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Events dear boy, events.


Here you can see the shed on another gloomy morning. Very apt for this wretched building.

I was going through an old book the other day and found a sentence scribbled in my handwriting in the margin. I hadn't thought about the topic in some time, but I think I still agree with the younger me (although in general I am a little more sanguine these days).
"This Descartes needs a good fucking kicking."


What do you reckon? Does Descartes deserve a damn good thrashing?
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Comments

Colette Amelia said…
Not a fan of Rene myself. the mind body disconnect does not hold water to me.
9 March 2009 at 12:04
Miles McClagan said…
As long as you leave Deschamps alone...
9 March 2009 at 20:05
KL said…
ABSOLUTELY NOT especially for his contribution to Mathematics.
9 March 2009 at 22:24
Kris McCracken said…
Colette, here here!
10 March 2009 at 12:50
Kris McCracken said…
Miles, why? He was rubbish at Chelsea...
10 March 2009 at 12:50
Kris McCracken said…
KL, but what about the animals, that's what I want to know?
10 March 2009 at 12:51
KL said…
Animals!!?? As far as I know and remember, he was famous for his philosophy and mathematics. Where did animals come? Okay, I need to read him and about him again then..yuck...yuck..yuck...[never going to happen].

Mui have no idea about connection between him and animals. Honest fact about me - I am a hardcore math and science person. From humanity side, I love art, literature, music and also participating in them. But those other subjects of sociology, philosophy don't interest me much :-(. I like to daydream and think about my own philosophies but not reading and discussing others. Very ignorant and uneducated in those fields :-(:-(.......

So, what is it with Descartes and animals?
10 March 2009 at 23:56
Kris McCracken said…
KL, Descartes argued that animals were simple automata that might act as if they are conscious, but really are not so.

This mechanistic approach allowed for abominable treatment of animals (cruelty as sport, vivisection etc) and influenced generations of attitudes and behaviour that should make many 'rational' human beings ashamed of themselves.
11 March 2009 at 06:23
KL said…
Ah! you have brought back memories of my undergrad days. I now remember all these discussions. Cruelty against animal or anything is disgusting. And Descartes should be vilified for that, but then he was a man of that time. And, also cruelty against animals had been going on centuries before him - they were/are butchered for food, forced to carry heavy loads and work on fields and what not!!!!!!!! :-|....
11 March 2009 at 23:30
Kris McCracken said…
KL, as I have expanded upon today, it's not that Descartes endorsed poor practices, he established a 'scientific' rationalisation for the such practices. The Cartesian view of animals dominated European thought for a good few hundred years, and - to my mind - is ethically, morally and scientifically unsound.
12 March 2009 at 12:12
KL said…
Agree and very much agree. But such ideas are still prominent, unfortunately. Recently i was reading that a rare white deer has been spotted in the UK and people are getting ready to pay a minimum of 5000 pound (!!!) to hunt and kill that animal down and get his head as a souvenir. I don't get all these human psychology :-|....

Ok, gotta go now. Good night (good afternoon). With my spring break, I have been enjoying your blog (need to find out what was your first entry). But come monday, work starts and all the fun will vaporize.
12 March 2009 at 13:26
Kris McCracken said…
KL, how depressing!

I'll write shorter posts for you.
12 March 2009 at 14:19
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