h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You've gotta include prefaces to some of the best works of Nietzche, Machevilia, Plato, Socrates, many more, pardon spelling mistakes, those names are hard to spell ...

I wrote that intro a long time ago, since then I've been really busy actually doing my real life Philosophy degree and to cut a long story short, as I approach my third and final year we are having to choose dissertation subjects and I am looking into Existentialist ethics (Esp. Sartre's). I think as I plough through all of the research that I will have to do for that, it would not be any great feat to translate some of what I find onto permanant record at h2g2. I take your point though that it would be remiss to miss out Plato, Socrates, Descartes and the rest but I am coming to the conclusion that a guide to philosophy such as this would hopefully become would HAVE to deal with discreet topics and the various views about them (For instance, Mind and body: Materialist, Idealist, Cartesian Dualism and Ryle's 'Behaviourism') but show how those problems fit into and follow from other philosophical works. Point the reader in those directions, draw them into the subject and have an entry waiting for them that sets down those views in brief as well. An intro to philosophy would have to maybe also shed light on the change in positions, Y'know the Pre-Socratics - Greek Philosophy- Medieval (Aquinas etc.) - 17th & 18th century(Descartres, kant, Spinoza etc.) - Early 20th Century (Wittgenstein, Sartre) - Now. The grand-sweep of history setting out philosophical movements and the re-actions to them would certainly bring out all of the names we've both mentioned and others, I am certain!

Of course, I could use a hand setting this up and I would welcome any insights or inputs you have to give.


Clive.

I agre they are hard to spell! My personal favourite has to be Gottfried Willhelm von Leibiz! I assume you are familair with the Monty Python Philosophers drinking song? " # John Staurt Mil, of his own free will, on half a pint of shandy, was extraordinarily ill...# " And so on.

So anyway, Just to let you know, I have now updated the original synopsis of the project to put across a more reasoned and balanced view of what the final article should be.

Clive

Jung, anyone? check this out. it has 4 postings, but he seems to know his stuff. http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F51977?thread=136747 heideggar, heidegger, was a boozy beggar who was very rarely stable... personally, I'm gonna wait till the project is finished, and then read it. Have you considered an entry called "philosophy for Dummies"? or, has that one already been done...could be fun.