A Freedom of Ideas

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Having examined the mechanisms of imperialism and “mind-changing” more closely in the last three episodes, we’ll pan out a bit to understand these ideas in a larger historical and philosophical context. First, we’ll seek to understand what exactly Imperialist thinkers, like Mill, intended to occur in the course of these processes. Next, we’ll discuss the relationships between Civil Society and Mind as two highly complex systems that ultimately come to define and craft one another, cyclically, and continually, over time. Accepting that symbiotic, mutually defining relationship, we’ll re-frame our conversation about how Imperialism “changes minds” to how it manipulates Civil Society as a means of changing individual minds across an entire society.Finally, we’ll examine the similarities between Colonialism, Imperialism, and other seismic changes to civil society, including those experienced during rapid conversions to authoritarian government… and speculate a bit further on the longer-term effects of this spread of the European worldview via Imperialism, which we’ve likened to the spread of a noxious weed across the “intellectual environment” of the globe.

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Today, we’ll finish our look at Bernard Cohn’s COLONIALISM AND ITS FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE: THE BRITISH IN INDIA Cohn uses the critical style of Michel Foucault to examine how the English expressions of power in India often produced outcomes they did not anticipate - even, or especially, when their intentions were “good”.We’ll begin with Cohn on the English effort to “clarify” law and legal codes in India. While they intended to do so in a way that “arrived at the truth” of Indian law, what they did was to make Indian law fundamentally English; fundamentally European. Thus, regardless of the English intentions, their activities cause another major change in Indian Civil Society, which, in turn, set the stage for ongoing changes to individual Indian minds.From there we’ll look at some of Cohn’s contentions that are both not quite so well proven in the text (IMHO), and which, as with Foucault, it will be somewhat harder to know what to “do” with. But which are important and likely profoundly important questions, nonetheless.All of which results in what will simply have to pass for a “rant” – a rhetorical rant, at that - by the bookish and retiring standards of AFOI, in which we explore what it means that, in the centuries since Elizabeth the First, many of us in the “western” (ahem) world have gone from being subjects living under a government, to data sets that factor (more or less) in the operations of government. Don’t miss it!

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Today, a brief treatment of a point made in Bernard Cohn’s COLONIALISM AND ITS FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE: THE BRITISH IN INDIA. Cohn talks about the way the English taught and used a hyper-simplified version of Indian language whose only purpose was to allow British Imperialists to give orders to “menials” under their command. By teaching English nobility who were new to India a rudimentary series of commands – speech as simple as the ability to say “plate” declaratively, knowing that would pass for the more three-dimensionally human communication “bring me a plate” (or, perhaps, even “PLEASE bring me a plate”, but that’s likely asking far too much) - the vast majority of actual communication between the English and native Indian people was reduced to a purely functional form that allowed for little or no actual exchange of ideas, interests, or anything at all the required nuance or complexity. Put differently, the practical structure of communication in India practically assured that neither the English nor the Indians could ever come to a point of understanding the other as compelling, intricate, real human beings. An attempt to facilitate communication ended up stifling the exchange of anything at all like actual meaning.

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Today, and next time, we’ll look at Bernard Cohn’s COLONIALISM AND ITS FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE: THE BRITISH IN INDIA. Cohn uses the critical style of Michel Foucault to examine how the English expressions of power in India often produced outcomes they did not anticipate - even, or especially, when their intentions were “good”. Chalk this up in part to trying to manipulate the interface of two hyper complex systems (civil society and individual mind… more on all that in a few weeks), as well as to the fact that it is by definition impossible to do anything “good” for a people upon whom you have imposed a violent and coercive system like Imperialism. But the “Foucauldian” point here remains compelling. As we’ll see, today, when the English tried to “clarify” the way language was used in India, ostensibly in a way that would ensure Indian language remained as true to itself as possible, they in fact made fundamental changes that, in turn, rippled out through Indian society and mind. While trying to make India more “truly Indian”, the English made it… well, more English. Next time, we’ll see a nearly identical change made in Indian law.

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Today, we have a quick(esque) episode on Michel Foucault, who is not at all a "foundational" philosopher, but who set the tone for the work of Bernard Cohn, who we’ll be talking about on our next two episodes.Also, on this episode, I try my hand at a bit of lite-hearted banter to kick off the show. Lite-hearted banter is strangely difficult for me, it seems. But perhaps it’s a matter of choosing better subjects to bant upon.

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Having contended that Imperialism served to “change the minds” of much of the world – meaning, to re-make the human understanding of how the mind operates in relationship to the world – for the next three episodes we’ll talk about how, exactly, that mind-changing took place.We’ll begin by discussing “Indian Boarding Schools” in the United States as one of a number of brutal, genocidal practices used by Imperialists in native or indigenous communities. Indigenous communities generally suffered far more explicit cruelty than victims of Imperialism in more settled societies. This, in itself, is a further example of European “rational chauvinism” – the belief that peoples exist on a scale of “maturity”, rationality, and civilizational quality. In this all-too-brief look at these brutal institutions, we’ll see how their operations sought to change the minds of native youth in America, and the broader impacts these “schools” had on the communities and civil society of the families that experienced them.Sources for toady’s show include:Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative ReportFederal Indian Boarding School System Intentionally Sought to Destroy Native Families“Kill the Indian, save the man”: Remembering the stories of Indian boarding schools Survivors Of Native American Boarding Schools Discuss Dark History In The USStolen Children | Residential School survivors speak out

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.For many, including John Stuart Mill, Imperialism included the goal of “helping” subject people to become more rational; to think more like Europeans, with a certain kind of rationality that would lead to a greater capacity for self-governance and freedom. Explicit in this goal, and often implicit in our assumptions about Imperialism, today, is the assumption that European rationality is ultimately a better way to conduct the “work of the mind”. In this episode, we’ll look at the work of Daniel Kahneman to determine how viable the idea of European rationality actually is… and we’ll find that it is not viable, at all. Thus, Imperialism, for all its other faults, for all the other damage it has done, has also propagated an unrealistic understanding of the working of the human mind. Given the extent of the spread of these ideas, that mistaken view has become something like a global standard. Today we’ll try to understand the exact dynamics of this mistake. We’ll only scratch the surface. And we’ll talk about the Cure.

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Today we come to the crux of our conversation on European reason, European rational chauvinism, and their profound effect on how the world thinks. We’ll trace the process of European rational chauvinism – the sense inherent to the European form of rationality that it has a unique claim on and capacity to seek the truth – as it combines with numerous other “chauvinisms” in the European worldview – religion, commerce, “way of life”, etc. – and is then fed into the historical institution of Imperialism, which causes that overall worldview to be spread forcibly across the globe. Through this centuries-long and brutal process, we descibe the European worldview, including its distinct form of rationality, as having "spread like a noxious weed". As a consequence of this, most of the people of the world now use their minds and their capacity for reason in basically similar ways.

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.In this episode, in preperation for a deep dove on reason, freedom, and Imperialism, we'll re-cap the season thus far. 

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Following Locke as he begins to craft and assemble the building blocks of Civil Society, to ward off the State of War. We consider Locke’s view of humankind as naturally driven toward nearly perfect versions of freedom, reason, and equality that are impossible in the imperfect realm of governments, institutions, and laws.We’ll consider Locke as one of the philosophers who initiated a trend we saw culminate with John Stuart Mill: establishing a notion of rational progress in society, and what we’ve been calling a “Rational Chauvinism” in the European worldview. But did aspects of Locke’s optimism about humanity also fuel later misunderstandings of our relationship to reason, and freedom?In this show we discuss a short article by Cory Doctorow that can be found here.***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop.Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.Today we begin our exploration of Locke’s philosophy by looking at the politics of his time, from the death of Queen Elizabeth through the Glorious Revolution in England.Framing Locke’s work in the philosophy of governance as comparable to Descartes’ search for first principles, we begin by seeing how Locke’s notion of “Civil Society” emerges as a mediate point between the State of Nature – in which humankind exists without restriction, and in their natural state of reason and equality – and the State of War, into which humankind plunges when one person tries to take power over another, and the chaos and violence of “might makes right” is the only law.A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop.***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.We continue our discussion of Mill’s justification for “despotism” as a means of cultivating maturity in societies in their “nonage”.Following Hannah Arendt, we begin by looking at the rational justifications for racism as they developed in Europe, and how this related to Mill’s notion societal immaturity. We use this discussion to cast further light on the relationship between European notions of reason and both freedom and its opposite.A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop.***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.As we continue our look at Mill’s ON LIBERTY, we see him establish a dangerous formula by which to justify Imperialism. Mill’s contention that some societies should be viewed as “immature” – and thus not capable of the rationality required for liberty - opens the door to a definition of freedom that recognizes permissible despotism.We’ll use this deeply troubling conclusion as a lens through which to better understand the relationship between European modes of reason, bigotry, and freedom – or the lack of freedom. We’ll look more closely at the institution of Imperialism as the ultimate expression of what we’ll call “rational chauvinism”.A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop.***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.We begin with the thesis statement from Mill’s ON LIBERTY. We continue our discussion by exploring the fact that how we are perceived or identified may affect how we are included, or excluded, from aspects of freedom in Civil Society. Specifically, in a system that we describe as being driven by the dynamics of reason, we’ll ask how being denied the status as a rational individual – in essence, being perceived as somewhat or entirely incapable of reason - limits our access to power and freedom.A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop.***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

In Season 2 - our FOUNDATIONS series - we’ll examine European philosophers from the 17th through the 19th centuries, to see how their views have shaped and defined our own… whether we realize it or not.We begin with the thesis statement from Mill’s ON LIBERTY. In what amounts to a fundamentally libertarian view of freedom – that my own freedom should not be limited, so long as I am not doing harm to others – we begin by asking: What constitutes harm?How must differing perspectives and power dynamics be weighed and considered? What does it means that the currency and mechanisms of our freedom, and the institutions of civil society that are designed to protect and ensure that freedom, are rooted in basic dynamics of European reasoning?A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop. ***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

In this episode, we’ll talk about what’s new and exciting in the world of A Freedom of Ideas, we’ll do a re-cap of our conclusions from Season One. We’ll line ourselves up to hit the ground running for Season Two, in preparation for talking about the philosophy of Mill, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Hegel, and others. If you were not able to listen to Season One, I believe the recap, here, should suffice to dive into Season Two.A FREEDOM OF IDEAS may be found online at afreedomofideas.com.Support the Podcast... and the Podcaster through Patreon, or by buying some AFOI Merch(andise) at the show's Redbubble shop. ***SEASON TWO READINGS AND SOURCES***On Liberty, by John Stuart MillJohn Locke's 2nd Treatise on Civil Government, by John LockeMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesThinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel KahnemanSand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, by Tyson YunkaportaA Treatise of Human Nature [Books 1-3], by David HumeLeviathan, by Thomas HobbesThe Social Contract, by Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality, by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Encyclopedia Logic (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #1), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelPhilosophy of Mind: Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences Series #3), by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich HegelHegel's Philosophy of Right, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Thom Brooks, Editor) Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

Following the lead of the great Daniel Dennett, in this final full episode in our opening series on the Philosophy of Mind, we'll take the many challenges we've reviewed, and turn them on their heads to create the beginnings of an explanation for the way we experience individual Free Will.As we've discussed all along, the way we use language, and the way language developed, and continued to develop, for us, will play a leading role in our description.***SEASON ONE READINGS AND SOURCES***A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities, by Pierre-Simon LaplaceConsciousness Explained, by Daniel C. Dennett (Paul Weiner, Illustrator)Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting, by Daniel C. DennettFreedom Evolves, by Daniel C. DennettMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesMystery of the Mind: A Critical Study of Consciousness and the Human Brain, by Wilder PenfieldSubjectivity, Realism, and Postmodernism: The Recovery of the World in Recent Philosophy, by Frank B. Farrell Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

Keeping a promise I made you folks (in passing, but still) way back at the beginning of this series, today we’ll explore how - or if - Quantum Physics can help us escape determinism, and maybe even explain free will… and mind, and consciousness, and all the rest.***SEASON ONE READINGS AND SOURCES***A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities, by Pierre-Simon LaplaceConsciousness Explained, by Daniel C. Dennett (Paul Weiner, Illustrator)Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting, by Daniel C. DennettFreedom Evolves, by Daniel C. DennettMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesMystery of the Mind: A Critical Study of Consciousness and the Human Brain, by Wilder PenfieldSubjectivity, Realism, and Postmodernism: The Recovery of the World in Recent Philosophy, by Frank B. Farrell Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

Today we’ll continue with Wilder Penfield’s ground-breaking work and research in neuroscience, and what it can teach us about the mind. After a career spent exploring the brain, Penfield concluded that the brain, alone, was not sufficient to create the mind. But is this a consequence of Penfield’s work in the “hard sciences” – the objective outcomes of his direct experiments? Or is Penfield re-telling a story of mind that has been passed down to us from prevailing religious traditions and assumptions from Medieval Europe and before?***SEASON ONE READINGS AND SOURCES***A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities, by Pierre-Simon LaplaceConsciousness Explained, by Daniel C. Dennett (Paul Weiner, Illustrator)Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting, by Daniel C. DennettFreedom Evolves, by Daniel C. DennettMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesMystery of the Mind: A Critical Study of Consciousness and the Human Brain, by Wilder PenfieldSubjectivity, Realism, and Postmodernism: The Recovery of the World in Recent Philosophy, by Frank B. Farrell Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase

Today we’ll look at Wilder Penfield’s ground-breaking work and research in neuroscience, and what it can teach us about the mind. After a career spent exploring the brain, Penfield concluded that the brain, alone, was not sufficient to create the mind. But is this a consequence of Penfield’s work in the “hard sciences” – the objective outcomes of his direct experiments? Or is Penfield re-telling a story of mind that has been passed down to us from prevailing religious traditions and assumptions from Medieval Europe and before?This is the first part of a two-part series, providing background on Penfield’s methodology and conclusions.***SEASON ONE READINGS AND SOURCES***A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities, by Pierre-Simon LaplaceConsciousness Explained, by Daniel C. Dennett (Paul Weiner, Illustrator)Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting, by Daniel C. DennettFreedom Evolves, by Daniel C. DennettMeditations on First Philosophy, by René DescartesMystery of the Mind: A Critical Study of Consciousness and the Human Brain, by Wilder PenfieldSubjectivity, Realism, and Postmodernism: The Recovery of the World in Recent Philosophy, by Frank B. Farrell Copyright 2023 Cori Di Biase