Category: Philosophy

Universal Basic Income: Changing the Rules of the Game

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Last week, I went to a meeting of a local political group about the Green New Deal. It turned out to be made up almost exclusively of retired people. This being Seattle, they were very excited for the GND, and had a lot to say about other things that should be done to prevent global climate change.

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The types of ideas that were present was interesting to me. They were very interested in some big, radical changes to our society, the end of consumerism and a return to a more agrarian way of life. It would be necessary, they thought, in order to survive on our planet, and it would be good for society as well. They were interested in accepting more refugees, being prepared to accept the millions who would be pushed out of their countries by the ravages of a warming planet. Continue reading “Universal Basic Income: Changing the Rules of the Game” →

Chapter 17: The Ramadan

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Ahhh, back from another sojourn taking care of another dog. Feeling refreshed and restored! Well, after a few extra days of rest, that dog really kept me busy.

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I actually took the notes for this chapter before my sabbatical of canine stewardship, so I had plenty of time to reflect and ruminate on this chapter. There isn’t a lot of direct philosophical meat, but it definitely suggests some topics that are of interest to me, and, I hope, to you as well. Continue reading “Chapter 17: The Ramadan” →

Chapter 16: The Ship

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Well, I’ve got my work cut out for me today. This recent run of chapters has been easy, I even had to go off on a wild tangent of my own to find any substance in the last one. But this one? There’s just… there’s a lot. There’s a lot in sheer number of words, in different tones, themes, and just in moving parts, compared to other chapters, in general.

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So, this’ll probably be a long one. Be forewarned! Continue reading “Chapter 16: The Ship” →

Chapter 15: Chowder

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Today we’ve got another fun chapter on our hands, but one that moves the plot a bit more. Ishmael and Queequeg have to get themselves situated on Nantucket, so they can look around and find a ship to ship with.

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Sorry I’m a little late this week, I was off dogsitting again. It’s nice to take a bit of time away from the old computer desk every now and then. But let us get on with it! Continue reading “Chapter 15: Chowder” →

Capitalism: Only for No Reason

Robin VanGilder

It’s cliche to blame things on capitalism. But it’s such a vague thing, only one step removed from blaming it on some amorphous concept like “greed” or even “sin”. When I say that capitalism “makes things worse” it’s easy to dismiss, because it is so very vague.

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So. Let me get specific. Continue reading “Capitalism: Only for No Reason” →

Chapter 14: Nantucket

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Ah! That new blog smell, never does get old, does it. Yesterday, I spent my afternoon moving everything over here from tumblr, at least those things that were worth moving. The thousands upon thousands of reblogs will have to stay put upon that sinking ship of a website.

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So, let us get right back to it, with a very fun non-narrative chapter of Moby-Dick; or, the Whale!

Continue reading “Chapter 14: Nantucket” →

Purpose: It’s a Racket

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Last week, I was told to “find my life’s purpose”. It was in a very well-meaning context, just a sort of generic bit of encouraging life advice. But it really struck me, because I’ve thought before about how the idea of life having a purpose at all is some real bullshit.

 

purpose1 Continue reading “Purpose: It’s a Racket” →

Aesthetics and Evil

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So, I’ve been thinking about something lately. It’s a bit hard to explain, having to do with a lot of sort of vague concepts that I am not particularly educated on. But I will endeavor to be as clear as possible.

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This has to do with how evil is presented in fiction, and in media in general. Bad guys, acts of cruelty and violence, and those who perpetrate it. The power of aesthetics to shape the way that people view the world around them. The morality of using the finely honed skills of modern artists to push an ideological agenda, and what effect that can have even, and especially, when it’s unintentional. Continue reading “Aesthetics and Evil” →

Chapter 12: Biographical

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With this chapter, we briefly move back into one of Melville’s more comfortable, more popular subjects: The south seas, which is to say the islands of the southern Pacific ocean.

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As I mentioned before, this chapter isn’t an exact transcript of what Queequeg told Ishmael that night, but rather a sort of reconstructed narrative based on that, information later gleaned from Queequeg, and from other miscellaneous individuals who knew of the story. Continue reading “Chapter 12: Biographical” →