Hysterical realism and the postmodern trademark

[quietphilosophe]

I finished up reading Infinite Jest a few days ago and I've been wandering around in a bit of a daze ever since.  The length wasn't as much of an issue as the general structure and nature of the novel--it was arguably one of the most difficult texts that I've gone through, but it was also profoundly rewarding.  I rarely blog on the books I read

Comments

Re: Don't cop out on me now!

[quietphilosophe]

I don't know. I like the idea of philosophy contributing to cultural changes that are significant. The Enlightenment, arguably the movement that enabled many of the hard sciences, was carried in on the shoulders of philosophers. And it wasn't just a single text or two, but several, all in unison, inspiring change and insisting on a divisive approach to the world.

They, of course, borrowed heavily from those that came before them. Essentially, I like to think of philosophy as a passing on of the torch to those who, when the opportunity presents itself, can worm their way into culture and make changes.

Re: Don't cop out on me now!

[quietphilosophe]

I'd argue that it was most definitely a complimentary relationship. If you don't think that the Enlightenment philosophers opened the doors to the hard sciences, then I can suggest several books to right your course of thinking. And if you're seriously positing that mathematics is distinct from the realm of philosophy, I have some Greeks I'd like to introduce you to.

Re: Don't cop out on me now!

[quietphilosophe]

So take the non-mathematical issues. Things like justice. Or freedom of expression. If you think that Voltaire, for instance, was not an integral part of ushering in a new era of freedom of ideas, then you need to reread some history. Ditto with a number of other philosophers of the era. By and large, they forged the informational avenues that the hard sciences would later use.

Re: Don't cop out on me now!

[quietphilosophe]

I don't really dig the philosophy-as-worldview definition; it obfuscates unnecessarily in order to make something pretty flaky ("worldview") sound more important and contemplative than it actually is. You and I agree on this point.

Re: Don't cop out on me now!

[quietphilosophe]

No argument there. I don't think the two are synonymous, though.