WELCOME TO MY BLOG! (and Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and Friedrich Nietzsche...)
Welcome to the exciting world of blogging! My vision is to take an incisive look at current political and economic trends (especially those of global equity markets) as viewed through the incisive and ever-fascinating world of philosophy and its related disciplines. Whether we know it or not, most of us express some sort of philosophical "school" or thinking apparatus in our everyday observations, thoughts, and comments. I very much enjoy the millennia-old "conversation," and am a lifelong student of philosophy. Moreover, I am a global traveler, so this naturally feeds into my observations.
I believe in, and intend to promulgate, an eclectic mix of generally conservative and some libertarian political beliefs. Moreover, I am a believer in global capitalism and its enormous potential to further our collective standards of living.
With that being said, allow me to get on with my first post at this site.
Let's start with philosophy... I am definitely in the Aristotelian camp as to the "big picture" of human experience. Alfred North Whitehead is famous for saying that "all of philosophy is but a footnote to Plato." More correctly, I would say that all of philosophy is a footnote to the ancient Greek philosophers in general (including Aristotle and the pre-Socratics). I am not a fan of Plato at all, but I do recognize his enormous genius and effect on the entire world of human thought. (Much of it quite deleterious, in my view.) It is incredible how much Platonism has influenced all of western (and world) thought, and I still see/hear his influences every day - in the newspapers, in the churches, on TV, etc., and in the pronouncements of every day people themselves. It was Aristotle who promulgated reason as an absolute, was the original "Renaissance Man," and was actively involved in codifying empirical knowledge long before Francis Bacon stepped onto the scene. For that, the human race should very, very grateful.
Allow me to leap ahead to Friedrich Nietzsche, another of my favorite "characters." I would say that all (or certainly most) of philosophy from Aristotle up to the 19th century is a footnote to Nietzsche, and one need only do a very thorough and careful reading of Nietzsche's works to understand this. Nietzsche, unfortunately, is not very well understood. You cannot properly understand Nietzsche without first reading his "Birth of Tragedy," his first monumental philosophical work. This is the key to reading Nietzsche all the way, chronologically, through his entire corpus. He loved the Greek experience (of course he was a philologist and specialist in Greek language and literature). Specifically, he lionized the "Dionysian" cult (and mode of thought - irrational - perhaps a little too simply put) as opposed to the "Apollinian" (highly rational, "sedate," conformative).
Moreover, I would counsel the beginner to not even think about reading Nietzsche unless you are reading the several volumes published by his best critical editor, former Princeton professor Walter Kaufmann. Kaufmann does the most incisive and helpful exegesis of Nietzsche, and dispels many of the racist myths that still surround his writings to this day (among those who do not understand him). Allow Kaufmann to "hold your hand" as you enjoy Nietzsche's excoriations of the stale European life and ethos of his era (mid-late 19th century).
Although I believe his criticisms of Christianity (cf. "Antichrist") are unduly harsh (not to mention contradictory and wrong on many points), one must realize what Nietzsche is reacting against: the State European Christian churches of his day and their often "unholy" alliances with their respective state governments. If you are reading Nietzsche carefully, you will see him praise the ancient Jewish and Islamic religious experiences in a quite favorable light. Moreover, he really never has anything negative to say about Jesus of Nazareth, though he excoriates the Church. (I believe he misunderstands several things about Christianity, but that's another post for another day...) If you think Nietzsche was an advocate of racism or anti-Semitism, you do not properly understand him (not to mention that you are just plain wrong!), and I'd venture to say you haven't really read him.
I would say that Ayn Rand is the most important philosopher and political commentator of the 20th century. She is a giant and a treasure, and our current political and economic landscape is in sorry need of her influences. Ayn - where are you when we need you? Ms. Rand was a champion of Aristotle and his rational, "objectivist" approach to human comprehension and experience; hence, the evolution of her own "objectivist" philosophy. It is quite remarkable that a (then) young Russian Jewish woman, who emigrated to the USA with hardly any money at all, went on to write phenomenal novels that illustrate the American experience better than anyone else ever has! She understood the American ethos so much better than any of the political and academic figures of her day, and, moreover, to this day as well.
She so incisively understood, explicated, and railed against the "mystical-altruistic-collectivist" axis of human thought (primarily here in the USA and Europe), and championed their opposites: "reason, individualism, and capitalism." For some people, the government is their de facto "church." They seem to enjoy "tithing" to it in the form of punitive taxes (and all of its various levels - local, state, and federal), and seeing those "tithes" get re-distributed all across the globe for various derelict projects and "social experiments." (Not to mention that governments are our largest employers - we literally "rob" from Peter to pay "Paul"!) The collectivists enjoy this, since they cannot stand the fact that some individualistic men, of high ability, ambition, and work ethic, succeed quite well on their own and amass wealth as a result of their own smarts and hard work. "They still believe [and always have] that money is the root of all evil - except government money, which is the solution to all problems." (I quote directly from Ayn's essay "The Establishing of an Establishment," from her collection of phenomenal essays : "Philosophy - Who Needs It?")
Though I disagree with her atheism, I completely agree with her political and economic views. Let me point out that Aristotle, her great philosophical hero and "basis," posited a "Prime Mover." He correctly reasoned that "something" (i.e., matter) cannot come into being from "nothing." (Succinctly put, I believe this is the prime metaphysical question of all of human history: Why is there something rather than nothing?)
Well then, that's quite enough for this blog post. The above will set the stage for many "thoughtful" posts in the future (more concise, I trust!), as the three above-named philosophers provide so much "thoughtful" commentary on the human situation that I could exhaust a few lifetimes re-visiting the issues that they raise. They are still pertinent, in every way, to the contemporary world scene, and especially the American experience. "There is nothing new under the sun..."
David Hooker, "The Thoughtful Conservative"
I believe in, and intend to promulgate, an eclectic mix of generally conservative and some libertarian political beliefs. Moreover, I am a believer in global capitalism and its enormous potential to further our collective standards of living.
With that being said, allow me to get on with my first post at this site.
Let's start with philosophy... I am definitely in the Aristotelian camp as to the "big picture" of human experience. Alfred North Whitehead is famous for saying that "all of philosophy is but a footnote to Plato." More correctly, I would say that all of philosophy is a footnote to the ancient Greek philosophers in general (including Aristotle and the pre-Socratics). I am not a fan of Plato at all, but I do recognize his enormous genius and effect on the entire world of human thought. (Much of it quite deleterious, in my view.) It is incredible how much Platonism has influenced all of western (and world) thought, and I still see/hear his influences every day - in the newspapers, in the churches, on TV, etc., and in the pronouncements of every day people themselves. It was Aristotle who promulgated reason as an absolute, was the original "Renaissance Man," and was actively involved in codifying empirical knowledge long before Francis Bacon stepped onto the scene. For that, the human race should very, very grateful.
Allow me to leap ahead to Friedrich Nietzsche, another of my favorite "characters." I would say that all (or certainly most) of philosophy from Aristotle up to the 19th century is a footnote to Nietzsche, and one need only do a very thorough and careful reading of Nietzsche's works to understand this. Nietzsche, unfortunately, is not very well understood. You cannot properly understand Nietzsche without first reading his "Birth of Tragedy," his first monumental philosophical work. This is the key to reading Nietzsche all the way, chronologically, through his entire corpus. He loved the Greek experience (of course he was a philologist and specialist in Greek language and literature). Specifically, he lionized the "Dionysian" cult (and mode of thought - irrational - perhaps a little too simply put) as opposed to the "Apollinian" (highly rational, "sedate," conformative).
Moreover, I would counsel the beginner to not even think about reading Nietzsche unless you are reading the several volumes published by his best critical editor, former Princeton professor Walter Kaufmann. Kaufmann does the most incisive and helpful exegesis of Nietzsche, and dispels many of the racist myths that still surround his writings to this day (among those who do not understand him). Allow Kaufmann to "hold your hand" as you enjoy Nietzsche's excoriations of the stale European life and ethos of his era (mid-late 19th century).
Although I believe his criticisms of Christianity (cf. "Antichrist") are unduly harsh (not to mention contradictory and wrong on many points), one must realize what Nietzsche is reacting against: the State European Christian churches of his day and their often "unholy" alliances with their respective state governments. If you are reading Nietzsche carefully, you will see him praise the ancient Jewish and Islamic religious experiences in a quite favorable light. Moreover, he really never has anything negative to say about Jesus of Nazareth, though he excoriates the Church. (I believe he misunderstands several things about Christianity, but that's another post for another day...) If you think Nietzsche was an advocate of racism or anti-Semitism, you do not properly understand him (not to mention that you are just plain wrong!), and I'd venture to say you haven't really read him.
I would say that Ayn Rand is the most important philosopher and political commentator of the 20th century. She is a giant and a treasure, and our current political and economic landscape is in sorry need of her influences. Ayn - where are you when we need you? Ms. Rand was a champion of Aristotle and his rational, "objectivist" approach to human comprehension and experience; hence, the evolution of her own "objectivist" philosophy. It is quite remarkable that a (then) young Russian Jewish woman, who emigrated to the USA with hardly any money at all, went on to write phenomenal novels that illustrate the American experience better than anyone else ever has! She understood the American ethos so much better than any of the political and academic figures of her day, and, moreover, to this day as well.
She so incisively understood, explicated, and railed against the "mystical-altruistic-collectivist" axis of human thought (primarily here in the USA and Europe), and championed their opposites: "reason, individualism, and capitalism." For some people, the government is their de facto "church." They seem to enjoy "tithing" to it in the form of punitive taxes (and all of its various levels - local, state, and federal), and seeing those "tithes" get re-distributed all across the globe for various derelict projects and "social experiments." (Not to mention that governments are our largest employers - we literally "rob" from Peter to pay "Paul"!) The collectivists enjoy this, since they cannot stand the fact that some individualistic men, of high ability, ambition, and work ethic, succeed quite well on their own and amass wealth as a result of their own smarts and hard work. "They still believe [and always have] that money is the root of all evil - except government money, which is the solution to all problems." (I quote directly from Ayn's essay "The Establishing of an Establishment," from her collection of phenomenal essays : "Philosophy - Who Needs It?")
Though I disagree with her atheism, I completely agree with her political and economic views. Let me point out that Aristotle, her great philosophical hero and "basis," posited a "Prime Mover." He correctly reasoned that "something" (i.e., matter) cannot come into being from "nothing." (Succinctly put, I believe this is the prime metaphysical question of all of human history: Why is there something rather than nothing?)
Well then, that's quite enough for this blog post. The above will set the stage for many "thoughtful" posts in the future (more concise, I trust!), as the three above-named philosophers provide so much "thoughtful" commentary on the human situation that I could exhaust a few lifetimes re-visiting the issues that they raise. They are still pertinent, in every way, to the contemporary world scene, and especially the American experience. "There is nothing new under the sun..."
David Hooker, "The Thoughtful Conservative"
posted by thoughtful conservative at 5:54 PM
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