"Yo Dawg I Heard That You Like Insights"

by John Belmonte

25 June 2013
Discussed Text: Critchley, "What Is A Philosopher?"
                           Fr. Roque Ferriols, S.J., "Insight"

Insight. That was what covered today’s lecture. To gain insight, by convention, is to learn more from something known. It can also mean to gain experience and be able to attain something by reflection. The pettifogger probably has some degree of reflection to the matters that are of concern to him, just not as apparent or of greater magnitude to the philosopher. With that said, insights are possessed by each and every one of us and can come in so many varieties and magnitudes. My coach from high school told me when I was about to compete in a tournament, “There was nothing to lose and everything to gain.” It makes me wonder though, do all insights provide some kind of learning experience?  Do all insights provide something better? In fact, what defines an insight to even be of any merit?

After some thinking, I made a little insight about making insights. Every insight that I’m able to form leads to new insights, leading to even more insights. It’s an unending cycle that always has some form of input from me. We will always have new views on life, whether they be completely new, a view that has been changed from a preceding notion, or a view of life reinforced by more information.

I also think the whole idea of “better insights” exists. Everyone has their own personal bias and as objective as we try to be, there is still that slight tinge of favoritism existing. (I actually think that the previous statement itself has some form of bias.) Some insights made will be more beneficial to others possibly because of its appropriate timing. This is similar to limit situations, wherein we seek to learn the reasons behind why these things happen or why we feel this way. We tend to receive advice that helps us cope or make us feel better. Aside from convenience, insights can also be significant from sentimentality. We have some kind of special bond with some very simple things, like children that receive their very first toy. For other people, it’s just a toy, while to the children, it may very well be the happiest moment of their lives. Like the children, we each have our own way of thinking that is unique to ourselves. The uniqueness comes from the cultivation of our thoughts from our lives and in turn provides different insights.

That is probably my most important point about making insights. We are all different, and in that difference, we are able to create a near-infinite amount of ideas. Indeed, we sometimes have coinciding claims with one another but more often than not there is something slightly different with how each of us think.  In each of our lectures, just a few of us tend to speak, but those few are able to have an amazing amount of input for everyone to take in. Our personal beliefs, upbringings, and attitudes provide so much to discuss and that’s just from a few of all 65 of us. (I doubt if we could fit everyone’s thoughts in one period though.)
We make insights to make even more insights that create more insights. I just made an insight about insights. This will lead to insights about making insights that lead to making insights about making insights.  

On The Death of Philosophers

by Agassi Agapito

25 June 2013
Discussed Text: Simon Critchley, "What Is A Philosopher?"

After today’s class, my friend told me that he wanted to know how Philosophy kills. The question then began bugging in my mind for an hour. I started looking around imagining how it could possibly kill someone today in this modern age. It was hard finding the answer so I took more time.

I googled the question and I found something interesting, a list of dead Philosophers. I think many Philosophers in the list can help me answer my question. I’m not sure if this has relevance, but most of them ended up either killing themselves or suffering a tragic death, like Aristotle who was forced to kill himself upholding his ideal and Simone Weil who starved herself to death.

Now I am thinking of two possible answers. First is about the story of Theaetetus. Sometimes, reflecting too much makes you unaware of what is in front of you. You forget how to live and act in reality then you become someone that you tried to avoid most, a fool. It can also be that it is not too much Philosophy that kills but rather having a wrong Philosophy if there is such, or a Philosophy which is not in accordance to proper living just like Simone Weil who became too passionate of her beliefs that she starved herself to death believing that self starvation was the best way of self denial.

Second is the Aristotle example which has something to do with society. You become wise as him that your ideals are now too hard to be comprehended and accepted by society. They might think that you have gone crazy or your ideals are too influential that it might endanger their well-being. Or maybe it is a matter of having conflicting Philosophies that makes people kill one another. It comes down to a battle of pride, a clash between points of view or simply disagreements that cost lives.

Or maybe I am wrong with all I have written and wrong for asking immediately the question, “How does Philosophy kill?” and not debated first with the question, “Does Philosophy really kill?”

Thinking

by Isabella Yatco

20 June 2013
Discussed Text: Simon Critchley, "What Is A Philosopher?"

When was the last time you stopped whatever you were doing to think? And I mean actually think – not necessarily about anything deep, but about things that really matter to you?

In a time where everything is so fast-paced, mostly thanks to technology, it seems as if people simply take things as they are and hardly ever put things into question. We’ve become so habituated with the way we live our lives that we neglect certain important details that may have the ability to change the way we perceive life as we know it. Take, for example, the English language. We’re so used to hearing it that we don’t even remember a time when it didn’t make sense to us. What makes a word a word, anyway? Or have you ever wondered what English sounds like to non-English speakers?

In his speech, Simon Critchley quoted the English philosopher Wittgenstein who said that philosophers ought to greet each other with “take your time” instead of the conventional “hello,” or maybe even the occasional nod in passing. Imagine if we started to greet one another in a similar way. To be reminded constantly to “take your time” could even create a new sense of awareness, which is what philosophy calls for. Doc G mentioned in class today that with that sense of awareness, we would be able to determine what is essential and what is not. If we start paying attention and “take time to make things important” as Doc G said, we will begin to see the things far beyond what is before us.

Don’t lose your sense of wonder. Keep asking questions.