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Philosophical Commentary through Interpretive Media and Metaphorical Art

The inspiration for this post came from something I heard a panelist mention at a convention on Japanese anime that I recently attended. Specifically, he attributed the enduring popularity of the genre classics to their effectiveness at making social commentary through interpretive media and metaphorical art. Beyond my immediate appreciation of what was strictly said—as a lay philosopher, particularly one who found his way into philosophy through studying filmic analyses—I could not help but think immediately of interpretive media and metaphorical art’s capacity to make philosophical commentary. In order to better grasp the implications of my assertion, it behooves me to offer a cerebral explanation of the meaning of “interpretive media” and “metaphorical art.” The key to epistemically understanding “interpretive media” is that it includes the word “interpret;” it allows one to interpret what is being shown or heard in one’s own terms. Interpretive media helps offer deeper insights int...
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The Classification of Statements in Logic

In the previous post, we discussed generally which sentences qualify as statements in logic. In doing so, we established that statements are declarative sentences that have a truth value (i.e., they have the capacity to be either true or false). In this post we will discuss how statements are categorized, based on their contents, as either simple statements or compound statements . Axiomatically enough, as its name suggests, a simple statement is a declarative sentence that pertains to a factual matter or claim thereby imbuing it with its truth value with respect to a single idea. And, by corollary, a compound statement is a declarative sentence that asserts a fact or claim with respect to multiple ideas. The common denominator between both types of statements is that they both carry truth values. The differentiator, however, between the two types of statements is that simple statements lack connectives whereas compound statements necessarily contain them. It bears mentioning that th...
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Statements: The Basics from a Logician’s View

Philosophers , concerned most acutely with gaining wisdom and knowledge, use logic to discern the truth or falsity of propositions in order to form justified, true beliefs. This often requires a diligent, studious approach to abstruse written or verbal statements. Since philosophical language tends to be highly compressed, just a few words in a given statement often contain a lot of information. Consequently, deciphering the exact meaning of statements within a philosophical edifice is not optional. It is instead a sine qua non to prevent misunderstanding the implications and applications of an entire body of work. To develop a robust grounding in how philosophers approach interpreting philosophical statements, it would be highly useful in the first place to, of course, begin with understanding how philosophers conceive of statements themselves. For this purpose, it is critical to know, right at the outset, that statement in logic is a technical term that carries a meaning which is, ...
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When Does One Cross Over from Being a Skeptic to a Cynic?

In philosophical terms, in order for one to have knowledge, one must hold beliefs that are both justified and true. Consequently untrue beliefs necessarily fail to meet the standard to qualify as knowledge. Since divining the truth regarding a given matter can often require balancing one’s curiosity and doubt with openness and acceptance, it would appear that skeptics are uniquely well-positioned to acquire knowledge. Skeptics are inquisitive individuals who question the validity and veracity of claims, ideas, and beliefs. Resistant to the practice of accepting claims at face value, they tend to reserve judgment until presented with at least some form of compelling evidence, proof, testimony, or other suitable basis that speaks to the authenticity of the claim in question. They eventually come to accept the authenticity of claims once their inquisitiveness is sufficiently satisfied. [Note: For purposes of this post, the noun cynic should be construed, in line with one of its vernacula...
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Critically Evaluating the Ingredients to Beliefs

As human beings we inescapably use information to form beliefs (i.e., conclusions) on all manner of things. As such, information necessarily constitutes the premises to our beliefs, structuring their very path. Erroneous, irrelevant, or incomplete information would, therefore, misguide any beliefs. Given the sheer volume of information that modern life hurls at us, critically evaluating information in service of the formation of conclusions regarding important matters becomes indispensable. Critically evaluating guidance of any sort is undoubtedly an entire science in and of itself. No singular blog post could ever serve as a sufficient exposition. This post is merely an insufficient exposition on this matter. It should also be mentioned that the best practices discussed ahead are suitable for issues one can, for the most part, think about coldly and objectively (  e.g.,  when considering the recommendation of an alternative route to one’s destination from a taxi driver). On t...
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The Quotidian Practice of Semantics for Philosophical Analyses

Semantics, a branch of study within the larger disciplines of both philosophy and linguistics, is foundationally connected to the construction and conveyance of meaning. Philosophers routinely practice semantics by analytically studying textual language expressing abstract concepts in order to accurately construe it. However, the practice of semantics need not be reserved for only the philosophers and linguists among us. Given the universality with which practical semantics can boost the construction and meaning of almost any given topic, I believe that both practitioners and theoreticians in most all fields could benefit greatly by developing even a basic, informal system for practicing semantics. What follows is by no means a technical or academic method for practicing semantics; it is merely an imperfect system that I have, with the benefit of a modicum of knowledge on the subject, stumbled upon through experience to enhance my appreciation and understanding of subjects as varied as...
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Knowledge as an Insufficient Contributor to Enlightenment

The age-old mantra of knowledge is power suggests, at least at face value, that the acquisition of all knowledge—regardless of its type, quality, or source—is empowering, and therefore worth the cost of time, energy, and opportunities forgone required for its pursuit. This is, in my opinion, for a whole host of reasons, a terribly reductionist notion which, if followed through, would lead one seeking wisdom to suboptimal outcomes vis-à-vis one’s ultimate philosophical goals. This post is dedicated to briefly exploring just one reason why the indiscriminate pursuit of knowledge could be a detriment, instead of a boon, in the sense that it could serve to inhibit one’s comparative, though not absolute, enlightenment. The collation of a select group of philosophical concepts yields my conclusion on this particular matter. First, it must be borne in mind that philosophy defines knowledge as one’s belief that is both justified and true. According to the foundational view of knowledge, our b...
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