30.7.

2014

A Visual Dictionary of Philosophy: Major Schools of Thought in Minimalist Geometric Graphics | Brain Pickings

A Visual Dictionary of Philosophy: Major Schools of

Thought in Minimalist Geometric Graphics
byMaria Popova

A charming exercise in metaphorical thinking and symbolic representation.

Rodin believed that his art was about removing the stone not part of the
sculpture to reveal the essence of his artistic vision. Perhaps this is what
Catalan-born, London-based graphic designer Genis Carreras implicitly intended
in chiseling away the proverbial philosophers stone to sculpt its minimalist
essence. Many moons ago, I discovered with great delight Carrerass series
of geometric graphics explaining major movements in philosophyand now, with
the help of Kickstarter, the project has come to new life in book
form.Philographics: Big Ideas in Simple Shapes (public library) is a vibrant
visual dictionary of philosophy, enlisting the telegraphic powers of design in
distilling the essential principles of 95 schools of thought into visual metaphors
and symbolic representation.

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Skepticism
True knowledge or certainty in a particular area is impossible. Skeptics have an
attitude of doubt or a disposition of incredulity either in general or toward a
particular object.

The skeptics (in the colloquial sense of the word, although its roots are, fittingly, philosophical) should remember
that rather than an exercise in reckless reductionism seeking to dumb down some of humanitys most complex
ideas, the project is instead a playful and thoughtful celebration of symbolic and metaphorical thinking that
distinctly human faculty that is the hallmark of our imagination. Perhaps most importantly, these minimalist graphics
are designed to tickle our curiosity and spark deeper interest in influential theories of human nature and human
purpose that those of us not formally trained in philosophy may not have previously been inspired to explore.

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A Visual Dictionary of Philosophy: Major Schools of Thought in Minimalist Geometric Graphics | Brain Pickings

Carreras writes:
The visuals [are] open to different interpretations, allowing the reader to draw their path to connect the idea
behind each theory with its form. This plurality reflects all the different theories to see and understand the
world that are compiled [in] this book.
The book aims to be the starting point of deeper discussion about these theories; its a trigger of
conversation to bring philosophy back to our daily lives.

Relativism
Points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective
value according to differences in perception and consideration. Principles and
ethics are regarded as applicable in only limited context.
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Absolutism
An absolute truth is always correct under any condition. An entity's ability to discern
these things is irrelevant to that state of truth. Universal facts can be discovered. It
is opposed to relativism, which claims that there is not an unique truth.

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Positivism
The only authentic knowledge is that which is based on sense, experience and
positive verification. Scientific method is the best process for uncovering the
processes by which both physical and human events occur.

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Empiricism
Knowledge arises from evidence gathered via sense experience. Empiricism
emphasizes the role of experience and evidence, especially sensory perception, in the
formation of ideas, over the notion of innate ideas or tradition.

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Humanism
Human beings can lead happy and functional lives, and are capable of being ethical
and moral without religion or dogma. Life stance emphasized the unique
responsibility facing humanity and the ethical consequences of human decisions.

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Holism
The properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its parts
alone. Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts
behave.

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Authoritarianism
Submission to authority and opposed to individualism and democracy. An
authoritarian government is one in which political power is concentrated in a leader
who possesses exclusive, unaccountable, and arbitrary power.

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Determinism
Events within a given paradigm are bound by causality in such a way that any state
of an object or event is determined by prior states. Every type of event, including
human cognition (behavior, decision, and action) is causally determined by previous
events.

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Solipsism
Knowledge of anything outside one's own specific mind is unjustified. The external
world and other minds cannot be known and might not exist.

Philographics is absolutely delightful from cover to cover. Complement it withthe history of philosophy in
superhero comics and these 60-second animations of famous philosophy thought experiments.

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