In a previous post, I described how a dog’s barking and gaze alternation towards its owner appear to express meaning. The animal seems to ‘tell’ the human what it wants — an unreachable piece of food — and the human, recognising this, may respond. The situation looks like communication. This scene is a good reduction […]
social reality
Kant, Heidegger and You
A child is feeling unwell on a school day. The father, in his typical fashion, insists, ‘You must go to school. School is important, and it’s your duty.’ This rule applies universally and objectively, just like the biological fact that he is the child’s father. The mother, however, responds differently. ‘Look, he’s clearly not feeling […]
The Gun – or Politics
In a small, peaceful plot of land, Prudence is busy at work, sowing seeds for the next crop, when she sees two strangers approach. As they come closer, Prudence notices that one of them is carrying a gun. Stranger: Good day. My name is Justine, and this is Peter. We’ve come here to ask for […]
The Platonic case for Bitcoin
The basic idea of digital money is that digits can represent economic value. This value can be transferred by means of an accounting ledger. For example, ledger A might include: Alice = 0001, Bob = 0000 … Alice = 0000, Bob = 0001 Here, 1 unit of value has been transferred from Alice to Bob. […]
Really, what is money?
Apparently, it is illegal to destroy a bank note. I didn’t know that when I and a friend ripped two 50€ notes and threw them into the sea. I was just testing that I could do it, because otherwise — I thought to myself — there is a chance that I am psychologically enslaved to money, and I really […]