scholarly journals Pressing Questions for the Philosophical Life in a Time of Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Matthew Sharpe ◽  
Eli Kramer ◽  
Michael Chase
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Eric Schliesser

This chapter uses Adam Smith’s obituary of David Hume, “Letter to Strahan,” published jointly with Hume’s brief autobiography, to explore the rewards and purpose of doing philosophy in a commercial society. Smith thinks that philosophers can enjoy the rewards of friendship in this life and immortality after death if they are benefactors to humanity. For Smith, friendship among equals is the most valuable goal. The argument proceeds by way of an analysis of how Hume and Smith understand magnanimity and vanity in light of the evidence surrounding Smith’s description of Hume’s deathbed scene reading of Lucian’s Dialogues of the Dead.


2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-84
Author(s):  
Walter Nicgorski

AbstractThis essay treats the inspiration and nature of Yves Simon's philosophical life. His embrace of that life was importantly shaped by his engagement with the republican tradition in France, his passionate opposition to the fascist threat to France, and his later attachment to the aspirations of American democracy. However, his early philosophical interests took direction and inspiration from his encounter with Jacques Maritain who drew him to Thomism. His devotion to the truth was fierce, and he confronted honestly the threats to this defining quality of philosophical life from the pressures of social conformity and from the discouragement of seeing the inadequacies and disagreements in the history of philosophy. He came, as especially evident in his most influential book, Philosophy of Democratic Government, to esteem highly the virtue of prudence, seeking to protect it from both philosophy and social science.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-64
Author(s):  
Olha Honcharenko ◽  

The review includes a book by Pierre Ado, a French philosopher, philologist and researcher for ancient and medieval philosophy. The main idea of the book is to find an answer on the question: does philosophy form or inform? In this way, the author tries to actualize the fact that philosophical discourse and philosophical life are inseparable. He believes that the recognition of philosophical life as one of the poles of philosophy will help to find a place in our modern world for philosophers who will not only renew philosophical discourse, but also direct it into their lives. This book is addressed to everyone. Ado is convinced that anyone who dares to live in a philosophical way can become a philosopher.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 480
Author(s):  
Mustafa Kundakcı

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>In this article, a comparative study will be applied on the character Kenesary Khan in different works of Kazakh literature Gazap (Göçebeler III) (İlyas Esenberlin-1969) and Ulpan (Gabit Müsirepov-1974).</p><p>This study, which aims to show how the artistic understanding of the authors who use historical characters in the narrative genre is affected by the ideology of the period, will try to determine the destructive effect of socialist realism on the artistic and philosophical life of the Turkic geography.</p><p>It is accepted that historical novels, which can be accepted as the intersection of literature and history, correspond to a need in social life. Although both fields are different in nature and method, especially the narrative genre can make use of the unique opportunities of these two fields and reveal very important works examples. As can be understood from the examples mentioned above, the field of Kazakh literature is quite rich in this respect.</p><p>It will be pointed out the reasons why the literature, which declares that it aims to tell the truth, shows the nature of falsifying historical facts contrary to expectations. Historical traces that could answer the differences between these two periods were investigated for Turkish origin nations exploited in every sense both in Tsarist Russia and Soviet Russia.</p><p>It will be tried to reveal how the memory of nations has been destroyed by giving the historical facts via the character Kenesary Khan. Analyzes will be made about the evaluations that the historical novel type is used as an ideological propaganda tool in Soviet Russia.</p><p><strong>Öz</strong></p><p>Bu makalede Kazak edebiyatı sahasındaki farklı yazarlar tarafından farklı tarihlerde kaleme alınan Gazap (Göçebeler III) (İlyas Esenberlin-1969), Ulpan (Gabit Müsirepov-1974) eserlerinde ortak olarak kullanılan Kazak Hanı Kenesarı karakteri üzerinde karşılaştırmalı olarak durulacaktır.</p><p>Edebiyat ve tarihin kesişim alanı olarak kabul edilebilecek tarihî romanların toplumsal hayatta bir ihtiyaca karşılık geldiği kabul edilmektedir. Her iki alanın mahiyet ve metot olarak birbirlerinden farklı olmasına karşın özellikle anlatı türü bu iki alanın kendine has imkânlarından faydalanarak çok önemli eser örnekleri ortaya koyabilmektedir. Kazak edebiyatı sahası da yukarıda anılan eser örneklerinden anlaşılacağı üzere bu bakımdan oldukça zengindir.</p><p>Anlatı türündeki eserlerde tarihî karakterleri kullanan yazarların sanat anlayışının dönemin ideolojisinden ne kadar etkilendiğini göstermeye dönük bu çalışmada, özellikle ‘sosyalist realizm’in Türkî coğrafyanın sanat ve düşünce hayatındaki yıkıcı etkisi tespit edilmeye çalışılacaktır. Bu sahada gerçeği anlatmayı amaçladığını deklare eden edebiyatın, beklenenin aksine tarihî gerçekleri tahrif edecek bir mahiyet göstermesinin sebeplerine işaret edilecektir.  Yine bu çalışmada hem Çar Rusya’sı hem de Sovyet Rusya’sında her anlamda sömürülen Türk soylu milletler için bu iki dönemin farkının ne olduğuna cevap olabilecek tarihî izler araştırılmıştır.</p><p>Tarihî bir şahsiyet olan Kenesarı karakteri üzerinden milletlerin hafızasının nasıl tahrip edildiği, çalışmada ilgili karaktere ilişkin tarihî bilgiler de verilerek ortaya konulmaya çalışılacaktır. Ayrıca tarihî roman türünün Sovyet Rusya’da ideolojik bir propaganda aracı olarak kullanıldığı yönündeki değerlendirmelere ilişkin çözümlemeler yapılacaktır.</p>


Author(s):  
John M. Cooper

This chapter examines the philosophy of Plotinus. It argues that philosophy, and only philosophy, can prepare us adequately for our true life, a life consisting of contemplation of Forms, in self-absorption into Intellect and into Intellect's own origin, the One. Furthermore, this very contemplation, which constitutes both our natural good and our true life, is an exercise of completely achieved philosophical understanding. For Plotinus, and the late ancient Platonists in general, philosophy is the sole road to happiness, and also its very essence. Thus, the Platonist way of life is doubly a philosophical life. The practice of philosophy is the sole necessary means to happiness. Moreover, the highest level of active philosophical understanding is happiness. It is the very essence of happiness.


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