Continuing from last week…
What if all our goals are simulacra? Does this present any problem? Or even hold any relevance at all?
I think it’s important, especially for the agnostic, to be aware that everything around herself is in flux, isn’t constant, is (perhaps) simulacra. Things are slightly different for the theist, as they have god, a [...]
A fantastic example of simulacra.
Perhaps the most powerful and obvious example of simulacra in our lives is that of “make-up”, in the widest possible sense of the word. To change your body and appearance to look like someone else who in turn is a copy, and a distorted copy at that, of someone else. It’s difficult [...]
What are photos?
It's something I've written briefly about before, but after being away and having lots of photos of my travels to look through it's a thought that has come back to me. I'm talking about photos in the snapshot sense, or perhaps in the "holiday photos" sense, rather than the pictures you would find in a gallery. I [...]
I'm feeling a real sensitivity to the aesthetic at the moment, a real harmony with my own thoughts and senses. Sometimes I have these periods, often only moments, when my mind really wakes up and comes into focus. It's as if everything around me takes on a subtly different form for an instant, and then [...]
Another thing that hit me during my revision is that some people choose, or are compelled, to spend all or part of their life applying themselves to one specific task. For example, the genius scientist, the obsessive novelist or artist, the eccentric musician, the serial killer, the Olympic gymnast, the tireless politician. What are the [...]
Just a couple of links this week:
Ask PhilosophersThey have a "Question of the day" which is normally pretty interesting; there's a lot of good stuff in the archives too.
New Scientist – Last WordA similar thing, but more science based; interesting questions about trivial things.
I've been reading some of Plato's works recently, specifically his allegory of the cave. For those who don't already know what it is about, this is the description from wikipedia, or you can read the original text at the link above.
Allegory of the cave
Imagine prisoners, who have been chained since birth deep inside a cave: not [...]