for the other members, which could sound in english as "joker". But don't worry, although my favorite rock band is "The Police" (a french term at the origin), I have passed the age of thinking to be batman.

I am pleased to see that you are of the english men who know things about other countries than England and USA, Lol, apparently more present than I hopped.

I exceptionally answer you about german: Ja, deutsch ist der mehrste-Sprache meinen Land - I dachte, dass dieses Teil meinen Land war krank wenn ich war "jung"* - Lol, aber heute liebe ich die primitiv Schweiz. Deshalb, mein deutsch ist nicht so gut wie mein english, ich denke.

(Translation for the others (not literal) :
Yes, german is the most spoken language of my land - I thought that the part where it is spoken was ill as I was young - Lol, but I love nowadays the primitive Switzerland (N.B.: the "Switzerland of the Switzerland" - very clean, lol). In despite of what, I don't speak german as well as I speak english.

N.B. nbr 2: I could find place for two genitive forms, in the german part. )

*The quotes have a meaning: I forgot to say that my favorite psychologist was Carl Gustav Jung. He is most known in german-speaking and english-speaking countries.
In the french-speaking countries, they are - nowadays again - under the authority of Sigmund Freund, who seems to have been overtaken by C. G. Jung.

N.B. 3:
I know that english has more words than any other langage. Thank to a historic area, I can find enough "french-inspired" words in this language. But some are "bad friends".*
Despite the fact that languages are not among my first passions, I hope one day to learn the original languages of Great Britain (appart english: irish, welsh, and scotish) and some others to know langages not based on latin (this is not the unique reason).

*This way, I am not sure about using "despite of what", which in french, means something as "although".

About the term "Welsh": It is also that qualificative word the german-spaeking Swiss use about us, the frensh speaking. It would mean something as "from the west". Pretty fun.

yeah no worries, and like the name, I am well versed in the Copenhagen interpretation the meeting of minds at Solvay. So welcome both.

You will fit right in I think. If you like Kant well you will basically love it.

Have a browse for both physics and Kant threads see if you like what you see, is my suggestion.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=13272

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=13362

Here's a few to whet your appetite.

You like The Police, hell Sting is one of my favourite poets, no more need be said, except I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier, I know that the clubs are weapons of war, I know that diamonds mean money for this art, but that's not the shape of my heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=037uSAIahho



"The sacred geometry of chance."

Some philosophy dude, and Sting.

Thank you a lot, Blagard for your intervention.

You are aware about Copenhagen interpretation and Solvay ? -Well, very good!

Some coincidence was here, or your culture is great!

Unfortunately, I did not go far enough in physics to really see what quantic physics are. I would like so much... Probably in another time, in one or two decades...

-My favorite song is incontestably Message in a bottle, but I like "Russians" from the singer after his police period.
As you could guess, the video of Russians figures some actors with strange similitudes to Oppenheimer and to Bohr.

But about Sting, I don't think he is a great philosopher. He has much culture, but as you can't find a truth in one song, his manner to think was elegant, but I thought not really philosophical. By example, I was deceived when - on a documentary - he couldn't really explain (for me) the end of the great band.

-And thank you for Kant!

I have begun his book "Critique of pure reason", how did you guess ?

What can I say about that ? My God: the older edition (we can find on Google books) is really a gold mine. Effectively, the lesser attempt to remove or change a single word make all the edifice going down.

It was the fact, I think, in the 3 first chapters. But after that, this is as when I try to code a program for 2 hours: all make a mixture in front of my eyes, and I have to take a pause.

Hehe you speak better English than I do French or German.


Yeah there are lots of Kant threads on here, like Neitzsche, Schopenhaur and Kierkegaard et al, he seems a perenial flower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_WRFJwGsbY

some Brtitish humour for your personal eddification, or not, suit yourself...

"I drink therefore I am."



Someone will be along shortly to explain Kierkegaard was Danish fear not, like Niels Bohr the pedants are watching, not paying attention but they never do.

I said Sting was a poet not a philosopher, but with that in mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHylQRVN2Qs

Nietsche sounds like never in german, at least: for me.

-I mean this way that I am not faithful in him.
He would have said: "There was only one christian person, and he died on the cross."

The deeper reason is: How did he know that this person was christian in essence (although jew) ?

For me, a person who is searching for the truth is at least sceptic. Or if he she think that the truth is there but out of access, she at least is agnostic.

I do not want to proselytize, but I think atheism is only a rebellion.

Nietzche would have said don't listen to me, and certainly don't listen to anyone. But you get the point. He was a very great man in his way and per se and in and of his own time, he said something that only became relevant much later in our time, in that sense he had a sort of visionary capability, I am not a Nietzsche adherent but I have read his works, and I do think he had something to say...

Anyhow you get the idea.

Also Sprach Zarathustra?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML1OZCHixR0

You really have a gift in guessing, as a genius !

-The link is the favorite film of my sister !

One of my favourites too.

The New World symphony by Dvorjak really captures a new world, it captures Thus/Also Sprach Zarathustra but it's a little more esoteric and the link is not obvious, when apes go from simple creatures to tool users, so masterful and powerful, and when it goes from Strauss into the the Strauss Waltz at the end I almost died, The Blue Danube from...

Strauss and Strauss, loved that film. Incredible use of music by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOX15agZ3-0

You might like this too.

I am not guessing.

And I have been called a genius before, I am not stupid enough to believe it.

This is strange, I am not so sensitive to that kind of art (I think about 2001 Odyssey) - maybe because it is not of my epoch - maybe I have a heart too strong.

-About Zarathoustra, I make a research. I found it was a manichean vision of the world.

Prefiguring what would be considered in christianism. ("Only that")

But I made a thought about what could be called good (we have two meanings for good, in french).

There:
viewtopic.php?f=8&p=175650#p175650

This way, I think that the quasi-eternal confrontation "between good and bad", is a way of alienation. This is why I give a preference in the good of God ("bon"), although indiscernable, than the good of mankind ("bien").

Yeah beyond good and evil really stretches out the definitions of both words.

I would suggest you start a thread on it though. Ah you already posted, never mind.

Mal and Bon. If you take my meaning. Not apposite I think for a welcome thread, but the dynamics and etymology of both words, certainly do lend themselves to a really relevant discussion on ethics and hence morals in general. When reading Beyond good and evil it sounded like a bit of a rant by Nietzsche, but thinking back it was more adroit than I thought. If you'll pardon my French.

By the way adroit means skilled in English not right just FYI.

Morals are indeed the eternal struggle, ethics is the lingua franca of morals. Although not literally of course.

Thank you for the suggestion.

I could be able to do this, but I have so many to do (even in this forum), and at this time, I barely dare to post on my preferred topics (epistemology and metaphysics). I am afraid not to be competent enough in my passions, this is tragic !

And I have a lot to read, I guess, with your links of epistemology and about Kant.

That was just one of many, look for Kant in a search on this forum. the guy's like Jesus or God, he is ubiquitous.

ubiquitous = existing everywhere at once. Sorry I do like using needlessly verbose words, probably not very helpful if English is not your first language so for that I apologise, it is not meant in a sinister way.

By which I mean I don't mean to be gauche. lawling at my own pun.

No worry, we use (approximatively) the same word in french (ubique).

-Thank you for the advice!