The Cunning of Geist

17/09/2025

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16/09/2025

One of the key points of Hegel's philosophy is his defining the difference between understanding (verstand) and reason (vernunft).

Understanding is the classification of things. It is more of a left brain activity. It isolates items and gives them names. Reason, on the other hand, is more holistic, more right brain, and takes in the whole experience. It lives within the world, not apart from it.

Understanding is the map, reason is the territory. Understanding is the table of contents, reason is the book.

One needs both to function. But it is important not to lean too heavily - or exclusively - on the left brain's isolating and classifying.

14/09/2025

There is a difference between reason and rhetoric.Rhetoric starts with a premise and argues for it. Much like a defense attorney or prosecutor in a trial. Reason is more like the judge. It weighs the evidence and makes a decision. And is willing to overrule a previous decision if new evidence appears.

In life is it better to adopt the attitude of the judge in most instances. Sure there will be times when we need to advocate for or against something. But it is always wise to make room for the judge (reason) at the table.

This podcast episode discusses why philosophy - using reason - is important in so many practical areas of life. (An earlier version of this post was accidentally deleted).

Podcast Episode · The Cunning of Geist · 10/03/2021 · 26m

10/09/2025

"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." - Banksy

09/09/2025

Please note that there is an subject index provided to all the topics discussed in the podcast. It is the first "Featured" post at the top of the page. Check it out to see what might be of interest to you!

04/09/2025

Will AI ever be able to "see" the color red? Sure, it will be able to register the wave length and pronounce "red." But will it see the color as we do? The answer is no. The term for this perception of ours is qualia.

There have been a number of excellent thought experiments to demonstrate this. This episode discusses them.

Podcast Episode · The Cunning of Geist · 01/09/2022 · 24m

03/09/2025

Technologies, like all other tools, are extensions of human capabilities. The hammer is an extension of the arm. The horse, then the car, is an extension of our legs. Writing is an extension of our voice, our thoughts. With cell phones and emali we can extend our thoughts all around the world.

AI is an extension of both our reasoning and our memory. These tools have advanced our freedom, and will continue to do so.

Each technological leap has had its consequences though, both good and bad. The printed book brought about the enlightenment, but also colonialism. Radio brought strong leaders, on the one hand Churchill and Roosevelt, on the other Hi**er. Television brought us celebrity politicians. The Internet has given birth to a new tribalism.

This coming world of AI? Some Casandras and artists will see what it means for us. But for most, we must wait. And we are still coming to grips with what the Internet age has brought.

02/09/2025

Interested article on consciousness and why it will never be able to be uploaded to a computer.

Uploading minds to computers isn’t just technically impossible—the whole idea rests on a deep misconception of consciousness and our place in reality. So argues William Egginton, whose recent book explores the relationships between the philosophies of Kant, Heisenberg and Borges. Drawing a paral...

26/08/2025

I majored in psychology in college in the early 1970s. At the time the field was dominated by behaviorism. Thomas Szasz’s book “The Myth of Mental Illness” was the new paradigm. Studies showed that psychoanalysis did not work - 1/3 got better, 1/3 got worse, 1/3 stayed the same, therapy or no therapy.

I wanted to do my senior thesis on the unconscious mind, however my faculty advisor claimed there was no proof of such a thing. I am not making this up.

I knew there had to be more than what they were teaching us. This episode explores the subject.

Podcast Episode · The Cunning of Geist · 08/27/2023 · 23m

25/08/2025

"Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is" - Isaac Asimov

18/08/2025

Too many people today believe that free will does not exist. That is a real embarrassment for our species..

One of the best proofs that free will exists is humor. If was are in reality just sophisticated robots, then laughing would be outside our realm of possibility. If you have to explain the joke, it isn't funny. Robots can only deal with the explanation.

The French philosopher Henri Bergson understood this, and was perhaps the only philosopher to ever seriously address the subject of comedy. He noted that what we perceive as funny is often the sudden disruption of the usual habitual patterns. To use the old cliche, like "slipping on a banana peel."

For those interested, this podcast explores Bergson's unique philosophy.

Podcast Episode · The Cunning of Geist · 09/18/2022 · 28m

17/08/2025

"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down – up to man’s age-old dream – the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order – or down” - Ronald Reagan.

Sounds pretty Hegelian doesn't it?