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Blogging as a Path to Self Knowledge

Massimo Pigliucci

3.4/5 ( ratings)

The essays collected in this volume have been selected with two criteria in mind. First, they are among the most in-depth posts published at Rationally Speaking, all of them originally put out as multi-part series, each part being significantly longer than a typical op-ed piece. Of course, length per se is no assurance of quality, but it is also true that too often blog posts are so short that one only gets a glimpse into the subject matter and the author’s opinion about it. So, longer posts make for more serious intellectual engagement.

Second, the writings that I selected here concern topics about which either I changed my mind significantly , or represent instances where I started out with an opinion that was not well formed and yet about which I had deep intuitions, and the process of writing exposed, confirmed and elaborated upon those intuitions once the more sharply focused light of reasoned argument was aimed at them. Accordingly, each of the essays in this collection comes with a brief introduction to highlight why I included them and what impact writing about each topic has had on my own thinking, my path to self-knowledge, if you will.

The subject matter covered here is varied, but the reader will easily pick up the common threads: all posts have to do with philosophical issues, particularly as they are informed by science. Whether we are talking about ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, or metaphysics, I believe that a philosophical understanding is paramount, but that such understanding simply cannot afford to ignore the best available scientific knowledge. I hope these entries — which have been edited and updated where necessary — will help you reflect on things and spur you to challenge others and be challenged in turn. As David Hume famously put it, “Truth springs from argument amongst friends.”

Language: English

Pages: 111

Format: Kindle Edition

Publisher: Rationallyspeaking.org

Release: August 21, 2012

Blogging as a Path to Self Knowledge

Massimo Pigliucci

3.4/5 ( ratings)

The essays collected in this volume have been selected with two criteria in mind. First, they are among the most in-depth posts published at Rationally Speaking, all of them originally put out as multi-part series, each part being significantly longer than a typical op-ed piece. Of course, length per se is no assurance of quality, but it is also true that too often blog posts are so short that one only gets a glimpse into the subject matter and the author’s opinion about it. So, longer posts make for more serious intellectual engagement.

Second, the writings that I selected here concern topics about which either I changed my mind significantly , or represent instances where I started out with an opinion that was not well formed and yet about which I had deep intuitions, and the process of writing exposed, confirmed and elaborated upon those intuitions once the more sharply focused light of reasoned argument was aimed at them. Accordingly, each of the essays in this collection comes with a brief introduction to highlight why I included them and what impact writing about each topic has had on my own thinking, my path to self-knowledge, if you will.

The subject matter covered here is varied, but the reader will easily pick up the common threads: all posts have to do with philosophical issues, particularly as they are informed by science. Whether we are talking about ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, or metaphysics, I believe that a philosophical understanding is paramount, but that such understanding simply cannot afford to ignore the best available scientific knowledge. I hope these entries — which have been edited and updated where necessary — will help you reflect on things and spur you to challenge others and be challenged in turn. As David Hume famously put it, “Truth springs from argument amongst friends.”

Language: English

Pages: 111

Format: Kindle Edition

Publisher: Rationallyspeaking.org

Release: August 21, 2012

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