Book Summaries
The Cynics and Skeptics (A History of Western Philosophy)
Aristotle was the last philosopher to describe the world cheerfully. Diogynenes and the Cynics who came after saw the world as something to recoil from, as something dangerous and doomed. In the third century BC, Cynicism became the most popular doctrine.
Aristotle was the last philosopher to describe the world cheerfully. Diogynenes and the Cynics who came after saw the world as something to recoil from, as something dangerous and doomed.
In the third century BC, Cynicism became the most popular doctrine. But it did not appeal to those who had political, scientific, or artistic ambitions, but to those who were severely disappointed with life, and required a philosophy that would justify their resentment at authority.
The best parts of Cynicism transferred into Stoicism, which was a more complete philosophy. Skepticism, on the other hand, was a philosophy that appealed to the lazy, since it equated men of learning with ignorant men.
The man of science thinks that he has an idea about something but he is not sure if he is right, the intellectually curious man does not know how something works but hopes to find out, while the skeptic thinks that no one knows anything, or ever will know anything.
It is this conclusion that lends so much criticism to the skeptic school, for why we do not know anything for sure, we do know that some things are more probable than others.
YARPP List
Related posts:
- Ancient Philosophy (A History of Western Philosophy)
- Stoicism (A History of Western Philosophy)
- Leibnitz (A History of Western Philosophy)
- Kant (A History of Western Philosophy)
Keep Reading
Related Articles
Book Summaries
Chapter 2: The Investor and Inflation (The Intelligent Investor)
Inflation is an investment concern because it depletes real wealth, and the purchasing power of profits and principal. Fixed income securities are usually most hard hit.
Book Summaries
Science, Politics, and Gnosticism Summary (7/10)
“Science, Politics, and Gnosticism” is an essay written by political philosopher Eric Voegelin in which he critiques the philosophical movement of Gnosticism and its influence on modern society.
Book Summaries
Purple Cow Summary (8/10)
Godin starts off Purple Cow with the idea that the end of the TV industrial revolution created a new more complex dynamic in the world of business. While TV still works and it is possible to get sales through traditional spending methods, they don’t work nearly as well.
Book Summaries
Meditations on Moloch And Mimesis
In the vast expanse of human history, civilizations have been plagued by coordination problems that have given rise to destructive forces. These forces, often characterized by a lack of cooperation and harmony, have the potential to undermine the very fabric of societies.