Hello Philosophy Society!
Today was a series of mini discussions with different members of the group at the Imperial Pub.
Discussion 1: Knowledge and the Philosophy Society
The first discussion began with an overview of the history of the development of the Philosophy Society and the reasoning behind its purpose. Philosophy is the love of wisdom, but in university, the study focuses primarily on reading comprehension and writing. There is much more to wisdom than simply reading complicated, philosophical text and writing about it. Aristotle discussed the concept of Eudaimonia, the good life or living well. Aristotle’s focus for the good life was being virtuous and living a life of contemplation.
The Philosophy Society expands on this idea of wellbeing by adding a social element: we are better off and will be more successful at attaining wellbeing if we develop a supportive community that learns certain skills, beliefs, attitudes and exchanges related information. Philosophical skills are essential to wellbeing so that we can understand the nature of the human condition and living with others in a peaceful, harmonious way. Certain principles and values set the parameters of the philosophy society that give its cohesion as a group. This cohesion allows us to communicate about philosophical ideas in general and specifically to living a good life. See the organizational mandate for further elaboration.
A good point was brought up about how one would revitalize or update their belief system if something new or profound was learned. This becomes an issue for us in terms of confidence; if all of my current beliefs will be changed in the future, why would I have any confidence in the current beliefs I hold? It is important psychologically to be confident in a logically justified belief yet train oneself to have the humbleness to modify that belief when new information is shown. The willingness to change our beliefs, being credulous, is essential as we update our beliefs with new information. Be confident and open to new information so that you have the most up to date beliefs possible. To assume no beliefs can be true takes the motivation for having beliefs in the first place and could lead to nihilism. It is better to simply learn to be reasonable by changing one’s beliefs when a new perspective or information is provided. This is part of being philosophical. It's not about being right, but open to being wrong.
Epistemology and the study of knowledge goes back to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, in his dialogue Theaetetus. Knowledge can be broken down into two different types: knowing what and knowing how. Knowing what has certain problems that arise due to the limits of the human condition not being omniscient. We can find ourselves in the condition of believing we know and offer a justification for that belief but to find out later that we missed something or were incorrect. Knowledge of ‘what’ may be something like an event that we participate in, in contrast to something we possess. Knowing how is akin to demonstrating something like a carpenter building a house. For more information on this epistemological view, see the chapter on the Theaetetus.
Discussion 2: Academia, Bureaucracy and the Arts
Participating in the university setting can become demotivating for many due to the limitations academic responsibilities place on one’s own passions and interests. We discussed the nature of artists and how placing oneself on the ‘edge of survival’ is a motivational context that pushes one to produce quality artistic work. Nietzsche was brought up as an example of someone who found a way to acquire the means necessary to live a life where he was able to focus on his philosophical research but did not live a life of extravagance.
It was argued that taxpayers ought not pay for artists' pursuits because this ‘living at the edge of survival’ is necessary for creativity to flourish. We can ask some interesting empirical questions in this context like:
1) Does starving actually produce more quality artists?
2) If we had a control and experimental group, where one had funding to pursue an artistic endeavour, whereas the other did not, to determine if higher quality art production is actually contingent on the lack of financial support, what would we find?
3) Is popular vote the determining factor for the judgment of aesthetics? Does art only have value if people today see value in it? How can we be sure not to stifle those that are ‘before their time’?
4) Could there be a government subsidy that taxpayers pay into that distributes funding based on likes or downloads? In this case, an artist would get funding in the same way as crowdfunding. In this case, anyone could download anything they want for free. The intellectual property that is downloaded more simply gets more of the resources that everyone pays into.
A problem with this last perspective is that there could be more funding if it is a private, not public funded program. The best intellectual property would simply make the most money if it is paid for by those who appreciate it and see its value. Capitalism is a means for us to vote through spending. The products we value simply are purchased, like a democratic vote, and those products and companies can grow.
We discussed how the bureaucratic system itself limits great minds from flourishing because of the ivory tower problem: as you progress through academia, you learn more and more about less and less. Academics become specialized in their own field and less involved with the general population. The university is structured not in a way that promotes individualized learning, but is a degree mill where students meet certain criteria that the university determines as relevant for a degree in their subject of study. The degree may not necessarily be comprehensive or applicable to problems in the individual's life or in the workplace.
Just like going to the gym, the university is a facility that provides the opportunity for your educational growth. The degree or Phd is simply a general template for everyone to follow. It is fundamentally up to you to know yourself and develop a sense of your own educational journey. You are the one who studies and manages your time. You are the one who is the causal factor in the results you receive. It is also up to you, to grow beyond the social educational template that the university provides. Ask yourself, “Why am I here, how can I make a difference in this world, and what are the next steps to achieving that significant goal?”
Discussion 3: Feeling Good
The final discussion was a review of the philosophy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) by Dr. David Burns. The theory is that all of our moods are created by our perceptions of our environment or the thoughts we are having in the moment. If we learn to develop realistic thoughts or perspectives of our experiences, we can create positive empowering moods instead of suffering from issues like anger, sadness, depression, anxiety, etc. See the Feeling Good summary.
Whatsapp Chat Discussions: Misinformation
In the chat group this week, one of our members posted this video for discussion by Russell Brand raising issues with the United States Misinformation approach. The edited Whatsapp responses identified by ‘WaT’ above the text.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jdm9p-sLr8
WaT
Some interesting points from the video that Brand makes is that we are fallible, the former president created a sense of the ‘omnipresent boogeyman,’ and the control of misinformation within the context of a specific party. We would need to be put forth to some higher level, non party, arbiter that can decide not based on a political agenda what is misinformation or not.
Free speech is important and the philosopher John Stuart Mill was correct in advocating for it so we do not lose the fruitfulness of new, constructive ideas. As long as we criticize that which is spoken, the idea is that we can sort out the good from the bad. The issue is that not everyone is well versed in the art of criticization via critical thinking.
There is a hazard in terms of the spread of misinformation because of social media and our own cognitive biases, for many people to be persuaded into falsehood because they lack critical thinking or scientific training. Where we draw the line is something to be discussed.
We know from the Snowden case that the US government has abused the privacy rights of its citizens with its advanced technology but that doesn't mean it necessarily will always be abused.
When you have a person in power, like the former president, who publicly tells people to inject bleach and endorses a coup to overthrow democracy, these things are a problem. Hate speech, inciting violence, and misinformation that is clearly unscientific that is leading to the deaths of people, e.g. the QAnon pizza shop madness, is a problem.
How we regulate the misinformation policy such that they simply don't abuse their power over free speech is a fruitful place for philosophizing.
It appears that the United States’ purpose of this new approach to information is to protect the integrity of western democracy from the Kremlin who uses propaganda, which is defined as “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.” (dictionary.com) In the current global context, the Kremlin has aggressively attacked a sovereign nation, Ukraine, and is gaining support from its nation of the Russian people by misrepresenting the reality of the situation. It is fundamentally important for a democratic society based on the structure of human rights and autonomy that we learn as a society how to sort out truth from falsehood. This is the role of philosophy and critical thinking. As philosophers, we are the ones who can make sense of the things.
Knowing that we are overburdened by many cognitive biases that reduce our ability to accurately evaluate the truth based on our own evolutionary predisposition, only through some form of education can we counterbalance these maladaptive tendencies. The philosophy society is the place where we can practice the skills necessary to equip individuals with the tools to stand up against all of the darker sides of humanity. We can decide to become the best of ourselves and learn to raise others up to a sense of freedom that is based on reality, truth and love.
Excerpts from the United States Government Website:
“There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.” President Biden
“Disinformation is one of the Kremlin’s most important and far-reaching weapons. Russia has operationalized the concept of perpetual adversarial competition in the information environment by encouraging the development of a disinformation and propaganda ecosystem. This ecosystem creates and spreads false narratives to strategically advance the Kremlin’s policy goals. There is no subject off-limits to this firehose of falsehoods. Everything from human rights and environmental policy to assassinations and civilian-killing bombing campaigns are fair targets in Russia’s malign playbook.”
“Truth disarms Russia’s disinformation weapons. The Kremlin creates and spreads disinformation in an attempt to confuse and overwhelm people about Russia’s real actions in Ukraine, Georgia, and elsewhere in Europe. Because the truth is not in the Kremlin’s favor, Russia’s intelligence services create, task, and influence websites that pretend to be news outlets to spread lies and sow discord. Disinformation is a quick and fairly cheap way to destabilize societies and set the stage for potential military action. Despite having been exposed for engaging in these malign activities countless times, Russia continues to work counter to international norms and global stability.”
https://www.state.gov/disarming-disinformation/
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