Today's suggestion is fun and practical and is only tangentially related to freedom or philosophy. CodinGame is a game in which one programs their character in just about any programming language (no Rust, sorry). The game runs through a series of tests to see how many contingencies your program can over, granting a higher score for more tests cleared. I've been playing it this morning to see how much I remembered of Bash and Java and realizing that I've forgotten just about all my C(++).
What does this have to do with philosophy? Programming languages are function-driven languages. Like the difference between math, spoken language, artistic expression, programming language is another type of language. In order to best explore reality, I believe a philosopher has to have at least a passing familiarity with these different kinds of expression, each with their unique grammar and vocabulary. It gives one the epistemic and phenomenological tools required to see things from different angles, maybe even noticing regularities that would otherwise be missed.
Also, even though one may never find themselves programming autonomous drones to defend the planet from invading aliens, such know-how can server one's survival well, especially in high-tech self-providing environments. In order to run an aquaponics bunker/greenhouse off of a handful of Raspberry Pi-s, one would likely have to do a little coding to get them to do what one wants.
Also, this game is fun and you should try it for that reason.
What does this have to do with philosophy? Programming languages are function-driven languages. Like the difference between math, spoken language, artistic expression, programming language is another type of language. In order to best explore reality, I believe a philosopher has to have at least a passing familiarity with these different kinds of expression, each with their unique grammar and vocabulary. It gives one the epistemic and phenomenological tools required to see things from different angles, maybe even noticing regularities that would otherwise be missed.
Also, even though one may never find themselves programming autonomous drones to defend the planet from invading aliens, such know-how can server one's survival well, especially in high-tech self-providing environments. In order to run an aquaponics bunker/greenhouse off of a handful of Raspberry Pi-s, one would likely have to do a little coding to get them to do what one wants.
Also, this game is fun and you should try it for that reason.
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