The following reflection on the unknowable vastness of human knowledge was written 75 years ago:
Human knowledge had become unmanageably vast; every science had begotten a dozen more, each subtler than the rest; the telescope revealed stars and systems beyond the mind of man to number or to name; geology spoke in terms of millions of [...]
Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category
The unavoidable superficial
Posted in Academic, Philosophy, Quotation on September 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The virtue of simplicity
Posted in Commerce, Humor, Life, Philosophy on September 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
In Book II (369a-372d) of the Republic, Socrates reasons step-by-step through what would be required to create a simple and harmonious city, one in which the citizens “will live in peace and good health, and when they die at a ripe old age, they will bequeath a similar life to their children” (372c-d).
Socrates then continues [...]
Craftwork and wage-earning
Posted in Commerce, Philosophy on August 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
In Book I (345e-347a) of the Republic, Socrates distinguishes between one’s ability to succeed at a craft (to be a craftsman) and one’s ability to succeed in being paid (to be a wage-earner); and states that the two abilities should be considered in isolation from one another. One can be a craftsman without receiving a [...]
