Bachelor Philosopher Number Two: Immanuel Kant

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Bachelor Philosopher Number Two:

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Immanuel Kant

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Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

analytical synthesizer

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Remember the television commercial from back in the sixties, you know, the Certs commercial? One girl is saying that Certs is a breath mint and the other is saying that Certs is a candy mint. And, the announcer says: " stop you're both right. " Well, that is what Kant said to the Rationalists and the Empiricists. But, in this case he would say that they were both wrong and both right. Each brand of philosophy had something to contribute of course to the understanding of knowledge and reality. But, both methods fell short according to Kant, and he supplied the missing ingredient; the make-up of the mind and how it perceives reality or its objects.

.HeHere is a fine written introduction to one of the most famous and important philosophers of all time: Immanuel Kant. And, of course, he is a bachelor philosopher.

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Immanuel Kant: a snapshot



Peter Herrisone-Kelly

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Immanuel Kant is widely acknowledged by philosophers of all persuasions to have been one of the greatest thinkers of all time. He is also notorious for being one of the most difficult to understand. The complexity of his prose, however, is due not to any wilful obscurantism. In reading Kant, one is aware of a thinker struggling to clothe in language ideas of the very highest level of complexity and profundity.

Born in 1724, Kant lived his entire life in the East Prussian town of Königsberg. He never married, though was a popular man who by all accounts led a life of the utmost order and regularity. His unique contribution to Western thought is his 'Critical Philosophy': a devastating and ingenious critique of both speculative rationalistic metaphysics and unfettered empiricism. And yet this monumental system of thought, as set out in the Critique of Pure Reason, stems from just one seemingly humble question: how are synthetic a priori truths possible?

Kant introduced the distinction between 'analytic' and 'synthetic' judgements. He characterises an analytic judgement as one in which 'the predicate B belongs to the subject A, as something which is (covertly) contained in this concept A'. The favourite example of philosophers is 'All bachelors are unmarried'. Here, the predicate ('are unmarried') simply 'unpacks' the conceptual content of the subject ('bachelors'). A distinguishing feature of such propositions is that they they tell us nothing about the way the world is, but simply clarify what is involved in our concepts.

In the case of synthetic judgements, by contrast, Kant tells us that the predicate 'lies outside the [subject] concept'. An example might be 'All humans are under twenty feet tall'. Whilst this proposition is no doubt true, it is nonetheless certainly not a feature of the concept 'human' that anything falling under it is under twenty feet tall. Thus, 'All humans are under twenty feet tall' gives us a substantial piece of information about the world rather than our concepts.

It should be easy to see that analytic truths are a priori: that is, knowable independently of any particular experience. I do not have to carry out a survey of bachelors to find out that they are all unmarried. But how could any synthetic truth - one which gives us real information about the world - be a priori?

Kant was of course aware that the vast majority of synthetic truths are knowable only a posteriori - that they require verification through experience. 'All humans are under twenty feet tall' could never be known a priori. He held, however, that there exists a special class of propositions that are both informative and knowable independently of this or that experience. The truths of mathematics (perhaps most significantly those of geometry), he maintained, fall into this class, as do certain other propositions, such as 'Every event has a cause'.

There is nothing about the concept of 7+5 that dictates that it should be equal to 12, nor about the concept of a straight line that it should be the shortest distance between two points. And yet the propositions '7+5=12' and 'A straight line is the shortest distance between two points' are both knowable a priori. Similarly, it is not part of the concept of an event that it should have a cause, and yet we can know with absolute certainty, thinks Kant, that any event will be caused. But how can we know such truths a priori?

Kant's answer to this question is both radical and astonishing. Let us start with the case of geometry. There can only, thinks Kant, be one explanation of our a priori knowledge of the properties of space: the spatial properties of the world must be contributed by the knowing subject. That is, the world as it is in itself is not made up of objects arranged in space. Only the world as it appears to us is spatial, and this is precisely because space is nothing more than our way of representing the world to ourselves. In Kant's own terminology, space is nothing more than a 'form of intuition [i.e., perception]'. Kant employs a similar argument to conclude that time, too, is a mere form of intuition. Space and time are features of the phenomenal world - the world as it appears to us - only. The noumenal world - the world of things as they are in themselves - is aspatial and atemporal.

Similarly, causal relations have a subjective origin, being, as it were, 'projected' into the world by the experiencing consciousness. Consequently causation too is a feature only of the world of appearances, and not of the world independent of our cognitive faculties. However, whereas the forms of intuition are features of our faculty of sensibility (the passive faculty that receives sense-impressions), causation is one of twelve 'categories', or 'a priori concepts' imposed on sense impressions by the understanding (the active faculty of reason).

Kant's epistemology stands as a critique of both empiricism and rationalism. The empiricist view is wrong, since the mind is not a mere tabula rasa which passively receives knowledge of the world through the senses. The rationalist model of knowledge is just as mistaken, as reason alone can never give rise to knowledge, since knowledge demands both concepts and the raw data supplied by the senses. Thus speculative metaphysics - the attempt to achieve theoretical knowledge of non-empirical subjects such as the existence of God, freedom and immortality - inevitably falls into illusion. It aims to gain knowledge of the world as it is in itself, but theoretical knowledge can only be of the world as it appears.

But whilst Kant held that we have no theoretical knowledge of such things, he maintained that we can have a practical knowledge of them. Consider free will. When I consider my actions as constituents of the phenomenal world, I am obliged to regard them as produced by rigid deterministic laws, but when I consider those same actions as they are in the noumenal world I am not so obliged. I can have practical knowledge of that freedom, which I am required to postulate in order to account for my inescapable sense of myself as a responsible moral agent.

It seems to many that a choice has to be made between two apparently incompatible ways of looking at the world: the spiritual and ethical on the one hand, and the scientific on the other. If Kant is right, the dichotomy between these two ways of looking at the world is purely illusory. There is room in the world for both determinism and freedom, spirituality and science.

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The source of the above article is located here:

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TPM Online is The Philosophers' Magazine on the net

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Here is a very good audio file series called:

The Giants of Philosophy

narrated by Charleton Heston. It is easy to listen to, entertaining, and informative. You will learn the basics of Kant's ideas and what the conflict and resolution was between the Rationalists and the Empiricists.

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The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 01/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 02/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 03/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 04/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 05/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 06/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 07/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 08/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 09/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 10/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 11/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 12/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 13/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 14/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 15/16

The Giants of Philosophy - Immanuel Kant - 16/16

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The Critique of Pure Reason

.. was Kant's most important project. Certain commentators have categorized Kant as a poor writer as compared to other philosophers, and also hard to understand and to grasp. Well, thatmay be so, but if you listen to the following audio files, the man is not that difficult to understand; his thoughts do get exposed in a painless sort of way. The thing about Kant of course is the fact that most people are not going to read his Critique in its entirety or even listen to it. It is the same thing with the Bible and other writings such as Karl Marx's Das Kapital. Everyone has heard of these things, but hardly anyone takes the time to actually finish these works in their entirety. It is just the nature of the human animal I suppose, that we cannot find the time or the energy to complete such a project. Maybe that is why some of us become priests and professors, while the rest of us can only dream of acquiring the much sought after knowledge. But, I think you will find that if man has a will or other reason to complete something then he will find the time to do it. Here is the Critique in listening form via the Librivox site: ( commentary by Carl Baydala )

The following commentary is found on the Librivox website.

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The Critique of Pure Reason

by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).Translated by John Miller Dow Meiklejohn (1830-1902).

The Critique of Pure Reason, first published in 1781 with a second edition in 1787, has been called the most influential and important philosophical text of the modern age.

Kant saw the Critique of Pure Reason as an attempt to bridge the gap between rationalism (there are significant ways in which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of sense experience) and empiricism (sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and knowledge) and, in particular, to counter the radical empiricism of David Hume (our beliefs are purely the result of accumulated habits, developed in response to accumulated sense experiences). Using the methods of science, Kant demonstrates that though each mind may, indeed, create its own universe, those universes are guided by certain common laws, which are rationally discernable. (Summary by M.L. Cohen)

Gutenberg e-text

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Wikipedia - Immanuel Kant

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Wikipedia - The Critique of Pure Reason

The University of Adelaide Library - Searchable e-text

LibriVox’s The Critique of Pure Reason Internet Archive page

Zip file of the entire book (753.6MB)

RSS feed · Subscribe in iTunes · Chapter-a-day

Total running time: 26:09:21

mp3 and ogg files

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01 - The Critique of Pure Reason - 00:20:04 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_01_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_01_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 9.3MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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02 - Preface to the Second Edition, 1787 - 00:53:26 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_02_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_02_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 26.8MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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03 - Introduction - 00:40:45 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_03_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_03_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 17.9MB]Read by: Stewart Wills

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04 - Trancendental Aesthetic - Introductory - Of Space - 00:20:21 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_04_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_04_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 10.6MB]Read by: CarlManchester

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05 -Transcendental Doctrine of Elements–Time - 00:37:25 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_05_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_05_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 20.1MB]Read by: CarlManchester

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06 - Transcendental Logic - 00:26:14 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_06_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_06_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 14.1MB]Read by: JemmaBlythe

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07 - Transcendental Analytic - 00:23:33 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_07_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_07_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 13.3MB]Read by: Hugh McGuire

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08 - Deduction of the Pure Conceptions - 00:17:20 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_08_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_08_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 9.3MB]Read by: Gesine

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09 - Transcendental Deduction of the pure Conceptions of the Understanding. SS 11 - 00:32:34 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_09_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_09_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 14.4MB]Read by: James Tiley

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10 - Application of the Categories to Objects of the Senses - 00:48:46 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_10_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_10_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 22.9MB]Read by: James Tiley

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11 - Analytic of Principles / Schematism - 00:45:14 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_11_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_11_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 23.2MB]Read by: Robert Scott

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12 - System of All Principles of the Pure Understanding - 00:15:11 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_12_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_12_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 8.0MB]Read by: Kirsten Ferreri

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13 - Systematic Representation of All Synthetical Principles/1st Analogy - 01:24:59 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_13_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_13_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 45.0MB]Read by: Robert Scott

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14 - Second Analogy - 00:36:48 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_14_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_14_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 19.7MB]Read by: Kirsten Ferreri

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15 - Third Analogy - 00:14:47 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_15_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_15_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 7.8MB]Read by: Kirsten Ferreri

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16 - The Postulates of Empirical Thought - 00:43:08 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_16_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_16_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 21.3MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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17 - Division of All Objects into Phenomena and Noumena - 00:34:55 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_17_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_17_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 19.0MBTODO]Read by: Lisa Chau

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18 - Appendix: Of the equivocal Nature of Amphiboly - 00:12:25 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_18_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_18_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 6.5MB]Read by: CarlManchester

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19 - Remark on the Amphiboly of the Conceptions of Reflections - 00:55:51 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_19_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_19_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 30.5MB]Read by: Robert Scott

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20 - Transcendental Dialectic: Introduction - 00:09:07 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_20_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_20_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 3.7MB]Read by: tubeyes

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21 - Of the Conceptions of Pure Reason - 01:14:18 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_21_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_21_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 38.0MB]Read by: James Tiley

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22 - Of the Dialectical Procedure of Pure Reason - 00:04:49 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_22_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_22_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 2.0MB]Read by: Geoff Dugwyler

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23 - Of the Paralogisms of Pure Reason - 00:49:08 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_23_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_23_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 21.5MB]Read by: Geoff Dugwyler

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24 - The Antinomy of Pure Reason - 00:26:52 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_24_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_24_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 13.3MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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25 - Antithetic of Pure Reason/1st and 2nd Conflicts - 00:38:56 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_25_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_25_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 19.6MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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26 - 3rd & 4th Conflict of the Transcendental Ideas - 00:29:49 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_26_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_26_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 14.2MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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27 - Of the Interest of Reason in these Self-Contradictions - 00:27:35 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_27_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_27_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 13.7MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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28 - Of the Necessity Imposed upon Pure Reason of Presenting a Solution of its Transcendental Problems - 00:40:09 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_28_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_28_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 18.9MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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29 - Critical Solution of the Cosmological Problem - 00:35:03 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_29_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_29_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 16.9MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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30 - Empirical Use of the Regulative Principle of Reason with regard to the Cosmological Ideas - 00:32:20 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_30_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_30_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 16.3MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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31 - Solution of the Cosmological Idea of the Totality of the Deduction of C - 00:51:16 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_31_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_31_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 23.9MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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32 - Solution of the Cosmological Idea of the Totality of the Dependence of Phenomenal Existences - 00:15:24 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_32_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_32_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 8.0MB]Read by: D.E. Wittkower

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33 - The Ideal of Pure Reason - 00:26:29 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_33_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_33_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 12.4MB]Read by: J. M. Smallheer

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34 - Of the Arguments Employed by Speculative Reason in Proof of the Existence of a Supreme Being - 00:28:55 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_34_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_34_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 14.8MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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35 - Of the Impossibility of a Cosmological Proof of the Existence of God - 00:26:53 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_35_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_35_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 13.9MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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36 - Of the Impossibility of a Physico-Theological Proof - 00:34:04 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_36_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_36_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 16.8MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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37 - Of the Regulative Employment of the Ideas of Pure Reason - 01:06:38 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_37_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_37_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 35.2MB]Read by: Robert Scott

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38 - Of the Ultimate End of the Natural Dialectic of Pure Reason - 00:51:33 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_38_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_38_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 27.9MB]Read by: Kirsten Ferreri

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39 - Transcendental Doctrine of Method - 00:03:06 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_39_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_39_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 1.6MB]Read by: Kirsten Ferreri

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40 - Discipline of Pure Reason in the Sphere of Dogmatism - 00:42:22 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_40_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_40_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 26.9MB]Read by: Judy Bieber

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41 - Discipline of Pure Reason in Polemics scipline of Pure Reason in Polemics - 00:50:46 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_41_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_41_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 32.5MB]Read by: Judy Bieber

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42 - Discipline of Pure Reason in Hypothesis - 00:20:45 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_42_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_42_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 10.6MB]Read by: Judy Bieber

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43 - Discipline of Pure Reason in Relation to Proofs - 00:20:33 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_43_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_43_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 10.7MB]Read by: Judy Bieber

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44 - The Canon of Pure Reason - 00:14:37 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_44_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_44_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 6.8MB]Read by: J. M. Smallheer

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45 - Ideal of the Summum Bonum as a Determining Ground of the Ultimate End of Pure Reason - 00:24:53 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_45_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_45_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 12.1MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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46 - Of Opinion, Knowledge and Belief - 00:19:10 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_46_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_46_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 10.1MB]Read by: CarlManchester

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47 - The Architectonic of Pure Reason - 00:30:13 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_47_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_47_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 15.9MB]Read by: M.L. Cohen

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48 - The History of Pure Reason - 00:09:52 [http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_48_kant_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/critique_pure_reason_0709_librivox/critique_of_pure_reason_48_kant.mp3][ogg vorbis - 5.2MB]Read by: Gesine

Cataloged on September 24, 2007

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LibriVox

More ideas for listening

2 weeks ago

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Immanuel Kant on You Tube

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Geoffrey Warnock on Kant

( Bryan Magee interview )

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A closer look at the definitions;

Kant - Critique of Pure Reason

Adrian Moore on Kant's Metaphysics

You might want to listen to an hour long discussion

on Philosophy Talk shown below.

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Emmanuel Kant on Philosophy Talk

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Theist Vs Atheist Debate: "Does God Not Exist?"

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Theist Vs Atheist Debate: "Does God Not Exist?"

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Dear friends, here is another debate concerning the existence of God. It takes place within an Islamic faith setting. This is a very intriguing debate indeed since the atheist, in this case, is a former Christian believer and church practitioner. This former believer was in fact an ordained person who practiced and taught religion. This person knows the Bible and says that he was a very strong believer in God. But, now turned atheist he is in the business of denying the entity. The preacher turned atheist rests his case solely on logic and reason. He is a forceful and effective speaker indeed. So, sit back and enjoy this debate.

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Part two of the debate brings forth a believer in Islam. He begins with a ten minute rebuttal of everything that the atheist has presented. He calls him dogmatic and proceeds with his case against him. He wonders why the atheist denies the existence of design which is so apparent. He speaks of existence and asks the atheist to falsify his existence. God is not relative, but the Creator of all. He is the immovable mover. He is Absolute. You cannot compartmentalize God. We cannot apply our limitations to God.

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The atheist engages in a five minute rebuttal at this point. Since the Muslim above denied that Buddhists were atheists, the speaker claims again that Buddhists are in fact atheists. He speaks again to design. He thinks the world is in fact a bad design. He refers again to the gap in understanding and refers again to Isaac Newton who tried to close the gap by invoking God. Our limits is what defines us. Allah therefore cannot be a person. You have to define what God is not what he is not.

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The believer in God begins his twenty minute speech. He blames man for not seeing the perfect in God or the universe. Does God not exist? The burden is on Mr. Dan Barker. How did we become and where did we come from? We know that the universe is expanding, etc. Design is required for the existence of the universe. God is the creator of time and matter. God created the universe out of his infinite mercy. We have been created to be tried. This is for man to know, not God. Man has free will. We have intellect. Man is created in perfect form. We are constantly being examined and tested. Evil is a relative entity.

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Mr. Barker has a ten minute rebuttal. Calls the religious man a good person. I do not reject design. But, is done naturally. You have not given us any evidence only examples of our ignorance by pointing to a god. Is God puposeful and logical? God needs a designer as well. Why does God exist? I would worship God if he existed. I want the evidence. God is on trial. What about precious human life that God could have saved on 9/11?

Atheists are more moral than the believers. Hell is a threat and an intimidation. A physical threat. These religions are morally bankrupt.

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A five minute rebuttal from the Muslim. Natural selection cannot exist by itself.

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Part three is next.

This is a question and answer period.

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This is a really good part of the debate. I would give the debate to the former Christian. I am prejudiced of course, but that is beside the point. The atheist proved his metal without question. He is truly an excellent debater and brings in his arguments in a very timely and professional manner. The Muslim appears to be resting his case on philosophy and the belief in a god. I don't think that is good enough, especially when you realize that a god is not a necessary ingredient to the formation and acquisition of morality. The believer in Allah believes that to be the case and rests firmly on the idea of a first creator and the cause of all - a divine all-knowing one. He falls short in his argument especially in the area of proof. The atheist offers to become a believer if proof is available. I think that is an honest approach. The Muslim is not going to budge; he believes steadfastly in his god. And, the atheist is correct in saying that this is inappropriate as it denies one the ability to gain new knowledge.

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Third Annual Blogger Report

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Third Annual

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Blogger Report

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May 2009

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Yes, dear friends time certainly flies now doesn't it? Here we are once again in the middle of May. It is time to examine what we have accomplished over the past year;

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Friends, we have made great progress over the past twelve months. So much has happened in my life that I just don't know where to start or what to focus on. Now, I certainly don't want to burden you with the lesser events of the year, so maybe I will just confine myself to my major accomplishments;

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Semi-retirement is working out quite well I am glad to report. I am not experiencing any major financial difficulties and I am still just working three days per week. Usually it is Wednesday through Friday, but sometimes we switch things around a bit to make adjustments for the changing business conditions. You will appreciate that the courier business does not get any easier as there are always more vehicles on the road and more construction and numerous other things which can cause delays for the courier. Maybe that is why I bought a new truck with an automatic transmission. More on this detail later on in this report.

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If you scan my posts over you will notice that I am becoming quite a bit more philosophical in my writings. Philosophy is my main interest in life right now and I have always been interested in the big questions that confront man, and I do in fact spend a lot of time just doing plain old thinking. So, look for more philosophy-oriented posts in the year to come.

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2009 was the year in which I turned sixty years old; it is my diamond year. And, it is also the year in which I am planning on getting married, one way or the other. Now, it might not be a traditional wedding, but I can promise my readers some kind of wedding later on this year. So, be on the watch for that event and I will post the historic details when they occur.

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Another thing that occurred over the last year was my 25th or Silver Anniversary. Now, this is a very special situation in my life as my regular readers are aware. You can read about this event by linking up to the post on the side bar called " My Silver Anniversary ". This is really a unique event and I might be the only person in the whole world who can lay claim to such an event and to have so many things occuring 25 years later that can add value and meaning to the original event. Like for example, the association of Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve. You will have to read my post Friday October 7, 1983 to make the connection. Weird or what? I mean, isn't that one of man's foremost preoccupations anyway - looking for meaning in life? Once again, check out the side bar and link up with my music and the song: " Every Breath You Take. " It is the top video in that series.

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Lately, I have been adding videos and incorporating them into my posts. Hopefully, this will add some amusement and entertainment for my readers. Check out this post, for example and see how an old song can be combined with a video to produce an added effect:

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Juneau, Alaska is the morning side of the mountain...

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Other features of my life include my Stock Portfolio and Harness Racing. I will be making posts for these areas of interest as occasions arise. So, I hope you will look forward to these events.

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Finally, here is just one sample of the kind of music that I am inserting into my blog. I am crazy about sixties and late fifties music in particular so you can expect to find all kinds of love songs from this period cropping up. 1961 seems to be a very critical year for me. I am hooked on these songs and I do not forget them. I guess I was around twelve years old or so. I really believe that this is a revealing part of my personality, listening and remembering these old love songs, that is. Can you picture me driving down the road in my sports car ( pic off to the right ) and listening to love songs from the sixties and late fifties? Well, that is when I am the happiest person in the world - that is the simplicity of my personality.

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I think you will find also that my interest in topics about love and philosophy are starting to become a more frequent topic of discussion. I hope to explore this area in greater depth as the opportunities present themselves. I will leave you with a couple of sample videos then. If you like this kind of music then you might have a better idea of what kind of a character and personality I really am.

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Linda Scott in 1961
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Also: "I Can't Stay Mad At You"

by Skeeter Davis 1963

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You will notice in the picture at the beginning that I am sitting in a white truck; it is a 2009 Ford Ranger pickup. This means dear friends that the Rav 4 has ' left the company ' and has moved on. It was a very fine truck relationship as you are all probably aware, but all good things must come to a close at some point I suppose. Besides, maybe the relationship simply ran its course and it was time for us both to move on anyway.

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Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

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Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

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Whenever I come across a debate concerning the idea of God I like to pull up a chair so to speak and have a listen. I can listen to these kinds of debates for hours and hours. It is what I like to do and I think it is when I am the most happy. My mind is being provoked and it is being exposed to both sides of the argument. What better way to keep your mind in shape than to listen to a good discussion on religion and God? I, personally, cannot think of anything else I would rather be doing as regards to educating my mind.

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Mr. Hitchens started out with his presentation which lasted just under 20 minutes. But, part of that time was consumed with introductions and the like, so it really was not twenty minutes of course. His basic strategy was to outline the physical makeup of the universe and to let us know that it is acting like any natural thing would do; it is acting within its own laws which have nothing to do with a god. He details for us for us that galaxies are on a collision course and that there is nothing that we can do about that. So, what kind of a god would allow something like that to happen? Another piece of his argument is that there have been over 10,000 gods created by man, so what is another one or two? The god of the Christians of course is just another creation of the human animal. He is also of the opinion that man would be much better off without a god to believe in.

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Rabbi Beoteach is next on deck. He criticizes Hitchens right off the bat and his book " God Is Not Great. " He refers to Hitchens as a " Secular Fundamentalist Fanatic. " Christopher Hitchens hates religion and God and hope. According to Hitchens man is just a base animal with simple human desires. But, the Rabbi claims that man is a spiritual being as well. He goes on to glorify the Torah and circumcision as well. He says that God is the source of right and wrong and that the human animal is born innately with morality. He also hints that there is a designer at work and uses the human brain and eye as examples. He employs the term ' cognitive dissonance ' to those who would deny the creation of man.

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Christopher Hitchens comes back and states that he does indeed hate the Christian religion and does not want to love his enemies as the Christians are asked to do. He refers to the violence in the Bible and that gentle Jesus comes along and sings a different tune; hypocrisy. " If you want to saw off the end of your penis you are welcome to do it, but you are not to do it to a child..." It is wickednesss to mutilate a child's genitalia without their consent. He makes fun of Judaism and prefers the likes of Epicurus and Lucretius who thought that life was to be enjoyed.

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At approximately 45 minutes the Rabbi returns. He acknowledges that in the past religion had a closed mind, but who has the closed mind now? He hints that Hitchens is hurting Israel and Zionism with his language. He then goes on to discuss evolution and focuses on mutation as a feature of it. Mutation is highly improbable and takes a lot of time to occur in the human animal. Just how old is the earth and how much time would be required to transform man? The Rabbi believes in evolution, but with guidance. " If you want to see the evidence of design all you have to do is to see how smart Christopher Hitchens is. "

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Just after 56 minutes it is Hitchens turn to speak. The format is changed and he will deliver his comments sitting down. " Einstein was for a state for Jews, but not for a Jewish state. " He talks about evolution and contends that the famous Stephen Gould did not deny this fact.

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It is the Rabbi's turn again and he returns to this hate theme and the idea that Christopher Hitchens invents things. The name Baruch Goldstein is entered into the picture. This is the Jewish doctor who massacred innocent Palestinians. The Rabbi, in defense of Goldstein he says that no Jewish court anywhere would deny non-Jews to be treated on the Sabbath. He says that Hitchens thinks Jews are racist; he attacks Israel non-stop; he doesn't even know Judaism.

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There is a question and answer period occuring at approximately 1:09 minutes.

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There is some discussion concerning the ' Choseness ' of the Jews and anti-Semitism.

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Here is the video:

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The Fraud of Christianity

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The Existence of God is

under Review Series

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The Fraud of Christianity

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by Carl Baydala

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I don't think it is any secret that I am no great fan of religion. It doesn't really matter what the religion is, I think they are all a mistake, and many of them are simply frauds. Maybe not frauds in the sense that someone or some group of people is setting out to actually defraud the citizenry, but fraudulent in the sense that the existence of a god like Jehovah cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Yet, a country like the United States, for example, takes pride in the fact that it is a Christian nation. What pride is there in knowing that the great bulk of the population believes in something that probably does not exist? I say none. But, there is more to it than a mere mistake in belief. The greater thing is that the population is setting itself up for more and more delusion. It is rather like the rapist who has found a victim and keeps on raping his victim. Yes, dear friends that is what Christianity is; it is akin to the raping of a population, and in this case the raping and control of their mind.

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It is control dear friends, that the masters of the deception are after. For now that they have found a willing prey, and yes I say willing; they can take advantage of her and they can control her to their hearts desire. Control is the key factor I think and that is why the leadership of something like Christianity would never want to let their grip go loose on the society. They find ways to manipulate the population and to continually make it believe that the entity in the sky exists; they will do whatever it takes to continue the fraud and the deception; they will even create new stories or ideas to combat any new information that poses a threat to their religious control.

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Dear friends it is time to end the delusion and take back your lives. Christianity cannot be true because if it was the God of the heavens would have made some kind of account of himself by now. And, I am not talking about the Jesus story or the Bible either. Things related to these issues are under question and can be debated. Humanism is the main enemy of Christianity and it proved its superiority a long time ago. And, where is the power of the religion if it is constantly under attack? If it is constantly under attack then it must be vulnerable; and it must be vulnerable because of some inherent defect.

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And, what is the nature of the defect? It is quite simply a faulty product that is at the core of the problem here. Christianity is part of the mass media distortion and selling campaign that would have the likes of soap or some magic contrivance as its counterpart in the marketplace. Yes, dear friends Christianity is no more or anything less than a magic potion that is marketed to you by the major media. They will sell you a potion and a religion all in the same breath and in precisely the same manner. The potion is magical and possesses great powers of healing. Your life will be changed and improved by using the magic potion. Is Christianity any more than that dear reader? I think not. The product itself is Jesus Christ, claiming to be a son of a God that lives in the sky. Are you going to believe that without some kind of proof? Are you going to be deluded when the salesmen of Christianity even promise you an after life? Are you going to get a guarantee or your money back if the product is faulty - or dare I say fraudulent? Well, many magic concoctions have been hoisted upon an unsuspecting public and many have been deluded in the process. In time, the disseminators of these products would have been exposed and even brought to justice for their crimes.

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But, what about the hawkers of Christianity who pervade our land? They continue to sell their product to an unsuspecting population. And, no one holds them to account for their activities. In fact, they are even sanctioned by the government itself in many circumstances. A government as conspirator to a crime or a fraud? Well, yes indeed dear friends. Jesus Christ and Christianity are unproven products in the market place and can cause great harm to the population, and far greater harm than some magic potion to boot. Christianity can cause wars in foreign lands, but its main crime is one of control of a population. That is a crime that no nation should have to endure.

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So, wake up and denounce this religion and enjoy the freedom that others have come to enjoy without the shackles and control of this unproven religion.

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My thoughts are my own and are presented in the public interest. I think you will find that Mr. Richard Dawkins below might come to side with me on this issue, but it is not for me to put words in his mouth of course.

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How Philosophers Die - Click here for the most popular videos

The Pessimism of Arthur Schopenhauer

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The Pessimism of

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Arthur

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Schopenhauer

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Arthur Schopenhauer

(1788-1860)

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To get at the root of the personality of Arthur Schopenhauer all you have to do is listen to the following audio files concerning his views on pessimism. He covers all the bases and, upon listening to these files, one becomes immediately associated with the philosopher's general mental condition.

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I would describe that condition as one of pragmatism and a genuine criticism of the system. He does not mince words and his views on the world rather match my own. The world is a cruel place and man is a creature that was planted upon this earth ( or developed as a function of nature ) and his business is to survive and not much more. Man is a never-satisfied creature and is constantly trying to serve his will or his inner being. And, the point of the whole exercise is that this will is never satisfied and that is because of the general make up of man himself. Man does not know who he is or where he is going and he is constantly on the hunt for meaning. There is no god and man has no god; he is left alone to survive and when he dies there is nothing more. Maybe this feature of life explains the actions of man and his behavior and outlook on life. And, not so indirectly, it explains the behavior of Schopenhauer as well.

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Schopenhauer takes time out to criticize the attitudes of his fellows and always finds time to put women in their place; he was not an admirer of women and their place in society after all. Misogyny and Arthur Schopenhauer go hand in hand and the man is never afraid to criticize women and explain for us what he thinks their role in society is and should be. More on women below.

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For me, Schopenhauer is a man worth listening to. His pessimism is a breath of fresh air because because he characterizes life as it is, and is crtitical of its pretensions; what it is pretended to be or how it is organized. He is rational and he is critical all in the same breath. I find nothing in his words that offend me greatly, except perhaps his rather hard description of women. Schopenhauer was a bachelor with a chip on his shoulder ( or so it would seem ) but, that should not give him license to criticize women the way he does. I think he could have taken time out to be a little more diplomatic in this regard. Women, after all are part of the human race. I do not think we should be in the business of subjugating them or exploiting them, but appreciating them instead. I am a bachelor myself, and I find nothing offensive about women at all. In fact, as a group, I rather like them. And, if the right one came along, i.e., that one special female who actually understands me and appreciates me, well, I might even get married to that person. But, these kinds of things are the business of the gods and not us mere mortals. I hope Mr. Schopenhauer is not offended by these remarks and will not hold them against me as form of blasphemy or the like. But, at any rate, any man who played the flute everyday and kept a couple of puppies as friends can't be all that bad.

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Pessimism audio files:

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mp3 and ogg files00 - Note - 00:02:03 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-00-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-00-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 1.0MB]

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01 - On the sufferings of the world - 00:33:34 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-01-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-01-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 18.4MB]

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02 - On the vanity of existence - 00:12:44 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-02-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-02-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 6.4MB]

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03 - On suicide - 00:14:06 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-03-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-03-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 6.9MB]

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04 - Immortaliy: a dialogue - 00:11:12 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-04-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-04-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 5.6MB]

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05 - Psychological observations - 00:52:33 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-05-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-05-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 26.1MB]

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06 - On education - 00:18:22 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-06-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-06-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 9.2MB]

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07 - Of women - 00:36:22 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-07-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-07-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 18.0MB]

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08 - On noise - 00:12:39 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-08-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-08-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 6.2MB]

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09 - A few parables - 00:12:11 [http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-09-schopenhauer_64kb.mp3][http://www.archive.org/download/studies_pessimism_librivox/studiespessimism-09-schopenhauer.mp3][ogg vorbis - 6.0MB]

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Cataloged on February 05, 2007
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All free files found below:
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LibriVox
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A good overview of Schopenhauer ( you tube )

See Section One:

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Here

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Section Two

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Section Three

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Section Four

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Section Five

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The Philosophy of

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Arthur Schopenhauer:

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in....

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The Giants of Philosophy

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The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 01/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 02/18

The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 03/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 04/18

The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 05/18

The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 06/18

The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 07/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 09/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 10/18

The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 11/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 12/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 13/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 14/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 15/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 16/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 17/18
The Giants of Philosophy - Arthur Schopenhauer - 18/18

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Reading and listening links:

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The world as will and representation

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http://www.angelfire.com/md2/timewarp/schopenhauer.html

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Philosophy The Classics

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Philosophy Talk

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Stanford encyclopaedia of philosophy

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A dream can be your best friend

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A dream can be

your best friend

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by Carl Baydala

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You know, I didn't realize how important real friends are. These are the people who go on a trip with you and when things turn bad or ugly they are still your friends after all is said and done. Some people cannot even be your friends because they do not like, appreciate, or even understand you. That is the sad fact of life dear friends and the more I experience life the more these things ring true. And, just a final punishing thought for you. Some of you may not even have any friends at all. Well, that is OK too. And here is why. It is OK to not have friends even though that is the preferred option of course. Better because it gives you someone to talk to and to share things with. I think that is the most important part of all - sharing your experiences and thoughts with another person. It is important because it connects you to life and creates meaning for you and gives life a purpose; that is the role of friends. But, if you are alone all is not lost. Because if you believe in yourself then that is all you really need. And, as a human being you are possessed with a brain, and inside of that brain is your imagination. It is your imagination that you can fall back onto and make it your friend. Your imagination is a wonderful thing and in the end it is your ultimate friend; it is the thing that can allow you to survive under the most extreme conditions. Because with your mind and imagination anything is possible. Your dreams live here and these are the things which can be your true friends if you want them to be. So cheer up and dream a little bit. You will feel better and you will be able to be just as happy as those with a bunch of friends. If you don't believe me just click on one of the videos by Tommy Edwards off to the right. Like, say for example, listen to ' The Morning Side of the Mountain '. Now listen and dream. So, what do you feel like now after listening to that? Did you see your friends, etc? Do you even need any friends? Who said a living friend was better than a dream friend anyway? Think about it. They are both just as good to have, and when you cannot have a physical friend, why your mind friend will never let you down and he or she will always be there for you - and this friend will be perfect because you have made him or her that way. And, if you need just a bit more proof as to what I am saying then get a pussy cat and tell him your dreams. He will believe you and he will not doubt your thoughts for a minute. See what I mean? Who needs stinking human friends anyway when you can have a cat and a bunch of dreams that can even be better? See, life is great when you can make it work for you. And, that is what life is all about isn't it? Making it work and making it pleasurable, I mean. Someone, or something gave you the ability to dream. So, take advantage of an opportunity to dream - and create that friend when you need one. I am not sure if anyone is actually going to believe what I just said, but I think it makes a bit of sense, however - it makes sense to me and that is the point of the whole thing.

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today's post borrowed from Dear Courier Diary

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Happy Mellow Sunday

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Taking Stock

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Taking Stock

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President Barack Obama

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Good Morning Friends,

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Today is Thursday April 30, 2009

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Time to take stock? Well, that is what President Barack Obama did yesterday after the famous 100 days. And, what is the verdict? Well, the man is optimistic of course, as is his nature. That is his job as I am sure everyone is aware - to be optimistic. He is certainly sticking to the playbook as anyone can easily determine and so, the verdict is positive. And, it will always be positive. He thinks things will get better, but we just need more time.

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The president inherited quite a mess as everyone knows and he is doing quite a good job all things considered, in my opinion. My beefs surrounding the president are that he is continuing the war of aggression in the Middle East, expanding into Afghanistan and now Pakistan as well. I did not think he would do that as forcefully as he is doing, but I suspect that it is a pretty tough political battle for him to deny the existence of the Military Industrial Complex. The one thing you have to give the president credit for, however, is that he is a realist; he knows the score and that is why he is playing his cards the way he is. Let us just hope that after all is said and done that the American people wind up with something tangible, like maybe getting their economy and their jobs and their futures back - sometime in the future.

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Which brings me to the economy because things are always about the economy, or so it would seem. The economy and the bankers is the greatest challenge confronting the president I feel. It is these bankers ( this includes Ben Bernanke and Allan Greenspan of the Federal Reserve System of private bankers ), these Wall Street financiers who caused this financial mess for us. With their derivatives and their packaged products that became toxic world wide, the world is now suffering a Great Recession and a corresponding crash in the stock market. This means of course that Barack Obama has to step into yet another mess and supply billions for the bankers and their balance sheets. That is the power of the bankers, that the president must continue to play this game of bailout; he has no choice, either by simple pragmatics or by political power; the bankers are all powerful and the president knows that. This is the group that can cause great damage to an economy, politically and economically and that is why the president must cater this group even if he does not want to. We do not know what the real state of their balance sheets are, we can only play the game because there is no other game to play and that is the way the president has assessed the situation as well.

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check out these videos to see the enemy within:

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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See also this video here on Bill Moyers

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Bill Moyers Journal

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And, so today we find in the economic news that stock markets are rising world wide and that the sentiment is possibly changing. One analyst says that this is the beginning of the bull market and that it is for real. Is he right? Who knows, but I think the people are looking for any kind of positive news now and this is the kind of news that will do just fine, even if it is not true. The people need this kind of news at this time and that news has been delivered.

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Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

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Vancouver, B.C. Webcams

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Picture of Barack Obama found here:

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At the Huffingtonpost.com

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Today's post borrowed from:

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Dear Courier Diary

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