Humour. Humour is very important and the philosophy of humour is a very interesting topic but today’s post isn’t about that, instead here’s a link to a site that will allow you to indulge yourself with a philosophical argument with none other than the great Socrates. Yep. You’ve got that right. If you wish to match your wits against Socrates then head on to The Socrates Argument Clinic.

A friendly reminder: If you don’t win the argument you’ll need to drink the hemlock but if you win Socrates will drink it for you. Of course it is really difficult to win against Socrates but there are some who have won.

If you wish to take more than the free argument clinic though you’ll be disappointed since the link to the InterQuest homepage no longer works.

Have a good time arguing with Socrates!

Fear not those who argue but those who dodge. – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Today we are all sticking to the usual philosophies of trying to survive. It is apparent that we are now at the stage of being tempted to go beyond our principles thanks to the hard times. Many are trying to live up to their principles but it should not be surprising when all of these personal philosophies suddenly find themselves out of the window.

Such is the situation that we all find ourselves in. Times are hard and despite such philosophical beliefs and traditions through the years, the fact remains that some adjustments that include having to suck up our pride and live according to how we can today is apparent.

People who are hard-headed and want to stick to their original philosophies are commendable. But it has been months now and the future looks bleaker by the day. We see the realities of an economic catastrophe and even the big names in the business and entrepreneurial industry are following suit. Given all these factors, how long can we hold out before we admit that we must make the necessary moves to adhere towards wise living moves?

It is not easy to go back on your original personal philosophy. Some would even call it sheepish. But today you just have to make the adjustments and find a way to survive. Pride certainly will not help and if people are mature and rational, they would agree that today is not the best time to be hardheaded.

Knowledge is free but perking up your intellect can be done in many ways. Teachings picked up from classes or lectures will always be there but the method of delivering and interpreting them in a way so that an audience can properly understand and pick up the fine lines in them is another. In short, it takes a wise person to deliver the goods, opening the minds of listeners who are usually not that fast when it comes to understanding new terminologies and practices today.

This goes beyond business. It can cater to law, medicine or even environmental concerns. The main source of all knowledge are the books that we see, most of which we don’t read from cover to cover. Not all people are made to read books and in these cases, it seems that the need for a mediator in the form of teachers or resource speakers enlighten the subject matter a whole lot more.

Many say that expediting such terminologies is a talent. But if you look at it, it just needs practice and a lot of self-confidence. An audience can fare well and understand topics of various areas if they see that the one preaching it knows it to the letter. Further, enhancing discussions to make it interesting in their eyes is another, a strategy that can perhaps teach many that expanding a certain subject matter can be done by first ensuring that your audience is indeed listening.

One thing we cannot avoid these days are setbacks to which we cannot discard easily. But one thing you will note, living in the past will not change anything and bringing along those shortcomings to your future endeavors will not help in molding you as a better person and make you wiser.

Such is a trend that some people cannot avoid. Personal or not, leaving past issues such as conflicts of interests and prior misunderstandings can be set aside and help you move on towards better tomorrows. Some people find it hard to do, especially if they are stubborn. Depending on cultural beliefs, it is indeed a hard thing to do for people who find it difficult to get by their past problems and drawbacks.

For sure, most of us live in the present with entirely different perspectives. Some of us may be living the better life while others may have gone into worst situations. But while finance issues can be worked on, would it not be better to live life easier and stress-free knowing you don’t have any hang-ups as far as your past relationship with peers or business partners is concerned?

It is hard for sure but it can be easier if you just let go of these issues and focus on what is there in front of you now. Don’t let these past problems hinder your overall evolution. Living in the past will never be a means to go forward and expect better outcomes in the personal ascension of development.

Climate change and global warming issues have so far pushed us to lead eco-friendly lives. Many term it as going green but while others are able to cope and understand what it really means to really live an eco-conscious world, the fact remains that the whole philosophy surrounding eco-friendliness has to be further enhanced.

For one, many associate it with the color green. So with that in mind, trees, plants and nature are the first things that come into mind. This is partly true but if you want to generalize the whole eco-friendly philosophy, there is more to it that meets the eye. There is a reason why global warming and climate change are tagged part of it and if you would have your way, chances are you may discover that the branches included in it go a whole lot deeper.

You are bound to hear this topics when eco-friendly is in the air:

1. Recycling
2. Organic Living
3. Animal Extinction
4. Endangered Species
5. Alternative Energy
6. Alternative Fuel

Each of these topics are in a niche of their own. Sum them all up and they comprise the whole essence of global warming and climate change. But if you take on them separately, you may be surprised to note that they are only about 5% roughly if you want to sum up their relevance to global warming.

Al Gore hit it right when he addressed this issue. Apparently he is vindicated and today, many of us are finding our own way on how to survive this unusual glitch we are mainly responsible for.

These are totally unrelated areas of study in philosophy yet they are somewhat similar due to their aim, the study of force. Politics is the study of how political force in relation to the general public and Legal Law is the study of how to best laws can be used to achieve social and political aims. The two are often mixed and used in conjunction with each other because of this simple truth. Legal Philosophy determines or studies, which laws are better, and whether this one or that is better for all or that if this law should even be followed at all due to underlying circumstances that might substantiate invalidity. It tries to explain the relationship of social factors and human nature in a balanced outcome deciding that the outcome would be best for all. Political philosophy on the other hand is defined by the development of a government as it evolves into its current state. Meaning the development of the political structure of a country is highly dependent on which political system it has been based upon and how it’s people have reacted to those systems deciding which is best to apply. True to this, many governments and political figures muddle and try to erase the fine line in order to justify their acts. Those acts then elicit response from the public and the legalities of such actions are questioned further muddling the distinctions. Politics should always follow a certain limit and so does the legal system so instead of focusing on these personal political agenda that they try to substantiate by using the law. Politics and religion for example should always be separated due to a never-ending battle that would ensue. Governments are formed and maintained by the legal system and they should share a common goal which is to represent the society for which they represent in their best interests and not their own.

That is a question each and every parent asks every time their kids go to school, or do they. The gun related incidents in several US schools and elsewhere around the world, have prompted legislation that makes gun ownership a bit tad harder but there are always loopholes as the incidents themselves have shown. Guns have been in the blood of all Americans since the Constitution includes a phrase that states, each and every American had the right to bear arms and it was interpreted literally as is. Gun control which has been in place ever since crooks started to tote guns and so law enforcers had to catch up and started to carry their own (for protection). Does the world need guns? Ask yourself, and you’ll say no but get involved or have somebody you know involved in gun related incidents and you’ll suddenly have a change of heart (most probably).
All of us have been exposed to a society that has been made and shaped by weapons of all shapes and sizes and all of them were invented for self-preservation from other humans. Guns is a way of saying don’t mess with me or I’ll mess with you and it’s not a very comforting idea to see one in public for it always raises your blood pressure at mere sight. The US has had a long and hard history of gun related violence and so has the rest of the world but the basic and main idea of bearing arms has been lost in translation so to speak in all the violence and crime that has been related to and blamed on these weapons of choice. They are small, deadly and easy to carry so what else could you ask for in a personal protection measure, others carrying the same weapons! Paranoia is the game and if society cannot deal with the problem, then should we allow society to take care of itself by allowing everybody to carry guns? You be the Judge!

This saying has had a profound influence on me and the way I look at the world. We humans have a funny way of defining our goals and the measure by which we reach those goals. Some People measure their success by the amount of monetary funds that have been gathered, some by the amount of assets they have. For most of us, well we go on living day by day in utter stupor without really knowing what we want till we get there. That is human nature and human nature makes us humans dissatisfied with mostly everything making it imperative to improve anything we see.

May it be technology, wealth, assets and many other forms of measure that we tend to gauge the productivity of our daily lives. Why not try, how many people have I helped today? How many hungry mouths have I helped feed? Or even, how many old people have I helped across the road? These are the values of yesterday that must still be behind each and every one. In our search for a reason to live we must always keep in mind that we are all brothers on this earth and the\is very earth is the only planet we can call our own. Pollution as a result of development has become a critical issue for us as we cannot go anywhere else once we ruin this earth of ours.

The preservation of life on this earth is the single most important reason for our existence and all should have that in mind whatever the race, skin color, or religion. All faith’s are based on the fundamental fact that we all share this earth with each and everyone of us and that what you do today can have influence on the future of your fellow man. The trash you throw today can be the environmental disaster of tomorrow so be responsible in your daily life. In our quest to find and understand human nature and the way we think the saying might be right for we never know the results of daily life till it has passed and that life as we live it is filled with uncertainty for all of us.

As we have seen in the past posts, more and more philosophy students are finding work in the most unlikely places like manufacturing and design. Their analytic mind that questions every detail is proving to be invaluable in and out of the workplace further establishing their place. The move of industry and commerce to more philosophical approaches allows them better customer satisfaction for they look into the possible questions that are to be asked and formulate the solutions and answers into the products as they are designed minimizing the need for support and follow-up processes lowering costs. Products that speak for themselves are the best weapons of industry simplifying the support structures needed for their product base allowing development of better and more human friendly gizmo’s and gadgets. We will surely see more and more industry leaders adopting the philosophical approach to their business for unstable markets that can have the power to make or break an institution needs innovative ways to promote and make products better while lowering overhead costs considerably. The products we see today on the market are product of intensive research and developments in their functionality and lifetime which has suffered greatly in times past due to industry shaking events on the global scale that are forcing more and more business hung out to dry and close shop. Hopefully the adoption of better philosophy in their approach and outlook for the future will have an impact on their futures which applies to all scales of businesses from the smallest home based units to the biggest multi-national firms that are tackling diverse markets as they enter new market areas.

We usually hear about them and discuss them during our educational lives but while other just goes through the motions of having to be aware of them, there are also people who want to extend their line of knowledge by simply looking for related work. Much of this has been helped by the optimization practices as offered by Los Angeles SEO when they offer affordable search engine optimization today.

There are over a dozen philosophers we have known throughout the years and most of them own different proverbs and studies of interest to people who are fully aware of what is going on today. Indeed, they have given logical acclamations something to think of.

Much of what we believe in today when it comes to principles and the like are sure to be something that many of us would agree to be one and true. It would be truly amazing to note and depict what they are other less heralded points have to deliver.