The Idiot's Guide to Philosophy-Socrates

The next video in my "Idiot's Guide to Philosophy" youtube series.  This time, we cover the man himself, Socrates!

The Idiot's Guide to Philosophy-The Sophists

A video from my youtube channel, one in a series of videos about the history of philosophy called "The Idiot's Guide to Philosophy".  You should subscribe!  It'd make me happy! =D

From the Papers of One Still Living: An Obnoxious Poem in Praise of--gasp!--Abstinence

From the Papers of One Still Living: An Obnoxious Poem in Praise of--gasp!--Abstinence

On Government and Allowed Knowledge

Unity is one part love, one part hate, and one part ignorance. According to the Taoists (and I agree with this strongly), a true leader is one who can unite or harmonize the minds of the people. They must be of one love, cherishing the same things, and they must be of one hate, expressing the same dislikes. For both of these things are indelibly etched into the human soul, and if they will always be, then both must be focused and channeled appropriately. The people must also be, to a degree, ignorant. With many wise people comes many differing and often conflicting opinions, and while some would argue that from this conflict comes resolution, the immediate effect is disunity, chaos and unreliability in times of need. An open minded people may benefit from a wealth of knowledge, but without a way to be certain that all reach the same conclusion, conflict will be the inevitable result. What good is a wealth of knowledge if there is no consensus on how it must be used? While ignorant people suffer in that the individual is denied access to a wealth of information, they do benefit in a strong sense of absolution, unity, duty, and morality, because they have experienced only one dominant truth. Open mindedness benefits a society in the moment, but ultimately leads to corruption, diminished sense of collective self, and immorality. Close mindedness takes constant toll on a people, but it ensures the traits of an enduring cultural and national identity. Solomon once said that he who increases in knowledge increases in sorrow. This is true both on the scale of the individual and of the nation.

Applying the concept of Yin and Yang, or any Law of Balance, though, this idea can be rendered meaningless. There will always be flukes, things that do not adhere to the system, whether for good or for ill. In a close minded society, there will always be those who rebel against the barriers erected between them and information that the system denies them. In today's America, these are often thought of as heroes, and our culture glorifies them in all forms of media. This is the road more travelled. The rarer alternative is that in an open minded society, there are occasionally those who see the long term drawbacks of the system, and attempt to either flee or subvert it. These are often thought of as villains, and our present culture demonizes any non-conformity to open mindedness. This is the road less travelled, and therefore, I think, the more noble one.

Redheaded Ruminations

The following is the testimony/thoughts/confessions, whether preceded by others or not, of a follower of Jesus Christ. May He look kindly upon my undertaking, and if I am wrong, let his correction be swift and merciful. I write this all with an uneducated mind, using only what sense God has given me. Let it benefit someone somewhere, someday.

My words will have no meaning for those who cannot or will not see the bad in the good and the good in the bad. Few things are purely good, and few things are purely evil. It is not arrogance on my part to say that when you see all angles of any given thing, you have opened your eyes.

To an ignorant man, the world is bearable, perhaps even pleasant. To an ignorant man in love, the world is a paradise waiting to yield fruit. To a mindful man, the world is corrupt, nothing is as it should be. To a mindful man who is embittered, the world is a nightmare from which he cannot awaken. An ignorant and embittered man can live on, for though he tastes bitterness, he cannot see its source. To the mindful man in love, everything is perilous, nothing seems safe. The struggles of the world are born of a conflict in perception.

Man is innately a seeker of truth. When he finds even the smallest glimmer of truth, he clings to it. This is part of why men everywhere fight. All cling to their pieces of truth, declaring their own to be dominant. They cannot see that their individual pieces are part of a larger puzzle.

This puzzle is a collection of truths. The world is filled with truth, but none of it is valid unless looked at objectively through a lens of one dominant truth. This is where humans become divided. No one can agree on what “dominant truth” is. To make full use of what little wisdom I offer, you must open yourself to examining truths from my perspective.

It would be more diplomatic of me to say that each person must examine truths from their individual perspectives, but that invites division. Truth is both relative AND absolute. Because there are many truths, all varying on perception, truth is relative. But because truth is relative, it is open to the concept of truth being all things, that is to say that it is open to the concept of being relative AND absolute. Absolute truth can be equated with fact. Fact: the world had a beginning, though no one can agree on how it began. In this way, relative truths encircle absolute truths.

We have established, then, that people cling to legitimate truth when they find it, and because their truths are legitimate, truth can be said to be everywhere. But if one were to accept all truths, one invites both confusion and disaster. Some truths are incompatible or contradictory. For example, the religions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all share the same roots; they essentially have the same beginning. They become contradictory, however, the further one examines their ideas and history. It is possible for some truths to be compatible despite differences. The Muslims call God Allah, the Christians call him God. Both touch upon the same truth, but both contradict the other.

With logic, one can reason that the world could not begin exactly as described by the Hindi AND exactly as described by the Christians. Both may share elements of truth, but neither is 100% correct, as they both claim to be. The world began, but it can only begin as it began, not as each individual says it began. The only leeway for several relative truths to be correct is that perhaps they are speaking of the same thing, but using different names, different cultural references. Again, truth is both absolute and relative. The world could not have begun as each truth says it did, but it is possible that these truths are blind men examining an elephant. Beyond knowing that the world began a certain way, absolute truth on the matter can be touched upon, but it cannot be discerned. It is eternally elusive.

It takes more courage to stand against the majority than to side with it. Sometimes the heroes are remembered as villains, and the villains are remembered as heroes.

There are two things you must see to in life: the well being of your soul, and the well being of your heart. What good is an enduring soul when the heart is lifeless?