tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452490985346102910.post8640992346175935841..comments2023-07-28T17:07:19.202+01:00Comments on The Electric Philosopher : 'Universal' CultureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17727093447434645722noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452490985346102910.post-17506434573061063942016-07-27T09:39:01.083+01:002016-07-27T09:39:01.083+01:00'To symbolically summarize, the coke might jus...'To symbolically summarize, the coke might just work, but the idea of drinking coke instead of water is contingent. <br /><br />Penicillin does just work, but it's not like other cultures were trying to come up with penicillin and failed. It's only philosophical civilization that was even trying.'<br /><br />More or less, yes. In a nutshell: you can't dismiss the cultural inheritance from which these things emerged.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17727093447434645722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452490985346102910.post-46574163886474557942016-07-26T17:38:40.156+01:002016-07-26T17:38:40.156+01:00To symbolically summarize, the coke might just wor...To symbolically summarize, the coke might just work, but the idea of drinking coke instead of water is contingent. <br /><br />Penicillin does just work, but it's not like other cultures were trying to come up with penicillin and failed. It's only philosophical civilization that was even trying. (Technically not-dying is contingent per Hume, but in practice it really is universal.)<br /><br />This is Moldbug's technical success & social failure thing again, plus progressive civilization taking responsibility for things it didn't do because it can bully anyone who objects. Of course I say the same thing - that philosophical civilization is responsible for the tech, and only a corruption is responsible for the social rot. (Philosopher claims philosophy the most important pursuit. In other news, water wet.) Alrenoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11119846531341190283noreply@blogger.com