Author: Warren Tang

I write about linguistics and philosophy. I also write poetry and take photographs.

The Necessary Angel

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Wallace Stevens has a collection of essays called The Necessary Angel. I have always liked the title. I personally do not believe in angels (I am Buddhist) but I do believe in the need for angels and such. To be human is to use the imagination. I am all for the imagination (it is only when angels interfere with the our lives of many that I see a problem).

God is a metaphor. What I mean by this is that Christians use God to present their beliefs. And as a Buddhist I use Buddha and Bodhisattvas to present mine (Buddha is a metaphor). It is not a question which is correct but that what is exactly being presented that is important. We need to put our ideas in some kind of concrete way (we have no choice) and no better is it to personify our ideas and concepts.

God/Word/Saussure

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (St John, Ch. 1, v. 1)

Perhaps this is the genius of the writer of these words. God is language. End of story.

But if we take Saussure to his word then words are just a system of difference. We can conclude that God is what everything else it is not. The word God must be empty, must be a container holding meaning only inasmuch as it is a concept, never to fully have presence, eternally is God marked with absence.

vr

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virtual reality
is nowhere near to be
virtually real

only noumena
& phenomena
will allow that

what is real
is your existence
but neither do you

bring reality
closer nor put it
any further away

Eliminate Racial Discrimination

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Today is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The theme this year is racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration. So much in America is towards racial profiling. Hatred had again “ducked under the covers” become hidden from sight. The swing in attitude is knee-jerk-like to Post-Obama America.

Let us remember those who have been targeted in racism, think of why society moves towards incitement, why we have the political and economic migration that is occurring in Europe, Africa and elsewhere.

Why watching the development of Toyosu is important

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Yesterday, it was reported in television again that survey of the groundwater under the yet-to-be-open Toyosu Fishmarket has found the level of the carcinogen benzene to be 100 times above safe levels.

Japan has always prided itself on the environment and cleanliness. It is a part of of its culture in the form of Shintoism. But since industrialisation it has had pollution issues come up time and again. The peak and benchmark is the Minamata Incident where mercury poisoning had caused health problems. Also the problems from the Fukushima nuclear incident from the Tohoku Earthquake which has effects beyond Japan is still with us.

So to build a fish market on top of a toxic dump seems incredible. But that is what they had done. Where the blame and responsibility lies has still to determined. But it is likely that the then the Governor of Tokyo will have to answer some questions. So far he has deflected all criticism away from himself, as a “good” politician does. 

Philosophy must be questioned

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It is rather strange (or rather not) that philosophy spends so little time question itself. We need a “Thomas S Kuhn of Philosophy”, someone to put a spotlight on the problems and habits of philosophy.