But he does believe that the various traditions can learn from each other and can see how one might think differently if different ideas are emphasized. Plus, he thinks this is the way the world is going anyway, with globalization bringing the various cultures into closer communication, such that in the future global philosophy will be a cross-cultural conversation with roots in the various traditions. In 1935 Will Rogers starred in a film titled “Life Begins at 40”. His character, Kenesaw H. Clark, was the publisher and top columnist of a small-town newspaper. During one scene a worker at the paper read a few sentences from a column by Clark/Rogers to a group which exhibited a hearty approval. QI conjectures that the words were penned by Rogers and not the scriptwriters of the film: [4] Film Title: Life Begins at 40, Year: 1935, Director: George Marshall, Book: Walter B. Pitkin, Screenplay: Lamar Trotti, Additional Dialogue: Robert Quillen, Screenplay Construction: William M.… Continue reading Even Winston Churchill said, “It is arguable whether the human race have been gainers by the march of science beyond the steam engine.” Pondering “the consequences of entrusting a human race so little different from their predecessors of the so-called barbarous ages such awful agencies as the atomic bomb,” he pleased, “Give me the horse.”

How The World Thinks, by Julian Baggini Book review: How The World Thinks, by Julian Baggini

This book connected all these different strains of philosophy (not forgetting oral histories from around the world) by focusing on a few key questions when trying to figure out "how the world thinks". It helped me start to understand other cultures and gave me a newfound perspective on my own. In short: it has "wow'ed" me and I highly recommend it.Gem of the Day: At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At 40, we don’t care what they think of us. At 60, we discover that they haven’t been thinking of us at all. Baggini also refers to the 'resistance to secularism in the Islamic world'. There is no single Islamic model of government. Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Turkey and others were historically secular states though there have been infringements in recent times. At 20 we don’t care what the world thinks of us: at 40 we worry about what it is thinking of us; and at 60 we discover that it wasn’t thinking of us at all. Lastly, the approach is so extremely general that many of the ideas discussed will, at least on the surface, already be known by anyone interested to read this book. I do however appreciate that such points can still be valuable in two ways; first in making you examine and contemplate them (again) and secondly because you can learn to appreciate and understand them better.

world thinks YouGov | What the world thinks

The focus on regional traditions can inevitably lead to caricatures. When confronted with a picture of a circle, we are told, “a westerner sees first and foremost a circle, the round line. A Japanese sees at least as immediately the space contained within the circle”. Well maybe, but it reads a little like gap-year ethnography. More awkwardly, he writes about his frustration at a meeting of the Indian Philosophical Congress, where “extreme deference was shown to invited speakers and grandees”, leading to rambling, over-running speeches; such “fawning”, he argues, is connected to an emphasis in Indian philosophy on pratyaksa, the insight that comes to the wise as a result of long experience and practice. But to be fair, he repeatedly strives to break down simplistic cultural oppositions. Polarities are sketched not as ends in their own right, but as starting-points on a voyage to a more sophisticated understanding. Focusing on distinctions between East and West does not just ‘help to understand our differences, it points us to similarities which enable us to see these differences in more nuanced and sympathetic terms’. It's incredibly well written and easy to digest, but you will surely have to stop and do a lot of side reading given the amazing interest of so many of the perspectives discussed. Film Title: Life Begins at 40, Year: 1935, Director: George Marshall, Book: Walter B. Pitkin, Screenplay: Lamar Trotti, Additional Dialogue: Robert Quillen, Screenplay Construction: William M. Conselman, Screenplay Construction: Dudley Nichols, (Quotation starts at 7 minute 45 seconds; a character is reading from a newspaper column written by the character Kenesaw H. Clark who is played by Will Rogers) (Verified quotation with DVD on May 24, 2019) Dear Quote Investigator: One’s sensitivity to the opinions of others often changes as one matures. The following statement has been attributed to statesman Winston Churchill:Aaaages ago, I read a book called Sophie's World, which I loved. It was essentially using a simple story to introduce the reader to various philosophers and their core ideas. I must've been about 20 at the time... Labour said his speech seemed thrown together at the last moment. To many others, his quips seemed strangely unsuited to the grave occasion and to his non-British audience. The term 'Indian philosophy' is misleading, though to be fair it is also used by many Indians. The correct term is Vedic philosphy, for two reasons: it is found in many other countries in South and South-East Asia. Secondly, there are other philosophies in India including Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, Sikh etc. I read this in the wee hours of the night, a lullaby composed of fragments of musings over existence and ethics from around the world, if you will. It is only natural to wake up in the middle of disjoint dreams and muse over it myself.