Week 11 Picks & Discussion...

This is the space where we can all dive into the discussion for round eleven
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Mick Jagger managed to take the win last time, so huge congrats on that one more time.

It’s going to be a pretty interesting ride, honestly, because since our next topic shifts toward modern philosophical thought, we'll be stepping out of our comfort zone and testing the waters in much more contemporary territory
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👍

This isn't even a philosophical debate—it’s a historical one. It’s like asking someone to pick out the single most important idea from British Empiricism.

ruggedraven36 said:This isn't even a philosophical debate—it’s a historical one. It’s like asking someone to pick out the single most important idea from British Empiricism.

What do you mean by that? 🙄

I interpreted the question as an inquiry into what the primary focus of contemporary philosophy ought to be.

Sandra Murphy33 said:What do you mean by that? 🙄

I interpreted the question as an inquiry into what the primary focus of contemporary philosophy ought to be.

Me? I read it as her asking what modern philosophy considers its most critical issue.

If modern philosophy decides a certain question is the most vital one, that’s where its focus will inevitably land—so isn't it essentially the same thing?

But why on earth would you categorize this as a historical issue?
Because philosophy doesn't just sit around inventing its own homework. Instead, the tasks—the most pressing questions—are handed down by the specific historical moment, the era in which these philosophers actually exist.

And that historical moment is nothing more than "the present."

Sandra Murphy33 said:If modern philosophy decides a certain question is the most vital one, that’s where its focus will inevitably land—so isn't it essentially the same thing?

But why on earth would you categorize this as a historical issue?
Because philosophy doesn't just sit around inventing its own homework. Instead, the tasks—the most pressing questions—are handed down by the specific historical moment, the era in which these philosophers actually exist.

And that historical moment is nothing more than "the present."

Let them deal with it—fine. But just because philosophy fixates on a specific question during a certain era doesn't mean that question actually matters. It’s a massive distinction. There's a world of difference between noting what people *are* obsessing over and deciding what they *should* be obsessing over. Those aren't the same thing.

It’s a historical question—pure and simple—because it’s digging into facts from a specific era.

ruggedraven36:

Philosophy can’t just sit there and assign itself homework—it doesn't work like that. It’s more like this: the actual questions, the heavy hitters that matter, are forced upon us by the historical moment. It’s the era we’re stuck living in that sets the agenda for the philosophers.

Sure, she can set her own "goals" if she wants—but if we’re talking about what modern philosophy actually sets for itself, that's not a matter of opinion. It’s a matter of being informed. You don't "opine" on whether Quincy is the capital of Ethiopia; you either know it or you don't. Same deal here. To answer which question currently dominates the field, you don't need an opinion—you just need to have actually read the literature.

Just so we’re clear—I’m not saying the question itself sucks. It’s just not really a philosophical one. I'm asking because modern philosophy is a total mystery to me, and I'd rather actually know what's going on than fly blind.

We’ve already got some killer responses first thing in the morning—clearly MMovca set the bait with a pretty provocative question.
I didn't take the prompt as someone stating a hard fact; I saw it more as an invitation to kick off a debate about what the single most important philosophical question is in today's world. So, I'll try to chip in with my own two cents before time runs out, though honestly, Neo, Walnut, and Joseph Murphy10 have pretty much covered everything I would've said anyway—just in their own way.

The reason I’m using the present tense here is because it implies taking a definitive philosophical stand against today's postmodernist landscape—that nagging feeling that philosophy has just dissolved into tiny, disconnected fragments instead of tackling the big questions through any kind of coherent, systemic framework. Wittgenstein essentially threw everything into chaos, much like how Hegel did when he was reshaping the entire landscape of 19th-century thought.

Now, the ball is in your court. I want you to cut through all the noise and identify what you believe is the most critical question facing modern philosophy. Is it a question that's already being debated, or is it one that we haven't even dared to ask yet?

Joseph Murphy10 said:We’ve already got some killer responses first thing in the morning—clearly MMovca set the bait with a pretty provocative question.
I didn't take the prompt as someone stating a hard fact; I saw it more as an invitation to kick off a debate about what the single most important philosophical question is in today's world. So, I'll try to chip in with my own two cents before time runs out, though honestly, Neo, Walnut, and Joseph Murphy10 have pretty much covered everything I would've said anyway—just in their own way.

Look, if the question was "What is the single most important question in ancient philosophy?", would you respond by saying, "I didn't take the question as a fact, but rather as an opening for a debate on what should have been the most important question back then"? Probably not. It’s pretty simple—one refers to modern thought, the other to antiquity. That's the difference.

ruggedraven36 said:Look, if the question was "What is the single most important question in ancient philosophy?", would you respond by saying, "I didn't take the question as a fact, but rather as an opening for a debate on what should have been the most important question back then"? Probably not. It’s pretty simple—one refers to modern thought, the other to antiquity. That's the difference.

You're spot on... 🤦

But hey, the question's out there, and I said what I said. Honestly, I don't think anyone can sit there with total authority and give a "valid" answer to "what is the most important question in modern philosophy." Why? Because such an answer would have to be the one and only correct, arbitrary truth. If we did that, we'd lose the whole point—the debate, the arguments, the speculation, and all that "rambling" the author mentioned. We need that friction.

Plus, let’s not forget my classic American streak of being contrarian just for the hell of it—even if a single right answer actually existed. 😁

That’s a really solid question from Mick Jagger, though I think we’ve already seen some pretty great answers popping up here.

I’ve been reading through all your replies, and honestly, I’m really happy with how everyone is engaging here. It feels incredibly similar to what I used to experience firsthand in the classroom. One student actually echoed exactly what addx was saying, which was interesting because my whole goal during that lesson was to lay down the groundwork for philosophy as a formal science—trying to define its scope and make them realize its history is essentially just one big series of deep, investigative questions.

If those were my students today, some would have probably dismissed him as a mere sophist, and I’m certain at least one of them would have jumped right in to play devil's advocate, tossing out cognitive puzzles just to keep things complicated. I truly miss that kind of teaching. Even though, if I’m being honest, I’m a bit of a failure as a philosopher—I’m more of a relatively well-read naturalist since I never had the time or the headspace to really dive deep into my studies back at university because I was always stuck working these precarious, dead-end jobs. And this topic regarding labor... it’s fascinating. I keep trying to sit down and draft something meaningful about it, but the words just aren't coming, so I think I'll just stay quiet for now.

It really does warm my heart to see these responses and the discussion unfolding on this thread.

silentraven6 said:I’ve been reading through all your replies, and honestly, I’m really happy with how everyone is engaging here. It feels incredibly similar to what I used to experience firsthand in the classroom. One student actually echoed exactly what addx was saying, which was interesting because my whole goal during that lesson was to lay down the groundwork for philosophy as a formal science—trying to define its scope and make them realize its history is essentially just one big series of deep, investigative questions.

If those were my students today, some would have probably dismissed him as a mere sophist, and I’m certain at least one of them would have jumped right in to play devil's advocate, tossing out cognitive puzzles just to keep things complicated. I truly miss that kind of teaching. Even though, if I’m being honest, I’m a bit of a failure as a philosopher—I’m more of a relatively well-read naturalist since I never had the time or the headspace to really dive deep into my studies back at university because I was always stuck working these precarious, dead-end jobs. And this topic regarding labor... it’s fascinating. I keep trying to sit down and draft something meaningful about it, but the words just aren't coming, so I think I'll just stay quiet for now.

It really does warm my heart to see these responses and the discussion unfolding on this thread.

Look, I hope you don't mind that I don't see your question as anything particularly philosophical—but honestly, we ended up getting some great philosophical takes out of it anyway, so thanks for asking.

ruggedraven36 said:Look, I hope you don't mind that I don't see your question as anything particularly philosophical—but honestly, we ended up getting some great philosophical takes out of it anyway, so thanks for asking.

How could it bother me? I don't sense any malice here, and you know me—I'm all for embracing different perspectives.

silentraven6 said:How could it bother me? I don't sense any malice here, and you know me—I'm all for embracing different perspectives.

Glad to hear it.

planinar said:And out of all that—the most ancient question and yet still the most relevant—is just: who am I?

There’s no way to answer that. Not when there are over eight billion of us breathing right now—and if you factor in everyone who’s already kicked the bucket, the number is astronomical. Every single person is their own "I." So, given the sheer volume of those "I's," finding a single answer is basically impossible.

And even if someone actually managed to answer the ultimate philosophical question—"Who am I?"—and wrote an entire book about themselves, nobody’s going to be studying it in Ivy League classrooms. Why? Because at the end of the day, it’s just a book about one guy.

"Who am I?" is one of those universal inquiries that remains perpetually relevant, simply because it is, at its core, an actual question. What does it even mean to be human? It’s a question people tend to ask when they're feeling particularly lost or perhaps just a bit too philosophical for their own good. If you're looking for a biological definition, sure, we can talk about DNA and evolutionary biology, but that feels like missing the point entirely. Realistically, being human is less about our physical makeup and more about this constant, messy struggle between instinct and intention. We are creatures driven by primal urges, yet we spend most of our lives trying to pretend those urges don't exist behind a veneer of civility and social etiquette. We build massive cities, complex legal systems, and intricate technologies, all while remaining fundamentally tethered to the same basic fears and desires that drove us thousands of years ago. To me, being human is defined by that specific tension—the capacity to act against our own self-interest for an idea, a belief, or another person. It's that unpredictable friction between what we are and what we attempt to become. It isn't always pretty, and it certainly isn't consistent, but it's the only thing that makes the whole endeavor worth observing. Or perhaps it’s just a question of what I am—what it actually means to be a human being.

If we all sat here offering our own individual perspectives on this philosophical question, we wouldn't actually get any closer to an answer. In fact, we’d likely just drift further away from it.

Ja It’s that one thing we all have in common: the ability to say "I." We all carry this identical perception of ourselves—that singular, internal sense of identity that exists in that fleeting moment right before consciousness fades. The concept of "mindset" is often treated like some magical elixir in self-help circles, but if you look closely, it’s really just a collection of ingrained patterns and mental habits that dictate how we process reality. It isn't about positive thinking or smiling through a crisis; it's about the underlying architecture of your perception. Most people drift through life reacting to external stimuli without ever questioning why they interpret certain events the way they do. They operate on autopilot, driven by subconscious biases and old conditioning that they mistake for objective truth. Realizing that your perspective is essentially a curated filter—one that can be dismantled and rebuilt—is the first step toward any kind of genuine agency. It’s a slow, tedious process of deconstructing your own illusions, and frankly, most people lack the discipline to actually follow through. When you look at this through the lens of Hegelian "fixation of identity," things get complicated. It’s that specific moment where a fluid process gets frozen into a static concept, and we mistake that snapshot for the whole reality. We tend to take a moving target and pretend it's a stationary object just so we can feel like we have a grip on it. In practice, that kind of intellectual rigidity usually leads to more confusion than clarity.

Sandra Murphy33 said:"Who am I?" is one of those universal inquiries that remains perpetually relevant, simply because it is, at its core, an actual question. What does it even mean to be human? It’s a question people tend to ask when they're feeling particularly lost or perhaps just a bit too philosophical for their own good. If you're looking for a biological definition, sure, we can talk about DNA and evolutionary biology, but that feels like missing the point entirely. Realistically, being human is less about our physical makeup and more about this constant, messy struggle between instinct and intention. We are creatures driven by primal urges, yet we spend most of our lives trying to pretend those urges don't exist behind a veneer of civility and social etiquette. We build massive cities, complex legal systems, and intricate technologies, all while remaining fundamentally tethered to the same basic fears and desires that drove us thousands of years ago. To me, being human is defined by that specific tension—the capacity to act against our own self-interest for an idea, a belief, or another person. It's that unpredictable friction between what we are and what we attempt to become. It isn't always pretty, and it certainly isn't consistent, but it's the only thing that makes the whole endeavor worth observing. Or perhaps it’s just a question of what I am—what it actually means to be a human being.

If we all sat here offering our own individual perspectives on this philosophical question, we wouldn't actually get any closer to an answer. In fact, we’d likely just drift further away from it.

Ja It’s that one thing we all have in common: the ability to say "I." We all carry this identical perception of ourselves—that singular, internal sense of identity that exists in that fleeting moment right before consciousness fades. The concept of "mindset" is often treated like some magical elixir in self-help circles, but if you look closely, it’s really just a collection of ingrained patterns and mental habits that dictate how we process reality. It isn't about positive thinking or smiling through a crisis; it's about the underlying architecture of your perception. Most people drift through life reacting to external stimuli without ever questioning why they interpret certain events the way they do. They operate on autopilot, driven by subconscious biases and old conditioning that they mistake for objective truth. Realizing that your perspective is essentially a curated filter—one that can be dismantled and rebuilt—is the first step toward any kind of genuine agency. It’s a slow, tedious process of deconstructing your own illusions, and frankly, most people lack the discipline to actually follow through. When you look at this through the lens of Hegelian "fixation of identity," things get complicated. It’s that specific moment where a fluid process gets frozen into a static concept, and we mistake that snapshot for the whole reality. We tend to take a moving target and pretend it's a stationary object just so we can feel like we have a grip on it. In practice, that kind of intellectual rigidity usually leads to more confusion than clarity.

Look, whenever anyone starts talking about "who they are," they’re really just talking about their whole damn self. Why would I be any less me—or not exist at all—if I stripped away the very things that make me unique? The "Who am I?" question is universal, sure, but... It’s more than just that. It’s a universal question, really. I can't tell you if this thing is just me—some deep-seated personal quirk—or if it's something specific that isn't part of my DNA. The truth? It’s both. You can't untangle them. They're fused together.

The line between the individual and the collective is so blurred it’s almost pointless—once you pin down one, you’ve basically grabbed the other by the throat. It's all the same thing. When someone starts baring their soul about their own specific, messy life experiences, anyone listening realizes they're just looking at a mirror of their own universal human experience. And vice versa—you start talking about those big, sweeping "human truths," and suddenly everyone’s seeing their own personal struggles reflected back at them. It's a loop. You can't have one without the other.