Films That Teach Philosophy
Brave New Traveller has a post on ten films that teach philosophy. I have seen a few of them but there are some that I might have to have a look at.
Philosophical Assumptions
I often enjoy reading the website of Joe Hinman a.k.a. Metacrock’s Blog. I wish that his posts were spell checked and neatened up before being published, but if you are willing to bear with them, you will find plenty of genuine insights, particularly if you have an interest in philosophy but no formal training.
His latest post on utilitarianism and its status as a hidden premise in neo-atheist thinking is one that rings true for me, being an observer of the debates between theists and atheists.
Persuasion
Maverick Philosopher has a good post on the difference between persuasion and rational persuasion as illustrated by the evolution-creationism controversy. I wonder how many of my beliefs are the product of emotional or ideological persuasion rather than rational persuasion? I guess it’s a good reminder of how important self-doubt is to us all.
The Wikipedia article on persuasion looks like an interesting starting point for a study of the topic.
The Extent to which People Lie
I read an interesting interview with David Livingstone Smith about the extent to which people lie and why they do it. I found it via Loren Rosson’s blog, in a post that included comments on Jesus’ historical identity.
The Five Primary Colours of Morality
Steven Pinker has written an article that was published in the New York Times on the science and philosophy of morality. I have created a diagram below that I hope accurately summarises the key points of the article.
The steps involved in forming a moral reaction to a given scenario.
- Some scenario occurs and is observed or some scenario is imagined.
- The brain reacts to the scenario.
- The brain examines the scenario from five perspectives, with some more relevant to different scenarios than others.
- Each perspective is given weight and priority. They are then balanced against one another.
- The moralisation ‘switch’ is either turned on or remains off. If it is switched on, rationalisation follows. If it remains off, any non-moral thoughts will win out.
Worldviews
A great summary of the tests of world-view validity.
My Worldview(s)
Not sure how accurate these are, but I’m sure they do give a significant insight into my thinking.
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You scored as Cultural Creative, Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.
What is Your World View? |
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You scored as Roman Catholic, You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you.
What’s your theological worldview? |
This is interesting: Nine Methods for Testing a Worldview.
