What, Why & How do we Know ?
Just a brief note – to recommend this edition of BBCR4 Positive Thinking. Citizens’ Assemblies and a rolling Citizens’ Convention are an idea I bought into over a decade ago. My logic is this: Democracy appears broken. Democracy of some kind (after Churchill) is nevertheless the best – or least worst – system available. Therefore … Continue reading “Citizens’ Assemblies / Conventions”
Mentioned in the previous “Reading List” post I was reading Erich Fromm “The Art of Loving” – though have no recollection of exactly how I picked-up the reference. (Help anyone?) [Recently from McGilchrist … Fromm, Scheler, Schelling axis? But Fromm was on my list before McG’s latest.] My recurring “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love … Continue reading “Erich Fromm – “The Art of Loving””
When I mentioned Carlo Rovelli’s latest here, I suggested why other priorities might get in the way of my actually needing to read it. I did my usual, opened it Saturday morning intending to skim the front and end materials and cover blurbs to check the scope was as expected, but in fact I started … Continue reading “Mach, Bogdanov, Nagarjuna and Rovelli”
Pretty sure I first heard Roy Harper 1972/73 ish, probably in a John Peel Sounds of the 70’s session. The first thing of his I bought was the 1973 Lifemask album, his sixth, shortly after his Flashes (from the archives of oblivion) 1974 live-album. The Zeppelin, Jimmy Page & Keith Moon connection was already there … Continue reading “Me and Roy Harper”
Although I’ve not being doing much original writing recently – very busy at work, home & garden, and learning some semantic-web programming(!) – I’m still following the panpsychism traffic via twitter and via hits on the blog. I still owe Tim Bollands a considered review – he’s in good company with my “close but no … Continue reading “Life, the Universe and Nothing New Under the Sun?”
“A Successful Pirsig Rethinks Life of Zen and Science” by George Gent, New York Times , May, 1974 After what he describes as a lifetime of humiliation that culminated in a mental breakdown, Robert M. Pirsig now faces the prospect of learning to live with success. Mr. Pirsig’s 20-year struggle against the forces of academic … Continue reading “Successful Pirsig Rethinks Life of Zen”
This topic is doomed to forever remain a stub for a more complete piece as it is continually added to by events. Whatever we call it the Citizens’ / People’s Assembly (aka Standing Constitutional Convention) is an old idea whose time seems to have come. Citizens’ Assembly is the term Rory Stewart is using in … Continue reading “Citizens’ Assembly”
The death of Robert Pirsig last month triggered a good deal of new correspondence on his work, his Metaphysics of Quality as well as his novels, “ZMM” and “Lila“. My own summary of his MoQ, or more correctly the world-view implied by his metaphysics, I have previously presented here: I’ve expressed my (limited) appreciation of … Continue reading “Pirsig meets Foucault and more besides.”