Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Lectures on the History of Philosophy', 'Looking for Spinoza' and 'works'

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4 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined
21757 Philosophy is the conceptual essence of the shape of history [Hegel]
     Full Idea: Philosophy is the supreme blossom - the concept - of the entire shape of history, the consciousness and the spiritual essence of the whole situation, the spirit of the age as the spirit present and aware of itself in thought.
     From: Georg W.F.Hegel (Lectures on the History of Philosophy [1830], p.25), quoted by Stephen Houlgate - An Introduction to Hegel 01
     A reaction: This sees philosophy as intrinsically historical, which is a founding idea for 'continental' philosophy. Analysis is tied to science, in which the history of the subject is seen as irrelevant to its truth. Does this mean we can't go back to Aristotle?
5. Theory of Logic / D. Assumptions for Logic / 2. Excluded Middle
7334 Anti-realism needs an intuitionist logic with no law of excluded middle [Dummett, by Miller,A]
     Full Idea: Dummett argues that antirealism implies that classical logic must be given up in favour of some form of intuitionistic logic that does not have the law of excluded middle as a theorem.
     From: report of Michael Dummett (works [1970]) by Alexander Miller - Philosophy of Language 9.4
     A reaction: Only realists can think every proposition is either true or false, even if it is beyond the bounds of our possible knowledge (e.g. tiny details from remote history). Personally I think "Plato had brown eyes" is either true or false.
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 4. Anti-realism
3303 For anti-realists there are no natural distinctions between objects [Dummett, by Benardete,JA]
     Full Idea: Dummett says that anti-realism offers us a picture of reality as an amorphous lump not yet articulated into discrete objects.
     From: report of Michael Dummett (works [1970]) by José A. Benardete - Metaphysics: the logical approach Ch.2
     A reaction: This might be called 'weak' anti-realism, where 'strong' anti-realism is the view that reality is quite unknowable, and possibly non-existent.
15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 10. Conatus/Striving
21867 Conatus is brain circuits seeking survival and well-being [Damasio]
     Full Idea: Conatus is explicable as the aggregate of dispositions laid down in brain circuitry that seeks both survival and well-being.
     From: Antonio Damasio (Looking for Spinoza [2003], p.36)
     A reaction: So conatus is the motivation of my inner personal assistant, who reminds me what I am doing later today. I like the mention of dispositions, hence powers.