Week 3 Philosophy -Other Minds and Paul Robeson Lived here

Corridors of Knowledge

Much as St Paul retrospectively created the 'Perfect Christian' with Jesus Christ so did Plato create the ultimate philosopher in Socrates against this background Philosophy sets us some pretty challenging goals in reaching answers toi the big questions.

Each week for the students of Key Themes in  Philosophy The practical functionings of our lives need to be checked out at the entrance to Room 115 but this is not always easy as practical limitations keeps appearing over the  parapets.

This week what was billed as a review of what we'd previously arrived at
took an inordinately long time - in Philosophy we should be able to arrive at the same conclusions repeatedly.

Within education standards and standardisation there is a move to be able to check 'learning'  so we looked at where we stood on:

1) the difference between Empiricism and Rationalism  (I'd say that Empiricism is about experience whereas Rationalism sees reason as being at the centre of knowledge).

2)What is it about Foundationalism (it requires self justification).

3) What is that makes Fallibilism that is contradictory. (for me this was challenging and requires some distancing between knowledge and certainty in that we know stuff but we recognise that we can be wrong)

Other Minds

So we moved on to Other Minds which again offers a dichotomy -it's not possible to be in anyone else's  mind  but we are able to agree enough to run a life amongst other people (in general)
So although nobody knows us as well as we know ourselves we seek counsel from friends and experts (analysts).

In fact some of the Other Minds problem can prove illusory as was illustrated by a question of  red and blue perception between two individuals.

The real world.

 Philosophy of modern times has periods where it seems to be battling for existence against the 'physical' sciences which continue to make the pace - so although one appreciate that our course leader is required to take 'industrial action' (a withdrawal of labour) next Tuesday it seems a somewhat difficult thing to justify (at least in room 115).

Would Socrates have done the same?

My personal solution would be to assemble the class in other premises - but what will happen is (perhaps) some of us (students) will turn up and carry out (perhaps half-heartedly) some discussion of 'The Mind Body Problem'.

 Paul Robseon Lived here

The house in Hampstead

On my wanderings on Tuesday I came across (by accident ) a house that the 20th century hero of the left, Paul Robeson lived in for about a year - read about Paul here or look at the clip below.

The Plaque