Em segundo...
Firstly, I would like to thank Dr.Srinivas Bhogle for helping me get started on the path that I travel now and hope to travel for the whole of my life. Thanks a million sir, for making sure that I always try and accumulate knowledge, which as you say will get converted to Wisdom at the right time. More importantly Wisdom which will be useful to every other person I come across.
Thanks for all those lively discussions and for introducing me to some people whom I will remember through my entire life... Dr.Isaac and Dr.Sinha being two of them.
Thanks again for that amazing trip of my life! to Ketanur, where for the first time I stood on the wings (blades!) of the "First Indian designed Windmill"... It made me feel like I was on top of the world, ready to fly and in the process ready to take on the might of the entire European turbine making heavy weights...
This sudden flood of gratitude has been triggered by what I read on the National Aerospace laboratories homepage... It said "Dr.Srinivas Bhogle calls it a day". I don't know how I felt when I read that. But I sure know I felt funny. That funny feeling was well! funny and let us leave it at that. Beside the written line I could see the same familiar, wise and serene face, but now with a smile on it. You could call it a smile of accomplishment. He was ready for it I guess and he knew that it was a well deserved holiday (a long one at that!). The contributions of Dr.Bhogle to NAL and to India as a whole will make a topic for a whole book and not just a blog and so I shall not even attempt to say anything about that...
All I want to say to him is "Sir! you are the best... you taught me how to teach people and I shall cherish every single moment spent with you... "
And for those who are thinking that his name sounds familiar, yes! it sure does... 'Cause he has a more famous if not greater brother - 'Harsha Bhogle'...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From today on... I shall be starting a series, which will be specially written for a dear friend of mine... RIA...Parts of it have already been read by her, but I shall post it again for seemingly greater benefit... :P
I am going to call it - "série da filosofia"
------------------------
série da filosofia
In this series, I will try and cover the philosophies, rather my understanding of the philosophies of certain great Western Philosophers... Following certain Western philosophers and the world of their thought, I will also try and explore the worlds of certain eastern mystics...
I intend to cover my understanding about the philosophies of the below listed great men...
1. Socrates
2. Plato
3. Aristotle
4. The Renaissance philosophers
5. Rene Descartes
6. Hume,
7. Kant
8. Marx
9. Darwin
10. Freud
11. Sartre
12. Modern scientists from Einstein to Stephen hawking to Dyson to Kapra
So let us start...
Socrates... I am tempted I have to say this... When I hear the word Socrates the first image that comes up is that of the Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, the great Brazilian footballer. I know football is a great philosophy on its own, but I shall talk about Socrates from Greece who lived from 470-399BC.
Socrates is probably the most enigmatic figure in the whole history of philosophy. He never wrote a single line. Yet he is one of the philosophers who have had the greatest influence on European thought.
We know that he was born in Athens and that he spent most of his life on the city squares and market places talking with people he met there. "The trees in the countryside can teach me nothing" he said. He could also stand lost in thought for hours on end.
Even during his life time he was considered somewhat enigmatic. The fact that he was enigmatic made it possible for various schools of thought to claim him as their own.
We know for a certainty that he was extremely ugly. he was potbellied, bulging eyes and a snub nose. But inside he was said to be "Perfectly Delightful".
It is also said about him that 'You can seek him in the past, you can seek him in the present. But you will never find his equal'. Nevertheless he was sentenced to death for his philosophical thoughts.
The life of Socrates is known to us only through the writings of Plato, who was one of his pupils and who went on to become one of the world's greatest philosophers. Plato used a number of dialogues on philosophy in which he used Socrates as his principal character and mouthpiece. Since Plato puts his own philosophy into the 'Dialogues' we can never be sure if the words presented were actually uttered by Socrates. So it is no easy matter to distinguish between the teachings of Socrates and the philosophy of Plato. The same problem applies to many other historical persons who left no written accounts. The classic example of course is Jesus. So what the 'historical' Socrates actually said will always be shrouded in mystery. But who Socrates 'really was' is unimportant. It is Plato's portrait of Socrates, which has influenced thinkers of the Western world for the past 2500 odd years.
The essential nature of Socrates' art lay in the fact that he did not appear to want to instruct people. On the contrary he gave the impression of being the one who was ready to learn from the people he spoke to. So instead of lecturing he discussed.
Obviously he would not have become a famous philosopher had he only listened to people, nor would he have been sentenced to death. But he asked questions, especially to begin conversations, as if he knew nothing. In the course of the discussion he would generally get his opponents to recognize the weakness of their arguments and forced into a corner, they would finally be obliged to realize what is right and what is wrong.
Socrates whose mother was a midwife, used to say his art was like that of a mid wife. She does not herself give birth, she only assists in the process. Socrates saw his task as helping people to 'give birth' to the correct insight, since real understanding must come from within. It cannot be imparted by someone else.
Socrates always said he had a divine voice inside him. In 399BC he was accused of "introducing new gods and corrupting the youth," as well as not believing in the accepted gods.
Socrates was more concerned about man and his place in society than the forces of nature. As a Roman philosopher Cicero said of him "Socrates called philosophy down from the sky and established them into towns and homes". Socrates was a philosopher in the true sense of the word. A "Philo - Sopher" - One who loves Wisdom.
A philosopher knows in reality that he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of those rare people. A philosopher therefore is someone who knows that there is a lot he does not understand and is troubled by it. "Wisest is one who knows he does not know."
Mankind is faced with a number of difficult questions that we have no satisfactory answers to. So now two possibilities present themselves. We can either fool ourselves or we can shut our eyes.
People are either dead certain or totally indifferent.
It is like dividing a deck of cards into one pile of red and one pile of black cards. From time to time a joker turns up who is neither red nor black. Socrates was like this joker... but from Athens and not from cards :)
Socrates believed that a solid foundation for human knowledge lay in man's reason. He was ’Rationalist’
Socrates said that his divine voice told him what was right. "He who knows what good is will do good", he said.
By this he meant that right insight leads to right action. And only he who does right can be a virtuous man. When we do wrong it is because we don't know any better. That is why it is so important to go on learning. Socrates was concerned with finding clear and universally valid definitions of right and wrong. He believed the ability to distinguish right and wrong lies in people's reason and not in the society.
To sum it all up...
Socrates thought that no one could possibly be happy if they acted against their better judgment. And he who knows how to achieve happiness will do so. Therefore he who knows what is right will do right. Why will anyone choose to be unhappy?
Think about it... Can you live a happy life if you continually do things you know deep down are wrong? There are a lot of people who lie, cheat and speak ill of others. Are you aware that these things are not right - or fair, if you prefer? Do you think these people are happy?
Socrates didn't!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That is the end of the first write up... About Socrates it was... Now for the funda of the day...
As it is, I seem to have written a lot of stuff, quite a few of you must have slept through it... So no funda!
So here is a poll.... Tell me whom/what do you like more?
1. Aishwarya Rai or Sushmita Sen
2. Karna or Arjuna
3. A full moon or a Crescent moon
My choices... Sushmita Sen, karna and Crescent moon... Why? I shall talk about it in the next blog... :)
Till then....
Thanks for all those lively discussions and for introducing me to some people whom I will remember through my entire life... Dr.Isaac and Dr.Sinha being two of them.
Thanks again for that amazing trip of my life! to Ketanur, where for the first time I stood on the wings (blades!) of the "First Indian designed Windmill"... It made me feel like I was on top of the world, ready to fly and in the process ready to take on the might of the entire European turbine making heavy weights...
This sudden flood of gratitude has been triggered by what I read on the National Aerospace laboratories homepage... It said "Dr.Srinivas Bhogle calls it a day". I don't know how I felt when I read that. But I sure know I felt funny. That funny feeling was well! funny and let us leave it at that. Beside the written line I could see the same familiar, wise and serene face, but now with a smile on it. You could call it a smile of accomplishment. He was ready for it I guess and he knew that it was a well deserved holiday (a long one at that!). The contributions of Dr.Bhogle to NAL and to India as a whole will make a topic for a whole book and not just a blog and so I shall not even attempt to say anything about that...
All I want to say to him is "Sir! you are the best... you taught me how to teach people and I shall cherish every single moment spent with you... "
And for those who are thinking that his name sounds familiar, yes! it sure does... 'Cause he has a more famous if not greater brother - 'Harsha Bhogle'...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From today on... I shall be starting a series, which will be specially written for a dear friend of mine... RIA...Parts of it have already been read by her, but I shall post it again for seemingly greater benefit... :P
I am going to call it - "série da filosofia"
------------------------
série da filosofia
In this series, I will try and cover the philosophies, rather my understanding of the philosophies of certain great Western Philosophers... Following certain Western philosophers and the world of their thought, I will also try and explore the worlds of certain eastern mystics...
I intend to cover my understanding about the philosophies of the below listed great men...
1. Socrates
2. Plato
3. Aristotle
4. The Renaissance philosophers
5. Rene Descartes
6. Hume,
7. Kant
8. Marx
9. Darwin
10. Freud
11. Sartre
12. Modern scientists from Einstein to Stephen hawking to Dyson to Kapra
So let us start...
Socrates... I am tempted I have to say this... When I hear the word Socrates the first image that comes up is that of the Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, the great Brazilian footballer. I know football is a great philosophy on its own, but I shall talk about Socrates from Greece who lived from 470-399BC.
Socrates is probably the most enigmatic figure in the whole history of philosophy. He never wrote a single line. Yet he is one of the philosophers who have had the greatest influence on European thought.
We know that he was born in Athens and that he spent most of his life on the city squares and market places talking with people he met there. "The trees in the countryside can teach me nothing" he said. He could also stand lost in thought for hours on end.
Even during his life time he was considered somewhat enigmatic. The fact that he was enigmatic made it possible for various schools of thought to claim him as their own.
We know for a certainty that he was extremely ugly. he was potbellied, bulging eyes and a snub nose. But inside he was said to be "Perfectly Delightful".
It is also said about him that 'You can seek him in the past, you can seek him in the present. But you will never find his equal'. Nevertheless he was sentenced to death for his philosophical thoughts.
The life of Socrates is known to us only through the writings of Plato, who was one of his pupils and who went on to become one of the world's greatest philosophers. Plato used a number of dialogues on philosophy in which he used Socrates as his principal character and mouthpiece. Since Plato puts his own philosophy into the 'Dialogues' we can never be sure if the words presented were actually uttered by Socrates. So it is no easy matter to distinguish between the teachings of Socrates and the philosophy of Plato. The same problem applies to many other historical persons who left no written accounts. The classic example of course is Jesus. So what the 'historical' Socrates actually said will always be shrouded in mystery. But who Socrates 'really was' is unimportant. It is Plato's portrait of Socrates, which has influenced thinkers of the Western world for the past 2500 odd years.
The essential nature of Socrates' art lay in the fact that he did not appear to want to instruct people. On the contrary he gave the impression of being the one who was ready to learn from the people he spoke to. So instead of lecturing he discussed.
Obviously he would not have become a famous philosopher had he only listened to people, nor would he have been sentenced to death. But he asked questions, especially to begin conversations, as if he knew nothing. In the course of the discussion he would generally get his opponents to recognize the weakness of their arguments and forced into a corner, they would finally be obliged to realize what is right and what is wrong.
Socrates whose mother was a midwife, used to say his art was like that of a mid wife. She does not herself give birth, she only assists in the process. Socrates saw his task as helping people to 'give birth' to the correct insight, since real understanding must come from within. It cannot be imparted by someone else.
Socrates always said he had a divine voice inside him. In 399BC he was accused of "introducing new gods and corrupting the youth," as well as not believing in the accepted gods.
Socrates was more concerned about man and his place in society than the forces of nature. As a Roman philosopher Cicero said of him "Socrates called philosophy down from the sky and established them into towns and homes". Socrates was a philosopher in the true sense of the word. A "Philo - Sopher" - One who loves Wisdom.
A philosopher knows in reality that he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of those rare people. A philosopher therefore is someone who knows that there is a lot he does not understand and is troubled by it. "Wisest is one who knows he does not know."
Mankind is faced with a number of difficult questions that we have no satisfactory answers to. So now two possibilities present themselves. We can either fool ourselves or we can shut our eyes.
People are either dead certain or totally indifferent.
It is like dividing a deck of cards into one pile of red and one pile of black cards. From time to time a joker turns up who is neither red nor black. Socrates was like this joker... but from Athens and not from cards :)
Socrates believed that a solid foundation for human knowledge lay in man's reason. He was ’Rationalist’
Socrates said that his divine voice told him what was right. "He who knows what good is will do good", he said.
By this he meant that right insight leads to right action. And only he who does right can be a virtuous man. When we do wrong it is because we don't know any better. That is why it is so important to go on learning. Socrates was concerned with finding clear and universally valid definitions of right and wrong. He believed the ability to distinguish right and wrong lies in people's reason and not in the society.
To sum it all up...
Socrates thought that no one could possibly be happy if they acted against their better judgment. And he who knows how to achieve happiness will do so. Therefore he who knows what is right will do right. Why will anyone choose to be unhappy?
Think about it... Can you live a happy life if you continually do things you know deep down are wrong? There are a lot of people who lie, cheat and speak ill of others. Are you aware that these things are not right - or fair, if you prefer? Do you think these people are happy?
Socrates didn't!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
That is the end of the first write up... About Socrates it was... Now for the funda of the day...
As it is, I seem to have written a lot of stuff, quite a few of you must have slept through it... So no funda!
So here is a poll.... Tell me whom/what do you like more?
1. Aishwarya Rai or Sushmita Sen
2. Karna or Arjuna
3. A full moon or a Crescent moon
My choices... Sushmita Sen, karna and Crescent moon... Why? I shall talk about it in the next blog... :)
Till then....
posted by Vishal Ramasubramanian | 10:35 AM
5 Comments:
so when did u get bitten by the portuguese bug??..:))
I thot it was going to be a lesson on philosophy not history....neways...my answers to ur ques...
-sen..she hasnt aged as fast as ash!!
-i dont who is karna
-but i know u like the crescent moon...incomplete as it is!!!
@Riaan : Lets just say... i got remined of you... :)
I guess you can call it a lesson on philosophy through ages... an insight into the lives of these men... i am not advocating any one of them...
As for Karna... we will take it offline... in the meanwhile, try browsing through the important characters in Mahabharata...
i asked for the moon you like! i know that you know what i like... :)
as for the moon...
well i like the full moon....the crescent moon may be 'flawed' like all of us but i prefer to admire perfection...else my idols would be buggers like bush!!
Ok, firstly, here are my choices
1. Sushmita Sen, coz she looks full of life unlike Ash who's very doll-like!!!
2. Karna, for he had one of the most difficult tasks of all and knew that he would, in all probability, end up on the losing side. Inspite of this, his loyalty never wavered.
3. Crescent moon, coz it gives a hint of better things to come. Its like its teasing u.
BTW, do u abandon all ur blogs after writing 2 posts???
Hoi.
Hope, you guyz remember me..
here are my choices:
1. I would like Sen, but Rai will leave her far behind on my fav list, if she's ready to sleep with me. ( so the ultimate point is this doesn't matter, but...well, i like ogling at Miss Send)
2. Arjuna...Whatever happens with me, I want to end up a winner, I don't want ppl sympathising with me after 1000 years of my death.
3. Full moon...as Crescent moon signifies Paki connection, I am not at all comfortable with it. Anyway as for the moment, haven't seen any moon for months...
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