@KilayaCiriello When he says there are no definite answers, he is not saying that individual philosophies won't try to offer you definite answers, such as Platonism. His point is that there is admittedly no definite way of deciding between the various philosophies that have been offered in the course of history. In that sense, there are no definite answers in philosophy. Yet, philosophy is arguable the most human endeavor we can aspire to. To ask the fundamental questions about who we are, why we are here, and how we should live our lives.
@hungrymathprof thanks, that's what I guessed was behind it. He's not unique with that point of view, I think. Aristotlean. My understanding of Plato includes the proposition that there are definite answers to be found, at least within certain spheres of inquiry.
@KilayaCiriello Ah yes, I see what you were saying more clearly now. Yeah, well Russell tried to develop mathematics purely as an extension of logic, called logicism, when he wrote the Principia Mathematica with Alfred North Whitehead. This colossal, three volume work was largely seen as a failure by the end, even though it was highly influential. So, I am sure this had an effect on him (though this particular work was published around the same time). I still suspect that Russell would believe in definite answers theoretically speaking, but he is skeptical about whether we can find definite answers with any consensus. Philosophy is notorious for not seeming to make that same kind of progress as other fields and not coming to consensus. Plato is still living in ancient times, before the failures of the modern era.
"No definite answers"--- not a Platonist, I would hazard a guess, in advance of reading. Thanks you inspired me to dig into it myself
@KilayaCiriello When he says there are no definite answers, he is not saying that individual philosophies won't try to offer you definite answers, such as Platonism. His point is that there is admittedly no definite way of deciding between the various philosophies that have been offered in the course of history. In that sense, there are no definite answers in philosophy. Yet, philosophy is arguable the most human endeavor we can aspire to. To ask the fundamental questions about who we are, why we are here, and how we should live our lives.
@hungrymathprof thanks, that's what I guessed was behind it. He's not unique with that point of view, I think. Aristotlean. My understanding of Plato includes the proposition that there are definite answers to be found, at least within certain spheres of inquiry.
@KilayaCiriello Ah yes, I see what you were saying more clearly now. Yeah, well Russell tried to develop mathematics purely as an extension of logic, called logicism, when he wrote the Principia Mathematica with Alfred North Whitehead. This colossal, three volume work was largely seen as a failure by the end, even though it was highly influential. So, I am sure this had an effect on him (though this particular work was published around the same time). I still suspect that Russell would believe in definite answers theoretically speaking, but he is skeptical about whether we can find definite answers with any consensus. Philosophy is notorious for not seeming to make that same kind of progress as other fields and not coming to consensus. Plato is still living in ancient times, before the failures of the modern era.
cool cool. gotta add it to my list. it never fails to amaze me that a lot of "doctors of philosophy" keep arguing philosophy is useless lol