Hello Philosophy Society

Discussion 1: Suburbs

Our first topic was the difference between living in a city versus living in the suburbs. Our group discussed how living in a suburb is beneficial because of the low housing prices but comes at the cost of being isolated from the cultural and social benefits of the city. The essential purpose of the suburbs is to keep children safe for the only amenities is kids parks that are surrounded by rows of houses and families. The suburb is not conducive to the growth of adults.

Discussion 2: Kremlin Oppression on the Russian People

I asked a question to someone of Russian ethnicity from our group about their views on the Kremlin’s effect on the Russian people. They communicated how the Kremlin has been stealing from the Russian people. The 2014 Russian Olympics was around 50 billion dollars and our members believed that two thirds of the money was stolen by the Kremlin and Russian Oligarchs. It is not the state that owns the tax money or natural resources but the Russian people in general. They then discussed the progression of the Russian state after Feudalism via the hierarchy between Serfdom and peasants in Russia. The wisdom from our discussion was summarized by a quote they offered from the social anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, “Freedom without Socialism is privilege. Socialism without freedom is dictatorship.” We then discussed the decision making procedure by David Graeber called consensus process where democracy is not a project or an event but a process.

Our discussion of the Kremlin’s influence on the Russian people was an effort to understand the state in Russia and how the Kremlin and associated oligarchs are oppressing the Russian people. It is important to distinguish between the Russian people and the Kremlin. The Kremlin is responsible for the attack on Ukraine and unless we take a stance of inclusion between the west plus the Russian people against tyrannical regimes like the Kremlin, we risk creating an oppositional stance with the entire nation of Russia instead of the Kremlin abusing their power. The Russian people deserve autonomy and sovereignty of their own country free from the economic oppression of the oligarchs and the Kremlin.

The world needs to unite with the Russian people for their freedom from the Kremlin. The havok the Kremlin has caused by using the Russian people to fight unjustified wars. This unjustified war has gained support in Russia from its people because of the Kremlin propaganda machine. The propaganda could be stopped more effectively through global unity rather than contrast between nations. Only together can we create a free world where human rights are respected.

Discussion 3: Ethical Society

Our next topic was brought up by someone who didn’t believe that ethics was something that they needed to engage in. They felt that their self-interest was all that mattered and that the existence of the external world or other people was not known. One response to the problem of the existence of the external world or other people was in the same format as Pascal’s wager, that on the balance of probabilities it is better to assume that others and the external world exist even if there is a possibility that they do not.

The solipsistic view that the only mind that exists is our own can be dealt with with a demonstrative form of knowledge in contrast to a purley epistemic view. There is the view of ‘knowing what’ which is declarative knowledge that falls within the realm of true justified belief. In this context there are some forms of knowing that can be difficult to determine. This is where the demonstrative ‘knowing how’ form of knowledge can take place as in the example of the carpenter who knows how to build a house but may find it difficult to explain the whole process. The demonstrative form of knowledge can be understood psychologically in the context that we are animals who ‘know’ things via our sense perceptions and learning mechanisms. We observe a consistent, objective, external world and other people in it just like us.

We can inductively know that other minds exist because we observe ourselves with minds and observe others who are just like us, therefore there is a high probability that they also exist. Another argument would be that we have an evolutionary explanation for our own existence that is fundamentally based on the existence of others. There is no apparent answer to why we exist without the existence of others hence via ockham's razor, others exist because without them we would not. There is no understanding of our existence without the others.

Being ethical is based on the awareness and knowledge that others also exist in this world. Together we can agree on a social contract for conduct and use such principles such as Kant’s universalizability where we can determine the quality of an action based on universalizing it to all people and determining if our society would collapse or function. For example, if everyone stole a bike when they saw it, no one would be able to leave their bikes around because they would always be stolen. This would compromise our transportation system and hence stealing bikes is not functional for our society.

Discussion 4: Being Good Dialogue

What does it mean to be good?

Is it something known from your perspective?

Is it something that needs the agreement of your group?

It is more than your perspective and the approval of your group

Some people are good, but do they know what it means to be good?

I suspect that many of them have goodness is by nurture

What is goodness by nature?

If you were not nurtured, and became bad, how do you become good?

Only one who is good by nature would know

You cannot help someone become good unless you have learned how to become good yourself.

You can only learn to become good by nature, not by nurture.

If you were given goodness, then you never learned what it means to be good.

True goodness is never given. It is never given from your perspective nor from the approval of others

True goodness is the development of balance with nature as a human being.

The primary nature of goodness is that of our mind and the minds of others.

With our minds, we can find balance with ourselves and our environment. This is good.

Mental illness is not good.

The truly good person is the one who can bring balance to those who suffer from mental illness. This first starts with yourself.

Once you learn balance of your mind, from within, then you can begin to help others find balance in their minds. This is good.

If we all commit to finding balance within ourselves we can be harmonious together. We will achieve harmony more efficiently and effectively if we help each other find the balance in our minds. This is good.

Helping others become good means that you have traversed the nature of goodness, of your mind, and learned how to be mentally balanced. You also traverse with others in their minds and confront the nature of the mind together. Your presence with them, in confronting nature, will help them become good by nature. It is nature, created by the presence of your nurture, that turns them into being good. It is not only a nurturing presence that makes someone good, but a specific mode of nature. If you have learned these modes of nature for humans, you can go with them to become good.

Become one with yourself

Become one with others

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