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Carrion Luggage  Native to the Americas, the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) travels widely in search of sustenance. While usually foraging alone, it relies on other individuals of its species for companionship and mutual protection. Sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared, sometimes shunned, it nevertheless performs an important role in the ecosystem. This scavenger bird is a marvel of efficiency. Rather than expend energy flapping its wings, it instead locates uplifting columns of air, and spirals within them in order to glide to greater heights. This behavior has been mistaken for opportunism, interpreted as if it is circling doomed terrestrial animals destined to be its next meal. In truth, the vulture takes advantage of these thermals to gain the altitude needed glide longer distances, flying not out of necessity, but for the joy of it. It also avoids the exertion necessary to capture live prey, preferring instead to feast upon that which is already dead. In this behavior, it resembles many humans. It is not what most of us would consider to be a pretty bird. While its habits are often off-putting, or even disgusting, to members of more fastidious species, the turkey vulture helps to keep the environment from being clogged with detritus. Hence its Latin binomial, which translates to English as "golden purifier." I rarely know where the winds will take me next, or what I might find there. The journey is the destination. |
| For anyone who still reads, from Big Think: 5 stories that teach you philosophy (better than some philosophy books)  Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.) Sure, because why bother chewing when you can have your meal pre-processed? Okay, sure, that's an unfair comparison. Sometimes, fiction is what it takes to really get your ideas across. Philosophy is a rewarding discipline to study. Actually reading philosophy? That can sometimes be a slog through scholastic drudgery. I suspect that's true for any discipline. If you want to dive into some philosophy but aren’t in the mood for its heavier tomes, you can find many excellent fiction stories that explore philosophical ideas in accessible and enjoyable ways. I would argue that most fiction involves some philosophy. Yes, even mass-market pulp fiction. Maybe except for romance. “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin (1973) “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is a short story focusing entirely on a philosophical issue. Specifically, it presents a full-throated argument against utilitarianism. The idea's been stolen, too. Notably, an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds directly cribbed the premise. And I'm pretty sure someone else did it before Le Guin, in turn. It's not about whose idea it was, though; it's about the idea. Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin (1791) Dream of the Red Chamber, also known as The Story of the Stone, is an 18th-century novel. It is considered one of the great classic Chinese novels, alongside Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As an ugly American, I hadn't even heard of this one. So I can't weigh in on the content, except to say that any overview of world philosophy does need to include, well, the world. Solaris by Stanisław Lem (1961) The 1961 novel follows a group of astronauts trying to communicate with the planet Solaris. It should surprise absolutely no one that science fiction ties in with philosophical ideas. And yet, some still scoff at the entire genre. Candide: Or, Optimism by Voltaire (1759) His vast bibliography includes numerous letters, pamphlets, plays, and novels. One of the funniest is certainly Candide: or, the Optimist. Imagine if the Monty Python trope were one French guy writing in the 18th century, and you’ll have a sense of Voltaire’s humor. Yes, sometimes philosophers write fiction. And sometimes, it doesn't suck. I haven't actually read this one, though. But I've said this for a long time: The optimist insists that we're living in the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears that this is true. The Trial by Franz Kafka (1925) The Trial follows Joseph K, a man who is arrested one morning for reasons never made clear to him. His attempts to follow the byzantine rules of the legal system alternatively benefit or harm his case with little rhyme or reason. He is told to attend court sessions without being told when or where and blamed for being late. I really should read Kafka, even if he didn't write science fiction. Anyway, mostly, I just wanted to share, though I'm only personally familiar with two of the five works. Thing is, though, pick almost any book that's not for sale at an airport, and there's sure to be some philosophy in it. Sugar-coated, maybe, but that's how the medicine goes down, I'm assured. |
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Anyone who has dealt with the courts wonders, "What crazy person designed this?" Unfortunately, my daughter is currently enmeshed in the system and some of the hoops she has to jump through just don't make any sense at all.
