Knowledge PHILOSOPHY for HEROES PART I: KNOWLEDGE
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Philosophy for Heroes Part I: Knowledge PHILOSOPHY FOR HEROES PART I: KNOWLEDGE Published by Clemens Lode Verlag e.K., Düsseldorf Book Series Philosophy for Heroes Part I: Knowledge Part II: Continuum Part III: Act Part IV: Epos © 2016 Clemens Lode Verlag e.K., Düsseldorf All Rights Reserved. https://www.lode.de For more information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [email protected]. 2016, First Edition ISBN 978-3-945586-21-1 Edited by: Conna Craig Cover design: Jessica Keatting Graphic Design Image sources: Shutterstock, iStockphoto Icons made by http://www.freepik.com from http://www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) Printed on acid-free, unbleached paper. Subscribe to our newsletter. Simply write to [email protected] or visit our website https://www.lode.de. PHILOSOPHY POPULAR SCIENCE PSYCHOLOGY Dedication We are, each of us, privileged to live a life that has been touched by many heroes. They possessed extraordinary gifts, and they shared them with us freely. None of these “ gifts were more remarkable than their ability to discern what needed to be done, and their unfailing courage in doing it and speaking the truth, whatever the personal cost. Let us each strive to accept their gifts and pass them along, asan ongoing tribute to the wise men and women of our human history who taught us all how to be heroes. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserve, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desire canbe won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours. —Inspired by Justice League, Hereafter (DC Comics) and Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) Introduction 神の⼀⼿—“Kami no Itte”—Japanese, roughly meaning “move of God” or “godly move”—describes a completely new insight concern- ing a move during the game called “Go.” Such a move is a goal taught to students to be more attentive toward less obvious maneuvers, leading the students to focus on alternatives. Likewise in philoso- phy, first put the conspicuous answers aside, to make way foran objective mind and attention to alternatives. Philosophy is much more than a train of thought we contemplate, and does not exclu- sively serve to stimulate the brain. Philosophy is the foundation of every human being who wants to function in this world, who strives for the best life possible, reaching for the greatest potential. Philoso- phy is part of us and permeates every decision we make. This book shows some of the 神の⼀⼿—Kami no Itte—of philosophy and the sciences and combines them into a new view of our inner and outer worlds. The book series Philosophy for Heroes offers the intellectual and moral know-how necessary to withstand a chaotic world in a responsible manner, and to become a shining example for others. Contents Dedication v Introduction vii Publisher’s Note xi Preface xv 1 My Philosophy 1 1.1 Heroism . 3 1.1.1 The Conventional Hero . 4 1.1.2 Heroes and Conflicts . 9 1.2 The Key to Wisdom . 11 1.3 Why Philosophy Is Important . 16 1.4 Basics of Philosophy . 23 1.5 Ontology . 26 1.5.1 The Fallacy of the Stolen Concept . 27 1.5.2 The Axiom of Existence . 31 1.5.3 The Axiom of Identity . 32 1.5.4 The Axiom of Consciousness . 34 1.6 Epistemology . 36 1.6.1 Perception . 39 1.6.2 Concepts . 52 1.6.3 Induction and Deduction . 74 1.6.4 Rationalism . 76 1.6.5 Induction and Empiricism . 78 2 Language 91 2.1 Properties of Language . 94 2.1.1 The Origin of Writing . 98 2.1.2 Completeness and Consistency . 104 2.1.3 Language Optimization . 111 2.1.4 Learning of Languages . 116 2.2 Language and Mathematics . 121 2.2.1 Sets . 122 2.2.2 Ratios . 131 2.2.3 Irrational Numbers . 132 2.2.4 Mathematics and Empiricism . 140 2.2.5 The Zero . 142 2.2.6 Mathematics and Reality . 144 2.3 The Value of Language . 146 2.3.1 The Foundation of Knowledge . 146 2.3.2 The Theory of Mind . 148 2.3.3 Language as Communication . 151 The Book Series Philosophy for Heroes 179 The Creation of this Book Series 183 1 Conception . 185 2 Aporia . 187 3 Becoming a Teacher . 190 The Author 193 Reflection 199 Kami no Itte 201 Glossary 205 Quotation Sources 213 Bibliography 215 An Important Final Note 227 Publisher’s Note At Lode Publishing, our commitment is to build a better world through the cultivation of princi- pled leaders. Lode Publishing was founded to cu- “ rate and publish the highest quality books on phi- losophy, science, and psychology. Philosophy for Heroes is the publisher’s inaugural series. —Lode Publishing, Mission Statement xiii There are so many facets of launching a publishing company—from concept to design, research, marketing, quality assurance, handling the legal and international aspects of publications—that it is not easy to describe what I do. If I had to narrow it down to one word, though, it might surprise you: dreamer. My dream is a better world, one in which a philosophy of the leader as a hero is embraced and cele- brated. This dream is the foundation of Lode Publishing. As we launch this enterprise, my dream of a better world, and how Lode Publishing will contribute to that world, is the ultimate stan- dard upon which the company’s business decisions are based. I look beyond mundane obstacles to paint a picture of how the company might be in five, 10, or even 20 years. The idea of creating acompany around a dream allows the company to inject energy into research- ing, studying, and promoting what it means to equate leadership with heroism. As we move ahead, I look forward to sharing with you the milestones that we reach. The book has been painstakingly edited by my editor and me.She and I are interested in your comments, thoughts, additions, and in any positive examples of you using the guidelines in this book. To send general feedback, mention the book title in the subject of your message and simply send it to [email protected]. You can also con- tact us at https://www.lode.de/contact at any time if you are hav- ing a problem with any aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it. Also, I cordially invite you to join our network at https://www.lode.de. Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books, we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing so, you can help us to improve subsequent versions of this book and maybe save future readers from frustration. If you find any errata, please report them by visiting https://www.lode.de/errata, selecting your book, and entering the details. Once your errata are verified, xiii xiv Publisher’s Note your submission will be accepted and the errata will be uploaded to our website, or added to any list of existing errata, under the Errata section of that title. You will, of course, be credited if you wish. And now that you know what this is about, I thank you, the reader, for keeping up the tradition of reading books and supporting the project by your interest in this topic. You and your fellow readers have created a market for this book. I hope that we can fulfill your expectations and we are looking forward to feedback from your side, no matter whether it is positive or negative. This is the only waythe project can grow. • What did you genuinely like about the book? • What can we improve? • What subjects would you like to read more about? • Tell your story! How did you find the book? Do you have a different view? Let us know what you thought about the book—whether you liked it or not—via [email protected] or di- rectly via our network https://www.lode.de/contact. This will help us to develop future titles. Best regards, Clemens Lode CEO, Lode Publishing Düsseldorf, Germany, November 1st, 2016 xiv Preface The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color “ of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea. —Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn xvii The decision to write this book series was born out of an idea: puton paper, in an orderly fashion, the results of my investigations into a number of central questions of life. I see the process of researching, writing, and editing the text as deeply spiritual, with a lot of self- reflection on the one side, and an “inner cleansing” on the other.It helps me to bring about a kind of intellectual closure and allows me to move on to other subjects. This book series has a future to which I am about to embark by writing the next part. But it also has a past. If you want to know the story of this book, please review chapter The Creation of this Book Series at the end of the book.