The Philosophical Debate Thread

DwnWthVwls · 11-27-2015, 11:06 AM

You can call me:

Fucking Stacking paper, bruh

The Batlord · 11-27-2015, 11:14 AM

A lifetime of regretting things.

Depressingly accurate.

Mr. Charlie · 11-27-2015, 11:17 AM

1 Thing Being Me.

If only I knew what that meant.

Mr. Charlie · 12-02-2015, 10:51 AM

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I wish that weirdo Mr. Charlie would come ram some more Taoism down our throats.
Well... okay. If you insist.

We know about the Tao Te Ching, we've touched on that, and we know about Lao Tzu (Old Master), we touched him (oooh my!).
Now we turn to Chuang Tzu and his book 'The Book of Chuang Tzu'. This guy was a genius. And his book is a masterpiece and as funny and entertaining as it is insightful and profound. What a man:

Lecture time again. Woohooo!!

Xurtio · 12-02-2015, 12:01 PM

The thing about the Tao Te Ching is there's a lot of different translations out there, that can be interpreted by the Western mind in a variety of ways. Which translation do you prefer, Mr. Charlie?

Mr. Charlie · 12-02-2015, 12:36 PM

Yeah, there are hundreds of translations. My favourite translation is the first translation I ever read. Not necessarily because it's the best or most accurate version, but because that's the one that chimes with me most. It's a translation by D. C. Lau and is published by Penguin Classics. I've read at least a dozen different translations, but the D. C. Lau translation is the one I keep returning to, the one that still speaks to me the most.

If I had to recommend a translation to newcomers, then I'd recommend the translation by Stephen Mitchell which is as clear and easy to understand a translation I've seen. Indeed it's an excellent version in almost most aspect, its only negative being it sometimes blatantly substitutes the original text for modern language and modern scenarios.

Here's the audiobook of the Stepehn Mitchell translation:

Xurtio · 12-03-2015, 02:01 PM

I like Mitchells translation. I remember it being a bit more flowery and poetic and aesthetic linguistically.

Mr. Charlie · 12-04-2015, 07:17 AM

Yes, it is a little flowery relative to other translations but a goodun nonetheless, and the version many American universities now use to teach Taoism in philosophy classes.

Mr. Charlie · 12-10-2015, 03:26 PM

More bloody Taoism? Yup.

The Batlord · 12-10-2015, 03:36 PM

I can't figure out if he's actually trolling philosophy or not.

12-02-2015, 12:01 PM	#145 (permalink)
Xurtio Brain Licker Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 1,083	The thing about the Tao Te Ching is there's a lot of different translations out there, that can be interpreted by the Western mind in a variety of ways. Which translation do you prefer, Mr. Charlie? __________________ H̓̇̅̉yͤ͏mͬ͂ͧn͑̽̽̌ͪ̑͐͟o̴͊̈́͑̇m͛͌̓ͦ̑aͫ̽ͤ̇n̅̎͐̒ͫ͐c̆ͯͫ̋ ̔̃́eͯ͒rͬͬ̄҉

12-03-2015, 02:01 PM	#147 (permalink)
Xurtio Brain Licker Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 1,083	I like Mitchells translation. I remember it being a bit more flowery and poetic and aesthetic linguistically. __________________ H̓̇̅̉yͤ͏mͬ͂ͧn͑̽̽̌ͪ̑͐͟o̴͊̈́͑̇m͛͌̓ͦ̑aͫ̽ͤ̇n̅̎͐̒ͫ͐c̆ͯͫ̋ ̔̃́eͯ͒rͬͬ̄҉

12-10-2015, 03:26 PM	#149 (permalink)
Mr. Charlie Shoo Thoughts Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: These Mountains Posts: 2,308	More bloody Taoism? Yup. Last edited by Mr. Charlie; 12-10-2015 at 03:35 PM.

11-27-2015, 11:17 AM	#143 (permalink)
Mr. Charlie Shoo Thoughts Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: These Mountains Posts: 2,308	1 Thing Being Me. If only I knew what that meant.

12-02-2015, 10:51 AM	#144 (permalink)
Mr. Charlie Shoo Thoughts Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: These Mountains Posts: 2,308	I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I wish that weirdo Mr. Charlie would come ram some more Taoism down our throats. Well... okay. If you insist. We know about the Tao Te Ching, we've touched on that, and we know about Lao Tzu (Old Master), we touched him (oooh my!). Now we turn to Chuang Tzu and his book 'The Book of Chuang Tzu'. This guy was a genius. And his book is a masterpiece and as funny and entertaining as it is insightful and profound. What a man: Lecture time again. Woohooo!!

12-02-2015, 12:36 PM	#146 (permalink)
Mr. Charlie Shoo Thoughts Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: These Mountains Posts: 2,308	Yeah, there are hundreds of translations. My favourite translation is the first translation I ever read. Not necessarily because it's the best or most accurate version, but because that's the one that chimes with me most. It's a translation by D. C. Lau and is published by Penguin Classics. I've read at least a dozen different translations, but the D. C. Lau translation is the one I keep returning to, the one that still speaks to me the most. If I had to recommend a translation to newcomers, then I'd recommend the translation by Stephen Mitchell which is as clear and easy to understand a translation I've seen. Indeed it's an excellent version in almost most aspect, its only negative being it sometimes blatantly substitutes the original text for modern language and modern scenarios. Here's the audiobook of the Stepehn Mitchell translation:

12-04-2015, 07:17 AM	#148 (permalink)
Mr. Charlie Shoo Thoughts Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: These Mountains Posts: 2,308	Yes, it is a little flowery relative to other translations but a goodun nonetheless, and the version many American universities now use to teach Taoism in philosophy classes.