An introduction to the project is here.An introduction to the utilitarianism chapter is here. Utilitarianism has a straightforward and immediate appeal to many people; after all, why wouldn’t we wish to reduce suffering and maximise pleasure? In fact, there are a number of reasons to harbor reservations against the utilitarian doctrine. These include, but are…
Author: Max Leyf
Rolfer, philosopher, anthroposopher in Anchorage, Alaska.
Miscellany: On beauty, science, and revolution
On Beauty: Beauty is a revelation of the soul to the senses. The sky can be seen with the eyes but the beauty of the sky can only be seen with the heart. Beauty is not something subjective, but the approach of the essence of things in the form of sensory appearance. The soul is…
Miscellany: on education, art, science, music, and the Tower of Babel
On music: Music is among the great spring of joy among this vale of tears. The German philosopher Freidrich Nietzsche famously asserted that “without music, life would be a mistake.” You seemed somewhat tentative in your designation of music as art. On the contrary, some of Nietzsche’s earlier contemporaries considered music to be the purest…
Miscellany: On “The Danger of Fact-ist Politics” and other topics
On “The Danger of Fact-ist Politics”: You observed that many public are treating beliefs as evidence and conflating certainty with truth. Naturally, I share your exasperation with this sort of posturing and ostentatious displays of conviction that is misplaced at best and likely often altogether feigned. Moreover, I couldn’t agree more with your identification of…
Miscellany: “Science,” “citizens,” “consumers,” and other topics
Is science exclusively abstract and reductionistic in principle or could it also be integral and creative? I have treated this topic much more thoroughly in my dissertation but here are a few brief remarks. Any answer will depend on our theory of science, which is itself subject to transformation. It will also depend on which branch…
Video Lecture: Science and Religion (3) and Philosophy
Dear friends, Some readers may be interested in a lecture on the relationship between religion and science as a continuation from this lecture and this one. It was recorded for the sake of my students in a Critical Thinking course at Alaska Pacific University. I welcome any comments or thoughts on the subject. Warmly, Max
Video Lecture: Science and Religion (2) The Essence and History of the Scientific Method
Some readers may be interested in a lecture on the relationship between religion and science as a continuation from this lecture. It was recorded for the sake of my students in a Critical Thinking course at Alaska Pacific University. I welcome any comments or thoughts on the subject. Warmly, Max
Video Lecture: Science and Religion (1) Self and World
Some readers may be interested in a lecture on the relationship between religion and science as a reflection of the self-concept and world-concept. It was recorded for the sake of my students in a Critical Thinking course at Alaska Pacific University. I welcome any comments or thoughts on the subject. Warmly, Max
Miscellany: Mary and “the Gardener”, naming as invocation and not as labelling, and other topics
Why does Mary fail to recognize the risen Jesus on Easter morning and instead mistake him for “the gardener”? I was reflecting on this question a little bit yesterday and the more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes. Does it really seem plausible that a person would go to the tomb of…
Video Lecture: On the Reality of Thinking
Some readers may be interested in a lecture on the reality and essence of thinking. It was recorded for the sake of my students in a Critical Thinking course at Alaska Pacific University. I welcome any comments or thoughts on the subject. Warmly, Max
