Category Archives: Philosophy
True wisdom needs age and real world experience
Who, apart from a bunch of career academics, would think wisdom something you could teach in a classroom? Like, “See you at 4. I have a wisdom test.” Just call me Odysseus. The getting of wisdom debate has everyone dusting off their Aristotle. In fact, though, even Old Man Ari – generally about as relevant [...]
The kindness of strangers
”Those who receive charity have their lives improved, but those who provide it also benefit. It feels good to be good” by Paul Bloom* – Globe and Mail I admit it’s an unusual way to see the world, but I’m constantly struck by the extent of human kindness. People donate their blood to strangers, travel [...]
How to Win the Clash of Civilizations
By AYAAN HIRSI ALI The key advantage of Huntington’s famous model is that it describes the world as it is – not as we wish it to be What do the controversies around the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, the eviction of American missionaries from Morocco earlier this year, the minaret ban in Switzerland last [...]
Islam in the Eyes of Voltaire, Goethe and Soekarno
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta uring Ramadhan this year, the Salihara Society will organize a series of lectures that discuss the philosophers Voltaire’s and Goethe’s as well as statesman Soekarno’s views on Islam. The speakers present would be Ida Sundari Husen, Dewi Candraningrum, and Goenawan Mohamad.
Not everyone’s a winner in war
by Jeff Sparrow The unedifying political bidding war between leaders determined to prove their hostility to refugees has led many to conclude that the Labor and Liberal parties are now entirely driven by opinion polls. But that’s not quite the case.
Words reveal their power when given voice
by Robert McCrum One paradox of literary culture is that, although speech precedes literacy, and the mother tongue the alphabet, it is usually the written, not the spoken, word that attracts the most attention. So, for at least 1,000 years, English literature lived on the lips and in the memory of Everyman, handed down in folk [...]
Principles, Pragmatism and Politics
Australian Association of Bioethics and Health Law Conference Adelaide, 3 JULY 2010 By Julian Burnside Given that this is the Michael Kirby Oration, allow me a couple of minutes to talk about Michael Kirby. Many years ago, Kirby telephoned me at home at about 8.00 on a Sunday morning. I was awake, but my day had [...]
Plato: ancient Greek philosopher’s ‘secret music code’ cracked by British scientists
The works of Plato, the ancient classical Greek philosopher, appear to contain a hidden musical code, a British academic has claimed By Andrew Hough Researchers claimed they cracked “The Plato Code”, the long disputed secret messages hidden in some of Ancient World’s most influential and celebrated writings. Dr Jay Kennedy, an historian and philosopher of science at [...]
