Tuesday - Philosophers

This week's topic is Philosophers. I will present three philosophers and their basic ideas in each daily email. One from Antiquity, one from the Middle Ages through the Enlightenment, and one modern. Enjoy!

Ancient

Plato - Plato was a Greek of the 4th century, a student of Socrates, and the founder of the ancient school of philosophy in Athens. A key concept of Plato has been popularly distributed in The Republic. In it and other works, Plato describes two types of reality: the "form," or the true nature of things, and the "perception." Perceptions range along an axis towards the form, however, perception and form can never be equal. This was the metaphor of the cave, wherein observers believed that the shadows they saw were the actual beings, and not a mere reflection of their true selves.

Middle Ages

John Locke - Locke was an English philosopher of the early 17th century, who had a strong influence on the Declaration of Independence - "life, liberty, and the pursuit of property." Property as defined by Locke is the value of one's labor, as manifest by an object of production, and estate, or general wealth. In contrast with contemporary Thomas Hobbes, Locke's idea of a social contract is based on the consensus of the governed and not on the power of the ruling.

Modern

Karl Marx - Marx is a German philosopher of the 19th century. Commonly understood to be the founder of social democracy as it evolved into communism, Marx's focus of thought was on class struggles. Steering away from the more common points of departure for intellectual hijackers, Marx has many an original thought. While many philosophers struggled with the question of "nature vs. nurture" (and Plato was probably the first), Mark concluded that based on man's ability to adapt, nurture dictates behavior. Therefore situations and problems of class and economics are learned, and can be unlearned by planning.

New Format - This Week, Philosophers

Instead of a random fact, the new "Get Smarter Every Day" will include 7 daily packets of fact on a single broad topic, that will enhance your general knowledge in a single area in more depth.

This week's topic is Philosophers. I will present three philosophers and their basic ideas in each daily email. One from Antiquity, one from the Middle Ages through the Enlightenment, and one modern. Enjoy!

Ancient

Socrates - Socrates was a Greek, who was born and lived in Athens in the late 5th century. This period of time characterizes the Classical Greek Civilization. The philosophy of Socrates can be whittled down to a few key tenets. Knowledge was the love of a philosopher ("student of wisdom"), who, recognizing his earthly ignorance, sought to better himself and therefore mankind. Recognition of ignorance and the constant forming of questions that spurred the mind to think formed the basis of the Socratic Method. Socrates had a spiritual side as well, believing that the answers to these reflective questions could be answered by drawing on the spirit, which contained infinte access to knowledge. Politically, Socrates believed that a philosopher -- possessing the aforementioned attributes -- was the only type of leader that an ideal government could have.

Middle Ages

Thomas Hobbes - Hobbes was English philosopher of the early 17th century, called the Enlightenment. Hobbes' main thesis center around the idea that mankind is constrained by the recognition of their own mortality; therefore, the preservation of life through self-preservation drove men to behave they way they do. Authority of civilization was a social contract between the ruling ('the Leviathon") and the ruled, exchanging personal liberty for safety.

Modern

Friedrich Nietzsche - A Prussian (modern German) philosopher of the 19th century, Nietzsche is at once one of the most profound philosophers and yet the most misunderstood. His life's body of work contains some apparent contradictions that, more than representing logical errors, reflect the path of thought that he developed throughout his life. The work of Nietzsche has been variously hijacked by social and political movement, giving a somewhat negative perception of him and his work. His thoughts are extraordinarily complex when taken as a whole, and yet there are some key thoughts that espoused upon. Perhaps the most influential and relevant to modern thought is the idea of moral relativism. Rather than believing in the more traditional moral views of universal human "rights" and "wrongs" (as did Hobbes), Nietzsche postulated that power -- the assertion of one's will -- over oneself and others forms the basis of morality. Perhaps one of the strongest reasons that Nietzsche was so misunderstood was his mastery of literature and art as a vehicle for sharing his ideas. Nietzsche was frequently dismissed as a clever writer rather than a true student of wisdom.

Virii and Life

Virii (from old Latin plural of "virus") or "viruses" as used in modern standard English, are strange entities.  They blur the definition of alive for professional and amateur scientists alike.  While they possess certain functions that mimic life, it is generally thought they are in fact not alive.  Viruses exist solely to replicate.  Most viruses will find a host and utilize an innate mechanism of the host to "trick" the host into reproducing the virus instead of itself.
Recently, in the Republic of Korea ("South Korea"), scientists have made a remarkable breakthrough in the fight against cancer.  Using the adenovirus as a base, they inserted human genes and produced a hybrid virus that seems to attack cancer cells. 
The adenovirus, along with the rhinovirus, are are common causes of respiratory illnesses, such as the common cold and conjunctivitis.
Viruses are so small, that many infect only bacteria. 
Many viruses contain protection against harm in the form of an "envelope," making them difficult to eradicate (as opposed to kill).
They are little more than complex protein carrying cases for genetic material - either RNA or DNA. 
Other complex proteins causing illness are prions.  Prions are malformed proteins that are easily mistaken for a common protein, but cause an error in an organism's system.  A common example would be Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis - or "Mad Cow Disease."

Lilies

Although this fact will make you smarter, it may also save a life.  Lilies of almost every single variety are extremely toxic to cats.  Depending on the type and the exposure, it may cause renal failure and eventually death.  Unfortunately, this is not common knowledge, though it should be to all cat owners; even well meaning gifts of flowers could have potentially dangerouse repercussions.  There are other plants that are toxic as well, and you should know about them.

Cheetahs are Unique

Cheetahs are fast - besides there high top speed they can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds. Faster than almost every car imaginable, including the Lamborghini Murcielago. Cheetahs don't roar. They chirp and purr. Groups of cheetahs, which are exclusively male, are called coalitions. Cheetahs presently live solely in Africa.

Vietnam War

"The Vietnam War" is what we Americans call the conflict that took place in Vietnam and the surrounding area in the 1960's and 1970's. The rest of the world refers to this conflict as "the Second Indochina War," harkening back to the earlier conflict primarily between the lingering colonial powers of France and the nationalists.
Other wars similarly have culturally divergent names:

• "The French and Indian War." The war in North America was more of a warfront in the greater Seven Years War (1756-1763), which involved many nations
• "The Korean War," as it is known in the U.S. and other places, is known as "6-25" (for the date beginning the conflict) or as the "Fatherland Liberation War" in the PROK (North Korea)
  

In general, wars are remembered culturally and the latin wisdom of Rome holds true: history is written by the victors.

Et Tu Brute?

There is a common misperception that Marcus Junius Brutus was the sole or even the chief assassin of Gaius Julius Caeser. In addition, Brutus was reputed to be a personal traitor, having been a friend of Caeser's. This common representation does not mesh with the known facts.
The tyrranicide of Julius Caeser was primarily conceived and carried out by Publius Servilius Casca. Casca was the first to stab Caeser.
Approaching Caeser, the "dictator for life," Casca made a reached out to grasp the hands of Caeser in a gesture of respect and affection. Instead, Casca firmly held onto Caeser, pulling his body close, and eventually stabbing him in the neck.
The other Senators gathered around the stumbling Caeser, and stabbed him in total more than twenty times.
Brutus, appointed by Caeser as the governor of Gaul, was not Caeser's trusted friend. Instead, Brutus held the role of a political affiliate. Brutus came from an old patrician family, and as such added much cachet to Caeser's political reputation. Brutus was certainly in a position to add some refinement to the more coarse personality of Caeser.
In William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caeser" Caeser declares "Et tu Brute" in response to the betrayal of Brutus. In fact, Caeser is accredited with declaring in Greek "Even you my child?" which, from the known background of both men, appears to reveal the mentor characteristic of their relationship.

FOr more information on Julius Caeser, check out Julius Caeser on Wikipedia.