| |
| |
|
Humanities Information |
|
|
|
Ancient Philosophy On The Internet Can Change How We Think
Here I am again sitting at my computer, my job is to write about the positive aspects of the Internet. I'd like to think of myself as a bit of a novice philosopher as well as writer. The other day in poetry class at university my lecturer mentioned a quote from a guy who I had already read and enjoyed, Baruch/Benedictus Spinoza. The quote mentioned was quite a simple one, and in my opinion simplicity is the best form of communication (and everything else for that matter). Spinoza once said, "Reality is perfection." I feel this idea is quite a powerful one indeed, in relation to all aspects of life, including the Internet. Where do you go these days when you want to find out about anything? Church? School? Parents? No, you go to the Internet. The Internet is the collective pool of unconscious, sub consciousness, and conscious ideas, beliefs, knowledge and wisdom of humanity from the past to the present. There has never been such a tool available for us. Of course there is a perfectly imperfect amount of crap out there to sift through as well, but that is intrinsic in this perfectly balanced reality that has always existed. So, if reality has always been perfect, why is the existence of the Internet anything special? The truth is, it is only as special as anything else in life. Now, you have to ask yourself, "Is life special?" I think you know the answer to that one?then again there's that perfect paradoxical balance. Why the Internet then? Well, my younger brother once said, and I don't know where he pulled this little tidbit of wisdom, "The only constant in the Universe is that everything is in constant transition." The Internet exists because of a natural progression in human thinking; it's an evolution of our collective minds. It is a constructed idea formed through the process of eternal change. Human beings have a huge history spanning at least half a million years. As well as the magic feeling of love there has always been the balancing emotion of fear. It seems that over time societies go through different stages where one of these feelings dominates and then permeates general actions by the community. At the moment many people would find it hard to disagree with the fact that we are in a period of fear. With war, hatred and segregation prevalent in reality as well as the 'reality' presented by the media news and TV/film, fear is reigning supreme in many of our daily interactions. This relates to the use of the Internet because it looks as though people are afraid to get on the Web. I used to be afraid for Pete's sake! To tell you the truth I still have some irrational fears when it comes to researching a paper for school. I often think, "Will I find the 'right' information?" The answer of course is that there is always a possibility of things going wrong, that's this perfection of reality. Life would be stale, stagnant and sterile otherwise. The key lies in our belief in this perfection. The Internet has eliminated the need to go to libraries and carry around huge books just to read small sections of each. There is also less need to get to a science library and then sociology, mathematics etc. So much information is now available to people in our own homes. Whether you are researching seventeenth century philosophers' ways of thinking for personal or professional reasons, or even just looking up information on how to make your own chai tea, or on how to change the oil on your car; the Internet is a source for so many areas of interest it is simply mind boggling. It is truly the most perfect form of reality's perfection in modern contemporary society. That's why they call this the Information age right? The only problem has to deal with the perfectly imperfect amount of pornography that constitutes more than half of all websites on the Web. What does this say about our current moral disposition in our changing perception's construct of reality? I'll leave you with that one to ponder? About The Author Jesse S. Somer Jesse S. Somer is a novice writer and philosopher thinking about the real meaning behind the existence of the World Wide Web.
MORE RESOURCES:
Humanities - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Christopher Columbus CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: - It seems a mystery to most academics why the governments who are based on Manifest Destiny and the 'colon'-ization of the world by Christophe Colon (this is the name he wanted to be called and may actually be the Catalan Cathar name for him. Colon means 'Dove' and it is the Dove of Jesus or Peace which the Cathars sought to provide in their Gnostic ecumenicism. The Dazzling Beauty of the Shwedagon Paya The Shwedagon Paya is much more than just another temple. It is the cultural and religious heart of Myamar. Sun Tzu: The Art of War The Art of War is an ancient Chinese text on strategy and warfare written by a Sun Wu, a brilliant military general more than two thousand years ago. It is considered one of the oldest attempts at analyzing and documenting the specific components of strategic warfare, with wisdom that is as applicable today as it was thousands of years ago. Is Timing the Secret of Success? Success is often viewed as a magic potion. Market demand has always been there, but no-one has worked out the recipe or how to bottle it. How To Get Rich and Die Quick! It is funny how web site promotion can suddently plunge you into literary exploits.. Ludlow Festival His plays and adaptations have been performed in many countries and in many languages. Among the many adaptations Berkoff has created for the stage, directed and toured, are Kafka's Metamorphosis and The Trial, Agamemnon after Aeschylus, and Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt2 (Mad) King George III King George III who suffered from porphyria, a maddening disease, was born in 1738 to Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta. In 1761 George married Charlotte of Mecklinburg-Strelitz and together produced fifteen children: nine sons and six daughters. Family, Incest, and Law Family Values in Ancient Times:Many people of the present make some very grave and disturbing assumptions about prior unethical behaviour by humans. My theories may be biased and overly appreciative of a time before Empire and there is less data due to the destructive power of Empire and the hegemony to go on. Babel vs. the PC Imagine a time when mankind was young. Migration led many to the land of Shinar. Saturn: Your Challenge to Become An Expert The true meaning of Saturn is that he is the teacher of the deeper lessons of life. Therefore, what he demands is that you learn your life lessons so well that you will never forget them. When We Was Kids In Chicago Radio was the big communicator, back when I was a kid. Whole families huddled around the speaker of that hulk. Art, Artists, and the Web: Part 1--Why Every Artist Should Have Their Own Website First rate art is in danger of being left behind in this new age of the global Internet highway. The World Wide Web is like Walmart or Home Depot coming to town. Building Catapults Required Engineering Know How When building catapults, armies had to include in their ranks those people capable of employing complicated mathematical formulas and turning them into machines of war.While their appearance on the warfare scene dramatically changed tactics for quite literally hundreds of years, it was no easy task for medieval armies to create the machines of war they needed to help ensure victory. Cosmic Cow The cow is a mother to mankind whom we should love,respect and protect. Her milk is the life blood for many species, including humans. The Saga of Puffed Wheat Anderson, A Minnesota Legend I have no idea how old I was when I first learned about the famed Minnesota scientist and inventor Alex P. Anderson, AKA Puffed Wheat Anderson. Learn How to Solve Problems With a Feng Shui Mirror A mirror, when becoming a feng shui mirror, can be used to many more things than allowing us to see how we look. Feng shui teaches how a feng shui mirror can be used in order to solve many different problems, and we will describe some of these uses through the next few lines. True Story; Why Can't We all Just Get Along? A little girl came up to her mom in the store and she asked, Mom do we celebrate Hanukah? The little girl had obviously seen a sign in the store that said Celebrate Hanukah next to some merchandise. The mom said no we do not celebrate hanakah, but pointed to a lady sitting in the bookstore in the middle of the café and said that lady over there does. When Does Man Become God? Some scientists argue over creation and evolution and they argue did man create god or did god create man. And without that ongoing and predictable out of debate, lets discuss our scientific advancements. The Sixties A decade that stands out above the rest of our world's history as a time of revolutionary changes from all over the globe - changes that even effected outer space. There was unprecedented levels of sexual freedom celebrated among the world's youth, and teenagers around the world revolted against the generations before them. Egyptian Handmade Perfume Bottles Blown glass, a very ancient technique, is the oldest among the handicrafts. It is said by some, that ancient Egyptians were the original inventors of glass making techniques.
|
|
|
| © How To Find Out About.com 2007 |
