Combining Philosophers

All the ideas for Karl Weierstrass, Andrew Dobson and John Dewey

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30 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined
Philosophy is the study and criticsm of cultural beliefs, to achieve new possibilities [Dewey]
5. Theory of Logic / A. Overview of Logic / 5. First-Order Logic
Liberalism should improve the system, and not just ameliorate it [Dewey]
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / k. Infinitesimals
Weierstrass eliminated talk of infinitesimals [Weierstrass, by Kitcher]
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / l. Limits
Weierstrass made limits central, but the existence of limits still needed to be proved [Weierstrass, by Bostock]
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 1. Knowledge
Knowledge is either the product of competent enquiry, or it is meaningless [Dewey]
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 3. Value of Knowledge
The value and truth of knowledge are measured by success in activity [Dewey]
11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 1. Certainty
We want certainty in order achieve secure results for action [Dewey]
The quest for certainty aims for peace, and avoidance of the stress of action [Dewey]
11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 3. Fallibilism
No belief can be so settled that it is not subject to further inquiry [Dewey]
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 1. Mind / a. Mind
Mind is never isolated, but only exists in its interactions [Dewey]
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 1. Self and Consciousness
Habits constitute the self [Dewey]
19. Language / F. Communication / 4. Private Language
Dewey argued long before Wittgenstein that there could not seriously be a private language [Dewey, by Orenstein]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / e. Character
The good people are those who improve; the bad are those who deteriorate [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / b. Devolution
The environment needs localised politics, with its care for the land [Dobson]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 1. Ideology
An ideology judges things now, and offers an ideal, with a strategy for reaching it [Dobson]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / a. Nature of democracy
Democracy is the development of human nature when it shares in the running of communal activities [Dewey]
Democracy is not just a form of government; it is a mode of shared living [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / a. Liberalism basics
Liberals aim to allow individuals to realise their capacities [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / b. Liberal individualism
Individuality is only developed within groups [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / g. Liberalism critique
Ecologism is often non-liberal, by claiming to know other people's best interests [Dobson]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
The things in civilisation we prize are the products of other members of our community [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 8. Socialism
Socialism can be productive and centralised, or less productive and decentralised [Dobson]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 12. Feminism
Difference feminists say women differ fundamentally from men [Dobson]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 13. Green Politics
For the environment, affluence and technology matter as much as population size [Dobson]
Ecologism says growth must be reduced, and efficiency is not enough [Dobson]
A million years is a proper unit of political time [Dobson]
We currently value the present fourteen times more highly than the future [Dobson]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 2. Divine Nature
'God' is an imaginative unity of ideal values [Dewey]
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / a. Religious Belief
We should try attaching the intensity of religious devotion to intelligent social action [Dewey]
Religions are so shockingly diverse that they have no common element [Dewey]