#5: The Power of Focus with C. Thi Nguyen

Send a love messageA conversation with philosopher and author C. Thi Nguyen about the power of focus, the precision of puzzles, the dangers and delights of games and play and the distinction between them. We talk about his recent book Games, Agency as Art and well as his popular articles Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles and How Twitter gamifies communication. Some of the books and people mentioned are:Mary Poovey, History of the Modern FactTheodore Porter, Trust in NumbersBernard Suits definition of gamesJerry Levinson, Moral Outrage PornBasho: even in Kyoto / when I hear a cuckoo cry / I long for KyotoFeminist philosophy of art by Anne EatonAnnette Baier, Trust and Anti-TrustTranscript:Hello, everyone. Welcome to Love and Philosophy Beyond Dichotomies. Today, we're  📍 talking to C. Thi Nguyen. Mostly about his book Games ,Agency as Art but also about many other things....about love, how is it related to games? Thi is a kind of philosopher's philosopher, so it's a little surprising to hear him say that philosophy was his backup career that he actually wanted to be a novelist.  But when you hear how much pleasure he takes in Kant's formula of humanity, I think you'll also imagine he's always been a philosopher as well....we turn back and forth and shift around like a Rubik's cube. Art. Porn. Focus. Vulnerability. We talk a lot about trust...Support on Patreon and You Tube. Listen anywhere you find podcasts.Full intro and notes here.Care is not the opposite of love. It is the very urge of life. 'Caring for what?' is the primary question. That we have a choice about what we care for and how is what makes us human, but it's quite the challenge and responsibility. Let's help one another handle it.Support the showBuy Holding Paradox: The Navigational Approach to Mind and Consciousness by Andrea HiottSign up for Making Ways newsletter and projects.Please rate and review with love. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Substack.