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STICKY:
Welcome
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Welcome, philosophers. As you see, we are ready to roll. This is thanks to our hugely helpful and efficient webmaster Gary Cook. When you get here for the first time, I (Harit) would appreciate it if you would post a "reply" stating at least your name (e.g., "Kilroy was here".) a...
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Harit Trivedi
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6
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639
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Book suggestions for the 2015/16 season
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This topic is to discuss book suggestions for 2015/16.
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Ian Lang
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4
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1500
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Sandel - Justice: reflection
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We did not have time for a reflection session on this, as 20 May 2015 was the last formal session of term, and the next session in September is too far off. Anyone interested in a little reflection while it is still in our thoughts?
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Richard Myers
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1
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457
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Nagel - Mind and Cosmos
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I've started this thread as a place to put our contributions on Nagel's book.
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Ian Lang
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4
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803
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Invitation to suggest Candidate books after Nagel (for 2015)
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We seem set to complete our reading of Nagel's book with Andrew P leading the last session in November. Ideally, we would begin January 2015 with our new choice. It would be nice to settle upon it beforehand using the communications facility offered by this bulletin board. To this end, I would like to i...
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Harit Trivedi
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14
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653
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What are we going to read next? Teleology?[Oct 2013]
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Following the discussion about teleology in Ch 16 of the Mary Midgley book, I came across the following in the Guardian weekend mag of 19.10.13 [p29], written by Oliver Burkeman: "Since Aristotle, some thinkers have been drawn to the notion that the world must be heading somewhere - that there...
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Richard Myers
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15
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964
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Language Games
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I find it difficult to understand Monk's interpretation of W concerning Language Games. I quote Marie McGinn below; to me it's clearer and more convincing. Wittgenstein's concept of a language game is clearly to be set over and against the idea of language as a system of meaningful signs that can b...
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simon
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616
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Wittgenstein: How To Read Wittgenstein by Ray Monk
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I am struggling a bit with what is said about the distinction between what can be shown and what can be said. We talked of this last time re Ch.s 1 and 2, but I think there is more detail on it in Ch.s 3 and 4. I am looking at mainly pages 38 and 39, with reference to others including 49. This post is really just me...
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Richard Myers
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6
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805
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Consciousness in ch.25 and 26 of The Essential Mary Midgley
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I offered to try to explain to Andrew in writing what I thought MM meant in her descriptions of consciousness in ch. 25 and 26, and what follows is that explanation. I am putting it on the discussion board in case others are interested. I am putting it as a separate topic rather than a comment on Steve S's n...
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Richard Myers
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3
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625
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Notes from last Philos 2 session
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The Essential MM Part 4: Reason and Imagination: Notes for Class on 27/11/13 First take on what it is all about Whereas traditional natural philosophy sustained itself mainly by well-reasoned thinking and debate, the growth of scientific disciplines such as chemistry, physics and biology adde...
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Steve S
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0
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673
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"Essential Midgley" on our discussion board
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I would like to suggest that members who guide a sessions (incl. those who did so in the past done) put their presentation/guidance-notes up on the board. This would facilitate access to them "as a whole". It would also form a collective record of what we, as a group, think of the book as we pr...
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Harit Trivedi
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10
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1572
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Nagel - What it is like to be a bat.
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Thanks Simon for the Nagel paper. I enjoyed rereading it. It must be 10 years or so since you first recommended it to me. I like Nagel. He seems very open-minded to me. Not at all dogmatic - at least in 1978 he wasn't. He might be now. He makes an big issue of the distinction between subjective and obje...
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Ian Lang
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0
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467
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More material for the teleology discussion in Ch.16 of Essential Midgley - which we were discussing on Oct 2, 2013
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The discussion in Midgley about the part that reasoning from purpose plays in our thinking I found fascinating but sketchy. It turns out, as perhaps we guessed, that a lot of material has been cut out by the editor. I have copied the missing material in below,including also as first and last para.s the...
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Richard Myers
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8
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876
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