SomeThing for NoThing

[00:00:03]You using way too many napkins [00:00:05]There is I would go too slow to get to that line. [00:00:08]So we're starting chapter six. [00:00:10]Like I said, we're finishing off unit one, which is on [00:00:15]philosophical tools, right?

[00:00:16]And then the goal is to apply these philosophical tools [00:00:19]in the second half of the course. [00:00:21]So I asked you for today [00:00:22]to think about something that could be our anchor [00:00:25]or some sort of cannon that we could use anchor our discourse

[00:00:30]in addition to Plato and the Cutter Upanishad, which I chose. [00:00:36]You'll come up with anything. You. [00:00:40]A B movie. [00:00:42]You've seen the B? [00:00:45]Oh, my God, you haven't seen the B.

[00:00:48]The animated movie, the B without a B? [00:00:52]Yeah, yeah. The movie you have to watch. [00:00:56]I have seen the B movie. [00:00:59]I still have it. [00:01:01]It's not as firm in my memory as it is in yours.

[00:01:06]I mean, you were confused when I said it at first. [00:01:09]Well, I. [00:01:09]Thought it because there's also a B movie like a B, [00:01:12]you know, that's also a thing. But that's it's a play on words, right? [00:01:16]The movie. When you I don't know what that is.

[00:01:21]Oh, it's like a low budget porno [00:01:28]like like Cinemax. [00:01:30]It's like like Cinemax. [00:01:32]You know, Cinemax is not a term anybody uses. No. Okay. [00:01:37]All right. B movie.

[00:01:41]Is that what you want? It was logic. [00:01:46]So I don't talk too much about this good Aristotle. [00:01:52]Quick story. [00:01:53]So when I was when I was at Harvard, I led this teaching conference. [00:01:57]And is that one of the sessions?

[00:02:00]And just like hanging out beforehand and chatting [00:02:01]with one of the other doctoral students [00:02:03]was all for doctoral students, teaching them how to teach [00:02:05]and that kind of stuff. And [00:02:09]this guy,

[00:02:10]I never really interacted [00:02:11]much with the theology, with the philosophy department. [00:02:13]I was in the theology department and [00:02:16]and this guy was like, [00:02:18]I'm doing my doctorate in theology and philosophy.

[00:02:20]And I was like, Oh, cool, you know, [00:02:21]what are you doing your philosophy on, you know, dissertation on? [00:02:24]He said, Peripatetic philosophy. [00:02:27]I said, Oh, wow, that's crazy. [00:02:29]So you don't drive.

[00:02:32]And he was like, What? [00:02:34]I was like, peripatetic philosophy. [00:02:36]And he said, Yeah, you know, like Aristotle. [00:02:39]I was like, Yeah, but [00:02:41]peripatetic means pathetic, meaning walking, impairing

[00:02:45]meaning everywhere, right? [00:02:46]So peripatetic philosophy is walking everywhere. [00:02:49]So it was a super funny joke [00:02:51]and the guy was doing his dissertation on it, didn't get it. [00:02:54]It's like, damn it,

[00:02:56]it's the one time that Dad joke good work and it fails anyway, huh? [00:03:02]I thought it was pretty funny. [00:03:04]Yeah, that's right. [00:03:07]So Aristotle, the kids who came after after after Plato. [00:03:13]Aristotle was Plato's student.

[00:03:16]There's a funny line from one of my favorite lines from the good place [00:03:20]not to be seen. But but yeah. [00:03:24]Kristen Bell, her character says it's like who died in me left. [00:03:27]Aristotle in charge of ethics. [00:03:30]Plato, like,

[00:03:32]literally, Plato died unless Aristotle in charge of ethics. [00:03:34]Like that's literally what happened. [00:03:36]Anyway, we're not talking about ethics, but we're talking about logic. [00:03:40]So Aristotle wrote the book on logic more than one book on logic. [00:03:44]And really good philosopher in logic.

[00:03:48]I'm not a huge fan of his in a lot of other places, [00:03:52]but definitely in terms of logic [00:03:54]and the first rule of logic, part of why [00:03:57]I didn't have any notes for this today. [00:03:59]So I've taught this many times before.

[00:04:01]I taught it in the spring, then got to the final exam and asks like [00:04:06]60, 70% of my students, what's the first rule of logic? [00:04:10]And like four of them got it, which was super frustrating. [00:04:13]It's like I'm trying to make this the main point, right? [00:04:16]First rule of logic.

[00:04:17]First rule of logic. [00:04:19]So I'm going to ask it on the exam [00:04:20]this year and I'm expecting more people to get it right. [00:04:23]First rule of logic is to clearly define your terms. [00:04:30]That's not exactly how Aristotle said it.

[00:04:34]That's what I want you to answer. [00:04:35]Aristotle called it, [00:04:36]or it's usually referred to as the rule of identity. [00:04:40]And it is the second and third rules of logic [00:04:43]really don't matter if you follow the first rule of logic first,

[00:04:47]second and third rule is just become like checks. [00:04:49]Like if you did the first rule of logic, well then second and third [00:04:53]just naturally follow second, third. [00:04:55]I'll go ahead and mention them now, but we'll come back to them. [00:04:58]So the rule of non contradiction and the third is

[00:05:06]the rule of excluded metal. [00:05:08]But again, they all they all kind of depend on doing this person well. [00:05:12]So clearly defining your terms. [00:05:14]So one of the things we talked about the other day [00:05:16]or one of things I talked about the other day,

[00:05:18]so sometimes you get in a conversation [00:05:20]with somebody [00:05:21]where you just feel like talking cross [00:05:23]you're talking across each other, right? [00:05:25]Like you're saying one thing

[00:05:26]and they're just hearing something different [00:05:28]and they're responding in a way that's like, [00:05:31]You're not listening to me, right? [00:05:32]You're not understanding what I'm saying, right? [00:05:35]We've all had those kind of very frustrating conversations and

[00:05:39]a lot of times it's because we're using words in different ways, right? [00:05:43]So we use words [00:05:44]and we use the same words that some other person is using. [00:05:47]But the way I understand [00:05:49]it is different than the way Lani understands it,

[00:05:50]which is different than the way Patrick understands it. [00:05:52]And so we're using the same words, [00:05:55]but we mean different things by them. Right? [00:05:57]We should understand already why this happens. [00:06:00]Why does this happen?

[00:06:00]What do we learn [00:06:01]in chapter two that clearly explains why that happens [00:06:04]to be what we learn in Chapter two. [00:06:07]What do you remember from Chapter two? [00:06:08]Chapter Shoes on epistemology, whereas epistemology.

[00:06:12]Kay got to learn it in a past class. [00:06:14]How do we know what we know? So that's the question, right? [00:06:17]And so how do we how to how do we know what we know? [00:06:20]Yeah, there are two comparative relations going for it. Right. [00:06:23]So we learned we, we have some experience with some archetype. Right.

[00:06:29]You know, definitely write it down this time and remember. [00:06:32]Okay you have pencil. [00:06:33]Yeah. Come in, come in. [00:06:37]Class. Not learning will not get you a passing grade in my class. [00:06:42]Okay.

[00:06:43]It will get you another seat in my class next semester. [00:06:48]So architect. Right, so we have some experience with this thing. [00:06:51]And then we asked Mommy and Daddy, what the hell is that? [00:06:54]And they give us a word right? [00:06:57]And they say that thing is a dog or a cat or whatever it is. Right?

[00:07:03]And you learn that thing. [00:07:04]And that's our first experience. [00:07:06]Our first right, first type of the first type that we've encountered. [00:07:13]And then we have other experiences with this thing, right? [00:07:16]Or similar right. Things that are similar but different.

[00:07:21]Right. [00:07:22]And so [00:07:22]whatever our first experience with that thing [00:07:25]is, is obviously Conner's [00:07:27]experience with that thing is going to be different

[00:07:28]than Patrick's is going to be different [00:07:29]than Ryan's going to be different than mine. Right. [00:07:32]Because we're all different people and we have different experiences, [00:07:34]different mommies and different daddies [00:07:36]and different, different backgrounds. Right.

[00:07:38]So the way that we understand [00:07:41]this word is going to have a lot to do with those series of experiences [00:07:46]that we've had previously. Right. [00:07:48]And so when Connor uses the word [00:07:52]race, he's going to use it in a way that like is consistent

[00:07:56]with the way he's experienced that thing. Right. [00:08:00]And then when Zach when Zach, here's what he said. [00:08:04]Zach's going to hear it and he's going to he's like, [00:08:06]Well, I know that word, too, right? [00:08:08]But he has a different theories

[00:08:09]or history of experiences with that thing. [00:08:11]So he's going to understand that we're differently. Right. [00:08:15]This is this is just the way things work. Right. [00:08:19]But it's not logical. Right. [00:08:21]If we want to communicate logically,

[00:08:23]then we need to make sure that we all understand [00:08:26]the words the same way. Right? [00:08:28]That doesn't mean that [00:08:30]through logic, [00:08:31]Zach's experiences are suddenly going to be the same as Abby's.

[00:08:33]They're not right. [00:08:35]But for the first, for the sake of the conversation, [00:08:38]for the sake of the logical discourse, right? [00:08:40]If we're having a logical discourse, what's the what's [00:08:45]what's the definition of philosophy?

[00:08:46]You said the the thesis statement for the whole semester. [00:08:50]Yeah. [00:08:50]Austin supports. [00:08:55]Okay. Yeah. [00:08:57]That's you can actually 100% count on this in the exam for everybody.

[00:09:01]I want everybody to have it memorized. So philosophy is a [00:09:08]mode of discourse [00:09:15]for the [00:09:17]right sake of training, the intellect, [00:09:24]which is that decision making right

[00:09:28]by [00:09:30]what. [00:09:37]That's called debating, [00:09:41]was wisdom [00:09:45]thinking.

[00:09:46]Yeah, shared wisdom justice and all of those [00:09:52]through. [00:09:53]Through and. [00:09:56]Inspiration. [00:10:01]Right.

[00:10:02]So, so yeah. [00:10:07]This is the first half of the course. [00:10:10]You got one, right. [00:10:12]Teaching a [00:10:13]how to have modes of discourse like phenomenological discourse, right.

[00:10:16]How to have modes of discourse [00:10:19]which you practice in your podcasts, discussions [00:10:22]and training the intellect through sharpening our words [00:10:25]and that sort of stuff, what we're doing now. [00:10:28]Then when we move into the next units,

[00:10:30]we'll talk about cultivating a desire, right? [00:10:32]Talk a lot about erotic desire in unit two and Unit three [00:10:37]or yeah, [00:10:39]podcast four and inspiration in chapters [00:10:45]ten, I guess.

[00:10:46]All right. So training the intellect. [00:10:48]So how does philosophy train the intellect? [00:10:50]Straight intellect [00:10:51]is that which makes the part of your mind that makes decisions, right? [00:10:56]And so one of the ways you train the intellect

[00:10:58]training, you know, we can think about training [00:10:59]in a couple of different ways. [00:11:01]Socrates use this let's a sports metaphors right and train [00:11:04]like the allegory the chariot that we talked about before. [00:11:07]Right that sort of wrestling with the horse of logic

[00:11:10]and the horse of desire. Right. [00:11:12]And so that's the intellect has got to strengthen itself [00:11:15]so it can control these two horses. Right. [00:11:18]One of the ways is by strengthening the horse of desire [00:11:21]or training it to desire these things. Right.

[00:11:24]Another way is by sharpening [00:11:26]the horse of logic, strengthening the horse of logic. Right? [00:11:29]So you've got those two horses, right? The [00:11:34]intellect is the [00:11:36]charioteer, then the horse of logic and the horse of desire.

[00:11:46]And Socrates, you know, makes clear this horse is super strong, [00:11:50]this horses super obedient. Right? [00:11:54]So this this horse always does what you say, but it's not very strong [00:11:58]unless you strengthen it and you strengthen it by [00:12:01]following the rules of logic and the main rule of logic.

[00:12:04]First rule of logic is what [00:12:11]I do. [00:12:11]I literally underlined it and it's on the board. [00:12:13]Can you read what's on there? [00:12:15]Literally.

[00:12:16]Awesome. First rule of logic is to clearly define your terms, right? [00:12:21]If you don't clearly define your terms, then people around [00:12:23]you aren't going to know what you're talking about, right? [00:12:26]If you're going to go into a what's your [00:12:28]what's your major business, really,

[00:12:30]what do you want to go into in order to design a game? [00:12:33]In order to create a game, especially a digital game, right. [00:12:36]You need to write code. [00:12:37]And code is all rational, [00:12:39]which is binary, which is defining your terms. Right?

[00:12:42]If you have a debugging error, right? [00:12:44]If you're running through debugging and you get a critical error, it's [00:12:47]usually because something is poorly defined, right? [00:12:49]You get it like a syntax error or something when you're debugging, [00:12:53]which is because the terms aren't clearly defined.

[00:12:56]Logic is programing. [00:12:58]Programing is logic, right? [00:13:00]They're not different things. [00:13:01]They're math, their logic. [00:13:04]All those from things, right? So we've got to clearly define

[00:13:10]our terms. [00:13:12]I feel like I'm beating this horse, but I'm reading it because [00:13:19]prior experience is like people don't take this part seriously. [00:13:22]This is everything. This is logic, right? [00:13:24]So the next rule, rule of non contradiction.

[00:13:28]So rule of identity in logical terms is usually written like [00:13:34]this a equals A that's literally how [00:13:42]logic professor logicians write the first rule of logic A equals A. [00:13:49]It's dumb and I don't know, but it's, you know, means that [00:13:54]like you terms always have to mean the same thing, right?

[00:13:58]Like if I were to say [00:14:01]Rien, I'll sell you an apple for $100. [00:14:06]Good deal. A bad deal. [00:14:08]So. So. [00:14:10]Yeah.

[00:14:13]Come back to Apple season ticket. [00:14:18]No, I think we'll [00:14:21]really just pay $2,000 for an iPhone nine [00:14:27]offering it to you for 100 bucks. You're like, Now [00:14:31]I see what she did. You see what I did there.

[00:14:34]What I do there. [00:14:36]Eight is you need to write Apple as an equal apple, right? [00:14:40]Apple can mean different things. Apple can mean [00:14:45]a fruit. [00:14:46]Apple can mean iPhone.

[00:14:49]Apple could mean [00:14:53]a company, a corporation. [00:14:58]One of these things is worth about $0.99. [00:15:02]Right? [00:15:05]One of these things is worth about a thousand bucks.

[00:15:09]And one of these things is worth four 4 billion [00:15:14]neighborhood. No, it's not even close, is it? [00:15:18]It's like it's over a trillion. [00:15:19]It's over ten. [00:15:20]It's over a trillion. Yeah, it's over a trillion.

[00:15:25]The numbers get so right [00:15:29]know over. [00:15:33]2.3 trillion. [00:15:35]Huh. [00:15:36]2.3 to point wealthy man if I offered it $4 trillion, I would have been

[00:15:45]okay. [00:15:47]Right. [00:15:48]So let your terms [00:15:53]even even Jesus said let your yerba and your navy know. [00:15:57]Right? Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

[00:16:00]Make your terms clear clearly define them Don't be confusing, [00:16:04]don't be manipulative Don't say don't trick people or to see [00:16:08]if it is a good handy way to trick and to see people go. [00:16:10]Yeah the terms to. Say based on the scenarios. [00:16:15]So you can you

[00:16:16]I mean it's fine to use the word apple [00:16:18]in all these different ways in different contexts. Right. But, [00:16:22]but we need to clear it. We need to be clear. Right? [00:16:26]So if I want somebody to understand, if I'm trying to deceive someone, [00:16:30]this is a handy trick to know, right?

[00:16:32]If I'm trying to be clear and get somebody [00:16:34]to understand what I'm saying, [00:16:36]then yeah, I can use the same word in multiple ways. [00:16:39]But I need to be clear about how I'm using it. Right. Makes sense. [00:16:44]So how does this help us train the intellect?

[00:16:47]One of the ways is [00:16:48]when we're having this force with one another, right? [00:16:50]Like in your podcast discussions, if Abby says something [00:16:53]and one is like, I don't know what you mean, right? [00:16:57]What do you mean?

[00:16:58]Then usually that's hey, clarify how you're using this word, right? [00:17:03]Some key word in there. Just explain what you mean, right? [00:17:06]It doesn't mean that you're using it wrong. [00:17:08]You're using it the way you're using it, right? Nothing. [00:17:11]No, no rules saying that we all have to use words exactly the same way.

[00:17:15]But if we want to communicate [00:17:17]what's in our heads, right, to describe the phenomenon [00:17:23]which is always in our heads, [00:17:26]right? [00:17:27]So that we can get at the thing itself.

[00:17:33]Right. [00:17:35]and you have to describe the phenomenon which is in your [00:17:40]in your mind, right? [00:17:45]Right. Then [00:17:47]you've got to do that using words, rational entities.

[00:17:50]Right. Words. [00:17:52]Rational entities are words [00:17:54]and anything that can be put into words and numbers [00:17:57]when those words in numbers need to be clearly defined. [00:17:59]What if I were to say like I mean,

[00:18:02]if I were to try and do math right now, it's like [00:18:06]two plus three equals 70. [00:18:11]I mean, because in my world three is 67. [00:18:17]I mean, that would just be dumb, right? [00:18:19]I mean, yeah, I could define it that way, but it's not math, right?

[00:18:23]In math, you need to always needs to be two [00:18:26]plus always means the same thing. [00:18:28]Three always means three, right equals always means equal. [00:18:31]So above the door of the academy. [00:18:36]I don't know if I said this already or not,

[00:18:37]but above the door of the academy, [00:18:39]Plato wrote over the door of the Academy [00:18:41]that said, None shall enter here who do not know mathematics. [00:18:48]That may be a little foreshadowing for Wednesday's class. [00:18:51]When we go to logic, we'll talk the relationship

[00:18:53]between logic and mathematics nonchalantly here. [00:18:56]Who do not know mathematics, right? Can't do logic is math. [00:19:00]Math is logic. [00:19:02]The only difference between logic [00:19:04]and math is that math usually uses

[00:19:06]numbers and logic usually uses words. [00:19:08]But you know, the same thing like two is a number, [00:19:12]but it's also a word and it always seem to mean the same thing, right? [00:19:15]And if it doesn't, then we're not being logical or mathematical, right? [00:19:21]So following

[00:19:23]for three. [00:19:26]All right. [00:19:27]And then so non contradiction usually written like this a never equals, [00:19:34]not a crazy. [00:19:38]And then the excluded middle.

[00:19:41]Excluded middle is basically saying there's no [00:19:43]no, there's nothing between if we're clearly defining our terms. [00:19:48]Right, [00:19:49]then something is either going to be a or the opposite of a [00:19:53]what's the opposite of a not a right.

[00:19:56]The opposite of a is not a. [00:19:59]So I was thinking of example on the drive here [00:20:03]and I always have two coffee mugs, [00:20:06]one for the drive here and one for class. [00:20:10]And I was drinking from my coffee

[00:20:12]mug thinking about an example, [00:20:14]you know, trying to update my chapter six [00:20:19]and I did. [00:20:21]I took a sip of coffee and it was near the bottom of the cup. And [00:20:29]I don't know

[00:20:30]what was in it, but I know that it was not coffee, [00:20:36]but is it was not liquid, right. [00:20:40]So the opposite of liquid is not liquid, right? [00:20:44]Opposite of coffee is not coffee. [00:20:47]I don't know what it was. I'm pretty sure it was coffee grinds,

[00:20:51]but but I spit it out, [00:20:53]you know, so driving down the road, [00:20:55]like spitting back in my coffee cup, fortunately had a lot of it, but [00:20:59]right. [00:21:04]not a the opposite of red.

[00:21:07]Not red. [00:21:08]Good, [00:21:09]because something could be like colorless, [00:21:13]which is or something could be a car, right? [00:21:15]A car is I mean, it could be red or not red. Right.

[00:21:18]But this is different, right? [00:21:20]So there's just a whole universe of things that are not this thing. [00:21:23]So whatever [00:21:25]however we are, if we're going to be logical, [00:21:27]we have to clearly define the terms that we're using. Now, this may

[00:21:33]seem at odds with something that I said in chapter three. [00:21:37]Chapter three was on phenomenology. [00:21:40]Yeah. [00:21:40]And so when I gave you the phenomenological method for the [00:21:43]what are the steps, the phenomenological methods,

[00:21:46]let's run through those real fast. You have those in your notes. [00:21:48]What's the first of all. First step. Yeah. [00:21:51]So step zero, draw a circle. [00:21:54]But literally you're right, the first step, step one is to vaguely I.D. [00:22:01]the thing itself.

[00:22:03]Now, let's see if we can figure out how to make sense logically [00:22:07]of these two things right here. [00:22:09]I'm saying the first rule of logic is to clearly define your terms. [00:22:13]And here I'm saying the first rule of phenomenology [00:22:15]is to vaguely identify the thing. Right.

[00:22:19]Why wouldn't we say clearly define that thing clearly. [00:22:22]Identify what what we're talking about, [00:22:29]these two things that are odd, they seem at odds with one another. [00:22:33]Yeah. [00:22:34]So it makes sense of why. Yeah.

[00:22:40]Mm hmm. Yeah. What are those other? So step two is. [00:22:45]So why do you think the two are at odds? [00:22:47]Yeah. [00:22:48]So you have to clear, you have to vaguely identify this, right. [00:22:54]And then clearly carefully, logically describe this.

[00:22:59]Right. Why? Because no one has access to this except for you. [00:23:03]That's in your head. Right? [00:23:05]So you want to try and clearly carefully describe what's in your head [00:23:09]as logically and carefully and precisely as possible. Right. [00:23:13]Because if I went, Austin, I know what I'm talking about.

[00:23:16]I've got to get what's in my head over into Austin's head. Right. [00:23:20]But we already said we all use words and understand words differently. [00:23:25]Right? [00:23:25]Because of comparative relation in our histories with those words. [00:23:29]So when I use words,

[00:23:32]Austin's going to understand them differently, right? [00:23:34]So then, but I don't know what words he's [00:23:37]going to understand differently [00:23:39]and what words he's going to understand the same. Right. So the, [00:23:44]so I kind of describe as carefully as I can, as logically as I can,

[00:23:50]the phenomena, whatever's in my head. [00:23:53]And then I listen as Austin says, What do you mean by this? Right? [00:23:56]What does this word mean? How are you using this word? Right? [00:23:59]What do you mean? [00:24:00]That seemed like what you just said

[00:24:01]seems to contradict my experience, right? [00:24:04]So how to explain what you mean, right? [00:24:06]And then that forces me to define my terms more clearly, right? [00:24:12]So I'm like, well, this this term scenes [00:24:14]obvious to me that it means this. Right. But it's not obvious to Abby.

[00:24:18]Yes. [00:24:21]So then I have to explain what I mean. [00:24:23]It doesn't mean she has to agree with how I'm using [00:24:25]the word, just means she has to understand [00:24:29]how I'm describing the phenomenon.

[00:24:31]Right. [00:24:32]And then she can describe the phenomenon in her own way or whatever. [00:24:35]Right. And I'll say, how are you using those words? [00:24:38]And through that process, it's sort of like sharpening a tool. [00:24:42]You know, if you're sharpening a knife or something like that,

[00:24:45]then you're like you're kind of like, [00:24:48]you know, you go like one side and then the other side. [00:24:52]Well, that's how you hone a knife, right? [00:24:55]Then you kind of like sharpening one side, sharpening the other side. [00:24:58]So you have more carefully defined

[00:25:04]rights and refining [00:25:10]your terms. [00:25:12]The term define the this prefix in English means to make right [00:25:18]can also mean [00:25:20]other things, but in this case, to make

[00:25:24]and find means [00:25:27]from the word finite right or finished [00:25:34]or even fine right, refined, fine [00:25:37]like a fine tooth comb or something really small, right detailed [00:25:41]find details, finishing work, that kind of stuff.

[00:25:44]If you're [00:25:45]finishing me, [00:25:47]I make furniture and, you know, like woodworking and stuff. [00:25:51]You want to like [00:25:51]refine it and polish it and sand it down, right and make it finish.

[00:25:57]So to make finite, to make finished, to set the boundaries [00:26:04]right, this is another way of saying it, to make the [00:26:09]or to set the limits. [00:26:11]I so to define [00:26:15]it means

[00:26:18]to [00:26:20]make finite [00:26:27]or to [00:26:32]to set the limits [00:26:36]or boundaries

[00:26:40]right. [00:26:40]And if you've done that well, then you've said, [00:26:43]all right, I'm going to clearly define this. [00:26:46]And anything that fits this definition is definitely that thing, right? [00:26:53]And anything that does not fit that definition is not that thing.

[00:26:58]Fine. Right. [00:27:00]So if it's not easy to do as it's not easy to do, [00:27:04]but if we've done it [00:27:05]well and it's it's really hard to do on your own, it's easier [00:27:09]to do when you're in dialog or discourse with other people

[00:27:12]because that way they think of things that you don't think of. Right? [00:27:15]And they're like, well, did you think about it? [00:27:18]You know, what about this? [00:27:20]This seems like that doesn't fit your definition. [00:27:24]And I'll say you're right, since,

[00:27:26]you know, let's make my definition better, right? [00:27:29]By taking this other thing into consideration makes sense. [00:27:33]And then through that process, we're all training our intellects [00:27:37]to refine things and define things more clearly. [00:27:40]So we can strengthen this force of logic so that we can write

[00:27:46]stronger horse of logic and not overcome, [00:27:50]but at least have a better chance against that horse of desire. [00:27:53]So that when we're training our intellect [00:27:55]to make decisions and we can follow, make sense, [00:27:58]all these things together. Cool. So back to the original question

[00:28:06]vaguely. [00:28:07]What's the difference? You know, why? [00:28:09]How are these two things? [00:28:10]How do we reconcile these two things? Right? [00:28:12]Why vaguely identify the thing itself?

[00:28:15]And the reason is because I want to write the most important thing. [00:28:21]One of the most important things about phenomenology [00:28:24]is to distinguish between the thing itself [00:28:26]and the phenomenon, the prominence up here. [00:28:28]The thing in itself is not

[00:28:30]so if I want to know what this thing is, [00:28:33]then I can't pretend like my experience. [00:28:36]My understanding of the thing is the end all be all of right. [00:28:43]They can't pretend. [00:28:44]It's like the phenomenon

[00:28:46]that's in my head is exactly the same as the thing. [00:28:48]It's up. I can think it is. [00:28:49]I can believe it is. It's my experience of what it is. Right? [00:28:53]But Lonnie is going to have a different [00:28:57]experience of the same thing, right?

[00:28:59]So I want to [00:29:01]sort of [00:29:02]also this thing, the whole point of the phenomenological method. [00:29:07]It's a method, right, of investigation or inquiry, [00:29:14]the religious or the philosophical quest

[00:29:17]sort of looking into the things, questioning, right, [00:29:22]questioning this thing. So what is this thing? Right. [00:29:25]And so we're trying to get to know the thing itself. [00:29:29]We're trying to figure out what it is. [00:29:30]And so I already have some idea of what it is. Right?

[00:29:35]That's my phenomenon. [00:29:36]And I want to carefully, clearly describe [00:29:38]that in its logical, precise terms as I can. [00:29:41]But I also want to know what am I missing? [00:29:44]Right?

[00:29:46]what experiences as Abby have that I haven't had straight. [00:29:51]And so if we're doing something, [00:29:54]you know, [00:30:02]obviously I have [00:30:04]a lot of experiences with justice and injustice, a lot of understanding

[00:30:08]of what justice and injustice is. [00:30:11]But Parker is going to have different experiences [00:30:13]and Lena is going to have different experiences [00:30:16]and sex and have different experiences, right? [00:30:18]So then I can't pretend like I'm

[00:30:20]the only person in the world who knows about justice [00:30:22]or that I know everything about justice [00:30:24]and that I don't have anything to learn about justice from Austen. [00:30:29]Right. So I want to say. All right, let's talk about justice. [00:30:32]We all know the word.

[00:30:34]Let's not pretend like we know what it is [00:30:36]and say, here's what I think it is. But then [00:30:41]I'm eager to hear what you think it is. [00:30:43]Right. [00:30:43]And then through that discourse,

[00:30:45]then we are able to define it a little bit more and a little bit more. [00:30:51]Right. [00:30:51]But we're never going to be able to clearly define terms [00:30:53]like justice, wisdom and truth [00:30:56]because their ideas, which by definition transcend rational light.

[00:31:01]Oh, yeah, rational. And teach that word rational. [00:31:06]We did it earlier, I guess, but. [00:31:08]Right. [00:31:08]Logic and [00:31:10]rationality.

[00:31:16]So we have in here [00:31:18]thinks the word ratio in Latin ratio or Rocio [00:31:24]means exactly what it means in English, which is ratio. [00:31:27]We have to have two things and a ratio between two things. [00:31:29]But Rocio is also the Latin word for mind, right? So,

[00:31:34]so our minds are the rational part of our mind is binary, right? [00:31:41]Which is got to have a ratio between these two things. What do things. [00:31:44]And not a zeros and ones. Right. [00:31:48]This or not this red or not red [00:31:59]group.

[00:32:00]This is going to confuse you more. [00:32:02]Sure. I'm just to Lester Brown Group, the synthesis. [00:32:06]Okay. [00:32:06]So there's this kid, Brahma Gupta, the Indian philosopher [00:32:11]in India

[00:32:13]and southern India, I think like Kerala region. [00:32:17]I'm not sure about that. [00:32:18]But in India, somewhere out around like [00:32:23]I don't know, let's say around 550 C [00:32:28]I'm not exactly sure, but that's not far off that range.

[00:32:32]I know he was before. Shankara is another philosopher. [00:32:36]That's three. [00:32:37]So he is credited, I guess like my historians and scholars [00:32:43]and mathematicians and everything. [00:32:45]He's generally credited with being the first human

[00:32:49]or the oldest known human [00:32:53]to come up with the idea of zero, right? [00:32:56]So we've got all these numbers, you know, one through ten, [00:33:01]but then zero, right. Is also in there. So [00:33:07]this phrase.

[00:33:09]So when I read that, I learned that years ago from a group of [00:33:15]yeah, I mean, great philosopher and mathematician and astronomer and, [00:33:21]you know, sort of a multi multidisciplinary interdisciplinary thinker [00:33:27]and writer. [00:33:29]And he wrote this this comes from a book that he was writing mostly on.

[00:33:34]Math is like a whole bunch of math equations and math things. [00:33:39]And he wrote them. Tune-Yards Rina Akasha [00:33:44]Junior, Junior, Rina Akasha. [00:33:46]And usually especially people who don't know Sanskrit. [00:33:51]This is translated by people who don't know the Sanskrit

[00:33:55]as zero -0 equals zero. [00:34:01]And this is touted or said to be like [00:34:04]the first time that a human used zero in this way [00:34:10]we say, [00:34:12]What's wrong with that?

[00:34:13]Even if you don't know anything, [00:34:14]I mean, assuming you don't know any Sanskrit, right? [00:34:17]But just looking at it, what's wrong with that translation? [00:34:24]Yeah. Oh, so the opposite of zero, right? [00:34:27]Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Okay.

[00:34:30]Yeah, I think he is trying to say something about the opposite of zero. [00:34:34]He definitely is. I'm not sure that I really got that until now, but [00:34:40]yeah. [00:34:40]So [00:34:42]but let's notice words like just the words, right?

[00:34:46]That's the two versions of the same word, right? [00:34:50]That's just means this ending means from so John means emptiness. [00:34:56]It's a very important philosophical word, [00:34:58]definitely translated as zero zero. [00:35:01]Definitely works as a translation of Shona.

[00:35:03]So zero [00:35:06]Rina means taken away or minus, right? [00:35:10]Taken away. Literally means taken away. [00:35:15]So zero taken away from zero [00:35:20]equals akasha.

[00:35:22]But if it were zero, -0 equals zero, you would expect [00:35:26]the same word here, right? You expect to see him again. [00:35:28]But that's not what it is, right? It's not. It's a different word. [00:35:32]So even if you don't know Sanskrit, you can say, [00:35:34]all right, well, that can't be right. Right?

[00:35:37]There's something being communicated. [00:35:38]Otherwise, why wouldn't it be the same word again, right? [00:35:41]It would be junior. Junior. Reena, junior. [00:35:44]But it's not spring. I'm really not sure. I'm sure. Rina Akasha. [00:35:50]Akasha.

[00:35:51]Another certain super important philosophical word, [00:35:56]but the main, like most common translation of Akasha is just [00:36:03]space, right? [00:36:04]Just sort of. [00:36:06]It's also.

[00:36:08]A. [00:36:11]Good translation would be the limitless [00:36:14]thing that which is yeah, unlimited [00:36:23]or [00:36:25]the infinite

[00:36:28]snap. Right. [00:36:30]So you could say [00:36:33]zero [00:36:35]-0 [00:36:38]zero

[00:36:40]equals. [00:36:44]Well probably the best translation might be just that, right. [00:36:49]Just emptiness, just limitlessness. [00:36:53]Right. [00:36:55]We're trying to get where I'm trying to get is

[00:36:58]to the paradox of signification. [00:37:00]So [00:37:02]this is leading to words that I want to get to that before. [00:37:07]First off, there's something about zero that's unique. [00:37:12]First of all, why does Zero have the shape that it does?

[00:37:15]Right, one one in pretty much every [00:37:20]numerical system around the world throughout history. [00:37:23]One pretty much always looks like that, right? [00:37:26]Two has lots of different shapes [00:37:27]and that kind of stuff,

[00:37:28]but one pretty much always looks like [00:37:30]that and zero always looks like this. [00:37:33]We know why one always looks like that, right? [00:37:35]Because that's like how we learn one is right one [00:37:40]everybody understands that, right?

[00:37:42]It doesn't matter what language you speak or what culture you're from. [00:37:44]If you do this, everybody knows that means one right, one finger. [00:37:48]What about a zero? [00:37:52]How does it have that shape? [00:37:53]Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right.

[00:37:57]Yeah, yeah. [00:37:58]That's that's a really cool point word. [00:38:01]I like both of those answers very much. [00:38:04]Yeah. [00:38:09]I think bubbles are right.

[00:38:12]Another right answer is because zero is drawing a circle around [00:38:18]nothing. Right. [00:38:19]It's like it's sometimes called a placeholder, right? [00:38:22]So it's like holding. [00:38:24]It's a placeholder,

[00:38:27]but it's a unique placeholder because it's a place [00:38:32]holder that holds nothing in place. [00:38:39]Placeholder that holds nothing in place. Right. [00:38:41]So what's on the board here? Nothing. Right? [00:38:46]Nothing is there.

[00:38:48]Now, if I draw zero, zero means [00:38:52]nothing. [00:38:52]If I have if have $0 in my bank account. [00:38:57]Right, then I have nothing in my bank account. [00:38:59]Right. So

[00:39:03]zero is nothing. [00:39:04]But now is there nothing written here? [00:39:11]Now there's something written here, right? [00:39:13]And the something is a signifier, right? So zero. [00:39:18]Well, let me give you a definition

[00:39:19]and clearly define my terms and give a definition of zero. [00:39:24]Zero [00:39:26]zero is a signifier. [00:39:33]Signifier is a word. [00:39:36]It's a sign.

[00:39:37]It's something that points to signs point. Right. [00:39:41]You like the exit sign that way, right? The bathroom sign that way. [00:39:47]A library sign that way. [00:39:49]Right. Signs point stop sign. [00:39:52]So stop here. Right.

[00:39:55]Yields on means yield here. [00:39:57]Right. Signs point to something. [00:40:00]They signify something zero is a signifier points to something else. [00:40:07]It's a signifier that [00:40:12]signifies

[00:40:15]nothing. [00:40:21]Zero is a signifier that signifies nothing. [00:40:24]Right here, we're coming to this paradox right? [00:40:30]Just [00:40:32]zero is a signifier that signifies nothing.

[00:40:38]Thereby [00:40:42]turning [00:40:45]nothing [00:40:49]into something. [00:40:56]Right?

[00:40:56]So there was nothing on the board, right? [00:41:01]So nothing on the board here. [00:41:03]If I [00:41:06]right here, there's nothing on the board here. [00:41:08]But now that nothing that was here before, which was nothing before.

[00:41:14]Now I've drawn a sign around it right to say, [00:41:16]look, here is nothing, right? [00:41:19]But in doing so, [00:41:20]I've turned this nothing into a different nothing than this. [00:41:23]Nothing over here. Follow this. Cool. Right.

[00:41:28]So by differentiating between this, nothing and that nothing. [00:41:32]I've turned this. I've created something, right? Of course. [00:41:36]Nothing to be right. [00:41:40]I've given [00:41:43]zero

[00:41:45]zero gives [00:41:48]nothing [00:41:51]a place [00:41:54]to [00:41:57]be.

[00:42:01]Something that seemed like super important stuff. [00:42:04]But I guarantee on promises this is like, [00:42:08]if if I understood all this stuff, [00:42:12]like in the [00:42:13]United States of America would have far fewer problems than it does

[00:42:19]if we understood signifiers and how signifiers function. [00:42:24]The ontology of signifiers, the paradox of signification, [00:42:28]then there'd be a whole lot of bullshit, you know, [00:42:33]and fix for a problem. [00:42:37]So signifiers create something.

[00:42:39]They turn nothing into something, right? [00:42:42]So it gives nothing a place to be, right? [00:42:46]So we talk about the ontology of all right, [00:42:50]the center of that circle, center of systematic philosophy, right. [00:42:55]Chapter one ontology,

[00:42:57]the study of [00:42:58]what does it mean to be in on the outside of that, [00:43:01]we've got epistemology [00:43:04]and language, right? [00:43:07]Language is in here because we know things.

[00:43:10]We know things rationally through words and numbers, right? [00:43:14]Words and numbers are language. [00:43:16]And how we define things gives them a certain [00:43:20]ontology, gives them a B, right. So we talked about Santa Claus. Right? [00:43:25]Santa Claus

[00:43:26]is a word [00:43:28]for use in language which exists as a rational entity, [00:43:31]which is therefore different because it's different than Rudolph. [00:43:36]Right? Rudolph is a different word. [00:43:38]One, they exist.

[00:43:40]I told you the definition of [00:43:44]existence, this etymology of existence [00:43:51]to exist is comes from X's theory to stand [00:43:58]out, right? [00:44:01]So if it stands out from something so we could say

[00:44:04]Santa Claus doesn't exist as a sensual entity, can't see Santa Claus or [00:44:09]he or Santa Claus. [00:44:10]You can see somebody dressed up as Santa Claus [00:44:13]or pretending to be Santa Claus or a drawing of Santa Claus. Right. [00:44:17]But those are images and personifications.

[00:44:20]Then you can't actually see Santa Claus because he doesn't exist [00:44:23]as a sensible entity. [00:44:25]But you can tell the difference between Santa Claus and Rudolph. [00:44:29]Right. Is also a made up entity. [00:44:31]But there they exist.

[00:44:33]They stand apart from one another. [00:44:35]Right, Father? [00:44:38]So they have they've been defined in that definition. [00:44:42]That signification calls them into existence. Right. [00:44:46]So they exist at least rational entities as signifiers.

[00:44:51]What Brahma Gupta is saying here [00:44:53]is that we have to remember that our signifier signify [00:44:57]something and zero is a unique signifier [00:44:59]because it is [00:45:00]a signifier that signifies nothing, thereby

[00:45:03]turning nothing into a something. [00:45:06]So if we want to subtract zero from zero, we have to remember [00:45:10]that the null set [00:45:13]is a thing. [00:45:14]The signifier is a thing, right?

[00:45:18]So to subtract nothing from nothing is not zero, right? [00:45:25]But instead is to erase the signifier for [00:45:32]you're not seeing it. [00:45:33]I thought you like decades of 20th century philosophy [00:45:40]does it cool?

[00:45:42]I understand it. [00:45:44]You just don't see why it's so important. [00:45:47]It's fun. [00:45:51]All right. [00:45:51]What if I do not something like

[00:45:56]nothing, right? [00:45:58]The whole point of doing nothing, though, [00:46:00]is because it's just kind of a pure signifier. [00:46:03]It's a unique signifier [00:46:04]because it signifies nothing and calls that nothing into being.

[00:46:07]And it's easy to understand how it's taking this nothing here. [00:46:11]Right. And it's making money. [00:46:14]What if I put it here? Right. [00:46:15]Or here or there? Right? I don't know. Like, where do I put which? [00:46:19]Nothing do I call into being?

[00:46:21]And all of a sudden that looks like five, right? [00:46:24]So [00:46:26]but what if I were to do something like, I don't know, just make up? [00:46:33]What if I do something like. [00:46:37]Do.

[00:46:38]Gender, right? [00:46:41]Then we say, all right, so gender is a word, right? [00:46:45]What does it what does it signify? [00:46:46]How do we define gender [00:46:51]signifier?

[00:46:52]We've heard of it before. Yeah. [00:46:55]Okay. [00:46:56]So something to do with reproduction. [00:47:01]That sounds to me like sex, right? [00:47:03]So let's say we've got

[00:47:09]so. [00:47:10]Okay, so gender is a signifier and sex as a signifier, right? [00:47:21]Which [00:47:25]so. Right. [00:47:27]These are different signifiers.

[00:47:29]So what do they signify? What's the difference? [00:47:31]Is there any difference between sex and gender? [00:47:32]What's the difference. We I think yeah. [00:47:37]Psychological same a little bit like, [00:47:40]you know,

[00:47:41]something out there [00:47:43]like the thing itself or something like that, [00:47:45]something that is just out there [00:47:48]versus something that [00:47:49]exists as a phenomenon in our heads or something, right?

[00:47:52]Like that signification that's brought into being by defining words, [00:47:58]turning [00:47:59]nothing into something or turning sex maybe into a different thing. [00:48:05]Right? But yeah, I like that. [00:48:09]Other thoughts.

[00:48:10]So [00:48:12]biology, what if when you think about it in terms of genetics and so [00:48:20]so how do we define sex in terms of genetics? [00:48:24]Yeah. So 23 place pairs of chromosomes, right. [00:48:29]And then so typically you have

[00:48:33]X, X and x, y, right. [00:48:37]How typically [00:48:44]for there are other possibilities. [00:48:46]For some X sometimes as x x Y. [00:48:51]Yeah.

[00:48:55]Yeah, this one is. [00:48:59]Actually for that. I'm not sure what. [00:49:04]That's right. [00:49:05]Yeah I'm not either but yeah. [00:49:07]I already wrote x x y.

[00:49:09]Yeah. [00:49:10]So then how many sexes are there. So [00:49:16]I mean we've already got four seems like. [00:49:19]Right. [00:49:19]And if we define sex in terms of genetics

[00:49:22]and we define so we could like, I don't know, like I don't know, around [00:49:30]50.5% of humans fall into this category and about, [00:49:38]what, 48.5 [00:49:44]my [00:49:47]49.

[00:49:49]No, 48.5% fall into that category. [00:49:54]Right. And about 1% fall into some other category. [00:50:00]Right. It's not one of these two. [00:50:04]I don't think my numbers are super far off. Right. [00:50:09]So then if we were to define sex in terms of biology

[00:50:14]in a scientific genetic way, [00:50:16]then we would look at large populations and say, all right, so [00:50:21]a large, you know, the majority of humans fall under this [00:50:26]sexual category and smaller number, [00:50:29]but close to half fall under that category.

[00:50:33]And then there's still 1%. [00:50:37]So 1% of, what, 7 billion is like seven and what, 1% of 7 billion? [00:50:46]A lot of people, large number of people. [00:50:49]So at 70 sounds right, 70 million we do. [00:50:54]We'd be subtracting two zeros from 7 billion.

[00:50:56]So subtracting 1 billion would be 700. [00:51:00]I think 70 sounds right. 70 million. Okay. [00:51:04]So a lot of people, right, so around [00:51:06]70 million people and the world rates [00:51:10]don't fall on either one of these categories.

[00:51:12]So then we still consider them human. [00:51:17]They still consider them to have a sex. [00:51:20]But right. [00:51:21]So then [00:51:23]sex then on a biological level is non-binary rights.

[00:51:29]When we already [00:51:33]clearly defining our terms right? [00:51:35]Logically so to have does it matter? [00:51:42]Does it matter how we define it? [00:51:45]No. Right.

[00:51:50]Okay. Just for reflection. [00:51:53]Okay. Yeah. Okay. We ask the question another way. [00:51:59]When we are [00:52:00]in our world, in the United States of America in 2022, [00:52:04]which is the midterm election year, does it matter how

[00:52:09]particular candidates [00:52:10]or people in positions of power define sex and gender? [00:52:16]And it seems like it was okay. [00:52:22]So then, right. [00:52:24]So how we define our terms as a direct relationship with ethics

[00:52:31]and how we understand ourself [00:52:33]and other people around us and how we understand existential purpose [00:52:37]and how we make decisions right. [00:52:40]Did I draw a pretty clear line between first rule of logic? [00:52:45]Clearly define your terms and why it matters.

[00:52:51]Yeah. [00:52:53]Okay, cool. [00:52:54]Can we can we think, oh, [00:52:58]that's it. Any questions? [00:53:00]Okay, that's it for chapter six.

[00:53:02]I got so much more that I didn't cover in Chapter six, but [00:53:06]I feel like I nailed that point. [00:53:07]So that's. [00:53:12]But this movie or show or thing, right? [00:53:15]Can we pick something? Can we pick something on Monday?

[00:53:20]Why even why are we doing. [00:53:22]Yeah. [00:53:25]Well, we want something that can anchor our discourse. [00:53:29]Right. We need some that can ground our discourse. [00:53:32]And we're going to use

[00:53:34]Plato to ground our discourse [00:53:36]and we're going to use the counter Upanishad to ground our discourse. [00:53:40]But I picked those right. [00:53:43]And so I want you all to pick something. [00:53:46]And I want something that's going to be like

[00:53:49]part of our socio cultural milieu, right? [00:53:52]Something from the now. [00:53:54]Something that is relevant to everybody that that. Yeah. [00:53:59]Is significant to everybody. Rights that we, that we come up. Yeah. [00:54:03]I think we. Should do like a vote or something.

[00:54:06]We should do a vote, but we need some things to vote on. [00:54:08]I We could vote. [00:54:10]I'm thinking [00:54:11]first of all, we should vote if we want to do a movie or TV show [00:54:14]and probably come up with those.

[00:54:16]I mean, the advantage of a TV show is, [00:54:18]you know, [00:54:18]you've got like we can say, watch this episode for this class, [00:54:23]watch that episode for that class [00:54:25]so we can kind of keep going with it for multiple classes

[00:54:28]and not have a whole lot to watch for each class. Right. [00:54:33]But we could also pick and choose, right? [00:54:35]We could do like one Black Mirror episode [00:54:37]or they stand on their own [00:54:38]and we could do like one Rick and Morty episodes

[00:54:41]because they're episodic and we could do, [00:54:43]you know, we could pick and choose. Yeah. [00:54:46]Just to really make sure that show. So, [00:54:48]you know, you watch season one exactly right. [00:54:52]Yeah. We don't want to. Yeah. This an important point.

[00:54:56]Yeah. [00:54:57]Yeah. [00:54:58]If we're doing like specific episodes. [00:55:00]Yeah, we should criminalize episodes. Okay, sure. [00:55:04]Yeah. Why don't why don't we come to class?

[00:55:07]I said this on Monday and it didn't happen. [00:55:09]But how about on Monday? [00:55:11]You'll actually come to class or something? [00:55:13]Just. Okay. [00:55:19]So you got extra time to do it.

[00:55:22]One other thing. [00:55:24]I'm going to give you homework, but yeah, yeah, [00:55:32]I want you to listen to you don't even have to listen. The whole thing. [00:55:36]Like if you get bored and you want to turn it [00:55:37]off, you can absolutely do that.

[00:55:39]But I would like you to at least start listening to the podcast that [00:55:42]I recorded the other night. [00:55:44]So [00:55:46]yeah, I don't know. [00:55:46]It's not even so much about the content as the format

[00:55:51]and you know, that sort of thing, [00:55:52]how we're having phenomenological discussions, right? [00:55:55]More like format things than the content. [00:55:58]We do talk about phenomenology, neural networks [00:56:00]and that kind of stuff, but I will send the link.

[00:56:03]I'll send an email to the class with the link to it. Yeah. [00:56:08]Thanks for. [00:56:11]So don't do the podcast yet. [00:56:14]Yeah but I will answer that next Wednesday. [00:56:16]Yeah. Of no it pushed it back.

[00:56:20]Yeah. First the due date back. [00:56:22]Yeah. [00:56:22]So, so no podcast too. [00:56:25]Until after I do chapter seven. [00:56:29]Did you post on the schedule fixed schedule.

[00:56:33]I will. [00:56:36]So I will share the podcast and [00:56:40]and update the schedule [00:56:43]and I'm a little behind on the videos, but I'm almost caught up. [00:56:47]So I'm getting those online called Have a Good Weekend.

[00:56:51]Have a long weekend to you next Wednesday.