Nobody Cares About Philosophy

[detrius]

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Seems to be plenty of time to cut that guy's ropes.

 

[detrius]

Seems to be plenty of time to cut that guy's ropes.

Well, the "knife" in this game is a stab-happy psychopath who also doubles as a whip. Doesn't sound safe to me.


Also, I'm trying to figure out where I've heard these voices before. Any ideas?

ETA: found one

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Free speech -> destruction and dominance by the loudest

in this essay i will

 

[Govi]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[detrius]

 

[Free]

At least you can say Jordan Peterson is not a muppet.

Or can you?

/me looks for an arm sticking out of Jordan Peterson's butt.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/hominem

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Ethics, Space, and Place

(sorry for the caps but this is my jam and I'm passionate)

juniperfitz.substack.com

Interesting, accessible and free to read explanation of Baudrillard, Lefebvre and The Frankfurt School as their ideas apply to public and shared spaces (with a trip through the Las Vegas sewers).

I'm not at all sure about all the points of historical detail. For example

Let us not forget that Israel was literally created in 1948. That is a physical boundary between peoples rooted in nothing other than politics. And if we’re being historically accurate, it was a boundary created by the US in order to have a military presence in the Middle East.

can hardly be the full story, since the US didn't, IIRC, become seriously interested in building up Israel's military until the 1960s, but that doesn't detract from the whole presentation.

Worth a look if you're interested in this kind of thing.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The Trolley Problem

The famous moral dilemma: switch the tracks or not?

sketchplanations.substack.com

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Not gonna read more nonsense about the trolling problem.

 

[Free]

It's now called the Substack problem.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Free]

I wonder what Socrates thought of the Trolley Problem.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I wonder what Socrates thought of the Trolley Problem.

When in doubt, ask ChatGPT

Scene: The Agora, late afternoon. Socrates converses with Theodorus.



Theodorus: Socrates, I have heard a riddle among the sophists of the West. It is said to reveal justice.


Socrates: Tell it, then, my friend.


Theodorus: A chariot without horses rushes upon a road. Five men lie bound. Unless we act, they will die. Nearby is a lever. If I pull it, the chariot turns aside, and only one man, bound upon the other road, will die. Should we pull the lever?


Socrates: You say “should.” Do you mean “justly”?


Theodorus: Yes.


Socrates: And is it more shameful to suffer wrong, or to commit it?


Theodorus: To commit it.


Socrates: Then if I pull the lever, and one dies, have I not done wrong?


Theodorus: Yes—but you will have spared five.


Socrates: Tell me: is justice a matter of numbers?


Theodorus: I think so.


Socrates: And if the one were your father, and the five strangers, would you say the same?


Theodorus: Perhaps not.


Socrates: Then you do not know whether numbers decide justice.


Theodorus: It seems I do not.


Socrates: And further: do you know whether death is an evil?


Theodorus: No, I do not.


Socrates: Then how can you know that saving five from death is better than saving one?


Theodorus: I cannot.


Socrates: Yet you urge me to pull the lever, though you do not know whether it is better. Should we ever do what we do not know to be just?


Theodorus: Surely not.


Socrates: Then, my friend, I will not touch your lever.



And so Theodorus fell silent, being at a loss; but Socrates, as always, claimed no wisdom, except that it is never right to commit injustice, whether by sword, by word, or by lever.

 

[Free]

Socrates walks into a bar.

The bartender asks "Hey Socrates, the usual?"

Socrates gives the bartender a disgusted look and walks back out.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Chat-GPT and I consulted the I-Ching

Here’s the result of the casting:
Hexagram lines (from bottom to top):

• Line 1: 7 (young yang, solid ☰)
• Line 2: 8 (young yin, broken ☷)
• Line 3: 8 (young yin)
• Line 4: 8 (young yin)
• Line 5: 8 (young yin)
• Line 6: 7 (young yang)

Resulting Hexagram
That pattern corresponds to Hexagram 44 – 夬 (Coming to Meet / Encountering).

⚊ (yang)
⚋ (yin)
⚋ (yin)
⚋ (yin)
⚋ (yin)
⚊ (yang)
Meaning of Hexagram 44 – “Coming to Meet”

• Image: The wind beneath heaven. A small force arises in the midst of the great.
• Judgment: The weak makes its way into the strong. It is dangerous to accept it lightly.
• Lesson: When confronted with a situation where forces collide (like the trolley problem), one should beware of hasty action. Small beginnings can grow into great consequences if not resisted.

Applying this to the trolley problem

• The I Ching here seems to warn against intervening rashly.
• The danger lies not in the situation itself, but in the temptation to act without full knowledge.
• In a Socratic key: just as Socrates doubted whether one should “pull the lever,” the I Ching suggests caution—meeting force with force may seed greater imbalance.

Would you like me to also check changing lines (there are none here, since all your lines are stable 7s and 8s), or to expand on how Hexagram 44 traditionally counsels the ruler—and how that might mirror our “choice” in the trolley dilemma?

You said:
please

ChatGPT said:
Excellent — let’s expand Hexagram 44, Coming to Meet (夬 Gòu).
Hexagram 44 – The Judgment (traditional gloss)

“Coming to meet. The maiden is powerful. One should not marry such a maiden.”

This is symbolic language: “the maiden” represents a small, disruptive force that enters into the domain of the great. It is alluring, but dangerous if not handled wisely.
Applied to the trolley problem:

• The lever is the “maiden” — a small action that seems attractive (“I can solve this!”), but fraught with unforeseen consequences.
• The warning is: do not unite yourself lightly to such a power, for it can dominate your life and character.

The Image

“Under heaven, wind: the image of Coming to Meet. Thus does the ruler dispense commands clearly and distinctly, and makes them known to the people.”

• The wind moving under heaven is subtle but far-reaching.
• The wise ruler (or decision-maker) is clear and transparent, not hasty or hidden.
• Applied here: a just person must act with clarity and openness, not with secret or manipulative motives.

No Changing Lines
Because your cast yielded only young yin (8) and young yang (7), there are no “old” (6 or 9) changing lines.

• This means the message is stable and whole: the warning of Hexagram 44 stands as the full counsel, without transformation into another hexagram.

Interpretation for the Trolley Problem

1. The trolley situation tempts us with a quick, seemingly rational calculation.
2. The I Ching cautions that small, alluring actions can bring hidden dangers — like “marrying the maiden.”
3. The greater wisdom may be in resisting that temptation.
4. Thus, in harmony with Socrates’ stance, the oracle suggests: do not pull the lever rashly. The virtue lies not in cleverness, but in restraint and clarity.

 

[Khamon]

I wonder what Socrates thought of the Trolley Problem.

Same as us. It was old then as well and called the Sacrificial Lava Pit Problem after being redubbed from its ancient title of Put Stone to Head Problem. What gets lost in the Trolley rename is that the perpetrator is the perpetrator. Trolley lets the person off the hook because they can simply do nothing and claim that there was nothing they could do. This version glosses over the fact that we all actively choose to let people die to support our lifestyle. We should call it the Pilate Hand Washing Problem.

 

[Free]

Same as us. It was old then as well and called the Sacrificial Lava Pit Problem

Interesting. How did they get the lava pit onto the tracks?