tomreading

Category: Philosophy

  • Aristotle: Poetics – My Notes (TRM’s notes)

      Poetics Stageira, Macedonia Ethics Poetics Introduction Aristotle was much admired in the ancient world for the elegance and clarity of his style. Unfortunately, the writings which earned him that esteem have not survived. Notes (perhaps in many cases lecture notes) in general the style is cryptic, condensed and elusive Aristotle’s ideas on poetry The…

  • “The Analysis of Matter”, Bertrand Russell (TRM’s notes)

    The Analysis of Matter   by Bertrand Russell Chapter 1 The Nature of the Problem The general theory of relativity Quantum phenomena The ‘Philosophical outcome” of physics Aesthetic considerations The word ‘entities’ The definitions of cardinal numbers, ratios, real numbers, etc. The theory of finite integers Weierstrass Peano The progression of finite cardinal numbers as defined…

  • The Problems of Philosophy (1912)- Bertrand Russell [TRM’s notes]

    Problems of Philosophy                                     Bertrand Russell Ch. 1 Philosophers deeply concerned with the way things ‘are’ Inference and appearance Various sensations ‘signs’ of some properties The ‘real’ table is not immediately ‘known’ to us Is there a ‘real’…

  • Langer’s ‘Introduction to Symbolic Logic’ (TRM’s highlights)

    An Introduction to Symbolic Logic                  Suzanne K. Langer Introduction The first thing that strikes the student of Symbolic Logic is that it has developed along several apparently unrelated lines Branches of logic are so many studies in generalization Progressive systematization and generalization Discovery of abstract forms Is a technique as well as a theory, and…

  • ‘Principles of Mathematics’ Russell (TRM’s highlights)

    Principles of Mathematics                        Russell Introduction Hilbert and the Formalists theory Hilbert refuted Brouwer intuitionist theory Weyl An infinite statement Jorgensen, ‘Treatise of Formal Logic’ ‘numbers are symbols which mean nothing’ p.9 Numbers and atheism The theory of descriptions The abolition of classes ‘x’ wrote Waverly is equivalent to x is Scott is true for all…

  • notes for Carnap’s ‘Introduction to Symbolic Logic and its Applications’ (TRM’s notes)

    Introduction to Symbolic Logic                   R. Carnap Part one System of Symbolic Logic Chapter A The Simple Language A The Problem of Symbolic Logic The purpose of symbolic language. A language A schema Pure and applied Part three – more comprehensive Treatment of concepts of any kind Frege, Russell, Hilbert Logic of relations Axiomatic method ‘Principia…

  • Ritual Art and Knowledge (TRM’s high-lites) by Williams and Boyd

    Ritual Art and Knowledge                                R. Williams and W. Boyd Preface noetic Theories of metaphor Theodore Jennings – a difference of analysis Dastur Dr. Firoze M. Kotwal Zoroaster Yasna Avesta Chapter I  a) Art and Ritual Albert Camus: art as an instrument…

  • Being and Time by Martin Heidegger (TRM’s notes)

    Being and Time                                                                         Martin Heidegger Foreword Perhaps the most celebrated philosophical work which Germany has produced in this century. one of the most important philosophical works of modern times. No other [twentieth century] text, besides the possible exception of Wittgenstein’s ‘Philosophical Investigations’ has exerted such a profound and enduring influence on the way philosophy is…

  • W.V.O. Quine’s ‘Elementary Symbolic Logic’ (TRM’s hi-lites)

    Elementary Logic                                        W.V.O. Quine   Revised edition Preface , 1980 ‘Mathematical Logic’ ‘Elementary Logic’, 1940 ‘Methods of Logic’ Godel Quantification theory admits of a complete proof procedure Boston, March 1980 Preface to Revised Edition Minimum essentials ‘Methods of Logic’ Skolem and Herbrand Testing procedure Proof technique Modernization of terminology Cantor Hilbert and Bernays Harvard, Massachusetts,…

  • Russell’s History of Western Philosophy – Book Three: Modern Philosophy (TRM hi-lites)

    Book Three – Modern Philosophy      General characteristics –          diminishing authority of Church –          increasing influence of Science –          National States –          kings, democracies or tyrants –          American and French Revolutions –          Socialism 1917 –          more lay than clerical –          commerce…