New Philosopher magazine

News from nowhere, A Blink of an Eye: "The average human blinks between 15 and 20 times each minute. Each blink lasts around 300 milliseconds, which means you spend almost one-tenth of your waking hours in darkness." newphilosopher.com/articles/nfn-a…

"But make no mistake: AIs are certainly observers. They are likely to become the best observers the world has ever seen." Interview with Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the London School of Economics newphilosopher.com/articles/obser…

"It seems that Erving Goffman was not a nice man. He liked to ruffle feathers and watch the fallout. [One] time he started shouting at his colleagues in a crowded restaurant, seemingly with no aim other than to see what would happen. He got kicked out" newphilosopher.com/articles/the-f…

New Philosopher #49 Observation:

Last year, the New Philosopher team curated an art exhibition for and spoke at the Riyadh International Philosophy Conference. This year (Dec 4-6) will see another New Philosopher installation and a session on "Using Your Time Wisely in the Age of Distraction". @LPTC_MOC

“Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. He was soon lost. The typical reply with which such a man rejected all encouraging arguments was, “I have nothing to expect from life any more.” What sort of answer can one give to that? What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but RATHER WHAT LIFE EXPECTED FROM US. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfil the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” ~ Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning Photo: Mauthausen memorial 2017 @TheNewPhil

"When we ask people how they are, we are, in essence, asking them about their mood because moods are how we orientate ourselves in the world. When we’re in a good mood, the world feels full of opportunity..." The meaning of moods: newphilosopher.com/articles/the-m…

By Russel Herneman, from the Choice edition of New Philosopher.

Imagine an ass which is extremely hungry. It is exactly equidistant from two bales of hay (in some versions it’s a bale of hay and a pail of water and the ass is equally hungry and thirsty). Impossible choices, by @NigelWarburton newphilosopher.com/articles/impos…

New Philosopher newsletter - Life is connection: rb.gy/7v2wki

“In nature everything is connected, everything is interwoven, everything changes with everything, everything merges from one into another.” – Gotthold Lessing The Connection edition:

The 24/7 news cycle serves up novelty each and every minute, filling our minds with information that would otherwise be inaccessible for us. Here’s what thinkers through the ages thought of the news, at a time when there was only so much of it... newphilosopher.com/articles/the-d…

Two weeks before the most catastrophic stockmarket crash in US history, Professor Irvin Fisher, one of the most respected economists in the United States, assured investors that stock prices had reached “what looks like a permanently high plateau”... newphilosopher.com/articles/anima…

"Now, what issues do people face, clearly not just Mick Jagger and the fictional George Costanza, but what issues do people face when it comes to dopamine, novelty, and love?" Zan Boag interviewing Daniel Lieberman, from NP45 Novelty: newphilosopher.com/articles/a-dop…

"The human love of novelty could be said to be little more than a desire to suppress boredom. So fearful are our minds of becoming bored that we will latch on to anything to keep ennui at bay." Filling the void: newphilosopher.com/articles/filli…

USA: Moustache shield France: Parachute coat China: Paper clothing Patents per million: Japan: 1,785 China: 1,001 United States: 778 Germany: 477 France: 207 UK: 172 Canada: 123 Australia: 114 Spain: 28 Mexico & Argentina: 18 Source: World Bank/UN 2023 From the Novelty edition

"Close your eyes and imagine a new colour. Not a new shade of an existing colour, but a completely new colour, one you’ve never seen before. Got it? OK, good. Now, imagine that we’re..." The limits of imagination, by @patstokes: newphilosopher.com/articles/the-l…

"The assumption that ‘things are different now’ is one that ordinarily accompanies stockmarket bubbles..." newphilosopher.com/articles/anima… Cartoon: @RHerneman, from the Novelty edition of New Philosopher

I have an essay on philosophical connections in this issue of ⁦@TheNewPhil⁩ In great company there!

“Isn’t it true to say that ... Novelty is mistaken for Progress?” - Frank Lloyd Wright "It’s a breezy crisp afternoon in San Francisco. A white car with a spinning dark scanner set into its roof has just turned across the street..." By @TomChatfield newphilosopher.com/articles/imagi…