My oldest daughter, Lisa is in her final year at Greenwich University studying Philosophy. She, and some of the other students run a stall in Greenwich Market called The Philosophy Takeaway
They have philosophy books for sale and are happy to discuss anything with anybody who stops for a chat. (Pop by and visit if you are in Greenwich on a Wednesday!)
Lisa runs the group's blog and frequently posts essays and thought provoking articles. Despite proof reading many of her essays for the last 30 months, and reading every post on the blog, much of it still goes straight over my head.
But I wanted to share some passages from a recent essay she wrote - don't worry, its not hard work, and I KNOW you'll nod your head in agreement.
The essay title is beyond me, but to help you (and me) I have coloured in red the important words
Assess,
with reference to at least three philosophers discussed on the course, the
extent to which the meaning of life can be considered both 'subjectively' and
'objectively'.
Keep the red words in your head, they are the important ones, keep chanting them, like a mantra, and now read her paragraph on the philosophy of John Taylor as he contemplates the Meaning Of Life:
it is not the final product . . . but [rather] the focus of our passion . . . that gives life meaning. A sense of fulfilment is not achieved through the completion of a task but through the activity that is undertaken in working toward that end
So *that's* why I have so many UFOs - the sense of achievement is from the doing, not the finishing. Lisa then summarises:
. . . if you feel
something is a sufficient use of your time, then, he argues, that is enough;
‘an existence that is objectively meaningless … can nevertheless acquire
meaning for him whose existence it is’
So this means that cutting up fabric and sewing it back together is a worthwhile activity so long as I feel it is sufficient use of my time?
Guess what, I think it is!
lol :-)
ReplyDeleteWell, I certainly like your interpretation!
ReplyDeleteA very wise man :oD Now I do hope that at that posh university they taught her how to read the calendar, because you obviously failed that bit at school ;o)
ReplyDeleteI need to pull out all my degree books - not sure flashing my quilts at my parents will justify the cost!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa for making me feel better about all my UFO's!!
ReplyDeleteWith that new perspective I might start to like philosophy ;-))
ReplyDelete