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peter m asked in Arts & HumanitiesPhilosophy · 3 weeks ago

The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef ?

A good fictional subjective story.... or a brilliant descriptive step in search

of better and better philosophy ?

Update:

The book has been published yet here and I am awaiting a copy (2 actually).

Nevertheless in case it is or is not "better and better philosophy" as I have asked

(but with no takers or just one answerer here..) but do not want to prejudge then

I will also ask is it also a descriptive and psychological/ sociological step in the

direction of more and more critical & rational philosophy of the Objective Kind ?

Philosophy which of course "escapes" the like of the one answerer below and

possibly 

Update 2:

scares the rest of the "subjectives" here... who really NEED SCARING because

of their many mistaken so called philosophy answers... and also with their

few attempts EVEN AT ASKING PROPER PHILOSOPHY Questions, Lol.

And excuse me for laughing but it has been a serious discussion here for 16

years or so, although if virtually nothing has been gained then that has been

firmly because of these so called (philosopher) commentators who have just

regurgitated in the main what they think is...

Update 3:

the story of philosophy ; and from the likes of them a rather useless story at

that !

1 Answer

Relevance
  • j153e
    Lv 7
    3 weeks ago

    Haven't read it; she does repeat the point that scientific observation is better than the simple perspective of utilitarian selfishness.  However, science as utilitarian clarity is not new, and Husserl and Whitehead, among recent philosophers, have developed the "scout mindset" well before Ms. Galef discovered it for herself, unwittingly ironically using a positive version of the "Straw Vulcan":  objective scientific scoutism good, individual selfish utilitarianism bad.

    Each generation may tend to splay itself along classical positions, and Galef's metaphor/process is likely helping the general objectivist /scientistic perspective...however, what's new in that save a perhaps-overly-simplistic championing of scientific methodism?  Husserl, Whitehead, and others have promulgated the "better and better"...but perhaps too complexly for the many, re the key, basic idea of objective > subjective observation.

    So, perhaps a "Moses" shtick in play(?), helpful re selfish complexes, but obviously she unwittingly ironically targets selfish rationalism on the reactionary "right," but not so vis a vis selfish rationalism on the falsely "progressive left."  That difference--between genuine philosophers, and "Moses complex" dichotomizing popularizers--is perhaps why reading the likes of Husserl, Whitehead, et al.--once one has grasped "unbiased objectivism > selfish subjectivism in physis"--is more worthwhile.... 

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