Prelude… again

No one denies that thoughts, ideas, are in some way “inside” of man. In fact, we here fully affirm that they are totally inside the man, in every essential respect. When Platonists prescribe the forms “ideas” existing apart in their own separate, higher reality, we see the burden of proof on them. Semi-syllogistically, this would [...]

Prelude continued

All of the so-called “hard sciences” are really informed by a philosophical, that is, metaphysical outlook. Empirical science only “views”, it is unable to say what it views, in what manner it views, or make any connections among what it views without said recourse to metaphysics. The world view of the cognoscenti determines the way [...]

Prelude to a new Metaphysics

Philosophy has followed an interesting strategy since its inception with the ancient Greeks. In all of western tradition the thinker has attempted to describe the world [ousia, presencing, substance, the world of appearances, the subject, nature, physis] metaphysically. By metaphysically, of course, we mean in terms of anthropomorphisms [eidos, idea, essence, res ipsa, forms]. This [...]

Veritas est adaequatio intellectus ad. . .

Sometimes things which are manifold are oversimplified by vices of language. “Truth is the adequation of the intellect to the thing.” No one may deny that there is some sense in which something can be said to be “in” the mind. But this in seems so slippery. I’m sure the shulamite could correct me on [...]

Three errors that I see a lot

Insofar as all men are rational, all men can reason. Insofar as all men have hands, they can paint. Difference is, not all have the training and tools to do either. First, similarity means the same. This is the error of an accidental [mistaken] cause. Secondly, what applies to a group applies to an individual. [...]

Aesthetics and art

There is a fundamental misunderstanding in judging artwork from the time of Aristotle. Since the Poetics art and the beautiful has been understood from the perspective of the observer. Tragedy is analyzed for what it does to us. Why don’t we think of it another way? If we see art and artwork as the creation [...]