Livesplaining 018: Does Philosophy Matter? + Q&A

[@vickicebulla419]

The trend of Fr. Bonaventure changing his screen name to tie into the livesplaining question is endlessly entertaining to me. It just killed me when I saw "Philoso-venture"

[@christiancowart5]

Fr. Bonaventure should have his own channel where he watches Netflix on shuffle mode and makes comments in a stream of conscience style.

[@paix1234]

Thank you so much Fathers. You are both super! I’m praying for you:)

[@therese_paula]

Fr. Philoso-venture, your thoughts, anecdotes, and..(doesn't matter, who cares) are amusing! Thank you, Fr. Gregory and Fr. Bonaventure, I look forward to your next livesplaining. God bless!

[@danielkelly9678]

You guys are the best!. As a former Dominican, I enjoy your ability to bring a level of levity to a seemingly dry and mundane subject. I am a huge fan of your station - keep up the great work. God Bless

[@Godsplaining]

Thank you, Daniel!

[@danielkelly9678]

Great show. You two are the best 😂. God Bless

[@MCEAmramPereira]

Thank you for answering my question , this gave me some new perspectives I didn’t think of

[@tracydankanich8866]

Loved this! Thank you both! I have read Real Philosophy for real people last year , i thought that was pretty good

[@andregunawan6881]

[ ▼ Livesplaining 018: Does Philosophy Matter? + Q&A | Timestamps ▼ ] 00:00 Introduction with Fr. Gregory Pine and Fr. Philoso-venture Chapman 00:40 Today's topic: Does philosophy matter? 02:47 On seeing and engaging the world with philosophy 05:17 Why take discourse to such a high level of complexity? 06:16 On conceptual distinctions and why it matters 09:00 Which one to choose: common sense or philosophy? 10:22 On being an expert philosopher and the more tricky questions of life 14:01 Is theology a form of philosophy? 14:50 On stepping back from reality and looking at how things hold together 18:01 How philosophy runs itself in relation to reality Q&A + COMMENTS 19:04 | Q1: If science ever progressed to the point where it could keep a human alive indefinitely, would it be moral to take up the offer as it might be considered along the lines of any other health care treatment? I don't really fancy having to hold on for the rapture, although on the other hand, it might give me more time to achieve epic sainthood? 22:24 | Q2: The new Marvel movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has some occult-type things according to reviews. Most of the magic till now was like fantasy (energy blast from their hands and stuff, not ignoring spells which weren't invocational to my knowledge) and not real-world things. But recently I believe some more occult features have been added by Marvel (I cannot say what exactly as I haven't watched, just from the reviews I've seen). So my question: is the new movie okay? or is it sinful to watch it? 27:57 | Q3: How do we understand suicide? The Church says it is a mortal sin, but wouldn't God show mercy to those who had suffered so much already? 31:47 | C: Fr. Philoso-venture. I'm dying. You got me there 32:14 | Q4: What is a good starting point to learn more about philosophy? Like a SparkNotes version of what a Christian ought to know? 36:18 | Q5: Hi Fathers - any suggestions on how to talk fruitfully with pro-choice family, friends, colleagues, etc. about abortion in light of the recent Supreme Court news? 38:36 | Q6: What do you make of Elizabeth Anscombe's claim that "I" doesn't refer to anything? 43:35 | Q7: Is aesthetics a part of ethics? How is it related to ethics? 44:54 | Q8: How to start getting into Thomas Aquinas' philosophy for a complete beginner? 45:42 | Q9: Who are some of the best (modern and non-modern) Thomistic philosophers? 48:18 | Q10: Did Aquinas receive any pushback from the Catholic Church for being influenced so much by Aristotle? 49:11 | Q11: How do I become holier, more virtuous, and more receptive to God's grace every day, hour, and minute of my life? 51:31 | Q12: I've heard conflicting views, including from Thomists, about how St. Thomas's view of free will maps onto the compatibilist-libertarian debate - could you comment on this? 56:05 | Q13: How do I balance standing up for myself ('do not let me be put to shame') when insulted versus 'bearing wrongs patiently'? 59:43 | Q14: I love Godsplaining! Can the livestream episodes be added to the Apple Podcasts archive? 1:00:10 Closing remark - Godsplaining channel - New merch coming! - Retreats in July and August - Stream ending

[@andregunawan6881]

[ ▼ BOOKS, FIGURES, AND REFERENCES ▼ ] I. BOOKS 27:57 - Purgatorio (The Divine Comedy) by Dante Alighieri 32:14 Books to learn more about philosophy - Reality: A Synthesis Of Thomistic Thought by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange O.P. - The Dialogues of Plato by Plato - The Apology of Socrates by Plato - The Crito by Plato - The Phaedo by Plato - The Maeno by Plato - The Elements of Philosophy: A Compendium for Philosophers and Theologians by Fr. William Augustine Wallace, O.P. - The Rigor of Things: Conversations with Dan Arbib by Jean-Luc Marion - Thomist Realism and the Critique of Knowledge by Étienne Gilson - Aquinas by Edward Feser - A History of Philosophy by Frederick Copleston, S.J. - A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell 36:18 Currently published books by Fr. Josh Johnson - Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation by Fr. Josh Johnson - Pocket Guide to Adoration (The Pocket Guide Series) by Fr. Josh Johnson 44:54 Beginner's approach to Thomas Aquinas' philosophy - Aquinas by Edward Feser - Reality: A Synthesis Of Thomistic Thought by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange O.P. 45:11 The seminary manuals of D. Q. McInerny (I can't quite find the series mentioned by Fr. Pine, so I'm listing a few of his published titles instead) - Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking by D. Q. McInerny - Being Ethical by D. Q. McInerny - The Philosophy of Nature Hardcover by D. Q. McInerny - An Introduction to Foundational Logic by D. Q. McInerny 47:37 Books to help index the aforementioned philosophers, mentioned by Fr. Pine - The Way Toward Wisdom: An Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Introduction to Metaphysics by Dr. Benedict M. Ashley, O.P. - Thomas and the Thomists: The Achievement of Thomas Aquinas and his Interpreters (Mapping the Tradition) by OP Romanus Cessario and OP Cajetan Cuddy 58:33 👀 - Prudence by Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. II. FIGURES 45:42 Thomistic philosophers mentioned by Fr. Bonaventure and Fr. Pine : - Edward Feser - John Joseph Haldane KCHS FRSE FRSA - John of St. Thomas, O.P. - Romanus Cessario, O.P. - Francisco Marín-Sola - Matthias Joseph Scheeben - Domingo Báñez - Francisco Suárez - (46:56 - 47:13 a few names I can't quite catch. Please comment below if you're familiar with them)

[@don7502]

My hero!

[@andregunawan6881]

@@don7502 Hey there! Love your questions Don : )

[@don7502]

@@andregunawan6881 👊

[@JamesAndrewMacGlashanTaylor]

Bear witness! In other words - do philosophy.

[@LostArchivist]

This is a bit scattered, sorry about that and I basically say the same thing in different ways, I think the last one gets right to it though, but the progression of definitions work into the argument in a way. I would say that the term I is the referential frame of now and here, they depend upon it as concepts. It is not that I it has no true reference, it is simply that which, is different for each sentient being. It is tied up with consciousness in a necessary way such that its lack leaves a great deficiency for a sentient creature. Thereby, it is real as its lack changes another reality and is ingredient in it necessarily. It signifies an instance of consciousness by the conscious being in itself. Without it a subjective agent cannot know it is a distinct entity. It is the locus of reference for a sentient being. That is not nothing.

[@don7502]

Your last 3 sentences put it well (assuming by sentient you mean self-conscious).

[@LostArchivist]

@@don7502 Self-consciousness with awareness of that consciousness. A capacity for meta-cognition is important.

[@LostArchivist]

@@don7502 The reason why is that, without it, you could know I but never refer to it apart from that it is seperate from other things. So you could never use it, but knowing one is a seperate being leads to the conclusion of being in relation and having a seperate status than other things. So a sort of stable awareness of one`s existence as a seperate being is a prerequisite of what is required to state or know and comment on anything about oneself as oneself. So these higher animals with seeming self-awareness, maybe they lack this capacity for metacognition or self-reflection. So there is a difference between an ant and an elephant, but there is an order of difference in kind to then get to fully-sentient creatures such as we humans. And yet, it seems somehow to be more elegant than that. Like a better way to say it might be, you are in relationship with yourself. We are a microcosm. An imperfect reflection of God. Sentience is perhaps a capacity for communion. That is how we know about things, we commune by reflecting their forms in our intellects, as St.Thomas Aquinas says. Thus we share parts of ourselves when we share knowledge with one another. This is sentience but humans are also sapient, that is an entirely different ball game. I originally removed this but I felt the call to put it back. Here is the rest of this post. Thanks be to God. The Lord led me to this by roads I never even fathomed at the time. This occured after I fell into great sin and repented but could not make it to a Church to confess them and let the Devil trick me into giving up on myself (not suicide or thoughts of it, to be clear). The Lord led me through anxiety and panic, OCD and walking roads through the heart of philosophical skepticism which had darkness I never imagined possible. I was led to a visceral need to explain why it was wrong but couldn`t and it seemed it could not be. God led me by His small voice in my heart to keep walking. Even if I could not see the light, there was a great beautiful expanse on the other side. He told me to trust Him. It has indeed been everything Our Lord has promised. This awareness of this philosophical darkness grew over time (taking up apologetics) to include seeing the idols of human reason (scientism and the like), will (relativism and the like), and society (wokeism and the like) and the great evils they spread. And He leads me to the Church`s answers and how He is the answer to this garden of razor-edged flowers with sweet but baneful soul-killing fruit. (To be clear I mean the worldly philosophies above). Without God and denying anything greater than himself, humanity is fashioning idols out of parts of himself. We must not let ourselves be cut this way or that, to be whole before God and seeking to be wholly in God and to live for God, loving Him with all our hearts, all our minds, all our spirits, and all our strength, above all things at all times, and for love of Him loving our neighbors as ourselves. This we must be. The world must know we are disciples of Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ.