for thinking people
December 19, 2017
The words “idiot” and “idiocy” originate from the ancient Greek word ιδιώτης (“idiotes”), which has sadly lost its meaning in modern Greek. Nowadays, it means “a private employee” (i.e. in contrast to a public employee). But in ancient Greek, its meaning was far more intriguing: it meant someone so self-centered and absorbed with private matters, that he neglected the duties of citizenship: to discuss, vote, and participate in matters of public interest.
November 29, 2017
Privilege and reality alludes to a conflicting coexistence between what the world really is and what you think it is.
Whether you are an empiricist (“there is an ‘out-there’ reality”) or an idealist (“the only reality is within my mind”), there is a common element: your mind. Even if we accept the empiricist thesis, this “out-there” reality cannot be accessed but through our senses. And hence, this leaves us vulnerable to delusion.
Let’s now ponder on this in terms of society, privilege, and class.
It is often said, correctly, that the very rich and powerful are entirely disconnected from the masses. The 1% don’t know how the 99% live, how they feel and think, how they cope. The problem is (and yes, it is a problem), you don’t know either.
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