Category: Musings
Purpose
Why do we do the things that we do? The world we live in is likely perceived to be a structured, rational one. It asks for reasons all the time. The need to give justification for something that one does or is happening seems almost intuitive that is difficult to say if it is indeed…
Framework of reference
There is an idea that knowledge and/or wisdom can be simplified into particular cognitive ‘building blocks’ put together to form (or re-form) a machine-like organ (the brain/mind or the human being itself); through this machine-like thing comes output and that the quality (or quantity) of this output is what determines the value (success/effectiveness/goodness/etc.) of the…
“When was the last time you did something new?”
Such a question rightfully invites a quick reflection on what possibilities lie outside of one’s usual. One does something new by going to a new place or doing a new thing—something unknown and extraordinary. Novelty is a panacea, almost miraculous, really. Yet if one tries to ask what exactly it is trying to cure, an…
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What is [good/bad] philosophy?
Maybe this is something that we can think about for now. What is good philosophy? What is bad philosophy? My initial idea is to simply Google the question off and see what others have said. However, maybe let us first try to see what we have learned in our last year and a half of…
What does it take for one to live a good life?
What does it take for one to live a good life? I think I remember writing an essay with a similar title some time ago, around when I was working on the first module of my Advanced Reflexive Metaphysics course. Do I even remember my answer back then? I wonder how much has changed. Maybe…
Image and Imagination: International Conference on Paul Ricoeur and Philosophy for Our Time (Soochow University, Taiwan 2025)
Last May, I joined the Image and Imagination Conference in Soochow University in Taiwan. I presented my paper titled “Productive Imagination as an Educational Theory of Knowledge”. The abstract is as follows: What is the role of imagination in the learning process? To answer this question, one might primarily consider imagination as a marginal concept…
Shadows
Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā, manoseṭṭhā manomayā, manasā ce paduṭṭhena bhāsati vā karoti vā, tato naṁ dukkham-anveti cakkaṁ va vahato padaṁ Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā, manoseṭṭhā manomayā, manasā ce pasannena bhāsati vā karoti vā, tato naṁ sukham-anveti chāyā va anapāyinī. (Yamakavaggo, Dhammapada verses 1 and 2) —— It is a rare thing to pray for shadows. We usually pray for…
Resentment
Resentment, like many strong and catalytic emotions, feels unnecessarily negative and complex sometimes. One may wish to be completely without it or so live with a particular kind of guilt. The feeling of resentment is deeply rooted in one’s centre, similar to a heartache, but much more subtle and numbing; it is despise mixed seamlessly…
Metaphysical hunger
“It is from Plato that we inherit two basic lines of thinking about the body, which I will oversimplify here for the sake of argument. The first is that philosophy consists in the pursuit of truth, which is attained through thinking, and analogous to erotic desire. Second, this pursuit is hindered rather than helped by…
On intellectual work
“Do you want to do intellectual work? Begin by creating within you a zone of silence, a habit of recollection, a will to renunciation and detachment which puts you entirely at the disposal of the work; acquire that state of soul unburdened by desire and self-will which is the state of grace of the intellectual…