A Revelation

The is a beauty to the worst of humanity.

I came to this conclusion after viewing some art the focused, at least a little, on well known people and concepts.

I'm not condoning the "worst of humanity".

But sometimes, good things can come out of bad things.

The Nature of Abstract Ideas

Do abstract ideas exist?

Yes, because mental acts exist. It is the human way of thinking. And human thinking exists.

Of course, this goes again empiricism, because empiricism would say, how do you measure mental acts?
You could say that mental acts can be recorded empirically through neurology and neuroscience.

The Existence of Philosophy (not what is reality?)

Does philosophy still exist?

The obvious answer is yes- there is philosophy taught at universities. But philosophy, as I understand it has changed. It is now more scientific. (see Analytic Philosophy, which is taught at many universities)

Philosophy is not the only academic area that is becoming more scientific. Look at the social sciences. I emphasize that they are sciences.

So, does philosophy exist? Yes, but it is different then in past times.

"The times, they, are a-changing"

Destructive Communication is the Cause of Many of the World's Problems

Destructive communication, in many cases, leads to violence. What is destructive communication? It is when one is not heard.

When one is not heard, one has to YELL. But when someone yells at you, how do you respond? This destructive communication has become, well, destructive.

Or when one is not heard, one uses physical violence. The shooter at Virgina Tech had been excluded. What did he do? He went back to school and shot people at school (probably the group, but not necessarily the individuals that excluded him.) An expert after Virgina Tech said, that people who shoot others at school often feel remorse after doing it. Why? Because to them, violence is a way to be included in the mainstream (through the news media's coverage of the story).

So, if we want to stop violence, we need to open up communication.

"I think, therefore I am"

Rene Descartes, said, to my knowledge, "I think, therefore I am"

So, is thinking a prerequisite of existence. No. I'll give the example of a chair. I chair doesn't think. By Descartes statement, it does not exist. But a chair exists. Or, the chair thinks, which is absurd.

Maybe the subject of a sentence always exists.

An idea: "Philosophy exists." What is philosophy? It is a concept. Do concepts exist? I don't know.