About
Fila Sophia = discerning insightful threads across disciplines.
fila, plural of filum, thread (Latin)
sophia, wisdom (Greek)
Philosophy begins with a discernment followed by a meaningful act of weaving. To discern is to distinguish, see difference. If difference is a precursor of all living order, then philosophy must be a biology of ideas, not an exercise in logic.
Besides sharing interesting finds, this blog has three major strands: applied philosophy for the non-expert, early 20th century American history, & collective decision making. Ultimately, I wish to explore how conceptions of democracy relate to economics and jurisprudence.
My education was in mathematics, philosophy, and law. My interests include applied philosophy, democratic theory, electoral systems, philosophy of law, alternative economics, local currency, and sustainability.
Three intuitions came to light (years ago) as a law student:
1) The ideal of political equality is incompatible with winner-takes-all elections.
2) Diversity (in ways of thinking) within deliberative bodies could improve the quality of political discourse and better serve justice, stability, and sustainability.
3) Philosophy of law is as important as constitutions or enumerated rights in legal outcomes, yet it is obscure in legal education today.
Because it is often overlooked in contemporary political science, the ancient and modern use of selection by lot will be a motif of Fila Sophia. How does it relate to democratic ideals and contemporary political issues? To that end, these posts will sometimes be abstract, sometimes concrete, sometimes speculative; but I hope they will be as accessible as possible to a general audience.
Any genuine intellectual endeavor is a work in progress, and an enormous benefit of the Internet is that many onlookers can point out one’s inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. Moreover, because no single point of view can hope to capture the complex social reality in which we live, questions and comments are more than welcome.
I also maintain twisdoms.com From time to time, I dabble in spoken word and poetry.
Twitter @AhmedRTeleb
[Last updated October, 19, 2014]
Fila Sophia 