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Continue reading →: Heidegger was not a sympathetic character
From what I have read in Sarah Bakewell’s excellent book, At the Existentialist Café, Martin Heidegger had few redeeming qualities when it came to his treatment of friends and colleagues. Having had romances with Jewish women at his university, including Hannah Arendt, he joined the Nazi Party and did little…
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Continue reading →: Humanity
Sarah Bakewell’s book is a rich source of interesting ideas put forward by people associated with existentialism. One such philosopher was Emmanuel Levinas who wrote Totality and Infinity in 1961. The foundation of his philosophy was Self with Other, based on Martin Buber’s I and Thou. 1923. Having survived the…
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Continue reading →: Pink meat
I bought a shoulder of lamb from my local butcher the other day. I put it in a hot oven for about 45 minutes, then turned the oven down low and cooked it wrapped in foil for another 3 to 4 hours. The joint was nicely seasoned with garlic and…
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Continue reading →: Us and them
The haves and the have-nots are locked in an economic disparity that has a new chapter in its history. ‘Quiet quitting’ has become a thing among exploited workers. If your employer is making unreasonable demands, such as longer hours for the same pay, you can reduce the effort you put…
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Continue reading →: Year 2
Another academic year with the Open University. This year I am taking Exploring Philosophy, at undergraduate level. My first task was to think about a study timetable and calculate how many hours I have available in the average working week. Organisational skills will be important, not just for my studies,…
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Continue reading →: Camus and the absurdity of art
“Art allows the mind to detach from the self and expand to understand the connection between the one seeking solace from an internal battle and others. In “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Albert Camus states that artistic expression is the ultimate form of joy. He defines all creators as absurd, since…
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Continue reading →: Collective responsibility
The Open University has various forums under different subject headings. The Philosophy forum has some lively debates prompted by OU staff. The current topic for discussion is collective responsibility and guilt. The example given was the French Rugby Union authority(FFR) that collaborated with the Vichy government to ban the playing…
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Continue reading →: Mr Speaker
David Irvine was a good speaker. As the political face of the UVF he spoke reasonably about the conflict in Northern Ireland. He was influenced by Gusty Spence who had formulated a tit for tat killing strategy targeting any Catholics in reprisal for IRA killings. Spence had seen that the…
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Continue reading →: The man who swallowed a dictionary
This is the title of a play on at the Lyric theatre Belfast about David Irvine, a respected local politician. His journey from active UVF paramilitary to Progressive Unionist Party politician is well told in this performance by Paul Garrett. The set is well designed allowing Paul Garrett to move…
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Continue reading →: Rugby – expect the unexpected
The Rugby World Cup has got off to a great start with the host nation putting the All Blacks to the sword and England kicking their way to victory over the Pumas. Red cards will be issued to try and protect players from head injuries. England’s Tom Curry collided head…
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