标签：philosophy

On “Quantification”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.12.11
On “Quantification”
What is “quantification”? This word is easy to understand, but it is not at all easy to explain just how the modern worldview has been “quantified.” “Quantification” was certainly not invented by modern science; “quality” and “quantity” are indispensable when human beings observe things, or one could say they are a priori—if we do not regard things in terms of qualitative or quantitative relations, then the world can only be a mass of chaos. Human beings always “partition” this world through quality and quantity, so that the world can be understood and described. Natural history, one might say, takes an approach that emphasizes partitioning by “quality.” At first, people may…
philosophy science history of science mathematics
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2007年12月11日
Whose Responsibility? — An Excerpt from a Case Study

Philosophy & Thought2007.11.18
Whose Responsibility? — An Excerpt from a Case Study
I’ve lately found myself from time to time recalling a passage in An Invitation to Philosophy; I might as well excerpt it here: Page 113 … responsibility is the necessary product of freedom, the opposite of freedom, or perhaps, as Hume pointed out, responsibility is itself the basis of the demand for freedom: actions must be free in order for it to be possible that someone be responsible for each action. The subject has the freedom to carry out a certain action, but not the freedom to escape the consequences corresponding to it. Both Sophocles and Shakespeare like to speak of a “guilty” freedom; this is by no means…
philosophy book reading notes freedom
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2007年11月18日
Words and Fragments, Episode 4

Philosophy & Thought2007.11.13
Words and Fragments, Episode 4
l What is called the conflict between theory and practice, or the contradiction between ideal and practice, and the like, has since antiquity been a hard-to-resolve opposition. But one cannot simply equate these oppositions with the irreconcilable opposition between philosophy and life; these are not the same thing. In the first place, the problems of conflict, contradiction, or opposition themselves—these views themselves—are already philosophical problems. Philosophy permeates life; a life with not the slightest bit of “philosophy” in it would not be human life. l The preceding paragraph seems to refer to a case I once saw in *Freakonomics*; I have occasionally thought of it lately, and it is still…
philosophy reason intellectuals logic
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2007年11月13日
“Anthropocentrism” and “Pride” as the Root of Sin: A Collaborative Research Proposal

Philosophy & Thought2007.11.10
“Anthropocentrism” and “Pride” as the Root of Sin: A Collaborative Research Proposal
The team-based project topic mentioned last semester (see 团体研究可以考虑考虑) has finally begun to take shape. It seems that because there are hardly any people doing philosophy of science and technology, the teachers have roughly planned to support one project in political philosophy and one in religious studies. Since an excellent term-paper author is needed to take the lead, the religious-studies part is basically a matter for Yali. The elder brother recommended that I also join the religious-studies team, and I am very grateful for that. Of course, whether I can actually join still depends on their decision. Yali originally wanted to set up a project on investigating Haidian Church. Setting…
philosophy freedom human nature modernity
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2007年11月10日
Reading as a Way of Thinking

History of Science & Scholarship2007.11.10
Reading as a Way of Thinking
This piece was prepared for another column in *Gongqingyuan*, and it can also be regarded as a continuation of the previous essay, “Me and Philosophy.” In “Me and Philosophy,” I wanted to say that I have chosen to live the life of a philosopher—that is, to confront those “big questions” with persistence rather than evade them or deceive myself. But how is such a life possible? At least for me, this way of life as I understand it does not mean brooding day after day in deep contemplation, standing in the posture of a “thinker,” pondering problems without a moment’s pause. If it were like that, it would be far…
philosophy scholarship Wittgenstein reading
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2007年11月10日
Philosophy and I: The Romance Chapter

Life & Notes2007.11.09
Philosophy and I: The Romance Chapter
Long before 《Gongqing Garden》 issued its call for submissions under the title “Me and Philosophy,” I had already been thinking of writing up some reflections on my contact with philosophy over these past few years. At the time, I roughly planned to divide it into three parts: encounter — romance — entanglement. Now that I am submitting something to 《Gongqing Garden》, and don’t want to write something long-winded and foul enough to annoy my junior classmates, I might as well write this middle piece first. What is meant by “romance” is nothing more than attachment and affection. Strictly speaking, there is quite a difference between the two words “romance” and…
philosophy autobiography pursuit love
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2007年11月9日
Fragments, Episode 3

Philosophy & Thought2007.11.03
Fragments, Episode 3
l He—I—you; “I” — freedom; “you” — love; “he” — the real. (Don’t ask me; I don’t know just what I want to say.) l When you complain that others have not understood you, or even suffer because no one understands you, the first thing you should ask yourself is two questions: first, do you understand others (has anyone received your understanding, just as you hope others will for you); second, do you yourself understand yourself? If you never try to understand others, how can you deserve to expect understanding from others? And if even you cannot understand yourself (for example, if your thoughts are always hazy, ambiguous, changeable, so…
philosophy freedom Kant Schopenhauer
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2007年11月3日
Keke Forum Lecture 41: Two Kinds of Local Knowledge (November 2)

History of Science & Scholarship2007.11.03
Keke Forum Lecture 41: Two Kinds of Local Knowledge (November 2)
The task of activating KKBBS begins… Last week I tried testing the waters by posting a report, only to discover that there isn’t just a shortage of water there—it’s a complete desert! Where on earth am I supposed to begin………… Let’s be a little honest first and finish the basic task of reporting on each instance of the KeKe Forum~ But this post of mine doesn’t seem to be a news report; rather, it’s a discussion. I think news copy is pretty dull anyway, and besides, I’m not good at writing it. So I might as well keep hurling bricks and see whether I can stir up even a tiny…
philosophy culture science knowledge
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2007年11月3日
[Spanish] Fernando Savater: “An Invitation to Philosophy—The Questions of Life” —☆

Philosophy & Thought2007.11.01
[Spanish] Fernando Savater: “An Invitation to Philosophy—The Questions of Life” —☆
[Spanish] Fernando Savater: *The Invitation of Philosophy—The Question of Life*, translated by Lin Jingwei, Peking University Press, September 2007, 24 yuan — ☆ Although there is no longer any need to cultivate an interest in philosophy, I still keep an eye out whenever I find a newly published introductory philosophy book on the market. Introductory books are among the easiest, most interesting, and most colorful kinds of philosophy reading. Introductory or survey works written by different people are surely bound to have their own flavors; if two introductory books read as though they were virtually identical, then chances are they were both written by Chinese people…… This book is touted…
philosophy book reading notes
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2007年11月1日
The Philosopher’s Basics

Philosophy & Thought2007.10.28
The Philosopher’s Basics
Yesterday I was once again thinking about some things concerning doing philosophy and being a philosopher. The trigger was a segment of discussion on a QQ group chat; I’ll excerpt it here: Gǔ Chǔ 22:55:08 In order to study the spirit of the Party’s Seventeenth National Congress, to encourage the broad student masses to pay attention to national affairs and the livelihood of the people, and to strengthen students’ ideological and political education, the Department of Philosophy will carry out a series of study activities under the theme “Study the Spirit of the Seventeenth National Congress, Pay Attention to National Affairs and the Livelihood of the People.” The specific contents…
philosophy discussion
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2007年10月28日