Off topic but I have never understood this quote. can anyone please explain. "In order to go fast, slow down, anybody who has learnt orbital mechanics know this"
Few recent threads on philosophy prompted me to make this submission.
Copying comment from other thread.
I think distinction should be made between academic tradition of philosophy and personal need/practice of philosophy. My favorite essay on this topic is https://courses.aynrand.org/works/philosophy-who-needs-it/ .
It is based on a lecture given by Ayn Rand to the graduating class of West Point Military Academy in March 1974. Some people will be alarmed by the name, Ayn Rand, so I will post few snippets and then you can choose to ignore or read the ~10 minutes essay.
The assignment I gave myself for tonight is not to sell you on MY philosophy, but on philosophy as such.
The best way to study philosophy is to approach it as one approaches a detective story: follow every trail, clue and implication, in order to discover who is a murderer and who is a hero. The criterion of detection is two questions: Why? and How? If a given tenet seems to be true - why? If another tenet seems to be false - why? and how is it being put over? You will not find all the answers immediately, but you will acquire an invaluable characteristic: the ability to think in terms of essentials.
Now some of you might say, as many people do: "Aw, I never think in such abstract terms - I want to deal with concrete, particular, real-life problems - what do I need philosophy for?" My answer is: In order to be able to deal with concrete, particular, real-life problems - i.e., in order to be able to live on earth. You might claim - as most people do - that you have never been influenced by philosophy. I will ask you to check that claim. Have you ever thought or said the following? "Don't be so sure - nobody can be certain of anything." You got that notion from David Hume (and many, many others), even though you might never have heard of him. Or: "This may be good in theory, but it doesn't work in practice." You got that from Plato. Or: "That was a rotten thing to do, but it's only human, nobody is perfect in this world." You got that from Augustine. Or: "It may be true for you, but it's not true for me." You got it from William James. Or: "I couldn't help it! Nobody can help anything he does." You got it from Hegel. Or: "I can't prove it, but I feel that it's true." You got it from Kant. Or: "It's logical, but logic has nothing to do with reality." You got it from Kant. Or: "It's evil, because it's selfish." You got it from Kant. Have you heard the modern activists say: "Act first, think afterward"? They got it from John Dewey. Some people might answer: "Sure, I've said those things at different times, but I don't have to believe that stuff all of the time. It may have been true yesterday, but it's not true today." They got it from Hegel. They might say: "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." They got it from a very little mind, Emerson. They might say: "But can't one compromise and borrow different ideas from different philosophies according to the expediency of the moment?" They got it from Richard Nixon - who got it from William James.
It is based on a lecture given by Ayn Rand to the graduating class of West Point Military Academy in March 1974.
Some people will be alarmed by the name, Ayn Rand, so I will post few snippets and then you can choose to ignore or read the ~10 minutes essay.
The assignment I gave myself for tonight is not to sell you on MY philosophy, but on philosophy as such.
The best way to study philosophy is to approach it as one approaches a detective story: follow every trail, clue and
implication, in order to discover who is a murderer and who is a hero. The criterion of detection is two questions:
Why? and How? If a given tenet seems to be true - why? If another tenet seems to be false - why? and how is it
being put over? You will not find all the answers immediately, but you will acquire an invaluable characteristic: the
ability to think in terms of essentials.
Now some of you might say, as many people do: "Aw, I never think in such abstract terms - I want to deal with
concrete, particular, real-life problems - what do I need philosophy for?" My answer is: In order to be able to
deal with concrete, particular, real-life problems - i.e., in order to be able to live on earth.
You might claim - as most people do - that you have never been influenced by philosophy. I will ask you to
check that claim. Have you ever thought or said the following? "Don't be so sure - nobody can be certain of
anything." You got that notion from David Hume (and many, many others), even though you might never have
heard of him. Or: "This may be good in theory, but it doesn't work in practice." You got that from Plato. Or: "That
was a rotten thing to do, but it's only human, nobody is perfect in this world." You got that from Augustine. Or:
"It may be true for you, but it's not true for me." You got it from William James. Or: "I couldn't help it! Nobody
can help anything he does." You got it from Hegel. Or: "I can't prove it, but I feel that it's true." You got it from
Kant. Or: "It's logical, but logic has nothing to do with reality." You got it from Kant. Or: "It's evil, because it's
selfish." You got it from Kant. Have you heard the modern activists say: "Act first, think afterward"? They got it
from John Dewey.
Some people might answer: "Sure, I've said those things at different times, but I don't have to believe that stuff all
of the time. It may have been true yesterday, but it's not true today." They got it from Hegel. They might say:
"Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." They got it from a very little mind, Emerson. They might say: "But
can't one compromise and borrow different ideas from different philosophies according to the expediency of the
moment?" They got it from Richard Nixon - who got it from William James.
I like tera term pro which has many features and BSD licence.Its rarely mentioned but has quite a few things up its sleeve.
https://ttssh2.osdn.jp/index.html.en