In An Educated Guess, Peter explores the ubiquity of the ‘Life as Game’ metaphor and the quasi-sacred importance accorded to ‘winning’. “We live to win!” & “The winner takes all!” — So everyone seems to say! We are generally fine with those maxims for the simple reason that we get to participate in the ‘game’ (even if it is rigged against the vast majority of individuals). Indeed, the ‘game metaphor’ feeds on our hope that we might one day achieve a ‘win’. We are taught — from the cradle to the grave, really — that ‘winning’ matters; that it makes us better, more important in the eyes of others… So of course, we try to ‘win’ without even considering the costs of ‘giving it all’ to the game.
The philosopher as asset manager
I really enjoy playing the Game of Life with my son. I’m speaking, of course, of the Milton Bradley board game version, not the four score and then some journey we actually live and which does not appear to be a game at all. We have a recent version of the game which I actually don’t enjoy – it’s all millenial, with multiple career choices and lots of overpriced real estate – but when we’re in Maine together, we play the version I played when I was a kid. I don’t remember precisely when we got it, but the box has a 1978 copyright and the clothing worn by the family enjoying themselves around the game looks solidly Carter administration. My sister and I played endlessly and now my son and I, one generation later, are doing the same.
My Philosophy: On leading a considered life
In the days when I worked in the financial services industry, from time to time someone would discover that my academic background was neither in economics nor finance (nor mathematics, nor physics) and would ask me whether I thought my training in philosophy was of benefit or of hindrance to my work. This question was usually asked in such a tone as to suggest that studying philosophy would – rather obviously - be inadequate as a preparation for a successful career in finance. I tried my best to make the contrary case.
Continue reading “My Philosophy: On leading a considered life”
Book Recommendation
To All, I have an unorthodox request: What book would you recommend me on the theme of ‘authenticity’? Ideally a novel, but any type of creative and narrative text would do.
I’m asking because I am enrolled in a ‘Literature and Philosophy’ class — and it is a requirement of our term paper that we crowdsource book recommendations from algorithms, peers and strangers. Notwithstanding what we (and I !) have said lately about the quality of education, there are still innovative professors with worthwhile agendas in the classrooms.
Thank you so much for your suggestions and I’m looking forward to them!
Dancing with Words
Composed as a lyrical musing on Similarly …
As a pragmatic, I approach reality with this simple question: within my perceptions, what is there to be known? Instinctively, I look for patterns, for ‘the point’, for ‘take-aways’. Meanwhile, Peter urges: “Merely experience complexity; witness how it cannot be captured.” His ‘point’ is fascinating, yet for the mind who wants to know, it is indeed dizzying.