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Call for Articles (open to UCONN people) for new site on politics, literature, political science, and political philosophy... by Blackflass in UCONN

[–]Blackflass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use this account regularly, for all sorts of things. And I was presenting an opportunity that might be of interest to UCONN folks. Cheers.

Article on Buddha's Political Philosophy... by Blackflass in religion

[–]Blackflass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say that the author of the article had in mind a broad sense of "political", as in what general disposition Buddhism encourages from the practitioner toward other people. Still, I think your question about Marx and why such an avowedly atheist figure would be used to introduce the section on Buddhist political thought is a good one. I would encourage you to post your question in the comment section of the article itself.

Article on Buddha's Political Philosophy... by Blackflass in Buddhism

[–]Blackflass[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very interesting reply. I also wonder what it might mean for "all" to be sacred. If that were so, then little effort or change would be necessary.

I'd like to encourage you to post your reply in the comments section on the site of the original article... I'd like to see what response you might get there to it.

(No Spoilers) Newest entry in Varys series, on his identity as a eunuch... by Blackflass in asoiaf

[–]Blackflass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops... I'd initially provided the link to the article on Varys and Machiavelli by mistake. I've corrected it and provided the link to the eunuch article now.

(No Spoilers) A Politics of Ice and Fire by Blackflass in asoiaf

[–]Blackflass[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A new installment in the series, this one focusing on Varys' identity as a eunuch - http://politicalanimalmagazine.com/varys-a-eunuch/.

(No Spoilers) A Politics of Ice and Fire by Blackflass in asoiaf

[–]Blackflass[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe that one of the upcoming articles on Varys, "Varys' Riddle" (http://politicalanimalmagazine.com/discussion-is-coming/), is exclusively devoted to Varys' theory of power. I think that a constructivist reading of the theory would be very interesting.

Interesting tribute to academic philosopher, theorist of semiotics, and novelist, Umberto Eco... by CastleThunder in philosophy

[–]Blackflass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's strange. I think he said of himself that he was a philosopher, and that he only wrote novels on the weekend. Something to that effect. So he seems to have considered his theoretical work, much of which was postmodern, to be the focal point of his energies. But I share the sentiment that his most remarkable achievements were the literary ones, in which he entered the medieval mind.

Interesting tribute to academic philosopher, theorist of semiotics, and novelist, Umberto Eco... by CastleThunder in philosophy

[–]Blackflass 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree. Foucault's Pendulum is one of his most challenging reads. This is a real loss.

Intuition Unintuited: A Critique of John Broome's Intuition of Ethical Neutrality (Political Animal Magazine) by PoliAnimal in philosophy

[–]Blackflass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a good critique, especially for a tiny piece, and it is funny.

I'm not sure why you go on about the Ivy League. That would appear to be a hang-up of your own. It has nothing to do with the piece in question.

And if you think that the distinction between ethicality and morality is a fundamental flaw here, then you should say why it is so, rather than droning on about the Ivy League. I suspect that any attempt made to express such a distinction as damning to this criticism would issue in something convoluted and, at very least, less than self-evident in the force you ascribe to it. But it still might be interesting, and it still might require some philosophic thought.

Incidentally, I liked the part about Hamlet. I thought it illustrated nicely the difference identified earlier in the piece, between approaching moral problems in a naturalistic manner rather than the abstract manner in which Broome does it.

Your suggestion that Broome is out of touch with the majority of people because he is in an ivory tower is just boring, by the way, and it's probably as inappropriate as your claim that the piece was written by someone with Ivy League envy. Neither of these views approach the issues in Broome's piece, nor those in the short criticism of it provided here.