Philosophy Bakes No Bread

[bilby]

So, does economics supply the free time and means to study and contemplate profound questions of existence?

It does for me. I have never had a job that requires such constant and devoted attention, as to prevent me from also thinking about profound questions.

Perhaps I have been stealing from my employers by thinking my own thoughts on company time (though they should probably be more concerned about the missing items from the stationery cupboard).

 

[Elixir]

I also maintain that professional philosophers do not have a monopoly on reflective thinking.

The professional philosophers union might have something to say about that.

Somebody has to bake the bread the philosopher eats while writing books and thinking.

A truly professional philosopher can bake bread AND think.
At the same time.

 

[Politesse]

The professional philosophers union might have something to say about that.

Back in, say, the 1960's? They absolutely would have, because they still had turf to defend. But social capital speaks louder than foundation money in the present global system. These days, groups like the American Philosophical Association routinely cite philosophical contributions from outside the academy in their conferences and published works.

A truly professional philosopher can bake bread AND think.
At the same time

Ah, the two most significant senses of "proving", all in one kitchen.

 

[Elixir]

The professional philosophers union might have something to say about that.

Back in, say, the 1960's? They absolutely would have, because they still had turf to defend.

WUT?
There's a Philosophers' Union?
Plato would shit a brick.

 

[Politesse]

The professional philosophers union might have something to say about that.

Back in, say, the 1960's? They absolutely would have, because they still had turf to defend.

WUT?
There's a Philosophers' Union?
Plato would shit a brick.

Nothing useful was ever accomplished without collective representation. Even our most famously "solitary geniuses" need a social network through which to disseminate their work and advocate for its preservation. Plato certainly knew this, considering it was through his advocacy (and funding/labor from his own cadre of students) that the philosophical legacy of his master Sokrates survived the attempted persecutions and erasure of the state.

 

[Elixir]

it was through his advocacy (and funding/labor from his own cadre of students) that the philosophical legacy of his master Sokrates survived the attempted persecutions and erasure of the state.

B-b-but was he current on his dues? I was briefly a member of AIM, and their reps were pretty unforgiving.

 

[pood]

I also maintain that professional philosophers do not have a monopoly on reflective thinking.

The professional philosophers union might have something to say about that.

Somebody has to bake the bread the philosopher eats while writing books and thinking.

A truly professional philosopher can bake bread AND think.
At the same time.

The true philosopher neither bakes nor breaks bread. Instead, he thinks about it.

 

[Politesse]

it was through his advocacy (and funding/labor from his own cadre of students) that the philosophical legacy of his master Sokrates survived the attempted persecutions and erasure of the state.

B-b-but was he current on his dues? I was briefly a member of AIM, and their reps were pretty unforgiving.

The benefit of being the cult leader is that your disciples handle the petty details for you.

 

[Bronzeage]

So is math a philosophy?
Is evolutionary theory a philosophy?
Is scientific methodology itself a philosophy?

Yes. In past days, the study of the world and the surrounding universe was called "natural philosophy" and later, natural philosophers became scientists.
Mathematics has always been a philosophy, as is is based entirely in thought, based on reason and logic.

 

[Elixir]

So is math a philosophy?
Is evolutionary theory a philosophy?
Is scientific methodology itself a philosophy?

Yes. In past days, the study of the world and the surrounding universe was called "natural philosophy" and later, natural philosophers became scientists.
Mathematics has always been a philosophy, as is is based entirely in thought, based on reason and logic.

I have it on high authority that the only TRUE philosophy is motorcycle maintenance.
Are professional philosophers paid to think? No. They're paid to fix motorcycles.

 

[Jarhyn]

Philosophy bakes no bread, but paradoxically leads us to baking better bread. It leads us to identify the processes of variation and experimentation that lead to new things, ones that are often simply better than the old ones. Inevitably this includes some that are quite a bit worse, things that we agree we are not going to do after that.

 

[Elixir]

Philosophy bakes no bread, but paradoxically leads us to baking better bread.

Does it?

It leads us to identify the processes of variation and experimentation that lead to new things, ones that are often simply better than the old ones.

I find myself still hungry after a full meal of process identification. And bread is still bread, after all that deep thought.
Was Wonder Bread the pinnacle of process performance? I nominate stone fried flatbread from hand ground flour, such has been done since survival necessarily pre-empted philosophy.

 

[Jarhyn]

Philosophy bakes no bread, but paradoxically leads us to baking better bread.

Does it?

It leads us to identify the processes of variation and experimentation that lead to new things, ones that are often simply better than the old ones.

I find myself still hungry after a full meal of process identification. And bread is still bread, after all that deep thought.
Was Wonder Bread the pinnacle of process performance? I nominate stone fried flatbread from hand ground flour, such has been done since survival necessarily pre-empted philosophy.

Well, I'm pretty impressed with these Dutch breakfast pastries which I never would have gotten to have every day hence forth without a healthy dose of Philosophy of science and reason getting us away from the religion of Christianity and thoughts of the 1940's

 

[Elixir]

Well, I'm pretty impressed with these Dutch breakfast pastries

I do have to admit Toaster Strudel is a modern marvel. But I think most of the professional philosophizing went into the toaster rather than the strudel. And at the end of the day it still kinda sucks.
Unleavened flatbread for the win!!

 

[Bronzeage]

So is math a philosophy?
Is evolutionary theory a philosophy?
Is scientific methodology itself a philosophy?

Yes. In past days, the study of the world and the surrounding universe was called "natural philosophy" and later, natural philosophers became scientists.
Mathematics has always been a philosophy, as is is based entirely in thought, based on reason and logic.

I have it on high authority that the only TRUE philosophy is motorcycle maintenance.
Are professional philosophers paid to think? No. They're paid to fix motorcycles.

Every school of philosophy has it's day and sadly the sun has has set upon the twowheelists. The widespread import of Japanese motorcycles introduced the concept of a bike in which it could be ridden many more hours than the time spent on repairs.
Thus relieved of having to spend the entire ride contemplating what was going to break next, the discipline faded.

 

[pood]

Science and philosophy are intertwined. Science is the offspring of metaphysics, but metaphysics still exists, informed and update by science. Before the various methodologies we call science came along, a principal attack on the riddles of reality was rationalism — not to be confused with rationality, which is a slightly different thing. Rationalism held that you could figure stuff out by sitting on your butt and thinking really hard about them. Science introduced empiricism, itself a philosophical concept, which embraced the idea that you had to look at stuff and test it and do a number of other things to try to determine what’s right and what wrong. Falsification is an offspring of empiricism, but falsification is not the gold standard of science that some seem to believe.

 

[DBT]

So, does economics supply the free time and means to study and contemplate profound questions of existence?

It does for me. I have never had a job that requires such constant and devoted attention, as to prevent me from also thinking about profound questions.

Perhaps I have been stealing from my employers by thinking my own thoughts on company time (though they should probably be more concerned about the missing items from the stationery cupboard).

Depending on the pay rate, how much can a company demand or expect from their employees? Total devotion during working hours? No unscheduled breaks or talking about stuff that isn't work related, or just sufficient attention to do the work? I have known managers who time the toilet breaks.

 

[bilby]

So, does economics supply the free time and means to study and contemplate profound questions of existence?

It does for me. I have never had a job that requires such constant and devoted attention, as to prevent me from also thinking about profound questions.

Perhaps I have been stealing from my employers by thinking my own thoughts on company time (though they should probably be more concerned about the missing items from the stationery cupboard).

Depending on the pay rate, how much can a company demand or expect from their employees?

Regardless of the pay rate, an employee remains a free man. He is paid to get the job done, not to exclude all else from his very thoughts.

Total devotion during working hours? No unscheduled breaks or talking about stuff that isn't work related, or just sufficient attention to do the work? I have known managers who time the toilet breaks.

I too have known managers like that. They are small minded little shits who will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.