Via wood s lot, Garth Kemerling's Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names:
This is a concise guide to technical terms and personal names often encountered in the study of philosophy. What you will find here naturally reflects my own philosophical interests and convictions, but everything is meant to be clear, accurate, and fair, a reliable source of information on Western philosophy for a broad audience... Although the entries are often brief, many include links to electronic texts and to more detailed discussions on this site or in other on-line resources...A sample entry, for aporia:
Greek term for a difficulty or puzzle (literally, "with no pathway"). Aristotle commonly used this term to signify a group of individually plausible but collectively inconsistent statements. The reconciliation of such statements by considering alternative solutions, he supposed, is the chief business of philosophy.Posted by languagehat at July 27, 2004 12:32 PMAlso see PP.
I just wanted to commend you on your blog and your love of languages. I am particularly impressed by the photo of your bookcase (however, mine is bigger - does size really matter?). I always enjoy meeting people whose lives revolve around languages.
Posted by: Werner George Patels at July 27, 2004 04:02 PMThank you! I must, however, point out (since we're comparing) that behind each book you can see is another book hidden behind it, so that bookcase is the functional equivalent of two. Still in the running?
Posted by: language hat at July 27, 2004 04:52 PMWell, if we're going to count not only books that are stored in 23 boxes in my living room now, but those at least 25 lost by the post office while crossing the ocean from Russia to US (not all linguistics, I give you that) and all those piling up on the floor in the bedroom...
But - who's counting?
Bookshelves are for weenies. Books should be piled in piles on the floor sorted according to projects.
Last time we moved, we mailed 70-some boxes of books. "This is getting out of control," we said. We resolved to go through our books and weed them out. Once settled and reshelved, I went conscientiously through our books and found -- exactly one that I was willing to part with. I came downstairs and showed it to my wife. "I can do without this," I said.
"That's *mine*!" she said, indignantly.
I guess our heirs and assigns will be doing the weeding out.
Posted by: dale at July 27, 2004 06:54 PMHeh. You are all my kind of people.
Posted by: language hat at July 27, 2004 08:54 PMStill in the running (and I did not lose any of my gazillion boxes in my last move (Toronto to Calgary) - thank God! I just love my books :-)
Posted by: Werner George Patels at July 27, 2004 11:49 PMHa! Rank amateurs, the lot of you.
I make use of the services of the New York public library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art library and the Columbia University libraries. By my last count, that translates into a few million boxes of books.
"Aporia", what an excellent name for a blog that would be.
Posted by: elck at July 28, 2004 11:25 AM
I did sell some books about twenty years ago when I was putting stuff in storage. "I'll never study Japanese! Why should I keep this rare Japanese-English Dictionary of the Manyoshu?"
I still miss those books. I could probably name half of them.
Yeah, I was probably drunk.
Posted by: Zizka at July 28, 2004 12:50 PM