NieR Automata is the best game I have played and is hands down the the most philosophical video game ever made. I’ve been meaning to write an article about it…since 2017. Hey, the mind was willing but the flesh was weak. Thankfully, I found all these goodies recently so it looks like I won’t have to.

The magnum opus of NieR philosophy videos. Well worth the time if you have it.

If you prefer the written word, this article was inspired by the video above.

If you prefer to drink your phil out of a fire hose, Wisecrack has you covered.

Partake in this intellectual feast and become as gods!

What is globalization? How is it possible for one country to bring down the entire world, and quickly? Everyone should know something about the global economy, and Commanding Heights is a solid introduction. The series continues after the jump, with some additional questions to consider.

Everyone Should Know is a short list of thought-provoking books, films, and articles about significant aspects of our modern world that are seldom taught in school. This list is not exhaustive, nor are the works perfect, but they get you thinking. Suggestions welcome! So far, the list includes two books, Quiet and A Time of Passion, and an article, The Case Against Credentialism. The goal is help everyone develop a personal compass with which to navigate the real world–a solid understanding of how the world works so that he or she can make informed choices and live a meaningful life.

Episode 2: The Agony of Reform

• Is “shock therapy” really the best way to change things? Is the human toll worth the cost?
• Afterwards, why do some countries succeed while others still struggle?

Episode 3: The New Rules of the Game

• Are repeated financial crashes the new “normal?”
• Is it appropriate to continually rescue reckless investors that are “too big to fail?”
• Should such global power be wielded by self-interested entities with little oversight?
• Will inequality every decrease under free markets?
• Is violence/terrorism an unavoidable side effect of globalization?

Until we find answers, these questions will continue to challenge us well into the 21st century.

If you’re a sci-fi film fan, you need to see Jodorowsky’s Dune. If you are a fan of Dune, book or movie, stop what you are doing and watch it right now. It’s simply mind-blowing. 

Before Star Wars, there was Jodorowsky’s Dune: a film so visionary that it changed SF films forever. Why haven’t you watched this amazing film? Because it was never made.

In the mid 1970s, Jodorowsky was mainly known for cult films like El Topo and The Holy Mountain, not SF. One day–on a whim, apparently–he decided that his next project would be Dune, merely one of the greatest SF novels of all time. He had never read the book. Jodorowsky had an incredible eye for talent, which he used to identify and recruit artists like Moebius, H.R. Giger, Chris Foss, and Dan O’Bannon well before they became famous. Together, they created a storyboard that was both far out and ahead of its time. Then through guile, charisma, and dumb luck, Jodorowsky managed to meet and line up A-list personalities to star in the film including Mick Jagger, Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, David Carradine, and Pink Floyd.

Ultimately, the film was never made because no studio was bold enough to take a risk on an “unproven” director with such a crazy, uncompromising vision. Despite this, the “film” had a profound influence on SF films. Giger, Foss, and O’Bannon went on to create Alien. Some of the shots from the Dune storyboard became famous shots in subsequent films like Star Wars and Contact. Dune was ultimately made into a movie that was a shell of Jodorowsky’s storyboard, and we are left wondering “what if?” Jodorowsky’s Dune could have been 2001…or a disaster. Either way, it was brilliant and unique. We need more such films and film makers willing to break the mold.

Here’s the thing: what made Jodorowsky’s Dune so groundbreaking  wasn’t just the cutting edge visuals but its vision. Dune is about the spiritual awakening of the prophet, Paul Atreides. The people who worked on the film were drawn to this vision and changed by it in some way. In a sense, the making of the film was itself a spiritual journey.  As I have written elsewhere, SF is highly suited to the making of visionary, thought-provoking films, but sadly, too many SF films today are all flash and little substance.

So I’ve told you basically the entire plot of the documentary. Why watch it then? Because Jodorowsky is magnetic. His passion and energy is infectious. When you hear him tell it, the story takes a life of its own. Watch it and experience it for yourself.

It has been awhile since I’ve been motivated to write an article about a SF movie, sadly, because there hasn’t been any movies lately that have sparked my interest. Then I watched Her, hands down the best film I saw from the 2013 crop.

I’m going to say this upfront: Her is probably not for everyone. It is slow, devoid of action, and only lightly SF. But it’s also a smartly written piece about something timeless and universal: love. The chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix (Theodore) and Scarlett Johansson (Samantha) is impressive considering Scarlett never appears on camera. Her is a bit sad but also funny and beautiful in parts. If you need a break from big, brainless, SF action movies (e.g. Transformers 4000), then give Her a shot. Need some more convincing? Below are a few of my thoughts about the movie (some spoilers, which are marked).

If you can’t help yourself, don’t worry. This isn’t a heavily plot driven movie, so the spoilers won’t ruin it for you. In fact, about halfway through, it’ll be fairly obvious where the movie is headed, yet by then you may not care because you’re emotionally invested in the characters. To me, that’s a sign of well crafted story.

• There are a number of insightful critiques of modern society and where we are headed. Theodore works as professional letter writer who creates very personal correspondences between people. Even in an age of instant email, people still prefer printed letters…only they are too lazy to write them themselves. Also, there are several shots of people totally glued to their personal digital devices everywhere they go. We are pretty much there already.
• Theodore is a conflicted person. He likes being in a relationship, so long as it matches his expectations. His ex-wife accuses him of not being able to handle real emotions and leaves him because it was too draining to act a certain way to make the relationship work. The irony is that later he has a relationship with an AI who is everything he could possibly want in a partner yet he’s still unsatisfied because she is not real. Basically, the grass is always greener on the other side. Theodore’s struggle is universal. At one point or another in our lives, we’ve all longed for something out of reach and only appreciate what we had years later.
• [spoiler] The AI surrogate scene struck me. It underscored the fine line between imagination and reality. Theodore loves Samantha’s mind/personality, but he just can’t imagine her in a real body. Even if it was possible to build a body to spec, Theodore probably still wouldn’t be comfortable because, one, he doesn’t really know what he wants, and two, reality never lives up to your imagination. This is why the movie version rarely measures up to the book and why great online relationships don’t always work offline.
• Samantha comments at one point about  how not having a body is a good thing because she can be everywhere at once, not stuck in one place and time. But being aware of our limitations is what makes us human. Our physical bodies ties us to the present, giving us a sense of space and time, allowing us to live “in the moment.” It’s our awareness of life’s brevity that gives it meaning. If we could be everywhere and anywhere at any time, why would any one moment stand out to us?  If we lived forever, would life have any meaning at all?
• [spoiler] When Samantha tells Theodore that she loves other people and that she talks to others during their conversations, he is devastated. He sees this as cheating, but she can’t understand why. In one of the movie’s great lines, Samantha says, “The heart is not like a box that gets filled up; it expands in size the more you love. I’m different from you. This doesn’t make me love you any less.” Yet Theodore can’t accept this. Why is man so possessive about love? Part of it is biological but it’s also because that we are limited beings and time matters to us. We want to know–we need to know–that we are special. When we are in love, times stops and for that one moment, we feel complete.
• [spoiler] The second half of the movie is a slow freefall. It becomes increasingly clear that Theodore and Samantha are growing apart, not because of discord between them but because she continues to grow exponentially and he does not. For a relationship to work, both parties must  grow together or maintain some commonality. In this case, it’s impossible because she’s an AI and he’s merely human. I’ll end with a sad but beautiful line from the movie:

It’s like I’m reading a book… and it’s a book I deeply love. But I’m reading it slowly now. So the words are really far apart and the spaces between the words are almost infinite. I can still feel you… and the words of our story… but it’s in this endless space between the words that I’m finding myself now. It’s a place that’s not of the physical world. It’s where everything else is that I didn’t even know existed. I love you so much. But this is where I am now. And this is who I am now. And I need you to let me go. As much as I want to, I can’t live in your book any more.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Her.

What follows is a quick review of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and some philosophical food for thought for those that have read it.

Quick Review

Whenever I hear rave reviews about a book that appeals to both adults and kids, I’m a bit skeptical, especially if the book is neither SF nor action oriented (genres with proven crossover appeal). But my curiosity got the better of me, and so I read it. The Fault in Our Stars has very little action or even plot. It’s primarily about a group of cancer kids who play video games, read books, and talk about dying and the meaning of life. Without spoiling anything, the second half of the book was not enjoyable to read because we’re talking about cancer, and cancer sucks. I didn’t think it was particularly well written, yet the characters grew on me, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. Why? Because of its timeless philosophy.

They might kids, but Hazel, Isaac, and Augustus are wise beyond their years. They have to be. Death has a way of crystallizing things by stripping away life’s frills and leaving only what is important: love and meaning. What is refreshing about this book is not only what the characters talk about but how they do it. While Holden Caulfield was the epitome of teenage angst in The Catcher in the Rye–angry and bitter–these cancer kids by and large deal with their existential angst with humor and grace. If anguish is the hallmark of the human condition, then we can all learn a thing or two about handling it from these kids.

Any book that inspires people of all ages to reflect on their lives and to live to the best of their abilities gets my vote.

Philosophical Food for Thought

Philosophy permeates The Fault in Our Stars. You’ll find nuggets of philosophy sprinkled throughout. There are thoughts on love, religion, consciousness, and the meaning of life. John Green drops the names of several philosophers, but the one the book reminded me of most strongly wasn’t mentioned. His name is Friedrich Nietzsche.

Nietzsche is probably the most misunderstood philosopher of all time. He is famous (or infamous) for proclaiming “God is dead” and introducing the term “Ubermensch,” which was later twisted by the Nazis to serve their purposes. What did Nietzsche really mean, and what does it have to do with The Fault in Our Stars?

Nietzsche was concerned that people were relying on the comforts of religion to the point of avoiding pain. He believed that pain was necessary for people to achieve their potential. Once freed of their dependence on religion, they would be forced to think critically about their own values. Living life by their own will in accordance with these values, a person might become the “Ubermsench”–the Overman, Superman, Beyond Man–an entity who (among other things) is capable of looking back at his or her life with no regrets. For more on this, check out this video by Alain de Botton.

I am not sure if John Green intended for this book to be Nietzschean, but it feels that way. The kids in The Fault in Our Stars seem to be some flavor of atheist, agnostic, or “spiritual but not religious.” They face the truth unflinchingly and have no illusions about fighting the good fight. There is no glory in dying young. It sucks. But they make the best of their lives, free from regret, not because of any religious or moral code imposed from without, but because they live with a heightened awareness of the significance of life.

Consider Augustus’s letter at the end. About awareness, he writes, “The real heroes anyway aren’t the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.” About having no regrets, he writes, “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.”

I was taught that America was Beautiful. The Land of Opportunity. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Are these things still true? Weeks of political theater and mind numbing ineptitude have led me to question these and many other long held beliefs. What does it say about us when our political system produces actors and not leaders? That a Lincoln or Washington would never win a primary today because of how they look or sound? What good is it to assemble one of the world’s greatest collections of individual talent when we cannot even agree to disagree? A house divided cannot stand.

And yet my heart rebels. Logic be damned, it cries. The American people are better than this. We have risen to challenges before, both foreign and domestic, and must do so again. It is time for us to reclaim our government. Vote. Speak. And if necessary, run. We deserve better, but democracy only works when we participate. Not just for a day but over time. Cast out the actors. Demand problem solvers, not rabble rousers. Public servants, not glory seekers.

The challenges we face are daunting, yes, but we are the people that built Hoover Dam. We are the people that put a man on the moon. We can cry about our troubles, or we can roll up our sleeves and get to work. Will America still be around for its 300th birthday? We decide. The fate of our nation is in our hands–as it should be.

Here are some thoughts that I jotted down as I read:

• Interesting paradox: scientists may express doubts about people and the state of modern society, yet they believe in progress. Somehow, things will always advance, and humanity will benefit from them in the long run. As if science and technology runs the show, and we are along for the ride whether we like it or not.
• The Cave Man Principle: technology advances quickly, but human nature does not. In many ways, we are still much like our ancestors, and may always be. People still prefer face to face interaction over teleconferencing. They may see no problem in perfecting their bodies, but they’d balk at giving them up. Even if it was possible to download our consciousness into a computer, most people wouldn’t do it.
• As we become more technological, art becomes increasingly important. It’s the one thing that we can do that robots cannot (at least in the foreseeable future). The ability to love, appreciate and create beauty – arguably, this is what makes us human.

Finally, I love Kaku’s conclusion, as it touches on many of the things I have written about on this site (relationship between philosophy and science, knowledge and wisdom, and why philosophy is important). Kaku wrote:

“But science by itself is morally neutral. Science is like a double-edged sword. One side of the sword can cut against poverty, disease, and ignorance. But the other side of the sword can cut against people. How this mighty sword is wielded depends on the wisdom of its handlers…

“In our society, wisdom is hard to come by. As Isaac Asimov once said, ‘The saddest aspect of society right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.’ Unlike information, it cannot be dispensed via blogs (except Philoscifi! I jest) and Internet chatter. Since we are drowning in an ocean of information, the most precious commodity in modern society is wisdom. Without wisdom and insight, we are left to drift aimlessly and without purpose, with an empty, hollow feeling after the novelty of unlimited information wears off.” pp 349-350.

The future is coming, whether we like it or not. We can learn as much as we can, have an intelligent discussion, and make informed decisions on what we want it to look like. Or we can ignore it and hope for the best. The choice is ours.

Here are some books that got me thinking about things in a new light, and perhaps some of them will do the same for you.

Seeking purpose and place
Hesse, Hermann, Siddhartha | our thoughts – Rosner’s is a great translation of this Nobel Laureate’s masterpiece. Story of a man who meets the Buddha yet chooses to walk his own path to Enlightenment. This remarkable 150 page could change your life, if you are so inclined.

Maugham, W Somerset, The Razor’s Edge – A young man comes back from WWI changed forever. He cannot return to his previous life, so he wanders the world in search of answers and of himself.

Thoreau, Henry David, Walden – A beautiful guide to life, nature, and self discovery.

Ethics, politics, leadership: how to “make your way” in the world
Aurelius, Marcus, Meditations – A gem of wisdom from the stoic Roman emperor: how to live in peace though surrounded by war. The best translation is that of George Long.

Gracian, Baltasar, The Art of Worldly Wisdom | our thoughts – Timeless aphorisms on achieving worldly success, recommended by both Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.

Huntford, Roland, The Last Place on Earth – A masterful account of the Race to the South Pole. Two men went; only one returned. Why? Amundsen and Scott were two very different leaders. I learned more from reading this book than from any book I have picked up in the business section of the bookstore.

Spinoza, Benedict, Ethics – Quite possibly the most magnificent and difficult book in the history of philosophy. In these 200 pages, one will find the spirit of modern thought, the light that inspired Albert Einstein and Will Durant, and a path to blessedness. Worth every ounce of effort, but the challenge is no joke. It is not to be read; it is to be studied. Readers new to Spinoza might want to begin with Scruton’s friendly little intro Spinoza and Runes’ abridgment The Ethics Of Spinoza: The Road to Inner Freedom before trying to tackle the original. Nadler’s Spinoza’s Ethics: An Introduction is a great companion.

Philosophy, generally
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy – A timeless personal testament on the power of philosophy to elevate and heal the human heart.

Dalton, Jerry, Tao Te Ching: Backward Down the Path – A decent version of Tao Te Ching, the ancient Chinese wisdom text.

Durant, Will, The Story of Philosophy – If you’re marooned on a desert island with just one book, this intro to great philosophical personalities is a good one to have. Even better, there’s a top-notch Audio CD version in two parts (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) to keep you company on the road.

Psychology, history, speculation: why things are and where do we go from here?
Cain, Susan, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – our thoughts – The rare book that we’d recommend to anyone. Almost all of us know an introvert, but do we really understand them? Using case studies and the latest scientific research, this book may change your perception, improve your team, or even save a life–if you’re an introvert, this life could be your own.

Kaku, Michio, Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 – Get a glimpse of the science and technology that will shape the next 100 years of human history.

Morris, Charles, A Time of Passion: America 1960-1980 – our thoughts – This book will help you understand the underlying forces at work during a pivotal time in American history (and in some sense, world history). Remarkably, the insights in this book still hold true today, thirty years after it was published!

Shenk, Joshua, Lincoln’s Melancholy – Much has been written about Lincoln’s political brilliance (Team of Rivals) and his Civil War years. But how did he become the man he was? It wasn’t by magic. He was shaped in large part by his melancholy and the traits and habits that he developed to deal with it.

I don’t follow many comedians, but Louis C.K. is one of them. I don’t care much for the profanity, but his irreverent sense of humor is an effective vehicle for thoughtful commentary on the state of modern society. Not all comedians do this. Too many shock for the sake of shocking. Check out this segment about why smartphones are bad for kids.

A recent high school graduate that I know gave a little speech. It was a speech about a life transformed and a dream for the future. It was a speech from the heart. If you have not seen this, it is worth a few minutes of your time.

Thanks to the Internet, Elijah’s speech has started to reach people around the country, which has been both surprising and gratifying. The comments have generally been positive, but a few cynics have also chimed it. Some criticized Teach for America. Others lauded his youthful enthusiasm but predicted that it wouldn’t last. These commentors raise legitimate concerns, but perhaps such concerns are misplaced.

This speech is not about TFA or a blueprint for the future. It’s about a young man who was transformed and dreams of transforming others. Yes, it is true that to create meaningful change, you must learn to temper your idealism with realism. But the man is only 18, if that! Let him dream, for without it there can be no change. A dream is but a seed, fragile and beautiful. It must be nurtured in order to grow. If we are so concerned that it will falter, then let us help him make the dream become reality.