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WerMaat

['Member']Joined: July 12, 2019 at 21:41Last active: December 29, 2019 at 21:431 discussions69 comments
Location: Enschede

Favourite Philosopher

Ptah-Hotep, Socrates, Abu Bakr al-Razi, Kant

Favourite Quotations

Do not be proud on account of your knowledge,
but discuss with the ignorant as with the wise.
The limits of the craft cannot be reached;
there is no artist whose talent is fulfilled.
Fine words are more rare than malachite,
but can be found with the servant women at the grindstone.
(Teaching of Ptah-Hotep)

Discussions (1)

Comments

In: Invisible Boundary Lines, or Our Desire for Structure  — view comment
Agreed, but I don't think words are required. I believe that birds and mammals can do that, as in: animals that learn from experience and adapt their ...
August 01, 2019 at 11:12
In: Invisible Boundary Lines, or Our Desire for Structure  — view comment
Fun fact: I read the opening post while crossing a national border. (It was the German-Dutch border, so there's no controls. Just a sign at the side o...
August 01, 2019 at 07:40
In: Why doesn't the "mosaic" God lead by example?  — view comment
Concerning Moses and the Exodus: There have been many attempts to prove that the ten plagues and the exodus were actual historical events. But indeed ...
July 31, 2019 at 13:00
In: The Work-Life Balance in Ancient Egyptian Ethics  — view comment
Not quite, it's a hobby. :grin: I don't have a PHD and I don't work in the field, but I attended university up to a bachelor level and I've studied in...
July 31, 2019 at 08:08
In: Are science and religion compatible?  — view comment
This "exception" is a religion that has endured for more than 3000 years as the main religion of large and powerful nation. Again: the title of the th...
July 30, 2019 at 22:47
In: On perfection  — view comment
I cannot give you an objective definition of perfection, but I can give you two words from a different time and culture, for variety and perhaps a new...
July 29, 2019 at 22:54
In: Are science and religion compatible?  — view comment
I have read the paragraph again, but I apologize, I have not found these differences. Your text it still seems to imply that from your proposition tha...
July 29, 2019 at 21:48
In: Are science and religion compatible?  — view comment
You're apparently using Abrahamic religion as your only point of reference. I don't have any "scripture" at all, as my religion is not a revealed reli...
July 29, 2019 at 20:52
In: Are science and religion compatible?  — view comment
Your logic is not sound. There is no scientific prove for the existence of gods - true Therefore gods don't exist - false! The absence of proof does n...
July 29, 2019 at 20:07
In: Where on the evolutionary scale does individuality begin?  — view comment
I'd go with the literal meaning: Individuality begins where an organism reproduces sexually. Then you get recombined and unique genetic material in th...
July 29, 2019 at 06:58
In: Are science and religion compatible?  — view comment
Weren't you just warning against the No True Scotsman fallacy yourself? As I see it, this discussion is still suffering from the definition of terms. ...
July 28, 2019 at 22:21
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Concerning #24: I had been a bit vague about Hegel's definition of "negation" - this passage helps me out a lot. The whole process of universal-negati...
July 28, 2019 at 21:05
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
I'm not disagreeing. But I still posit that this is not in the specific passage I quoted - Hegel is using the Embryo-to-aware-self as a metaphor, he's...
July 28, 2019 at 20:57
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
You are probably correct about Hegel's concept of "Bildung" in general. But in this precise passage of the Vorrede, in this specific context? I don't ...
July 28, 2019 at 20:25
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Fooloso4, don't put to much weight on this sentence... Upon rereading this passage I stumbled across a mismatch in the translation.(It stood out - the...
July 28, 2019 at 19:13
In: The Identity and Morality of a soldier  — view comment
Yes, but is the objective worth the killing? Who as the right to decide that? And should not those that DO the killing have both choice and responsibi...
July 28, 2019 at 15:02
In: Are science and religion compatible?  — view comment
I don't want to derail your discussion, but could you perhaps rename this thread: "Are science and Christian religion compatible?" As a non-Christian ...
July 28, 2019 at 11:18
In: The Identity and Morality of a soldier  — view comment
I don't think that this makes for a significant difference. The German BGB - Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, and StGB - Strafgesetzbbuch - are pretty huge an...
July 28, 2019 at 09:56
In: The Identity and Morality of a soldier  — view comment
No, they don't. It's humans, as in every human, who deserve respect. One: Not all soldiers have served in an actual war. Two: War takes a toll on all ...
July 26, 2019 at 18:08
In: The Identity and Morality of a soldier  — view comment
Not quite. A citizen of any country is also expected to know and follow the law - even if you haven't studied law. A German soldier will not be punish...
July 26, 2019 at 17:53
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
I totally need to memorize this sentence, that's a brilliant way of describing it! Agreed! The only thing we need to guard against is a too strong fix...
July 26, 2019 at 17:47
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
You know, I get the feeling that you have grasped all that pretty well already. Perhaps you are at that point when you have trained and practiced a lo...
July 26, 2019 at 17:29
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Yes, pretty much. I agree! I feel that the Immediacy is more focused on the moment, timeless and floating, while the mediation is more temporal, looki...
July 26, 2019 at 17:19
In: Why doesn't the "mosaic" God lead by example?  — view comment
'nihil ultra ego' Literally "nothing outside of the 'I'", but I'm not familiar with the reference either
July 25, 2019 at 06:10
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
#20 I don't see fundamentally new happening in this paragraph. Actually, Hegel is being quite patient with us, isn't he? I think he's carefully and re...
July 24, 2019 at 20:55
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Thank you, again, for your insights. Bit by bit, I think we're touching some stable ground here and there. Yes, but we need not discard our immediacy ...
July 24, 2019 at 20:29
In: Link Between Feminism And Obesity  — view comment
Above, children, observe the Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc in its natural habitat. This animal is, unfortunately, in no danger of going extinct any time so...
July 24, 2019 at 19:43
In: Link Between Feminism And Obesity  — view comment
indeed! :up: :razz:
July 24, 2019 at 19:22
In: Are there any new age philosophers on the forum  — view comment
of course a field of study! I'd think that religion is a relevant topic in anthropology and psychology. And "New Age" is an interesting current develo...
July 23, 2019 at 15:58
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
just great... now I don't just have Hegel to read and reread again, now I need to do the same AGAIN with your posts.. (just kidding. :grin: Thank you ...
July 22, 2019 at 21:26
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
I agree! :grin: :lol: You know quite a bit of German, don't you? Du kannst mir gerne schreiben, wenn du deutsche Konversation üben möchtest..
July 22, 2019 at 18:23
In: The Identity and Morality of a soldier  — view comment
Perhaps war is a state of chaos, or, one might argue, a state of injustice. But it's certainly not lawless, is it? Humans came up with a huge amount o...
July 22, 2019 at 18:19
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
#19 Is it just me, or was that one rather more easy? Until here, we continue from before, right? Abstract universality is nice, but useless, because i...
July 22, 2019 at 18:10
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Wise words. I guess that Hegel wrote this text with his peers and contemporaries in mind. It was probably much easier for them to get his allusions an...
July 22, 2019 at 17:46
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Good point, I'll make sure to sort out the quote function in future! Sorry about that! .
July 22, 2019 at 17:22
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
Now, I'm not an expert, but this part reminds me of Plotin a little. It sounds like substance is To Hen, the platonic oneness which is totally abstrac...
July 21, 2019 at 13:11
In: On Antinatalism  — view comment
Yes, that's the "I can't make that much of a difference on my own, so why should I try" argument. I hear that all the time when in try to talk people ...
July 21, 2019 at 12:36
In: On Antinatalism  — view comment
I do. I like your arguments in favour of antinatalism. They are precise, clear and valid. Not having children is an ethical personal choice based on a...
July 20, 2019 at 13:34
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
A most generous gift! (and I love how you phrased that) Thank you all for your helpful comments! I currently feel that I have nothing useful to add, b...
July 19, 2019 at 22:52
In: Is belief in the supernatural an intelligent person’s game?  — view comment
There must be a degree of weakness in those, too, that light themselves a fire because the night is chilly. Admittedly a matter of convenience. Huddli...
July 19, 2019 at 22:37
In: If they didn't, why didn't the Egyptians use animals in the building of the pyramids?  — view comment
Well, we can only speculate... But: 1. the Egyptians considered a type of lettuce an aphrosidiac. The plant was sacred to Min, who was always depicted...
July 19, 2019 at 17:06
In: Does the bible promote Veganism?  — view comment
True. But are the good bits worth the other stuff? Actually, in my personal opinion, they should just throw out anything written by Paul. He brought i...
July 19, 2019 at 14:14
In: Reading Group, Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. Walter Kaufman.  — view comment
OK, #15 I think I get most of that. I'd summarize like this: Hegel has just presented and defended his idea, saying that the new concept of science is...
July 19, 2019 at 10:17
In: If they didn't, why didn't the Egyptians use animals in the building of the pyramids?  — view comment
lol, well, that's a valid explanation for all the bones of cattle that Mark Lehner's expeditions found... the oxen kept getting smushed. And since the...
July 19, 2019 at 09:05
In: What good is a good god, when people want an evil god?  — view comment
Maat isn't an analogy, she's the heart of my religion. But okay, let me put it in more generic terms. "in accordance with Maat" means to me: - practic...
July 18, 2019 at 19:36
In: What good is a good god, when people want an evil god?  — view comment
Thank you for this link! I like this idea presented in the video: That it's in the end rather irrelevant if Jesus even existed as a historical figure....
July 18, 2019 at 19:12
In: What good is a good god, when people want an evil god?  — view comment
Again, fair point. I would ask if you have a suggestions for a more useful term or definition, but again, that's off topic. Is there any existing post...
July 18, 2019 at 14:58
In: What good is a good god, when people want an evil god?  — view comment
Yes. :smile: I might argue some of the finer points, but the Wikipedia entry offers a good summary
July 18, 2019 at 14:46
In: What good is a good god, when people want an evil god?  — view comment
Fair point. You seem to define "good" as "profitable or pleasurable"? I see it differently, since I define "good" as "in accordance with Maat", and th...
July 18, 2019 at 14:20
In: What good is a good god, when people want an evil god?  — view comment
Is this speculation, or do you have any historical clues pointing to this interpretation? I'd be extremely curious to hear more about it since I perso...
July 18, 2019 at 11:47
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