“I still read a lot about teenage angst! Of course, any kind of mourning CAN become pathological and then it 'has to stop', but to move through life untouched by the loss of hopes, beliefs and aspirations once cherished is also questionable.” KindStillsMovingCoursesBeliefLossMourningAspirationTeenageAngstQuestionableTeenage Angst Author:George Pattison
“Of course, it's always difficult to disentangle fact from fiction in relation to, e.g., the singularity project. Many scientists I know are dismissive of transhumanist claims, BUT the last 100 years has surely taught us never to underestimate the pace and scope of scientific progress. However, even if much of this turns out to be science-fiction, it also reveals a way of thinking about human life that I find deeply troubling.” IfsThinkingKnowsWayYearsHumansFactsLastsTurnsCoursesDifficultFictionProgressTaughtProjectsScientistClaimsRelationScience FictionHuman LifePaceUnderestimateScopeWay Of ThinkingTaught UsSingularityScientific Progress Author:George Pattison
“Of course, if one's reading Kierkegaard for personal interest that's fine - but it's sloppy scholarship just to cherry pick what suits one from a particular author, whether it's Kierkegaard, Heidegger, or whoever. Nevertheless, it does seem to me that even the more religious parts of the authorship can offer significant insights into the meaning of the human condition to those who can't then say that, e.g., they believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and their personal Saviour.” IfsBelieveHumansDoeSeemsCoursesReadingJesusInterestChristReligiousConditionsParticularSonFineOffersPicksJesus ChristInsightSignificantSuitsHuman ConditionNeverthelessScholarshipSaviourCherriesAuthorshipSloppyPersonal InterestHeidegger Author:George Pattison
“It's strange that in an age when we pride ourselves on our independence of thought we meekly submit without further question to the declaration of a clearly unbalanced nineteenth century philosopher that God is dead! That's cheeky, of course - and one rarely comes away from reading Nietzsche without learning something new and significant. He's certainly FAR more unsettling for faith than any contemporary atheist I know of.” KnowsAgeCoursesReadingCenturyStrangePrideIndependenceAtheistPhilosopherSignificantContemporarySomething NewSubmitDeclarationNineteenth CenturyUnbalancedGod Is DeadLearning Something NewCheekyIndependence Of Thought Author:George Pattison