On the 31st of July I posed a question to my readers. The number of replies was encouraging and since there is sufficient interest in philosophy, I have decided to take the plunge and share a part of what I have written on the subject.
There were some very good suggestions for future questions, and in time I will attempt to tackle each of them.
For the time being, however, I will begin with aspects of philosophy I am familiar with and hope that these will be of interest to others as well.
The range of future articles will differ from one another both in the density and complexity of the subject matter, as well as in the manner in which I approach them. Some will be easier to digest than others, but I will do my best to clarify the more obscure points and write introductions that will hopefully make it easier to delve into unfamiliar territory. I will also do my best to ensure that there is a post on the topic on the Monday of every week, hence the Philosophy Mondays tag.
My first philosophy series will consider the relationship between body and mind established by Spinoza in the Ethics and will assess its challenge to the model of the Cartesian cogito; with the first article in the series, being dedicated to introducing Spinoza and giving a context to how his Ethics was received by contemporaries and others.
I’ve opted to make it a series, rather than one post, because the length of it would otherwise exceed 5,000 words and while I would love to think that each and every one of you would take the time to read it all, it would certainly make it easier and I hope more enjoyable too, to have it available in this alternative format.
As you are probably already aware, the word philosopher translates from ancient Greek as “lover of wisdom”, so to all of you lovers of wisdom who will be joining me on this journey: thank you. I hope it will be a rewarding one for all.
vic briggs 