Wittgenstein's Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers - Edmonds, Eidinow. Comment.

 Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper are arguably the most well-known 20th century philosophers outside the walls of academia. Their views on philosophy, however, could not be more disparate. When Wittgenstein published the Tractatus, a mere 70-page philosophical treatise, which The Times London called a "logical poem", it put the subject of philosophy on its head. Wittgenstein rejected metaphysical propositions, claiming that to be meaningful, propositions have to mirror possible state of affairs. It is in the Tractatus that he revealed his picture theory of language, in which "language in its structure represents the world." (P.132) There are no problems in philosophy, Wittgenstein claimed, only puzzles to be deciphered.

Karl Popper believed Wittgenstein to be terribly mistaken. He claimed that there are serious problems in philosophy to be solved, and laid down his philosophy of science, presenting his verification and falsification theory in his magnum opus, The Logic of Scientific Discovery. The backgrounds of these two men are strikingly similar, raised in pre-WWI Vienna though from opposite social stations, and only to cross paths much later in life at the famous meeting of the Moral Science Club at Cambridge, in which a ten-minute exchange occurred between the two irascible and profound thinkers, that went down in academic history.

This is philosophic journalism at its most readable form, combining history, biography, philosophy, careful speculation and first-hand witness accounts. The authors describe Viennese culture and its intellectual and artistic movements just prior to the fall of the Austrian Hungarian empire that, in effect, truly defined modernism. Vienna during this time produced Wittgenstein, Freud, Popper, Robert Musil, Victor Adler, Gustav Klimt and Mahler. This was fin-de-siecle Vienna that some would suggest changed the way we view the world and ourselves. Although a short book, Edmonds and Eidinow have captured the atmosphere and the personalities that contributed to the profound thoughts and ideas that shaped Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper.

This is philosophy as drama, philosophy as comedy, and ultimately an entertaining ride through the history of ideas, using as its starting point, a simple ten-minute confrontation between two men, that has managed to remain in the minds of many influential individuals and great thinkers in their own right throughout the twentieth century.

Even if you have no interest in logical positivism, analytical philosophy or philosophy as a whole, but are interested in the history of ideas, this well written and amusing book would be well worth a look at.

Michael Hoffman - Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare - Comment.

 

What makes conspiracy theories compelling is that they provide meaning to things and events, usually terrible events, giving us something or someone to blame. What gives most conspiracy theories credence is that they do, in some cases, hold some modicum of truth. However compelling these theories may be, there seems always to be one piece of the puzzle missing, one illogical leap of faith, and the argument falls into a thousand pieces.

In this interesting text, conspiracy investigator extraordinaire, Michael Hoffman, has his enemy targeted, and it is their power/occult driven machinations behind the scenes, that has contributed to the rapid decline of western civilization, as we know it. And he calls this enemy the "Neo-Platonic, Gnostic-Hermetic, Kabbalistic-Rosicrucian-Masonic-Cryptocracy who, since the renaissance, have been hell bent on turning the planet into a materialistic centered, somnambulistic, soulless wasteland. And these so-called elites have infiltrated every influential aspect of our culture, from governments, churches to the medical profession and advertising. 

As far as Hoffman is concerned, we are being manipulated on a grand scale, and these elites have done so well, at this stage of the game, the mind control being so extensive and pervasive, we're aware of being manipulated, but are simply do apathetic to do anything about it.

This is not the place to analyze all Hoffman's propositions and theories, pick them apart, and reveal some pretty extensive flaws in his thinking; however, the greatest flaw being the fact that by definition, a secret society is just that, secret. He targets the Freemasons, OTO, Gnosticism, Scientology, Rosicrucian's et al. A few of these organizations have had to be secret at some point in time in their respective histories because of oppressive prosecution but exist in present time in an open democratic society. It is their actions, or "secret" actions that have Hoffman all tied up in knots. Although it's the way he goes about connecting the dots, so to speak, that is extremely compelling.

If anything, Hoffman's writing persuades us to think outside the circle. His writing pushes us to transcend the prosaic reasons given to us from so-called authorities and seek the truth. Government actions, particularly, are always shrouded in PR rhetoric, and it is surprising that so many people believe the spin-doctors. But wasn't it Freud who said that most people prefer illusion to the truth because illusion is much easier to live and deal with...perhaps.

Hoffman should be taken with a grain of salt, though his thought processes are intriguing and well worth the ride.

Alain de Botton - Status Anxiety - Comment.

 What use is the subject of philosophy if its ideas and tenets have no bearing on our personal lives? The twentieth century has seen philosophy attenuate into a specialized ugly stepsister of the humanities, pronounced irrelevant by insecure, materialist - centered academics, having no "practical value" to the modern world. To a certain extent this was indeed a reality, as the subject "theorized" itself almost out of existence.

 This is changing, however, as philosophy is slowly being perceived as a method to bring meaning to our lives - in practical ways. Leading the cause to take the subject to a state of practical relevance is Alain de Botton, author of such bestselling texts as "The Consolations of Philosophy", "The Art of Travel" and "How Proust Can Change Your Life." De Botton's skill lies in his ability to interpret great works of philosophy, art and literature, and re-mold age-old notions into workable methods of application to the personal and every day. 

In this text, he explores the universal social condition of Status Anxiety; our fears about what others think about our success and failures, how we are judged by society based on societies value systems, placing us in categories of winners and losers, and how our status is actually historically specific, (society's values change through time) and, more importantly, what determines elite status, is usually imposed values by the elites, to control our behaviors, pushing us to seek material status, at the expense of our souls.

De Botton states his thesis for the book:

That status anxiety possesses an exceptional capacity to inspire sorrow.

That the hunger for status, like all appetites, can have its uses: spurring us to do justice to our talents, encouraging excellence, restraining us from harmful eccentricities and cementing members of a society around a common value system. But, like all appetites, its excesses can also kill.

The most profitable way of addressing the condition may be to attempt to understand and to speak of it. (P.5)

De Botton proposes five categories of cause for the condition of status anxiety - lovelessness, snobbery, expectation, meritocracy and dependence. He then explores possible solutions to the condition in five groups of study - philosophy, art, politics Christianity and bohemia.

In the end, possessing any form of status anxiety is unavoidable. What de Botton proposes, however, is that we have the power to choose what is most valuable in our lives, despite what society dictates we should hold in high esteem. It is also important to have a critical eye towards the at times subtle machinations of our media, communicated in seductive tones, as to what is important, money, power and material possessions or a loving family, productive relationships, charity and compassion.

This book succeeds in so far as revealing that there is more than one way in providing meaning to our lives other than what is dictated by the majority as to what determines true value and our so-called status in society.

Highsmith: The Talented Mr. Ripley. Comment.

 

It has been quite a few years since cracking this novel's cover once again. After seeing the excellent film adaptation with Matt Damon as the infamous Mr. Ripley, returning to the novel had been at the top of the list. As my "must read" pile slowly diminished, Highsmith's novel appeared, and I have read it with the same pleasure and suspense as the first encounter. This is a great `classic' in the truest sense of the word. 

 
Having read all five novels in the series, the first instalment is without question the best of the lot...a close second would have to be Ripley Underground and interestingly, the last novel of the series, The Boy Who followed Ripley. Let us face the fact that all the novels are exceptional pieces of crime fiction, introducing the first schizophrenic murderer, a serial killer with a likable and charming personality. In the crime genre, at least, Tom Ripley is the anti-hero that everybody loves and wants to succeed despite his ruthless machinations to achieve his goals. In crime fiction, this was original, and never really has been duplicated since. 
 
At the start of this novel, the reader recognizes that Ripley is a tad on the criminal side, engaging in tax fraud, realizing he would never cash the embezzled checks; he merely does it for the challenge and thrill. He's asked to go overseas to persuade a certain Dicky Greenleaf to come back to the States and join his family. Father Greenleaf pays all of Ripley's expenses and he travels abroad to the beautiful town of Mongibello, Italy. One incident led to another; Dicky rejects Ripley's friendship over a frumpy girl, Marge, and, unexpectedly, Tom murders him on a small motorboat with the end of a wooden oar. This murder is savage and brutal but effective, though Ripley's conscience is clear as he becomes Dicky Greenleaf, assuming Dickies identity with frightening skill. 
 
What makes this story unique and compelling is Highsmith's writing, narrating the tale in the third person but from Ripley's perspective only, and giving us a glimpse into the mind of a sociopath and ruthless killer. 
 
To be fair, Tom Ripley is indeed a likable character, an individual with good taste in art, food and anything of beauty. He teaches himself Italian, French, and later German to ensure his schemes come off without a hitch. In the later novels, he has acquired a magnificent French mansion, filled with original art and co-habituating with a beautiful and rich young woman. He also, in the later novels, becomes an expert gardener, spending hours on his lavish property. We really like this man but, be aware, because he turns and kills, without a second thought, when it suits his plans or thwarts his carefully laid out schemes. Never get in this man's way. 
 
Ripley is a dangerous individual, a man who views the world in a much different way than the rest of us. Although a true psychopath, Highsmith has made the reader like the guy, hoping, for some reason, that he gets away with whatever crime he's committing... very strange, original and terribly seductive. 
 
If you have not read Highsmith before, read the Ripley series, particularly The Talented Mr. Ripley, and if you are hooked, the novels can be read over again through the years because, like all true art, these novels are timeless.