Tag: #literature

Day Out With Chip- The Robot!

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes, it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”

  • Ernest Hemingway

Today’s article discusses all about writing with Chip – The Robot. I had officially booked a day out with him and he seemed welcoming. We had a long conversation which I will try to compress in this article. So, let us begin.

Hello Chip. So, My Very First Question For You Is That What Do You Think About Writing?

Writing is an art which only a few are blessed with. Certain talented people around the globe are able to compose creative and fictitious worlds and make people visualize them through their amazing description. That is exactly what writing is all about. You make people reflect through your writing. Thus, it becomes an art and can’t be learnt. The creative and imaginative aspects sprout from within.

Totally! I Agree To This. However, What Do You Think Makes Writing An Entertaining Task?

This totally depends on the interest levels of the individual. Writing is fun for people who are completely inclined towards it while those who hesitate to read even a page, aren’t going to like it. So, the thing is that you need complete love for the process before initiating it. The second stage could be that you are interested in the process but aren’t able to concentrate and come up with certain new ideas and topics to write on. In such cases, you could take inspiration from the pettiest things around you. You just need to open your inner eye to notice that. And that, I tell you honestly, is an amazing job. Sitting and pondering over the petty objects and coming up with some imaginative character or story of your own, in itself is so entertaining. Another reason maybe that you aren’t able to concentrate could be that your mind is disturbed and aren’t focused. Thus, all you could do is practice meditation or do tasks that would soothe your senses. In short, I would state that indulging into the process of imagination is one of the best experiences when it comes to writing which is enough to make writing an entertaining task.

That Was So Helpful! Which Is Your Favourite Genre When It Comes To Writing?

My favourite genre shall always be fiction because it makes writing all the more interesting. You get to weave your own imagination and there aren’t any limits in the framing of thoughts onto that sheet of paper. Fiction introduces a new world, not only to the readers but also to the writers.

True That! So, What Are The Effective Ways Of Writing Fiction?

Fiction as a genre needs extremely insightful and creative people to frame a good story. You need to think outside the box when it comes to fiction. People don’t admire the same boring mythological concepts. Instead, when added a spice of an entirely new world of fictitious characters and incidents, the story begins to gain certain amount of popularity. The effective way of writing fiction is to never force on writing it. Sit and ponder over the outline of your story. Don’t try to be creative when your brain is stressed. Don’t set a deadline to writing a story when working on fiction. Just be cool, calm and devoted to your manuscript. Don’t give up easily on manuscript. You could always give some time to thinking effectively. However, if you wish to launch your book at a specific date then it is advisable to start as early as possible so that you don’t have to overdo on the last minute and can work with peace.

So, Important! Would You Like To Speak About Some Other Favourite Genre Of Yours?

Certainly! Mystery catches my attention every single time. It is because of the intense suspense factor that makes reading such a fun task. Here too, you need to have the creativity to frame the suspense appropriately. A single mistake can disclose the entire sequence and thereby disrupt your attempt of maintaining suspense. So, this is another genre, you need to be careful with. Give proper amount of time to thinking and don’t rush. Your manuscript isn’t yelling at you to finish it as soon as possible, nor is anybody else urging you to be prompt. Unlike writing prompts which don’t stress on the topic, other types of write ups don’t require you to be prompt. So, work with peace and eliminate all the pessimistic thoughts before you choose to begin with these genres.

That Was So Helpful! Lastly, Would You Like To Conclude On A Good Note?

Certainly! I would like to thank you for choosing to go out with me. I request each and every reader of this article to definitely write and not hesitate in the process. The more you write, the more efficient you shall be. You just need to be faithful and devoted to the process. Your thoughts need to be refined, in order to make writing a fun task. Maintaining effective sanity is quintessential for writers who must hibernate from chaos. So, go surrender yourself to the lap of mother nature and write for hours together, trusting that one fine day a highly creative idea would grace you with its presence on that blank sheet of paper!

Thank You So Much Chip!

What is philosophy?

Philosophy comes from two Ancient Greek words: philo– which means loving, and sophia– which means wisdom. Simply put, philosophy is a love of wisdom. But, what does that really mean? 

Philosophy intends to answer questions about our existence using tools like logic and reason. It is concerned with questions which range from how one should live to epistemology, from the fundamental nature of the world to the search for knowledge and truth. Philosophers have questioned the existence of God and religion, how politics is shaped and the very essence of free will and freedom. They have written about language, animal rights, aesthetics, law and justice. Chances are if you have a question, some student of philosophy has already sought to answer it.

Typically, philosophy requires you to reflect more than ‘do’ as the questions it seeks to answer tend to be abstract in nature. In spite of this, philosophers have contributed significantly to many fields- politics (J.S. Mill), mathematics (Pythagoras), medicine (Avicenna), and literature (Tagore) amongst others. 

Despite its importance, you don’t often come across people who study it or apply its principles to their lives. Part of it has to do with its seemingly inaccessible nature with most people considering it too serious or complicated a subject to really bother with. This couldn’t be further from the truth as even the most basic understanding of philosophy can change how you approach life.  What better way to gain this understanding than to read philosophical books?

The Philosophy of Literature

The philosophy of literature addresses the most fundamental questions about the nature of literature as an art. Some of these questions address the metaphysics of literary works: What, if anything, essentially distinguishes literary works of art (such as epics, novels, drama, and poetry) from other kinds of writings, such as scientific reports, historical treatises, religious texts, guides, and manuals, which may happen to be written in a literary manner? Also, what kinds of things are literary works of art that seem to exist over time in some way independently of any of their particular printed editions? Other questions address our ways of engaging with literature, such as: What norms govern our interpretation and understanding of such works? Is the meaning of a work fixed, or does it change with the changes in the contexts in which it is read? Can we have a genuine emotional response to the characters, events, and states of affairs represented in such works even when we believe that they are not real? Finally, some questions address the value of works of literature: Do they offer any distinctive form of knowledge or insight? Can their cognitive and moral merits and defects count as artistic merits and defects? Philosophy of literature is not alone in pursuing these questions, for literary history, criticism, and other modes of scholarship address these concerns, as do readers when they reflect on their own and others’ practices of attending to works of art. However, the philosophical approach to literature, while often productively drawing on the empirical study and first-order analysis of literary works, tends to adopt a more systematic, theoretical, ahistorical, and foundational approach than commonly found in other fields. Also, while the philosophy of literature tends to address the nature of literature as an art, it has been profoundly shaped by work in other areas of philosophy far from aesthetics such as analytic metaphysics and philosophy of language, which since their inception have addressed such topics as the metaphysics of fictional characters. More recently, there has been an exciting cross-fertilization between philosophical approaches to literature and developments in cognitive science, particularly in areas devoted to the study of emotions and imagination.

Why You Should Read Philosophy?

Since logic and reason are the cornerstones of philosophy, taking the time out to read books on the subject can help you become a better thinker and evolve

your ability to reason. You will be able to understand the assumptions behind arguments, identify fallacies in the reasoning and also form and form your own reasoned out opinion on the subject at hand. 

A study of philosophy will help you develop critical thinking skills. It will encourage you to understand the constraints you operate within when you make certain choices or even when you decide which goals you should pursue. You will be able to think intelligently of how you live and why you live that way. Concepts like correlation and causation will become clearer and you will be able to make better deductions and inferences.

Philosophy will make you question everything. According to Aristotle, philosophy begins with wonder. It is only when we begin to wonder about something that we go on a search for answers to questions which matter to us. For example, questioning the importance of religion or the existence of God could lead you down a rabbit hole where you find yourself searching for evidence which either confirms or disaffirms your view on the subject. Maybe you’ll discover Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins or perhaps, you’ll decide to explore religious philosophy like Jain or Buddhist philosophy to see what truly resonates with you.

Philosophy will make you curious. As you explore philosophy, you’ll find that there are no right answers. Just when you find one answer, you’ll realise that there are many other possibilities out there. The more you study, the more your view will become nuanced and your reasoning behind it will become more solid. Paradoxically, you’ll also become more willing to change your viewpoint as you delve into a particular topic. 

How To Read Philosophy

While reading philosophy, even if it is philosophical fiction, you have to give yourself the time to understand the material. The books can be dense and you may need to re-read the same sentence, passage or page more than once to truly comprehend what the philosopher is saying. While it may take you a minute to read a page from a ‘regular’ book, it might take you tens of minutes to comprehend one page from a philosophy book. A 120-page book may take you weeks as you find yourself ruminating over what you’ve read. 

A great way to understand and think about what you read is to annotate and make notes. What is the main idea? What is your conclusion? Do you agree with the argument? Is there any follow-up research you need to do? Are there any other books about the same subject that you should read? What questions are answered and which new ones are raised. Highlight passages which you want to remember, question or revisit.

Another great way is to write out your own thoughts on the subject. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? What is your own conclusion and the rationale behind it? Since philosophy relies on logic, you have to be able to provide cogent arguments for your conclusion. Revisit them later to find flaws in them especially once you’ve read a different work which makes you rethink your views.

Discuss what you are reading with others. There are many online fora and discussion groups, where ardent students of philosophy engage in arguments and discussions on their interpretation of philosophical works.

Most importantly though, do not limit yourself to a particular school of philosophy. Read the stoics but also try your hand at something unusual- say Islamic philosophy. If you don’t expose yourself to different schools of thoughts, you are not gaining everything philosophy has to offer.

Philosophy is important if you want to understand yourself and the world you live in. Be warned though, while it is unlikely to have all the answers, it will make you ask questions. And then, it will give you the tools you need to find your own answers to them. If nothing else, it will make you a more rationale and reasonable human being who is constantly trying to evolve and is able to adapt to change, disagreement and dissent with more ease.