Showing category "Abstract and Concrete" (Show all posts)

Conservatism and the Definition of the Concrete

Posted by Edward Willatt on Monday, October 5, 2009, In : Abstract and Concrete

I often listen to BBC Radio 4 and recently enjoyed a program on conservatism and the philosophy behind it (the program formed the last fifteen minutes of The Westminster Hour on 4th October 2009). The point was made that conservatism seems to avoid philosophy because of its dislike of state control and interference, and of abstract theories. However, what was interesting was the philosophy that has been developed by conservatives. Naturally, Roger Scruton was a contributor and argued tha...

Abstraction and Concretion

Posted by Edward Willatt on Thursday, September 3, 2009, In : Abstract and Concrete

I recently attended a paper and discussion concerned with the teaching of philosophy at which the notion was put forward that philosophy has everything to do with abstraction and the abstract. This is one of those notions that seems obvious but then suddenly appears to be really a big assumption. If we consider the work of Gilles Deleuze, in the 1975 book on Kafka that he wrote with Felix Guattari and also in their other joint works, the concrete comes to define philosophy. One notion or p...