Philosophy is difficult. It’s not hard, but it can be something else to reckon with. When considering a subject where all human thought is accounted for, ideas endlessly stacking over time, things can get a little overwhelming very quickly. Starting as blunt as humanly possible, Bertrand Russell posits in his History of Western Philosophy the following:
“The conceptions of life and the world which we call “philosophical” are a product of two factors: one, inherited religious and ethical compositions; the other, the sort of investigation which may be called “scientific,” using the word in its broadest sense. Individual philosophers have differed widely in regard to the proportions in which these two factors entered into their systems, but it is the presence of both, in some degree, that characterizes philosophy.
‘Philosophy’ is a word which has been used in many ways, some wider, some narrower. I propose to use it in a very wide sense, which I will now try to explain” (xiii.)
Apropos of Russell’s wide and narrow analysis of Philosophy, there really hadn’t been such an easily accessible—or even understandable in some cases—method of introducing the beginner into the philosophical universe. Sure, there were textbooks (mostly written in Latin or other arcane language which I declare my greatest pride in studying) about the annals of Plato, Aristotle, Scotus, Aquinas, Descartes, Newton, etc. etc. etc., but those would rarely get out from the academic circle (the latter only got out because of philosophes like Émilie du Châtelet and Voltaire).
Plus, philosophers just love making everything difficult. Try finding a philosophical paper that doesn’t go off into microscopic tangents and come back here. It’s kind-of our habit.
Thus, in Russell’s spirit, I wish to have this blog serve as a clearer, homogenous, and overall simpler understanding of the philosophical universe through analyzing important topics, texts, or anything else really. In essence, I’ll major in philosophy for you! (Even if you’re in the higher eschelons of academia, which I highly respect and aspire for).
Near the end of my Freshman year of college, I was offered the chance to be the vice-president of the newly formed Francisco Suárez Philosophy Society, which I hope will give me more impetus to work on posts on a more regular basis. I highly anticipate the kinds of collaboration I’ll have with this blog, since I want to invite other voices on here to give a more varied set of beliefs, since I think listening to one person all the time gets tiring quick. Do stay tuned for more updates!
The overall design of this website is to focus on the text at hand, similar to books published before the modernization of color printing (you’ll know what I’m talking about in examples like this). But I also want to reflect on the importance of the texts themselves; we’re surrounded by too many poorly-moderated A.I. summaries that we just take as fact, and I want to push back on recontextualizing things (even in a small way).
Hopefully I’ll be posting on here on at least a weekly basis—I’ll post every Thursday consistently, making additional posts whenever I feel like it—so I get into better writing habits, as well as for your consistent enjoyment. Make sure to sign up to the (surprise!) weekly newsletter for new posts and other updates.
Do enjoy a good read, and keep thinking!
