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Philosophy for Everyday Life
United States
Приєднався 14 тра 2020
Ideas, tactics, and adventures for everyday philosophers.
If you have a topic request, feel free to send me an email!
My academic work is available at nd.academia.edu/JimmyHaring.
If you have a topic request, feel free to send me an email!
My academic work is available at nd.academia.edu/JimmyHaring.
An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, part 4: Financial Independence
This is part 4 of An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, in which I articulate a vision of what it means to be a scholar and an intellectual without being employed by an academic institution. This series is for post-academics who still want to pursue their intellectual vocations, even if they have chosen to leave Academia. Toward that end, I propose claiming and rehabilitating the term "independent scholar." I would suggest that an independent scholar is anyone who pursues a life of scholarship as the practice of freedom.
Here are a few books and authors I'm drawing on in this video:
* Alexander Altmann, Moses Mendelssohn: A Biographical Study
* Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan
* Vicki Robin, Your Money or Your Life
Here are a few books and authors I'm drawing on in this video:
* Alexander Altmann, Moses Mendelssohn: A Biographical Study
* Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan
* Vicki Robin, Your Money or Your Life
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Відео
An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, part 3: Intellectual Independence
Переглядів 9139 місяців тому
This is part 3 of An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, in which I articulate a vision of what it means to be a scholar and an intellectual without being employed by an academic institution. This series is for post-academics who still want to pursue their intellectual vocations, even if they have chosen to leave Academia. Toward that end, I propose claiming and rehabilitating the term "independen...
An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, part 2: Institutional Independence
Переглядів 4869 місяців тому
This is part 2 of An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, in which I articulate a vision of what it means to be a scholar and an intellectual without being employed by an academic institution. This series is for post-academics who still want to pursue their intellectual vocations, even if they have chosen to leave Academia. Toward that end, I propose claiming and rehabilitating the term "independen...
An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, part 1: What Is An Independent Scholar?
Переглядів 1,8 тис.10 місяців тому
This is part 1 of An Independent Scholar's Manifesto, in which I articulate a vision of what it means to be a scholar and an intellectual without being employed by an academic institution. This series is for post-academics who still want to pursue their intellectual vocations, even if they have chosen to leave Academia. Toward that end, I propose claiming and rehabilitating the term "independen...
William James on the New Thought Movement
Переглядів 3 тис.3 роки тому
In my last video, I discussed what seem to me to be the important differences between Stoicism and the the law of attraction. In upcoming videos, I want to discuss some of the history of the idea of the law of attraction, to get a better sense of whether this idea has any plausibility, and to provide a bit more of a framework for thinking about it. Since most of its contemporary advocates are p...
Stoicism vs. the law of attraction (materialism vs. idealism)
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So I just finished four videos on Stoicism, which if you haven’t seen, you can find now in my Stoicism playlist. I mentioned in the most recent Stoicism video that I’d like to talk next about what some people call the law of attraction. My sense is that this idea of the law of attraction is another philosophical idea that a lot of people find attractive these days, although I think there are ma...
The Trouble with Stoicism
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This is my fourth video on Stoicism, and whether it can serve as a guide for everyday philosophy. So far I’ve talked about Stoicism’s most powerful insight, and about three reasons why I think Stoicism doesn’t go far enough. In this video I discuss why Stoicism and its particular problems are a fitting philosophy for the 1%, for the wealthiest and most powerful members of our society. The first...
Kant’s critique of Stoicism, part 2
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This is my third video on Stoicism. In it, I argue that Stoicism results in moral absurdity, because it doesn't have a place for moral hope. I use the movie Seven Samurai, and the writings of Elizabeth Anscombe and Immanuel Kant to explain why. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! further reading: Kant: “the Stoics…had chosen their supreme practical principle quite correctly, ...
Kant’s critique of Stoicism, part 1
Переглядів 3,1 тис.4 роки тому
Last time I talked about the definition of Stoicism provided by Immanuel Kant, and what I think is the most powerful insight of Stoicism. Today I’d like to return to Stoicism to consider three important reasons that Stoicism doesn’t go far enough. I’m going to rely on Kant again for a few basic insights. The first reason Kant says Stoicism is inadequate is that it it devalues human emotion. The...
Stoicism's most powerful insight
Переглядів 3914 роки тому
Stoicism has recently become popular in some corners of UA-cam and popular culture. Stoicism and its popularizers are a good example of everyday philosophers. This channel is an attempt to flesh out what it might mean to think about philosophy as a way of life in the modern world. Since Stoicism is one of the options on hand for being an everyday philosopher, I think it’s important to discuss i...
The tactics of everyday life (de Certeau)
Переглядів 13 тис.4 роки тому
In these times of profound change and uncertainty, it’s easy to feel threatened and afraid. But change is also always an opportunity for new growth. I think the changes we are currently experiencing call for all of us to dig deep, and to reflect on our lives, our values, and our priorities. That is exactly the type of activity for which philosophy can serve as a guide. Today I’d like to talk ab...
Why the "real world" is an ideology
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It's common to hear talk of ivory tower philosophers who are out of touch with the "real world." But what is the real world? In this video, I try to explain why I think there's no such thing, and why the real world is actually an ideology. further reading: Karl Marx on religion as an ideology: "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happin...
How to be an everyday philosopher
Переглядів 7774 роки тому
Welcome to Philosophy for Everyday Life! I'd like to suggest an unusual answer to the question, “What is philosophy?” We'll talk about Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Pierre Hadot, and Robin William's character John Keating, from the movie Dead Poets' Society. Next time, we'll ask, “What is everyday life?” Further Reading: Horace, Odes, “Life ebbs as I speak:so seize each day, and grant the next no c...
How does this translate in stem fields?
That’s a good question. I can’t speak from direct experience. But there are quite a few examples from the history of science and technology of people who worked independently and did some pretty remarkable things (Darwin, Einstein, Marie Curie, the Wright Brothers, Satoshi Nakomoto; fill in your own examples). Hope that helps!
Several amateur astronomers have made significant discoveries. Also citizen science works well in astronomy.
Well done!!
Don't put it as you are!
I really liked your video series on this subject: I am in Academia but I also work as a self emplyed designer. Don't really care for a teacher position because I love my work but I plan to continue to do research in art and design history and theory as an independent researcher but keeping in contact with my University. I would love to see more videos from you on this subject.
Thank you! Good luck with your journey!
I like a lot of what you have to say, but your argument for "deserving" to be paid a lot misses the mark, as you are worth what the market dictates. It's not some formula based on how much tuition is being generated and so on. If the market is inundated with Philosophy Ph.D's, then their salaries will reflect that. If these people are scarce, then demand will have a reverse impact on their salaries. It's basic economics. At least basic Austrian economics, which is the only economics worth its salt. That said, listening to your Liberal folderol about capitalism and being rich nauseates me.
I think your first point is a good one. But I’d add that the market is willing to pay quite a lot for PhD-level teaching - several hundred thousand dollars per semester. The issue is that administrators who have almost nothing to do with the value being created by teachers with PhD’s gobble up most of that value. The administrators prey on people with a sense of vocation as teachers and scholars who don’t have an accurate sense of the value they actually create and are taught to believe the university is doing them a favor by letting them teach anything at all. This is pretty similar to Marx’s argument about exploitation and surplus value, and I’ll own that. You don’t have to go all the way with Marx to think that it’s possible to exploit whole categories of workers through a combination of ignorance and dysfunctional institutions. Say more about the liberal folderol. I’m not sure what you mean by that.
“Leaving the cocktail party is the first step toward true intellectual independence.” 💥
Thanks a lot for this helpful explication! I was initially struggling with the text but you made it more accessible. In fact, de Certeau reminds me of what Raymond Williams theorizes as counter-hegemony or oppositional hegemony. I also found parallels with Judith Butler's notion of performativity. I'm also pondering over the use of scientific concepts and imagery in de Certeau's prose such as his obsession with "calculus", and I wonder if the scientific tone of the text makes it challenging to grasp although the themes themselves are not complicated as such!
Persue of happiness is senseless. I respect Kahn and for me he has a lot to give us. But the more you look for happiness , the less you find it. Happiness is the byproduct of living virtiously.
Do you know anything about visas / research permits in foreign countries? Are they obtainable for independent scholars or do you need an affiliation?
Stoicism never concerned itself with questioning is "nature". It pretty quickly debases itself into putting "people who live in according to nature" vs people who are irrational and behave in unnatural ways. If you ask me, this sounds like a pre-fascist/racist thought. Stocisim, in my interpretation serves (ironically) as slave (life denying) morality and bourgeois (aspirationalist/ ideal / formal) morality simultaneously.
This is a thought provoking and surprisingly touching essay. The idea of academia as a cocktail party is chilling!
I couldn’t agree more!
It would be a good idea to set up support groups for like minded people on this. I’m in a similar position and find it harder to remain motivated without the professional pressure to publish. Having said this, it’s crazy to throw the baby out with the bath water
Totally agree with you!
It isnt when it is as it is. It will be as it is without us. We make the ideology of it. Common now, cough out the Marxism you been Simping.
Nietzsche's conclusion were stoic - Amor Fati. Nietzsche destroyed Kant. Stoicism helps. Take your Marxism elsewhere. Stoicism rules.
A somewhat interesting playlist. Thanks. Any chance you'd be willing to add a video saying whether it is possible to become a scholar without going to university? ie What it means and takes to be a scholar. If it is not possible without attending a university, what do you get from a university that you can't get outside?
I'd like to make a video on this topic. Until then, I think the short answer is, you can absolutely become a scholar without going to university. But you'll need the discipline to do so. It's like any other skill-you have to put in your 10,000 hours, or whatever amount of time and practice that is required to become proficient. You'll also want a mentor if you can find one (I'd recommend reading Robert Green's book on Mastery on this topic). I would also ask: why do you want to become a scholar? And can the thing you want be achieved in some other way? If not, then you should pursue it! The difficult doing so outside a university is that you won't have as much structure or guidance along the way.
Thank you,@@philosophyforeverydaylife1861 . What an excellent answer. And what an excellent question: why indeed become a scholar? I think what you're saying is that if I read a number of books, whether ten or a thousand, and in one of them I happen on the detail that fits my puzzle, then THAT could be all that is needed. Especially if I am able to express the completed puzzle in a way that satisfies the right people. The guidance can of course work both ways. To take a bit of a stupid example: if I register with a university that requires its professors to annually renew a faith statement, the guidance might take me on a bit of a detour. Then again, much of life is a detour...
'Independent scholar' is the one of the best terms you could have landed of for what you are describing. I look forward to seeing the direction you take this in and seeing the paths other independent scholars create for themselves.
Thanks!
🤔
Say more!
Just wanted to say thank you for this video, it really resonated with me. I will check out your other videos. To anyone who might read this: act now, I mean right now. I found myself in this rut that's been dragging on for 16 years now. I've never been able to snap out of it and watched as my dreams of being an intellectual got crumbled down to a point I'm not even able to recover anymore. Now I'm just a mediocre lady in her early forties, feeling lost and afraid of everything. But when you spoke about that yellow financial book, I think something clicked. It kinda dawned on me that I do hold those assumptions about money and maybe that's one of the main parts of this puzzle.
Thanks for this comment. I really appreciate it. Best wishes for your journey! I think you are not the only one in the position you describe. And I think there is still much hope and much opportunity to be had if we can learn to think outside the standard academic path.
I think the broke people with PHDs in gender studies deserve the low pay they get
Why do you say so? I don’t think I can really speak to what people deserve. But I can say that it sure seems like exploitation when students are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition per class and the instructor only gets a few percent cut. Something seems off about that.
I love this. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
I'm a individual who just enjoys to read philosophy books. Your video helped me in my desire to "teach" what I read.
Glad to hear that!
What are your thoughts on people without a PhD, Masters, or Bachelors but who have used information technology to do the equivalent in education going on to become independent scholars? I'd really like to see you expand further on this question. My neurodivergence made going through the university system extremely challenging such that I had to leave, but I still want to contribute to the conversation in scholarly circles.
I think there is lots of potential for this. An example that comes to mind is Solomon Maimon. He was one of the first to understand Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, but he was almost entirely self taught. Obviously neurodivergence was not a concept in use at that time. But some of his behavior might suggest neurodivergent traits. That being said, I think that his path was not easy, because he lacked the social credibility that comes from institutional affiliation and accreditation. That doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile path. It’s just a difficult one. What are you interested in specifically?
@@philosophyforeverydaylife1861 Thanks for egetting back to me, I really appreciate the encouragement and reality check on the idea. As for me specifically, I'm interested in various subjects including philosophy, politics & govt, history, sociology, etc.
Absolutely, best of luck with your journey!
Do you have any advice for autodidacts (assuming unlimited motivation) before they have an opportunity to earn a PhD?
I don’t have any specific advice. I think being an autodidact is a great thing. You can start living the life of an intellectual now. You don’t have to get a PhD. That said, a PhD can be helpful-it gives you colleagues, mentors, and time to focus on intellectual pursuits. If you get a PhD, you might approach it as a 5-year opportunity to learn that stands on its own. Perhaps you’ll get an academic job, but if you don’t, have a backup plan and some skills in place that you can use to get a day job once you finish.
Well expressed and completely right, to my way of thinking about things
Thanks!
I found your channel today and binged through all the videos. I've gathered your field is religion, but I'm not exactly sure what. While religion does interest me, I personally am not religious at all, at least in the conventional sense of the word religion. All this is to say that when I listen to your reasoning, there are "hiccups ". I don't have any systematic or structured critique. It's just that your train of thought moves in some places in ways which I find "unexpected". That being said, your videos did resonate with me. I am not someone with your level of expertise and your point about someone who's able to get a phd being able to achieve a lot in other things if they can emulate the dedication they had in getting it, highlighted my lack of discipline and ability to focus myself on a subject for prolonged periods. But I do long for an intellectual life. Since a child, I've loved the sciences. After a period of heartbreak and depression in high school, I was acquainted with philosophy. I pursued a degree in CS, but exam stress and a couple of bad results made me discouraged and eventually dropped out. The underlying reason, I thought, was loss of interest in the field, both as a simple affective change and the gradual overcoming by dread of knowledge of what working in the field would entail (constant business talk, meetings, planning, documentation and finally writing a piece of code I care nothing about). I am just a boy who got into programming because I liked video games. It was in the broad cluster of "science and technology" that I admired since forever (and was easier for me academically) and would also lead to a good paying job. This comment wasn't really supposed to lead anywhere. It was just me rambling about myself. I appreciate your videos and will wait for the next one. Have a nice day.
Hi, thanks for this comment. I appreciate you sharing a bit about yourself and I resonate with what you said about the business world. That’s why I initially wanted to go into academia and why living an intellectual life is still so important to me. You mentioned potential hiccups in my reasoning. I have no doubt there are plenty. If you ever happen to come back I’d welcome any more specific insights you might wish to share! I would also say that it’s never too late to start on something new, if you have something you’re wanting to pursue. I had to reinvent myself in a new career since leaving the academy, and I’m learning a lot of things for the first time in my late thirties. So don’t give up hope!
Let us do away with the “public intellectual” and replace it with the independent scholar
Yes!
Good points
Really enjoyed it. Thanks so much
Thanks!
deserves more views
thanks!
Found this on my recommended page and I am glad that I did. Your ideas resonate with me. I'll be looking forward to the other videos from this series
I'm glad to hear that the ideas resonated!
I am an art student and I'm unsure of my direction or of what I'll contribute to my field. And I am still trying to understand the role of an artist to society, how art could be meaningful and useful beyond the surface. And how artists can be scholars and historians and philosophers as well. I want to channel what I think about into something distilled and purposeful that I can share with others who can then respond to it and further the quest. Anyway, I found it useful looking at my own learning and motivations through the framework presented here. I'm not too sure where I would like to land on that venn diagram just yet, but I know I want to be on it in some capacity. I would assume it fluctuates over time where we might want or need to be. The hardest part is learning how to function financially in such a way that I can put more resources into my personal interests. I'm not sure how some people reach a place of stability like that, especially those who have found ways to do what drives them and not simply a way to have money for money's sake. I have no interest in becoming very rich doing work that means nothing to me or harms myself or others. I just want to be able to have a place to live and a place to experiment and create things and a connection to others doing a similar process.
Hi, thanks for your comment. I agree that figuring out the financial component can be really tricky. Best wishes as you discern the path that is best for you. I think there's good reason to be hopeful that the way will open up one step at a time!
Welcome back.Hope to see more videos from you .
thank you!
jeez that definition of a tactic is just word salad in real life, tactics can take over an others place entirely, or fail, or partially have effect.. and that "distance" aspect of the statement is a statement without proof it's worrying how people don't just read this and really think about the fact it's waffle with very thin proofs if any
the Real world is not just one stance!!! .. there are as many motives as there are people!!!
This was so incredibly helpful. I also really respect how open you are about your own everyday life. Thanks :)
I’m glad it was helpful!
Great video on an interesting subject You should start makimg videos again 🙏
Thank you! I hope to
Thanks for such an insightful and informative video!!! I am fascinated by de Certeau's work and your presentation and wanna hear more about cooking and shopping as a potential way to make a difference.
Waw. Certeau looks like you when you turn 50 in this picture
Thx for the analysis and development of these concepts. I´m glad that you produced this as a kind of graceful tactic of freedom. If you want/can please keep up the nice job. Is a dichotomy isnt it? i dont wanna be monist buuut i have seen people use both (institutional violent strategies as a member of a community and at the same time engage in resistance as a member that holds power of the same comminity)... -a study case that im working for my master thesis in social science- anyways, thanks :)
And Brighton Hove Albion’s success finally makes sense!
😂
Your pronunciation of my late professor and academic advisor’s last name is partial. You say, “Certeau” and his last name is, “De Certeau.” His full name is Michel-Jean-Emmanuel de La Barge de Certeau. He wrote his name simply as “Michel de Certeau, SJ”. He was Jesuit priest, so I addressed him sometimes as Father or as Professor or as Michel. He had an exquisite sense of humor and probably not correct you if he heard you call him, “Certeau” instead of “De Certeau”. He would play along with your program and call you, “Ring” instead of “Haring.”
Sylvia, thanks for this bit of personal history. I’ll be sure not to cut off that part of his name in the future!
Where did Kant said this things? Was it on Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason,or on another-one?
I include the page references in the video. They are from religion within the boundaries of mere reason.
Hope you are doing well today. Thanks a lot for sharing your story, as well as posting this explanation!
I feel that the manifestation community can be split into law of attraction and it's more aggressive cousin law of assumption. Assumption involves truly embodying the role of the person that has thing and assume it is "already done" this can be akin to NLP avatar characteristic acquisition techniques, healing vortex, hypnotic and other subconscious level alignment work and then there is the psychological drama that lots of new thought people consider the bible to be about (where the characters in the bible are actually descriptions of states of being)... the rabbit hole goes deep. I'm definitely still researching and I'm about to go deep into theological studies in order to see if I can line that up from the other side and make proper connections that core christianity can accept.
3:19 I hope your outcomes were good. What would be your soccer philosophies? I’m thinking a total football guy.
I can agree Kant's criticism of Stoicism by stating "invisible enemy behind reason" and its danger. And I want to expand a little further on that statement. Human reason is not the 100% human consciousness, there are sub-conscious and unconscious components of a human being. The active reason that's completely in voluntary control is not that much % of the entire human consciousness. No matter how that small % of voluntary reasoning consciousness is been discipline and fortified, it is not enough to have total control on the full human consciousness yet. Stoicism does not provide a path of accessing the invisible human consciousness beneath the voluntary conscious reason, which is why it does not go far enough.
Cool, thank you. When Silicon valley uses stoicism as its hobby horse, I ask myself why?something might be wrong? (My stoicism is the ancient not Silicony one) Honestly, I'm suffering from a kinda autism & during most conversations my mind goes blind suddenly, especially when I wanna reply to those nosy & superficial people. I've been trying to solve the problem & so far I came to conclusion that Socratic methods in combine with others views such as stoicism might work better. In fact, I finished my post graduation degree and have a ton of info in various subjects but seems they get lost mostly when I need them to recall. I'm working on a salad of stoicism, Elencus, ..... Hope I can find a practical solution.
Prentice Mulford created the term "law of attraction." He was the first one to use it in the manner that it is used today
Hermes Trimagistus is the real OG with the seven Hermetic principles a couple thousand years before Jesus and the foundation of the universal laws IMO
Just watched the last 3 parts of your critique. Amazing work! My final philosophy discussion this semester was Stoicism vs Epicureanism. I was one of the very few that chose to side with Epicureanism and critique Stoic flaws. You expanded on my points so well and brought in some awesome examples from other texts, voices, and media that expertly supported your critiques. This last part was the most significant point in my opinion. Something I touched on in my discussion but was limited in my word count so wasn’t able to fully elaborate on. Again, excellently done!
Great series!