标签：materialism

The Economic History of Media—From Marx to Innis

AI & the Future of Technology2013.06.03
The Economic History of Media—From Marx to Innis
Innis (Harold Adams Innis, 1894–1952), together with McLuhan, is recognized as one of the founders of the media ecology school. McLuhan highly praised Innis’s contributions, wrote prefaces to his two major works in communication studies, and even regarded his own breakthrough book *The Gutenberg Galaxy* as “a footnote to Innis’s viewpoint”[1]. But later, as McLuhan rose to fame, Innis instead became a footnote in McLuhan studies, a preliminary step in explaining the origins of McLuhan’s thought. In the academic context of media ecology, Innis is usually presented as McLuhan’s background or foil. Of course, some scholars have noticed Innis’s distinctive value, especially James Carey, who placed Innis above McLuhan. Entering…
technology Marx McLuhan economy
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2013年6月3日
SCI and Academic Fairness

Culture & Public Commentary2011.04.21
SCI and Academic Fairness
Last year China’s number of SCI papers surged to second place in the world; EI papers had long since already been number one. This is certainly nothing to be proud of. Never mind the average quality of the papers: even if all these papers were genuine and substantive, it still would not be something worth celebrating. In the first place, scientific papers published in English are “making contributions to all humankind (especially Americans),” and of all parties they benefit, China itself benefits the least. Since China’s science policy and environment have always devoted most of their energy to these original activities, they have never much cared about secondary development based…
China science scholarship commentary
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2011年4月21日
Marxist Human Studies / Text Excerpts from a Philosophy of Technology Class Presentation

Culture & Public Commentary2008.10.16
Marxist Human Studies / Text Excerpts from a Philosophy of Technology Class Presentation
I can’t finish it all…… （The essence of man… sensuous activity, that is, practice） The essence of man is freedom The first precondition of freedom is self-knowledge[①] Freedom is indeed the essence of man[②] Only when news publication is not the product of freedom, that is, not the product of human activity, can it be good. Seen this way, only animals or gods would be able to enjoy the right of news publication[③] Freedom includes not only what I live on, but also how I live; not only doing things that are free, but also doing those things freely. Otherwise, the difference between an architect and a beaver would…
philosophy book reading notes Introduction to Philosophy of Technology
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2008年10月16日
Why “ideals” cannot be crushed by “reality”

Life & Notes2008.09.04
Why “ideals” cannot be crushed by “reality”
(This article is chaotic; not recommended reading.) We often see people who are so-called “idealists” — university students, for example — who, after they “step into society,” are struck by all the cruelty of “reality,” eventually give up their “ideals,” throw themselves into the embrace of “reality,” and become yet another “petty bourgeois.” We then say that an idealist has become realistic? But what does that mean? What exactly is idealism? And what is it that drives them to “become realistic”? The issue I mentioned last time in the 08 undergraduate freshmen group is precisely this. The previous article did not finish it, so let me start over. Speaking of…
philosophy autobiography knowledge pursuit
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2008年9月4日
A Reading Report on Schopenhauer

Philosophy & Thought2007.10.24
A Reading Report on Schopenhauer
I seriously underestimated the extent of my own decadence: I kept frittering away the time until there were barely more than two days left before I even started reading. I also seriously underestimated the difficulty of turning a reading report into prose, dragging it out until the evening of the last day before I began to write. I also seriously underestimated my ability to ramble, so that by §24 I had already run up some 4,500 characters, and when I looked at the clock it was already deep into the night. There was no time to ramble any further, and even if I finished rambling now, there would still not…
book reading notes Kant materialism
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2007年10月24日
On “To Exist Is to Be Perceived”

Philosophy & Thought2007.08.04
On “To Exist Is to Be Perceived”
This famous saying by Bishop Berkeley, the philosopher of idealism, is one we all know by heart—of course, as one of the famous targets mocked and criticized in high school “philosophy” class. Berkeley was not only an idealist philosopher, but also a bishop, and so naturally became a negative example for political science teachers to disparage and ridicule. I remember that when we got to this point in political class, I had already read quite a few popular science books on modern physics, and had already begun to dimly appreciate the profundity of Berkeley’s remark. If a sentence like this can be refuted simply by saying, “Didn’t your mother exist…
philosophy science being materialism
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2007年8月4日
Chat Transcript on Marxist Philosophy and New Students

Philosophy & Thought2007.07.24
Chat Transcript on Marxist Philosophy and New Students
Subversion and rebellion are characteristic of philosophy. Breaking with old frameworks of thought, set patterns, and prejudices is a shortcut to approaching philosophy. The “philosophy” taught in high school is utterly different from the philosophy of philosophers—so different that even some classmates who have studied philosophy at university are completely unaware of the gap, yet it is an important and enormous one. I personally began with 20th-Century New Marxism, by overturning my prior impression of Marx’s philosophy, and gradually became interested in philosophy. I think my experience may also be useful for later students. (Of course, the difference between middle-school “philosophy” and philosophy is not only about specific claims and…
philosophy Marx materialism
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2007年7月24日
On the Discussion on the Teachers’ Blogs: Is Palmistry Materialism?

History of Science & Scholarship2007.04.16
On the Discussion on the Teachers’ Blogs: Is Palmistry Materialism?
It seems like a fallacy 1: Is palm reading materialism? 2007-04-08 10:37:38 http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/48c5bb42010009el For many years now, there have been many muddled notions popular in China that need to be cleared up slowly. For example, many people regard reading palms to predict fate as idealism and criticize it. Whether predicting fate by palm reading is accurate and effective, I have not studied it, so I dare not offer a verdict. The information on the palm may be able to reflect fate; in theory that is not easy to accept and is hard to reconcile with modern science. But even if it is superstition, nonsense, and utter rubbish, does it therefore…
science Marx scientism materialism
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2007年4月16日
Not a Fool

History of Science & Scholarship2006.05.06
Not a Fool
“Not a Fool” — this is the four-character mantra for students of philosophy. Recite it often, when reading and when writing, and you will benefit endlessly! Philosophy is not truth and law; it is a longing for wisdom. Philosophers’ thoughts are all the more prone to error, and may even be more extreme than those of ordinary people. However, philosophers are not fools; even when they are “wrong,” they are often wrong in a “profound” way. When reading philosophers’ ideas, you must always keep in mind that they are by no means fools! And yet the “philosophy” we first encounter in middle school always seems to come with an attitude…
philosophy scholarship Marx materialism
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2006年5月6日
The Expansion of “Matter”

History of Science & Scholarship2006.04.27
The Expansion of “Matter”
Whether in everyday language or in philosophy and science, the concept of “matter” is so basic that people mention it frequently, yet rarely probe its precise referent. Like time, space, and other concepts that have become habitual, people have not always agreed on the idea of “matter” throughout history. Today, “matter” as a physics term is usually understood to mean: “anything that has mass and can be perceived and measured; all matter is made up of atoms, and atoms in turn are made up of elementary particles.”[①] In everyday language and philosophical discussion, “matter” is often opposed to “spirit” and “thought,” and is close to, or even used interchangeably with,…
philosophy science history of science Aristotle
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2006年4月27日