If friend or family happens to ask me “Who do you think is the 20th C’s greatest philosopher?” my first response is “It depends upon what you mean by great.”
If by ‘great’ they mean 100% commitment to philosophy-as-life, integrity, personal sacrifice, all combined with a breathtaking intellect,…….well, my opinion is Simone Weil. Just Wiki her and spend a few focused minutes attending to her brief, accomplished life. Better – read her biography and books. Whether you be Hindu, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Taoist, non-theist, or whatever,……her accomplishments and insights are both unimaginable and inspiring.
She wrote “How much time do you devote each day to thinking?”,…….”The philosopher’s mandate is action and practice.”,……”The great human error is to reason in place of finding out.”,……and she frequently cited Aeschylus’ “to pathei mathos” (knowledge comes through suffering). Most of what she wrote was unpublished in her unprecedented, and tragic lifetime.
She lived and died lonely. Thanks to Albert Camus we can know her, and be a posthumous companion.
Jean Twenge and Jonathan Haidt have added yet another sobering contribution to our understanding of the harms of digital media/cell phones and adolescent loneliness and well-being (attached). How much more data do we need before we realistically search for a better way to help children live?
Mother Nature – my parents took me and my siblings camping every summer,…..all nine of are indebted,…..the smell/sound/feel/taste/sights are rooted in our brains to this day (second attachment).
Most “solutions” to our many healthcare crises are beautifully simple, primal, authentic,…..not technocratic nor expensive.
Joe Kaempf, MD
Oregon Representative
Portland, OR
Volume 13, Number 25