What does it mean to ‘interpret’ Quantum Mechanics? When I wear my hat as a philosopher of science (partially distinct from my other hat as an evolutionary biologist), I eventually run into a scientist (I could name names, but I won’t) who smugly tells me that philosophy obviously doesn’t make progress. The evidence? Philosophers disagree on all sorts of things and there is no emerging consensus—unlike in science, especially physics. Setting aside that this kind of reasoning largely reflects ignorance of how philosophy works (surprise—it’s different from science!; see Pigliucci 2017), it turns out that there is at least one area of science where things appear to be characterized by utter confusion and lack of consensus: interpretations of quantum mechanics. And we have the empirical evidence to prove it. … (Skeptical Inquirer)
How to handle conflict when you hate confrontation. I was in the middle seat on an airplane recently, during a flight to London, when a person behind me put her bare foot on my armrest. My heart started to pound. I knew I would have to say something. But before I could, a man next to me, who was writing in a notebook, glanced at the foot and lightly stabbed it with his pen. The foot, unsurprisingly, slid away. For some of us, the mere thought of confrontation triggers a stress response, complete with rapid heartbeat, tense muscles and shortness of breath, said Karen Osilla, an associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine. This causes people to avoid it, she said, “because we associate it with danger.” … (New York Times)
The Three Disciplines of Epictetus. Practical philosophy is a combination of theory and practice. Practice without theory is blind, but theory without practice is sterile. Stoicism offers one of the best examples of integrating the two aspects. But like other philosophies (such as Buddhism) Stoicism comes in different flavors. As a particularly well understood and useful example, let’s examine the version of Stoicism that comes to us from the late first century teacher Epictetus of Hierapolis (which is modern day Pamukkale in Turkey). Epictetus was not his real name, which is unknown. The word means ‘acquired’, since he was a slave. He was bought by Epaphroditus, Nero’s personal secretary, and brought to Rome, where he lived at the same time as another major Stoic, Seneca the Younger, who was, however, several years Epictetus’s senior. Epictetus learned philosophy and was eventually given his freedom. He then began teaching Stoicism in Rome, but was ultimately expelled, together with many other philosophers, by the Emperor Domitian, because he was speaking truth to power, and power, often, doesn’t like to be spoken truth to. … (Philosophy Now)
The Stoic in the bedroom. “Absolutely not,” I told my husband from the bed as he tried to find the right place on his dresser for Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. “I don’t need him staring at me all night.” The bust was the size of a child’s head and made of white alabaster. Marcus was frozen in an expression heavy with intent to obtain eudaemonia — good will and happiness — no matter how much crap was thrown at him. My husband didn’t tell me that he had ordered the bust of this Roman Emperor, who was also known as a Stoic philosopher. So I was surprised on the afternoon when I found him in the dining room, bent over a cardboard box, throwing tissue paper onto the mahogany table. Noticing his smile, something I rarely saw in those days, I tried to peek around him. … (New York Times)
The Stoics were right – emotional control is good for the soul. To become more forgiving, we are often told to be more empathic. Empathy is a powerful social adhesive, one that most people believe helps us mediate forgiveness as it increases the likelihood of feeling together with someone who has hurt us. But there are serious problems with empathy, as the psychologist Paul Bloom has argued. He points out that empathy is inherently biased and we shouldn’t rely on it as a moral guide. ‘Empathy’s design failings have to do with the fact that it acts like a spotlight,’ he said in a 2017 interview. ‘It zooms you in. But spotlights only illuminate where you point them at, and for that reason empathy is biased.’ Feelings of empathy arise unequally across situations, and people tend to empathise more with in-group members. In negative settings, empathy can even lead to emotional distress and burnout. … (Psyche)
Regarding the particular case of empathy, here is a Medium essay that considers the problem of empathy regarding the situation in the Mid-East, especially after October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
https://medium.com/p/1a50a4fc0488
Your Empathy is Killing Us
Mushon Zer-Aviv
Zer-Aviv also cites Bloom.
Two comments-1. Interpret quantum mechanics?😳 even Einstein couldn’t complete that assignment 2. Chiropractic??-not even a pseudo science. Founded by an ignoramus/quack-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer-whose most prestigious institution ( an oxymoron if ever there was one..) bears his name.😝