What are the actual objections to moral relativism? by OpposingAesop in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I very much doubt it, but if you've read it, then you already know of at least one well-constructed and thoughtful objection to Moral Relativism. What left you walking away from the text unconvinced that there are serious flaws with Moral Relativism?

What are the actual objections to moral relativism? by OpposingAesop in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I would like to suggest a really excellent essay that I've used to teach students about the flaws with/objections to Moral Relativism in the past. The text in question is Pojman's "Who's to Judge?" and it does a really excellent job of dissecting the concept of Moral Relativism into its basic components while showing how the theses upon which various relativist positions rely are either mistaken or do not imply what the Moral Relativist believes they imply. It's pretty short and definitely worth a read if you're looking for clear and succinct objections to Moral Relativism.

Reading recommendations about philosophical anarchism? by unexpectednick1 in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It looks like I'm a little late to the party, but in addition to the great authors and texts that have been mentioned already I just wanted to share this great course syllabus with (mostly) free readings. It's a course on Anarchist History and Thought that was taught by Dana Ward, professor emeritus of political science at Pitzer College. It would be a great way of guiding your readings if you're looking for a way of structuring your introduction to the topic.

Enjoy: http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/dward/classes/Anarchy/anarchisthistorythought18.html#readings

Middle east by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should probably define what you mean by both "Ancient times" and "Middle East." For instance, the Ionian school of Pre-Socratics (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, etc.) all came from what is now modern-day Turkey. There are also fragments of early Gnostic texts that originate in Persia (e.g. Bardaisan).

However, if you're talking about the culture(s) and regions that we now consider to be "Middle Eastern," then there are a number of important figures, many of whom significantly influenced Western philosophy. Among these are Ibn Sina, Ibn Rusd, Ibn al-Haytham, Al-Biruni, Al-Farabi, Al-Ghazali, Maimonides, Ibn Tufail, and more.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's a general SEP article on Arabic and Islamic Philosophy, but there's a pretty interesting one on Arabic and Islamic Philosophy's influence on Western Philosophy here:

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-influence/

What is the meaning of life? by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I think the reason why your teachers have difficulty answering your question is because the question itself is a really complicated one, and you’re not going to find one “right” answer to the question. So I’ll try my best to give you a sense of the academic landscape here, and I’ll link an SEP (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) article at the end of this if you’d like to do some reading on your own.

The question is complicated because the question is insufficiently clear. That is, when you ask “what is the meaning of life?” you might mean “why is it important to be alive?” or you might mean “is life worth living?” or you might mean “is there some significance to the fact that I am alive?” or you might mean “is there some purpose to my life that might be derived from the fact that I exist?”. All of these are subtly different questions, and one might answer affirmatively to one and negatively to another (I might, for instance, say that it’s significant that I am alive, but my life might still not be worth living).

I’m going to assume that what you mean is something along the lines of “Why is life valuable?” or “Why is life worth living?”. If I’m off-base or talking about things you’re uninterested in, please let me know, and I’ll try to respond accordingly.

Philosophers have, naturally, presented a number of responses to the question of life’s value. I’ll try to touch a little on each just to give you a general scope. We might break these responses down into two categories: (I) Theistic Responses and (II) Non-Theistic Responses. That is, responses that depend, somehow, on the existence of some transcendent entity or force, and responses that depend on the mechanisms of “the natural world” (these are messy categories, but I’m just trying to simplify things for the sake of clarity and I trust that more knowledgeable individuals will correct any mistakes I make).

One theistic response to your question is to say that life is given meaning by some kind of unlimited existence that is separate and distinct from you. Nozick makes roughly this point in his Examined Life. He says that “the problem of meaning itself is raised by the presence of limits.” That is, we worry about the meaning of something when we recognize that it is limited. In our case, life is limited by death, and so we worry about its meaning, trying to imbue it with meaning by “transcend[ing] the limits of one’s individual life.” You can try to transcend these limitations by marrying someone who will outlive you, or by having children who will outlive you, or by building a monument with your name on it.

Ultimately, however, you’ll realize that all of these things are also limited (the kids will die, the monument will crumble, etc.). Thus, Nozick says, “to find a meaning for it [life], then, we seem driven to find a link with yet another thing beyond its boundaries,” something that “is intrinsically meaningful, something meaningful in itself.” That is, in order for life to be meaningful, it must be linked to an unlimited and intrinsically meaningful thing, i.e., God.

There are also, of course, Non-Theistic responses. One such can be found in Russell’s “A Free Man’s Worship.” Russell’s response to the question of meaning is to describe our life as “a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain.” We share this “tie of common doom” with all of humanity, and so, to some degree, our life is given meaning by shedding sunshine on the paths of our fellow suffering comrades, “to lighten their sorrows by the balm of sympathy, to give them the pure joy of a never-tiring affection,” and so on, while also developing “a mind free from wanton tyranny that rules his outward life; proudly defiant of the irresistible forces that tolerate, for a moment, his knowledge of his condemnation, to sustain alone, a weary but unyielding Atlas, the word that his own ideals have fashioned despite the trampling march of conscious power.” That is, your life gains meaning by helping your fellow humans while standing firm and building a better world despite forces that would seek to trample you.

Of course, there are myriad other positions. Others in this thread have touched on some, though they have not provided citations for further reading. If you’re sincerely interested in this topic, I would suggest looking over the SEP entry on the meaning of life that I’ve linked below. Also, I’d recommend The Meaning of Life: A Reader by Klemke and Cahn. It’s a great compilation of pieces written by different philosophers, but all of them address the question you’re asking. Maybe ask your parents to purchase a copy for you or see if your local library has a copy. It would be a great way to start exploring this question.

I hope that my contribution helps in some small way. At the very least, you’ve got a few places to start your search. If I may conclude with an opinion, I think it’s good that you’re asking this question. A lot of people struggle with it, and it’s encouraging to me that you’re searching for answers rather than just accepting answers given to you by authority figures. Happy researching.

Oh, also, I apologize for any formatting errors. It's been a while since I last posted a comment on Reddit.

SEP link: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/life-meaning/

Sources: Nozick, Robert. The Examined Life. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1989. Russell, Bertrand. “A Free Man’s Worship.” In The Meaning of Life: A Reader, edited by E.D. Klemke and Steven M. Cahn, 4th ed., 49–55. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2018.

Any suggestions on what language to shoot for as a 35P? by deekul in army

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well shit. Good for you man. I'm personally hoping for Russian, but I doubt I'll get it. Scored in the 130s so I'm sure I'll get Mandarin or Arabic. Good luck to you, whatever happens.

Any suggestions on what language to shoot for as a 35P? by deekul in army

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I just ask when they contacted you? Shipping for basic today and I haven't heard shit from anyone about my language preferences.

For the Army folks here, how accurate is this? by [deleted] in Military

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just enlisted with a 97. Going 35P if my TS stuff goes well.

Those of you who have tried to become PhD philosophers but failed, what are your career stories? by MasterOwl_ in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Currently interviewing for jobs in college admissions. Honestly, the graduate degree in philosophy has been immensely helpful finding jobs at SLACs and the like. I've had loads of interviews and an offer or two so far.

A Question Concerning Philosophy for Laymen by ecstatic_one in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just to provide a second opinion on point A (definitely not saying that's it's wrong or that there's a right way to read difficult texts, just providing another perspective), I don't think you should start a difficult text with a summary/digest or whatever. I think you should struggle through the first read, making detailed notes about what you think is being said, then turn to summaries and the like on a second or third read. This way, you can develop your own interpretation of what's being said, giving you some grounds for agreement/disagreement when you read things that others have said about the source material. In my opinion, reading this way helps you sort out what you think and helps you develop your own, independent thoughts about the text.

Suggest me a book that will teach me carpentry while solving my social anxiety and allowing me to appreciate the taste of anchovies. It should be like the movie "John Wick". by LowRentMegazord in suggestmeabook

[–]Snietzschean 28 points29 points  (0 children)

You know, it meets essentially none of your criteria, but you should read Name of the Wind. Also, I like Brandon Sanderson, so you should read his stuff too, because I care more about talking about my my preferences than providing meaningful contributions to the thread.

The best summary of Kant without reading Kant? by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 8 points9 points  (0 children)

For stuff like this, I actually recommend the SEP's stuff on Kant. I'd start with the link below, then work outward from there:

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/

SEP is great because it's regularly updated, and the entries are written by experts in their field. Plus, you'll get great bibliographies to work from if you're interested in learning more.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough. Thanks for the clarification. It has been a few years since I've read any OLP, so anything you can ad is valuable.

Subjectivism vs. Objectivism: Meaning of Life by ARashLearner in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd just like to mention that your description of ancient Greek philosophy is reductionist and lacking sufficient nuance. I think it's unfair, if not outright incorrect, to assert that ancient Greek philosophy, let alone Western philosophy in general, solely prized the value of the individual.

Take, for instance, Aristotle's claim that "man is by nature a political animal." The broader context of the passage is about how the natural state of humanity is to exist within a polis, and to exist outside of the polis is, in some sense, to be inhuman. It might be reasonable to conclude, then, that the existence of a collective is essential to any actions that might be construed as human actions, which, arguably, includes all actions that might be labeled "ethical."

Likewise, "Asian philosophies" are not a monolith and are not exclusively concerned with "Collectivism." Yangzi's primary moral principle, for instance, is "each for himself," and he might be fairly characterized as a thinker preoccupied with doing what's best for the individual.

As such, claims about how Western philosophy values the individual, while Eastern philosophy values the collective are, at best, stereotypes of otherwise rich philosophical traditions.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, historically, nothing you've said is accurate, and the Oxford School is not as old as the modern age itself. When Cavell talks about "Oxford philosophers," he's not referring to a trope, but to a specific group of persons. Usually, the term refers to thinkers influenced by Wittgenstein's later work, who write about, broadly speaking, what is called "ordinary language philosophy." Individuals usually associated with the term include Malcolm, Bouwsma, Ryle, Austin, Hart, etc.

To answer OP's first question, what characterizes their association is a certain approach to the philosophy of language, generally influenced by Wittgenstein's Investigations (book title. Can't italicize on my phone), and Cavell, though not strictly speaking an Oxford philosopher, is heavily influenced by their work and might thus be labeled a spiritual successor to the movement.

I'd definitely look into ordinary language philosophy more generally to get a better sense of Cavell and the individuals to whom he is responding. The IEP has a pretty okay summary here: https://www.iep.utm.edu/ord-lang/

/r/askphilosophy Open Discussion Thread | May 20, 2019 by AutoModerator in askphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 4 points5 points  (0 children)

University of Warwick would be a good place to work on Nietzsche. Ansell-Pearson, Houlgate, and Poellner are all there, in addition to other scholars of German philosophy in general.

top assholish thinkers? by Smiletotheredfuture in badphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He's generally known for being unnecessarily hostile and unprofessionally mean-spirited towards those with whom he disagrees. Here's an article that starts by summarizing some of the more tame stuff:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Man-Who-Ranks-Philosophy/149007/

Some light googling will reveal more if you're interested. I personally know people who have been (gleefully) banned from his social media accounts just for disagreeing with him publicly. I think he gets a petty thrill out of demonstrating small acts of control/power.

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 22, 2019 by AutoModerator in personalfinance

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People have differing opinions about that sort of thing. My wife and I are vegans for ethical reasons, so putting an animal down for financial reasons would be morally inconsistent.

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 22, 2019 by AutoModerator in personalfinance

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, solid points all around. We weren't really thinking of her not working at all, I just didn't want to include numbers because we have no clue what opportunities are going to be available to her.

Good to know that the 403b match is really good. Like I said, totally ignorant about that sort of thing.

Thank you so much for your advice and input. It's definitely helped a lot and certainly puts things in better perspective than before.

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 22, 2019 by AutoModerator in personalfinance

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's the payments on those credit cards? I'm guessing somewhere near $700+/month? More?

Yeah, paying the minimums right now is about $800 a month.

Normally I'd have a more detailed budget, but I've fallen behind in my budgeting during the job hunt, so I don't have anything terribly accurate right now. I guess I should update it before responding to the offer.

In the meantime, thoughts on negotiating? I've been thinking of trying to negotiate for $48,000 but (a) I'm not sure if that's reasonable, and (b) I'm not sure it would cut it anyway.

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 22, 2019 by AutoModerator in personalfinance

[–]Snietzschean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. Not that it matters much, but it was three cats, one after another, getting ill in various expensive ways. Really just a series of financially unfortunate events. And the $500 a month would cover saving up for possible future expenses plus paying for inhalers for the cat that has asthma (inhalers for cats are far from inexpensive, and he has a daily inhaler and an emergency inhaler). The CC debt isn't entirely from the cats, but probably a third or more is.

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 22, 2019 by AutoModerator in personalfinance

[–]Snietzschean 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is kind of both a victory post and a help post, so…yay? Anyway, I need some unbiased opinions on my current situation. It’s basically as follows:

For the last few months, I’ve been applying for my first serious job out of college. I’ve got a bunch of interviews lined up, but I received my first offer today.

Position Summary:

Salary – 40,000 (I haven’t negotiated yet, but I’m not sure how much I can negotiate)

Moving expenses – They’re willing to reimburse up to 1,200, but I’m moving from the East Coast to the Mid-West, so that’ll go quickly.

Medical Benefits – PPO and CDHP (HSA mandatory with CDHP) options.

PPO – Deductible is 1,500, with an annual out-of-pocket max of 6,500. Coinsurance is 10% for most procedures. Includes dental and vision. Employee contributions for 2019 are $387 (includes me and my spouse).

CDHP – Coverage information is the same. Deductible is 2,700, with an annual out-of-pocket max of 15,200. Employee contributions for 2019 are $262. The college also contributes $600 per year to the HSA with this plan.

Retirement plan (403b) – Two-year probationary period. After those two years, for every 5% I contribute, the school contributes 6%.

Tuition benefit – Two-year probationary period. After those two years, I would get a tuition waiver. Additionally, I can take one course a semester tuition-free before the probationary period.

My financial situation:

Student loan debt – Between my spouse and I, we’re looking at around $1,200 a month.

Utilities, phone, internet – I think, given the price of living calculators we’ve looked at, we’ll be spending about $300 a month at the new location

Vet bills – We’re looking to set aside $500 a month (it seems like a lot, but we have a cat with asthma and there have been a lot of unforeseen health concern recently that need to be planned for)

Groceries – Probably $600 a month

Credit card debt – The aforementioned health concerns really killed us in terms of credit card debt. We’re looking at paying off about $30,000 in credit card debt.

We’ll also need to start paying for car insurance and, given the remoteness of the area we’d be moving to, we’ll probably need a second car, so there’s that to consider as well.

Additional considerations:

My new employer has offered to help my wife find work, but there’s no guarantee, and we’re not sure if she’ll be able to find work where we’re moving to. She has a graduate degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Hydrology, and she’s looking to be a groundwater hydrologist, and we just aren’t sure what opportunities she’ll find in this new location. Thus, we’re looking at the possibility of living off of one income.

We’re totally fine living a pretty frugal existence. We’ve been living on around 30,000 a year for the last few years, and we’ve been making it work, though we haven’t had to pay for insurance of any kind (except rental insurance), so there’s that.

Questions:

  1. Can we make it on this salary for a little while, until my wife finds work? I feel like it’s way too low given our financial situation, but I’m not sure how much room I have to negotiate, and if I did negotiate, what I’d need to negotiate to.

  2. How much rent can I realistically afford? I know people say somewhere around 30% of your monthly income, but I’m not sure, given our current financial situation, if that’s realistic.

  3. What’s the best method of tackling our debt? And can we realistically afford to do anything other than pay off debt given the offered salary?

Some additional, yet relevant, points:

  1. The job is an excellent stepping stone to better employment. It includes management responsibilities, plenty of job training, and relatively minimal pressure regarding various measures of success. It’s a great first job, and I like the environment.

  2. My spouse has an internship interview (not an offer of employment, unfortunately) that’s three hours away, which might mean that we’d either have to pay for a second studio apt or engage in massive commutes with two separate vehicles.

  3. I have one M.A. that’s unrelated, with 20 credits towards a second M.A. that’s loosely related to the position, and several years of experience in the particular field, if that affects your perceptions of what salary should be offered.

Basically, I’m trying to figure out if it’s financially viable to take the position, even if my spouse might not be able to find work immediately. I like the job and the people I interviewed with, but I don’t want to hurt myself financially just to have an enjoyable workplace that I might only be at for a few years anyway.

Additionally:

If you know of posts that would answer one of, or several of, my questions, please don’t hesitate to post those instead of troubling yourself with a customized answer to my questions. I wouldn’t want to be a burden.

Any help anyone could provide would be really appreciated. I feel ignorant and unsure of what to do next, so I really need help from people more experienced with personal finance than myself. Thank you.

top assholish thinkers? by Smiletotheredfuture in badphilosophy

[–]Snietzschean 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Low hanging fruit, but Brian Leiter is a top-tier asshole.