Review: The Grand Design
- September 16, 2010
- James Skemp
Postulate: Given the present, the future can be known, but the past only guessed
- June 17, 2010
- James Skemp
Expanded Table of Contents for The World as Will and Representation: Volume I (Dover Edition)
- May 31, 2010
- James Skemp
A Brief Thought on Time Travel
- October 17, 2009
- James Skemp
Thoughts on objects and their underlying structure
- August 14, 2009
- James Skemp
On Self Control
- June 29, 2009
- James Skemp
Thoughts on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: Part 4
- May 27, 2009
- James Skemp
Thoughts on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: Part 3
- May 25, 2009
- James Skemp
Thoughts on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: Part 2
- May 24, 2009
- James Skemp
Thoughts on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: Part 1
- May 19, 2009
- James Skemp
Countries that come to mind ...
- April 10, 2009
- James Skemp
On "Shafty"
- February 17, 2009
- James Skemp
You either did or didn't waste your time playing the video game
- January 26, 2009
- James Skemp
Thoughts on sacrifice and religion
- January 21, 2009
- James Skemp
Why I Don't Care For Ethics: 9 people on a boat
- January 1, 2009
- James Skemp
On my funeral
- January 1, 2009
- James Skemp
Why a philosophy major does Web development
- December 16, 2008
- James Skemp
Do you assume I'm a liberal because I wear Grateful Dead shirts?
- November 19, 2008
- James Skemp
Display parts of the Waking Life Transcript on your site
- September 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Notes for a future reading of Dostoyevsky's The Possessed.
- August 14, 2008
- James Skemp
On the purpose of life (with a bonus on the meaning of life)
- July 10, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 15: Closing Credits
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 14: Reincarnation
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 13: Unification
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 12: Kusanagi Battles Tank
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 11: Chasing the Target
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 10: Project 2501
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 9: Doubting Your Own Ghost
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 8: Wandering the City
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 7: Hope in Deep Waters
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 6: Simultaneous Reality & Fantasy
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 5: Only a Puppet
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 4: Ghost Hack Humans
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 3: The Infamous Mystery Hacker
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 2: Opening Credits
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Scene 1: Thermo Optic Camouflage
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell - Script
- June 1, 2008
- James Skemp
Jeff Atwood's post on MVC brings up a great philosophical question ...
- May 14, 2008
- James Skemp
Review: The World as Will and Presentation, Volume One
- May 4, 2008
- James Skemp
Errata for The World As Will and Presentation Volume One
- April 29, 2008
- James Skemp
M.C. Escher comes to the Playstation (demo)
- April 25, 2008
- James Skemp
Can A Good Man Do No Evil? Is Zatoichi A Good Man?
- February 23, 2008
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: I. Transcendental Doctrine of Elements: Second Part. Transcendental Logic: Introduction
- December 17, 2007
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: I. Transcendental Doctrine of Elements: First Part. Transcendental Aesthetic: General Observations and Conclusion
- December 16, 2007
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: I. Transcendental Doctrine of Elements: First Part. Transcendental Aesthetic: Space and Time
- December 9, 2007
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: I. Transcendental Doctrine of Elements: First Part. Transcendental Aesthetic: Introduction
- December 6, 2007
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Introduction
- December 3, 2007
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Preface to Second Edition
- December 2, 2007
- James Skemp
Notes on Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Preface to First Edition
- November 30, 2007
- James Skemp
Thoughts on primary and secondary sources
- November 9, 2007
- James Skemp
Gavin Schmitt: Questions and Answers 1
- October 31, 2007
- James Skemp
Perceptions of Immanuel Kant Before a Reading of the Critique of Pure Reason
- October 30, 2007
- James Skemp
Paranoia Agent Prophetic Vision Comparisons
- September 23, 2007
- James Skemp
Brief notes on marriage and children
- September 22, 2007
- James Skemp
Brief thoughts on detached hands
- August 24, 2007
- James Skemp
Review of David Woodruff Smith's Husserl
- August 23, 2007
- James Skemp
On Love - Thoughts from movies
- August 6, 2007
- James Skemp
On Love - Thoughts from others - Bruce Springsteen
- August 6, 2007
- James Skemp
On Love - Thoughts from others - Harlan Ellison
- August 6, 2007
- James Skemp
Mini-review of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society
- July 21, 2007
- James Skemp
A spaceship explodes in space, with one of two components to blame - Part 1
- July 14, 2007
- James Skemp
Philosophical thoughts - 7/10/2007
- July 11, 2007
- James Skemp
An interesting monologue overheard - July 8, 2007
- July 10, 2007
- James Skemp
On the Dangers of "Is and Is Not Not"
- June 10, 2007
- James Skemp
Review of Andrew Fiala's Practical Pacifism
- May 26, 2007
- James Skemp
Cho Seung-Hui Against All: On Societies Need to Ostracize the Ill
- April 20, 2007
- James Skemp
“These wars, famines, floods and quakes meet well-defined needs. Man wants chaos. In fact, he’s gotta have it. Depression, strife, riots, murder, all this dread. We’re irresistibly drawn to that almost orgiastic state created out of death and destruction. It’s in all of us. We revel in it. Sure, the media tries to put a sad face on these things, painting them up as great human tragedies. But we all know the function of the media has never been to eliminate the evils of the world, no. Their job is to persuade us to accept those evils and get used to living with them. The powers that be want us to be passive observers.” - Waking Life
Unfortunately, I haven’t kept up all that much with the recent (April 17, 2007) shootings in Virginia. However, I’ve seen and heard a disturbing trend, namely the dehumanizing and ostracizing of the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Quite frankly, this is disturbing.
Two things re: the Today show
- March 3, 2007
- James Skemp
Schopenhauer's Prefaces to The World as Will and Representation
- February 11, 2007
- James Skemp
Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation (Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung) went through three editions in Schopenhauer's lifetime, and accordingly there are three prefaces, one for each edition. The first was written in 1818, the second in 1844, and the third in 1859.
Today I'll be looking at the preface of each of the three editions, and providing an analysis of what he has attempted to get across within each.
Arthur Schopenhauer's books in Samtliche Werke
- January 28, 2007
- James Skemp
In this article, I'll be covering the five books that compose the German Sämtliche Werke, published by Suhrkamp.
Know thyself - or - On the examined life
- October 18, 2006
- James Skemp
Movie review: Being John Malkovich (1999)
- October 6, 2006
- James Skemp
This could be a commercial (Schopenhauer)
- September 1, 2006
- James Skemp
Arthur Schopenhauer's Sämtliche Werke (5 paperbook collection)
Who you are, versus who you may have been
- August 20, 2006
- James Skemp
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 17: Control System
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[17 Control System]
"'Who can gaze into the mirror without becoming evil? A mirror does not reflect evil, but creates it.'"
"Poetics, now? We're running low on ammo."
"'Thus, a mirror bears a glimpse, but not scrutiny.'"
===
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 16: The Ship
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[16 The Ship]
(Batou busts into the ship from above.)
"I'm in. Forward the vessel data. Download complete. You got my vision in your sites?"
"Recording now. Wouldn't miss my mentor's assault."
"You're a real smart ass."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 15: Undersea
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[15 Undersea]
(Batou goes under the water. He grabs onto a dolphin.)
"I've made contact with the escort."
"Roger."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 14: Kim's Mansion. The 4th Encounter
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[14 Kim's Mansion. The 4th Encounter]
(Togusa:) "Are we actually back in physical reality?"
(Batou:) "There is no way to distinguish reminiscence from true memory. Whatever they are, they can only be analyzed after the fact. The passage of time itself can't be stored, so it's tough. And inevitable, now that our e-brains share external memories. Do your wife and daughter, waiting for you at home, really exist? Or are you, in reality, still single, living in some cheap rented room, only dreaming of that family. Don't you want to verify what actually happened back there?"
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 13: Kim's Mansion. Again and Again
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[13 Kim's Mansion. Again and Again]
(We're back outside, and Batou and Togusa turn towards the building, hearing a shot.)
"Here goes!"
(The girl is gone, but there's the number '2501'.)
"Batou!"
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 12: Kim's Mansion. Again
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[12 Kim's Mansion. Again]
(Continued from the previous chapter.)
"Kim chose to become a complete cyborg. That was his reason. He bounced around between Special Forces and Electronics, and got into black market weapons. His reputation turned to shit. Wound up your garden-variety hacker."
"Sounds like quite a story."
"No matter how far a jackass travels, it won't come back a horse."
(Batou pauses.)
"What's wrong? Lets go."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 11: Kim's Mansion
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[11 Kim's Mansion]
"He used to be a long-range military scout. 'Unfit as a commander, unfit to be commanded, fit only to languish by the wayside.' He bounced around between Special Forces and Electronics, and got into black market weapons. His reputation turned to shit. Wound up your garden-variety hacker."
"Sounds like quite a story."
"Yeah, but no matter how far a jackass travels, it won't come back a horse. His downfall came when his reach exceeded his grasp. Let's go."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 19: Togusa's House
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[19 Togusa's House]
(Batou's dog comes out, and runs towards Batou. He stoops and picks him up.)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 10: Festival
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[10 Festival]
"Batou!"
===
"You sure have gotten informal, Lin. Since when do you skip the 'Sir'?"
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 9: Orange Sky
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[9 Orange Sky]
"This area was once intended as the Fear East's most important information center, a Special Economic Zone in its heyday. These towers survive as a shadow of the city's former glory. Its dubious sovereignty has made it the ideal haven for multi-nationals and the criminal elements that feed off their spoils. It's a lawless zone, beyond the reach of UN or E-police. Reminds me of the line, 'What the body creates, is as much an expression of DNA as the body itself.'"
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 18: Laboratory Development
- August 19, 2006
- James Skemp
[18 Laboratory Development]
"It's absolutely silent. They must have sealed it off."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 8: The Store
- August 9, 2006
- James Skemp
[8 The Store]
(Note: One of the coolest scenes in the movie.)
(Batou walks into the store, and heads towards the back.)
(A voice in his head.) "You're in the kill zone."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 7: Yakuza Office
- August 9, 2006
- James Skemp
[7 Yakuza Office]
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Here to chat with Wakabayashi. Go get him."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 6: Batou's Safe House
- August 8, 2006
- James Skemp
[6 Batou’s Safe House]
(Living room. A car drives by and a dog gets out of a chair, heading to the door. Batou walks in and steps in something. The dog hides.)
(Batou cleans off his shoe in a tub while the dog tries to watch.)
('Gabriel', a gear-driven dog. Batou prepares the dog's food, tenderly moves it's ears out of the dish when it begins to eat. Grabs a drink, sits on a chair, pulls out the photo of the girl. After moving a ball, containing a fish, slightly. The dog jumps onto his lap and falls asleep.)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 5: Boat House
- August 8, 2006
- James Skemp
[5 Boat House]
(A nice house, on the water.)
"You're all alone here?"
"Koga got reacquainted with his dinner and went back with the corpse."
"What a wimp."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 4: Coroner Haraway
- August 8, 2006
- James Skemp
[4 Coroner Haraway]
(A lab.)
The technician: "You can come here all you want, I'm not sharing this investigation. And if you're too persistent, I'll have you detained."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 3: Jurisdiction
- August 8, 2006
- James Skemp
[3 Jurisdiction]
(A room with a window looking into a forest.)
"Already this week, we've had eight cases of gynoids murdering their masters. After each killing, they self-destruct, electronic brains reformatted. In each case, the model in question is Locus Solus #2052, "Hadaly" type. A prototype developed for testing, they were provided free of charge to contractors. Now, they've recalled all the prototypes. According to their most recent report, they've identified no defects in either software or hardware."
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 2: Main Title and Credits
- August 8, 2006
- James Skemp
[2 Main Title and Credits]
(Opening. We see the creation of one of the female machines seen in the first scene.
Along with the fantastic images, we hear the beautiful music you'll hear later.)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 1: New City
- August 8, 2006
- James Skemp
[1 New City]
(Text displays onscreen.)
In a future time, when most human thought has been accelerated by artificial intelligence and external memory can be shared on a universal matrix, Batou, an agent of the elite Section 9 Security Force and a begin so artificially modified as to be essentially cyborg, is assigned, along with his mostly human partner, Togusa, to investigage a series of gruesome murders.
Time has passed since Batou's original partner, Major Motoko Kusanagi, cybernetically enhanced to such a degree that only her "ghost" remained human, disappeared into the Net. Since then, Batou has wondered where her ghost might be and if the Major will ever return ...
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Scene 20 : End Credits
- August 7, 2006
- James Skemp
(Credits begin rolling, and "Follow Me" begins playing, through to the end of the movie. The song is extremely well sung. This is all there is to the credits, so if you don't care to sit through them, you'll lose nothing by stopping here.)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Script
- August 7, 2006
- James Skemp
Description: Transcript of the movie Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) based upon a viewing of the English DVD release, using the English subtitles.
I do not speak, nor understand, Japanese, so this is an American-version transcript. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is an extremely philosophical movie, so I have decided to watch and type up a transcript of the movie so that I could expand my own knowledge of the film. In the spirit of the Internet/Web, I provide it here as well to aid others.
See also the Ghost in the Shell - Script for the first movie.
Waking Life: Chapter 9 - What's the Story?
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 8 - Noise and Silence
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 4 - Alienation
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 15 - We Are the Authors
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 11 - The Holy Moment
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 7 - The Aging Paradox
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 3 - Life Lessons
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 6 - Free Will and Physics
- May 25, 2006
- James Skemp
Holidays and birthdays
- May 14, 2006
- James Skemp
Can you judge a philosophy book by it's cover?
- May 3, 2006
- James Skemp
Attention: Where do you put it?
- April 18, 2006
- James Skemp
Waking Life Script with Revisions
- April 9, 2006
- James Skemp
Description: Script of the movie Waking Life, based on Tara Carreon's transcription, but with revisions based upon a viewing of the DVD version of the movie, which was watched with subtitles.
Revisions by James Richard Skemp III
Revision begun: December 24 2004
Modified: June 4 2005; June 15 2005; June 16 2005; June 21 2005; July 22 2005; August 25 2005; September 27 2005; October 17 2005; October 21 2005; May 25, 2006; August 20, 2006; January 27, 2007
Notes: Special thanks to Andrew, Larry Redden, Ed Sandberg, and Mark W for pointing out errors in Tara's transcription (numerous errors were fixed here, along with some scene information clarifications). Absolutely let me know if anything slipped by my look-over, especially in the quicker and the 'like, like, you know,' sections ;)
Please note that these chapters do contain small images from the film. For the sake of all users, images have been limited to no more than two per chapter.
Learn how to display this transcript on your blog or site. It's easy!
For the sake of version control and in the interest of not having multiple versions floating about the Internet, please link to the pages on this site or use the code detailed above instead of copying the script elsewhere. Using short blurbs of a sentence or two is perfectly fine. Thank you :)
The Internet - critical mass?
- February 9, 2006
- James Skemp
Bertrand Russell's Problems of Philosophy: Notes and Comments - Chapter XV: The Value of Philosophy
- October 29, 2005
- James Skemp
Description: Notes and comments on Chapter 15 of Bertrand Russell's Problems of Philosophy, sufficiently forming an overview.
Created: December 31 2004
Modified: October 29 2005
Notes: Text comes from the source listed below. Highlighting is my own, as well as any indented text. The best way to use this document is to either read a copy reprinted elsewhere and then to read over this, to read the entire (non-indented) text here, with particular note of the highlighted areas, or to read this entire document, from top to bottom. The notes that I supply follow immediately after a paragraph and discuss/clarify the above paragraph. The highlighting is meant to draw attention to particular words, as I feel this is where the most importance lies.
Waking Life: Chapter 20 - End Titles
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 19 - Wake Up!
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 18 - Trapped in a Dream
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 17 - Performance
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 16 - Meet Yourself
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 14 - Ants
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 13 - Dreamers
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 12 - Society Is a Fraud
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 10 - Dreams
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 5 - Death and Reality
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 2 - Anchors Aweigh
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Waking Life: Chapter 1 - Dream is Destiny
- October 21, 2005
- James Skemp
Two views of 'space' from Tarthang Tulku
- October 19, 2005
- James Skemp
Are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Really Ninjas?
- September 4, 2005
- James Skemp
Description: Are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles really ninjas, or are they something else?
On Natalie Portman
- July 24, 2005
- James Skemp
Description: On Ms. Natalie Portman.
Created: July 24th 2005
Modified: n/a
Notes: Spoilers to the referenced movies are included in this article.
Why Should We Care About Strangers? Or Should We?
- July 6, 2005
- James Skemp
Back when I was in college, I can recall talking to one Ms. Tessa Gruszynski regarding how, basically, I was going to stop caring about, or being kind to, strangers. I believe the particular item was holding open doors for people who would make no gesture of thanks.
Why I Don't Have 'Friends'
- June 10, 2005
- James Skemp
Description: A brief article on why I personally don't have friends, with some discussion of what friends may be.
Created: June 10th 2005
Modified: n/a
Notes: n/a
Arthur Schopenhauer's Principle of Sufficient Reason
- June 1, 2005
- James Skemp
Description: A brief article regarding Arthur Schopenhauer's principle of sufficient reason, discussed in his work On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason.
Created: January 21st - 22nd 2004
Modified: February 6th 2004; June 14th 2004; April 27th 2005; June 1st 2005
The Man Born on the Day of God's Rest - Marciello Punto, Domingo
- May 19, 2005
- James Skemp
Description: A short biography of a man with little available biographical information, Marciello Punto, Domingo.
Created: May 18th 2005
Modified: May 19th 2005
Notes: Much thanks to Silvia and DDT for their Italian translation skills.
Is Volunteering Equal to Donating, and Vice Versa?
- May 6, 2005
- James Skemp
On the Saying 'Is it better to live a lie, or know the truth and cry?'
- April 27, 2005
- James Skemp
Back on the second of February 2002, I first, as far as I can recall or prove, wrote down the question “Is it better to live a lie, or know the truth and cry?” The item that this was written in was an item called Guide to One Philosophy of Life: Revision 1, and consisted of twelve pages of material from January 30, 2002 to September 29, 2002. While I kept saying that I was going to get back to it and revise it, I never did.
A recent item on a LiveJournal journal, along with something I had read earlier in the day on the same area, reminded me of this quote that I had written so long ago. After some searching, I found it in the item mentioned above.
My task here is to discuss this question that I have raised. Of course, it being April 27 2005, I should point out that I do not have an answer to this question as of yet. Perhaps that suggests that I am doing more of the former than the latter, or perhaps it is because the latter has gotten me no closer to the answer of this question.
Raymond Smullyan's Knight and Knave Word Problem
- April 24, 2005
- James Skemp
According to David Gries (via his site), logician Raymond Smullyan stated the following word problem in one of his many books, which regards lying knaves and truthful knights.
English language books by or on Arthur Schopenhauer
- February 2, 2005
- James Skemp
If you’re going to read more on Arthur Schopenhauer, I suggest you start with his main works, followed by other primary resources (id est, books written by him), followed by secondary resources.
For ease, I’ve compiled a list of books currently available to the English language reader. Obviously, if you can read German, it makes little sense to purchase any of the translations, since the language the work was written in is better suited for Schopenhauer’s original thoughts.
Should Doctors Always Tell Patients the Truth?
- December 31, 2004
- James Skemp
On Humour at Another's Expense
- October 25, 2004
- James Skemp
What are the futures of those illusions Freud?
- September 26, 2004
- James Skemp
On the Saying 'God is Odd'
- September 17, 2004
- James Skemp
Overview of Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy
- September 3, 2004
- James Skemp
On Mohandas and Arun Gandhi's Blunders of the World
- August 16, 2004
- James Skemp
Heidegger's Principle of Reason Lectures
- June 17, 2004
- James Skemp
The reason I picked up Martin Heidegger's The Principle of Reason was quite simple - having read Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation and agreed with many of his points, I attempt to further my knowledge of his principles as much as possible. While Heidegger doesn't mention Schopenhauer a single time in his thirteen Lectures, nor in his Address, Schopenhauer certainly discusses the Principle of Reason, pulling off of Leibniz, and is therefore a blatant oversight of Heidegger's to not mention Schopenhauer at all. Whether this is unintentional one cannot know from simply the text, but for a German philosopher to not know another German philosopher who covered the same content is quite surprising, to say the very least.
On Rest
- June 13, 2004
- James Skemp
Overview of Leibniz's The Principles of Philosophy, or, the Monadology
- June 12, 2004
- James Skemp
The following is meant to be an overview of The Principles of Philosophy, or, the Monadology (1714), by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). My main interest in Leibniz is to see how his work relates to the works of Arthur Schopenhauer. Any notes that I make should be read with this in mind.
Heilbroner's Inquiry Into the Human Prospect
- February 6, 2004
- James Skemp
On the Speed Limit
- February 4, 2004
- James Skemp
Let's assume, firstly, that you are driving in a 55 mile per hour (mph) zone. Now, that is the speed limit, or, in other words, the limitation of traffic/vehicle speed. Now, if you are going 55 mph, then you are going 100% of the allocated speed. That is, you are going 55 in a 55 zone.
Now, if you are going 50 mph, in that same 55 mph zone, then you are going 90.90% of the allocated speed (50 / 55). So, you are going ~ 9.1% under the speed limit (5 / 55). Now, if you are going 5 mph over the speed limit, or 60 mph, then you are going ~ 9.1% over the speed limit, or, 109% of the allocated speed limit (60 / 55). Now, 109% over the posted speed limit is not that bad.
Now, let us assume that you are going 65 mph in a 55 mph zone. 65 / 55 is equal to 1.18, so, you are going 118% over the speed limit. Now, what about 7 mph over the speed limit (in a 55 mph zone)? Well, 62 mph translates to ~ 113% of the speed limit, or 13% over the speed limit.
Now, let us take that 7 mph and translate it to a few different speeds, which tend to be common road speeds (at least in Wisconsin), as well as what 5 mph over the speed limit would be, as well as 10 mph over. All percentages are rounded to the nearest percent (1%) in this and in later tables.
On Clowns Taking the Souls of People, Especially the Young, and Encapsulating Them Within Balloons
- January 17, 2004
- James Skemp
Please God recall that I am naught but a sinner.
In Your arms I am released - In Your arms I am free.
Please God let those that are wary be shown the true path.
Please God walk with me as You have walked with those that have come before.
-A Prayer
A Brief Discussion Amongst 19th Century Thinkers
- December 14, 2003
- James Skemp
Thoughts and comments on Waking Life: The Holy Moment
- December 11, 2003
- James Skemp
Overview of B.F. Skinner's Beyond Freedom & Dignity: Chapter 6
- December 9, 2003
- James Skemp
Can One Find a Philosopher in Nietzsche?
- December 8, 2003
- James Skemp
As with the 19th century figure Kierkegaard, one could quite easily ask whether the 19th century writer Nietzsche is a philosopher. After all, if we compare their writings to the writings of such 19th century philosophers as Hegel and Schopenhauer, we are confronted with quite a difference. Yet, basing our decision of whether someone is a philosopher on the format of their writings is, I believe, flawed. Rather, one should base their decision of whether someone is a philosopher on the content of the writings. For this paper, I will be doing exactly this: I will be looking at the content of Nietzsche's writings in order to show that he is doing philosophy, and is therefore a philosopher.
On the Saying "A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned"
- December 1, 2003
- James Skemp
Michael Dawson's Tri-Level Hypothesis and Cognitive Science
- November 30, 2003
- James Skemp
On the Saying 'Change is Good'
- November 24, 2003
- James Skemp
Written on a piece of paper: November 17 2003
- November 17, 2003
- James Skemp
Beyond the Biological Imperative
- October 30, 2003
- James Skemp
Quite a few years ago I took a lower level Introduction to Biology course in college. While I did pretty bad in the course, I did learn quite a few things. One of the things that I learned was about the 'Biological Imperative'. The 'Biological Imperative', as I now understand it - whether or not it was taught like this - is that all biological beings are born/created (not in the 'Creation' sense, but rather as a way to express plants, which are not born, per se, and some animals, which are hatched, and are not, per se, born) with certain desires/strivings. These strivings are applicable to any, and all, biological entities. For this article, I'd like to discuss the Biological Imperative in various ways. First, I'd like to describe what I believe the Biological Imperative is, at it's fundamental root - at a level basic, and truly applicable, to any and all biological entities. Then, I'd like to mention how culture appears to fit into all of this, bringing in Philosophy when possible and applicable.
Schopenhauer's Relationship with Aesthetic Contemplation and Asceticism
- October 22, 2003
- James Skemp
Starting from the truth that "the world is my representation" [3], Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation lays down what Schopenhauer believes the world is. After determining that the world is not only representation, but also will, he goes on to discuss how this all works together, and how other philosophers work into this system. For this paper, I will be focusing on the relationship between aesthetic contemplation and asceticism within this work.
Hegel and Plato's Principle of Activation: The Dialectic
- September 29, 2003
- James Skemp
A Response to Marilyn Adamson's Article Titled 'Is There A God?'
- August 27, 2003
- James Skemp
On the Saying 'Idle Hands are the Devil's Tools'
- June 2, 2003
- James Skemp
It is said that "Idle Hands Are The Devil's Tools", meaning that when one is bored, one tends to get into trouble. I have a problem, or concern, with this statement however. Let's say I'm bored and I end up setting fire to a kerosene soaked blanket which ends up leading to my home becoming engulfed in flames. Now, if we want to get technical, which is exactly what I want to do, then as soon as my hands are no longer idle - as soon as I begin to do something with my hands - they are not the devil's tools, right?
On the Saying "The Customer is Always Right"
- May 19, 2003
- James Skemp
Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Final Text Analysis
- May 14, 2003
- James Skemp
Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica and the Question of the Will
- May 13, 2003
- James Skemp
The Analytic and Phenomenological Traditions in Relation to Intentionality
- May 11, 2003
- James Skemp
Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Final Take Home Exam
- May 7, 2003
- James Skemp
Experience as the Central Value of the Age of Reason
- May 5, 2003
- James Skemp
Epistemology: Paper on Husserl and Logical Investigations
- April 27, 2003
- James Skemp
The Importance of One
- April 21, 2003
- James Skemp
On the Saying "If God exists, let him strike me down where I stand"
- April 13, 2003
- James Skemp
Crane's Intentionality of the Mental in Relation to Perception and Thought
- March 30, 2003
- James Skemp
Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Mid Term Take Home Exam/Essays
- March 24, 2003
- James Skemp
Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Textual Analysis Paper 1
- March 13, 2003
- James Skemp
Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Text Analysis 2
- February 23, 2003
- James Skemp
The Problems of Perception and Thought as Discussed by Michael Corrado
- February 16, 2003
- James Skemp
Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Text Analysis 1
- February 10, 2003
- James Skemp
Philosophy, Politics, and Law Final Regarding Justice and Various Philosophers
- December 18, 2002
- James Skemp
Husserl's Phenomenological Epoché and Theory of Intentionality
- December 16, 2002
- James Skemp
The Increase of the Power of Man and Science as the Main Theme of the Nineteenth Century
- December 15, 2002
- James Skemp
Science and Human Values Final: What makes an experiment ethical?
- December 8, 2002
- James Skemp
Can Man and Society Exist Without Religion?
- November 27, 2002
- James Skemp
Philosophy, Politics, and Law Final Prospectus
- November 27, 2002
- James Skemp
The Three Kinds of Inference
- November 12, 2002
- James Skemp
Recently, while listening to a philosophical discussion, I came to hear that there were not two kinds of inference (deductive and inductive), as I thought before, but instead that there were three kinds; deductive, inductive, and abductive. Wanting to know more about abductive reasoning, I did a little search, finding the following information.
Dostoevsky's Underground Man as the Creation of Society
- October 31, 2002
- James Skemp
Rules for Sentential Logic
- October 29, 2002
- James Skemp
It is important to mention what sentential logic is. While my guide has been out for almost two years now, I’ve yet to discuss what these rules are for. Sentential logic is one logical system, by which conclusions can be reached via premises, which may or may not be true. The truth of the premises does not concern sentential logic. Rather, sentential logic will tell you what conclusions necessarily come from the premises posited.
Searching for a Friend: The Quest for a Definition of 'Friend' -or- What is a Friend? -or- Relationships with Others
- October 29, 2002
- James Skemp
The Problem
What exactly is it that makes an individual a ‘friend’? Why is one person a ‘friend’, another not, and yet another your ‘best friend’?
Antony Flew and The Falsification Debate
- October 2, 2002
- James Skemp
Guide to One Philosophy of Life: Revision 1
- September 29, 2002
- James Skemp
Descartes, Meditations and the Problem of the Dualism
- May 6, 2002
- James Skemp
Confucian View on Conflict and the Ruler
- April 22, 2002
- James Skemp
Applied Theoretical Ethics Term Paper
- April 21, 2002
- James Skemp
The Great Learning of the Confucian School
- March 30, 2002
- James Skemp
Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and Nichomachean Ethics
- December 20, 2001
- James Skemp
Perspectives on Human Values: The Renaissance: Final Paper: Montaigne
- December 12, 2001
- James Skemp
Chapter Synopsis - Chapter XIX, John Locke
- November 3, 2001
- James Skemp
Ancient Philosophy: The Importance of Socrates
- October 30, 2001
- James Skemp
Ancient Philosophy: The Importance of Socrates (First draft)
- October 25, 2001
- James Skemp
Erasmus' Understanding of Authority
- October 10, 2001
- James Skemp
One Page Response Paper - Erasmus, "On the Freedom of The Will"
- September 19, 2001
- James Skemp
Division of Labor for Presentation: Nukes (5/4/01)
- May 4, 2001
- James Skemp
Rousseau's Social Contract and the Foundation of Western Culture
- March 7, 2001
- James Skemp
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