Commentary on Existential Philosophy from Waking Life by Richard Linklater. The words are those of Prof. Robert Solomon himself, unscripted.
“The reason why I refuse to take existentialism as just another French fashion or historical curiosity is that I think it has something very important to offer us for the new century. I’m afraid we’re losing the real virtues of living life passionately, sense of taking responsibility for who you are, the ability to make something of yourself and feeling good about life.
“Existentialism is often discussed as if it’s a philosophy of despair. But I think the truth is just the opposite. Sartre once interviewed said he never really felt a day of despair in his life. But one thing that comes out from reading these guys is not a sense of anguish about life so much as a real kind of exuberance of feeling on top of it. It’s like your life is yours to create.
“I’ve read the postmodernists with some interest, even admiration. But when I read them, I always have this awful nagging feeling that something absolutely essential is getting left out. The more that you talk about a person as a social construction or as a confluence of forces or as fragmented or marginalized, what you do is you open up a whole new world of excuses.
“And when Sartre talks about responsibility, he’s not talking about something abstract. He’s not talking about the kind of self or soul that theologians would argue about. It’s something very concrete. It’s you and me talking. Making decisions. Doing things and taking the consequences. It might be true that there are six billion people in the world and counting.
“Nevertheless, what you do makes a difference. It makes a difference, first of all, in material terms. Makes a difference to other people and it sets an example. In short, I think the message here is that we should never simply write ourselves off and see ourselves as the victim of various forces. It’s always our decision who we are.”
— Prof. Robert Solomon, UT Austin, from the film Waking Life.
Thanks for introducing me to the work of Jane Siberry.
The Robert Solomon statement about existentialism and being a responsible human being [text at the program; Planet Waves FM page] is precious, golden. WOW!!
Lots to contemplate. Islam be the way is more rooted in Judaism than in Christianity.
The escalation in the Red Sea and indeed the entirety of Southwest Asia (kudos, "Middle East" is BS) is way alarming. Yemen's Ansar Allah, BTW, are not Hamas, they are more Shiite than Sunni, but the two groups are part of an alliance that's resisting the imposition of US-Israeli complete control of the region.
And i have to opine that religion explains only how the elites get populations to act it totally irrational ways. The policies being imposed by the elites, which they get people to support, are not based upon the religious concerns of these elites, however, but upon global power/economic relations. Just like fear of invisible "terrorists" is how the powers got to lock down 4.4 billion of the planet's humans, on behalf of the elites' concerns that their economic system was facing a meltdown.
EXCELLENT points about the difference between virology and materials science, the second one providing practical predictions for what we do to achieve specific material results. This is a consequence that the second involves repeatable, falsifiable experiments utilizing independent variables, with a long history. The first most definitely does not. Viruses remain mental constructs, material only if you count files filled with computer code as being material (rather than a collection of numbers, symbols).
What's true about materials science is also true regarding astrophysics. Try to navigate, or to figure out geography, or our effects upon the ecosystem, without understanding the shape of what we're situated upon.The foolish notion that everything is fake is an example of what Terence McKenna talked about when he said "Having an open mind is a good thing, but not if it is so open that your brains fall out."
An example of a group which incorporates individuals while preserving them? Several musicians working together, looking at each other, and spinning out a jam out of pieces of chords, instant melodies, shifting rhythms. I'm sure you know who i mean. :-) [By the way, i do not think that groups are inherently totalitarian or inherently develop into totalitarian entities. There have been too many exceptions for me to accept this, e.g. the collectives in Catalonia during the early part of the Spanish Civil War, which George Orwell described in “Homage to Catalonia.”]
I was strictly speaking in terms of how they functioned on stage, and in terms of musical endeavors, that is ALL. Jerry was definitely the most spiritually evolved of all of them, bad lapses aside. Dead and Company in my humble opinion was a desecration of the entire long strange trip, emphasis is on "Company." Their group dynamic rested upon a very delicate balance of personalities, and Jerry's death completely destroyed that balance.
Yep Jerry definitely held the center and a loving presence. I don't fault him for his drug problems; but they still were tragic — and not what killed him.
pervasive background figure. not meekly interested in fame or money. once gave away all of her musical instruments. This is her best-known song, deservedly so -- KD Lang is there too
This is unrelated, but I believe most people here might benefit:
Apply for over $3M Grant for Researchers, 54+ Funded MSc/Phd & Postdoc Opportunities in USA, France & Australia
Research Grant on Advancing Therapies Towards Curing Oncogenic-Driven Lung Cancer. ($2.5million| MMRF Scholars Research grant ($400,000| FARA's Research Grant ($275,000|
[By the way, i do not think that groups are inherently totalitarian or inherently develop into totalitarian entities. There have been too many exceptions for me to accept this, e.g. the collectives in Catalonia during the early part of the Spanish Civil War, which George Orwell described in “Homage to Catalonia.”]
Commentary on Existential Philosophy from Waking Life by Richard Linklater. The words are those of Prof. Robert Solomon himself, unscripted.
“The reason why I refuse to take existentialism as just another French fashion or historical curiosity is that I think it has something very important to offer us for the new century. I’m afraid we’re losing the real virtues of living life passionately, sense of taking responsibility for who you are, the ability to make something of yourself and feeling good about life.
“Existentialism is often discussed as if it’s a philosophy of despair. But I think the truth is just the opposite. Sartre once interviewed said he never really felt a day of despair in his life. But one thing that comes out from reading these guys is not a sense of anguish about life so much as a real kind of exuberance of feeling on top of it. It’s like your life is yours to create.
“I’ve read the postmodernists with some interest, even admiration. But when I read them, I always have this awful nagging feeling that something absolutely essential is getting left out. The more that you talk about a person as a social construction or as a confluence of forces or as fragmented or marginalized, what you do is you open up a whole new world of excuses.
“And when Sartre talks about responsibility, he’s not talking about something abstract. He’s not talking about the kind of self or soul that theologians would argue about. It’s something very concrete. It’s you and me talking. Making decisions. Doing things and taking the consequences. It might be true that there are six billion people in the world and counting.
“Nevertheless, what you do makes a difference. It makes a difference, first of all, in material terms. Makes a difference to other people and it sets an example. In short, I think the message here is that we should never simply write ourselves off and see ourselves as the victim of various forces. It’s always our decision who we are.”
— Prof. Robert Solomon, UT Austin, from the film Waking Life.
Thanks for introducing me to the work of Jane Siberry.
The Robert Solomon statement about existentialism and being a responsible human being [text at the program; Planet Waves FM page] is precious, golden. WOW!!
Lots to contemplate. Islam be the way is more rooted in Judaism than in Christianity.
The escalation in the Red Sea and indeed the entirety of Southwest Asia (kudos, "Middle East" is BS) is way alarming. Yemen's Ansar Allah, BTW, are not Hamas, they are more Shiite than Sunni, but the two groups are part of an alliance that's resisting the imposition of US-Israeli complete control of the region.
And i have to opine that religion explains only how the elites get populations to act it totally irrational ways. The policies being imposed by the elites, which they get people to support, are not based upon the religious concerns of these elites, however, but upon global power/economic relations. Just like fear of invisible "terrorists" is how the powers got to lock down 4.4 billion of the planet's humans, on behalf of the elites' concerns that their economic system was facing a meltdown.
EXCELLENT points about the difference between virology and materials science, the second one providing practical predictions for what we do to achieve specific material results. This is a consequence that the second involves repeatable, falsifiable experiments utilizing independent variables, with a long history. The first most definitely does not. Viruses remain mental constructs, material only if you count files filled with computer code as being material (rather than a collection of numbers, symbols).
What's true about materials science is also true regarding astrophysics. Try to navigate, or to figure out geography, or our effects upon the ecosystem, without understanding the shape of what we're situated upon.The foolish notion that everything is fake is an example of what Terence McKenna talked about when he said "Having an open mind is a good thing, but not if it is so open that your brains fall out."
An example of a group which incorporates individuals while preserving them? Several musicians working together, looking at each other, and spinning out a jam out of pieces of chords, instant melodies, shifting rhythms. I'm sure you know who i mean. :-) [By the way, i do not think that groups are inherently totalitarian or inherently develop into totalitarian entities. There have been too many exceptions for me to accept this, e.g. the collectives in Catalonia during the early part of the Spanish Civil War, which George Orwell described in “Homage to Catalonia.”]
Unfortunately as a group, they were not so spiritually evolved.
In the last 45 minutes of this interview with John Scher he tells some serious Grateful Dead stories
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bRU1nvoTgykAMXsTU9Bir?si=cv-jkNgQQEqPfIAk-sSfIw&fbclid=IwAR2ciVlLu1JOtTs2HQ5usgn8eJ1lzsLLXaKElrr0X4MYmpMiiX3bzjTUXBo&nd=1&dlsi=e53a68ebf12d42eb
I was strictly speaking in terms of how they functioned on stage, and in terms of musical endeavors, that is ALL. Jerry was definitely the most spiritually evolved of all of them, bad lapses aside. Dead and Company in my humble opinion was a desecration of the entire long strange trip, emphasis is on "Company." Their group dynamic rested upon a very delicate balance of personalities, and Jerry's death completely destroyed that balance.
Yep Jerry definitely held the center and a loving presence. I don't fault him for his drug problems; but they still were tragic — and not what killed him.
It was his bad weight/diabetes problems which killed him, not drugs per se, i.e. he didn't die of an overdose.
is there any truth to the case of cream soda a day mythology?
True, AFAIK, and not the worst of his dietary habits.
I didn’t realize that I had already listened to Jane in the past as I was not familiar w her name. 💖
pervasive background figure. not meekly interested in fame or money. once gave away all of her musical instruments. This is her best-known song, deservedly so -- KD Lang is there too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRUErh47sao
Thank you very much!!! I love KD! Tony Bennett did a duet w her and mentioned she was his favorite artist to sing with.
I enjoyed this so much. Happy that I’ve discovered you. Can’t wait for the next program!
This is unrelated, but I believe most people here might benefit:
Apply for over $3M Grant for Researchers, 54+ Funded MSc/Phd & Postdoc Opportunities in USA, France & Australia
Research Grant on Advancing Therapies Towards Curing Oncogenic-Driven Lung Cancer. ($2.5million| MMRF Scholars Research grant ($400,000| FARA's Research Grant ($275,000|
https://gradinterface.substack.com/p/over-3m-grant-for-researchers-54
Definitely unrelated. Is anyone interested in a Russian bride?
I want a Ukrainian one. :-) A comment like that would earn a permanent ban from me, IMHO.
According to me and Anatoly, stunning beauties on the cusp where east meets west.
I added this to my original comment.
[By the way, i do not think that groups are inherently totalitarian or inherently develop into totalitarian entities. There have been too many exceptions for me to accept this, e.g. the collectives in Catalonia during the early part of the Spanish Civil War, which George Orwell described in “Homage to Catalonia.”]