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Ralph Ammer

Ralph Ammer
The perfect drawing tool The emotional rollercoaster I experience in art supply stores can be summarised in one word: greed. ...
a year ago
120
a year ago
The emotional rollercoaster I experience in art supply stores can be summarised in one word: greed.  I want every single pen, every brush, every quill, and a sheet of every paper, ranging from crude cardboard to magnificent handcrafted Japanese washi. And yes, I need papyrus. And...
Ralph Ammer
David Hume — Why we change our mind How do we know which food is best for us? We might start a low-carb diet. Then we switch to whole...
a year ago
95
a year ago
How do we know which food is best for us? We might start a low-carb diet. Then we switch to whole grains, or even go fully vegan—only to return to a low-carb diet yet again. We constantly change our minds. Even scientists keep revising their perspectives. Why is it so difficult...
Ralph Ammer
Edmund Husserl — Consciousness You are awake. You think and you feel. But what is it that is doing all this thinking and feeling?...
8 months ago
84
8 months ago
You are awake. You think and you feel. But what is it that is doing all this thinking and feeling? We call it “consciousness” and over 100 years ago the philosopher Edmund Husserl made a bold attempt to uncover its secrets. Subjective experience is private The thing is:...
Ralph Ammer
Show me! Why do we like images? Because they help us understand things.  But what does that mean?...
9 months ago
84
9 months ago
Why do we like images? Because they help us understand things.  But what does that mean? Understanding Well, the world is complicated. And in order to make good decisions we need to know what is going on. Language can help us structure the world. So one way to understand things...
Ralph Ammer
Aristotle — How to live a good life 2400 years ago Aristotle found out how to be happy. His Nicomachean Ethics is an operating manual...
11 months ago
75
11 months ago
2400 years ago Aristotle found out how to be happy. His Nicomachean Ethics is an operating manual for a good life: What is good? First of all, what makes a thing a good thing? A good thing fulfils its unique function. A good knife is a knife that is good at cutting. A good eye is...
Ralph Ammer
Bergson — Why we live in the past Should we just live in the moment? In “Matter and Memory” the French philosopher Henri Bergson...
4 months ago
58
4 months ago
Should we just live in the moment? In “Matter and Memory” the French philosopher Henri Bergson claims that this is not even possible. 1. Perception is physical First of all: How do we perceive the “current moment” anyway? Bergson suggests that the whole point of perception is...
Ralph Ammer
A quick beginner’s guide to animation To “animate” means to breathe life into things. In these 5 exercises we make stones come alive....
7 months ago
57
7 months ago
To “animate” means to breathe life into things. In these 5 exercises we make stones come alive. Preparation To get started I suggest this simple setup for you to try at home:  Ready? Let’s go! Thinking in time Stop-motion is simple: Take a picture, move the object, take the next...
Ralph Ammer
Xunzi vs. Mengzi – Are People (No) Good? About 2300 years ago, the great Chinese thinker Xunzi 荀⼦ wrote: “Human nature is bad“. But he wasn’t...
a month ago
57
a month ago
About 2300 years ago, the great Chinese thinker Xunzi 荀⼦ wrote: “Human nature is bad“. But he wasn’t just having a bad day. The question—Are humans fundamentally good or bad?—is a major fork in the road. How you answer this question profoundly impacts your morals and how you live...
Ralph Ammer
Immanuel Kant—What can we know? If you are interested in truth, be it in the form of scientific knowledge or artistic beauty, there...
a year ago
46
a year ago
If you are interested in truth, be it in the form of scientific knowledge or artistic beauty, there is no way around Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. In this book Kant asked the simple question: “What can we know?“ And his answer is foundational to how we experience and...
Ralph Ammer
How to see beauty Last summer, I found myself at a farmers market of a small town in Southern France. The air was...
a year ago
42
a year ago
Last summer, I found myself at a farmers market of a small town in Southern France. The air was alive with chatter and the joy of yet another sunny day ahead. I made my way through tourists, neighbourhood regulars and other early birds. To escape the buzz, I stepped into the...
Ralph Ammer
René Descartes – How to be certain This is a quick introduction for beginners to the philosophy of Rene Descartes. The post René...
over a year ago
40
over a year ago
This is a quick introduction for beginners to the philosophy of Rene Descartes. The post René Descartes – How to be certain appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
How to draw ideas Great ideas are hard to find. Drawing makes it a lot easier. And fun. How? In a creative process...
over a year ago
39
over a year ago
Great ideas are hard to find. Drawing makes it a lot easier. And fun. How? In a creative process drawing can play four different roles. Let’s say, we want to come up with ideas for a new flower pot. 1. Study: Fill your mind To prepare for our ideation we first draw what we want...
Ralph Ammer
Immanuel Kant — Beauty Why is beauty so important? It leads us to truth and goodness, says Immanuel Kant. How? Beauty  To...
a year ago
36
a year ago
Why is beauty so important? It leads us to truth and goodness, says Immanuel Kant. How? Beauty  To uncover the secret of beauty, let us first examine how we usually view the world. This is what happens when we see something: 1. Our senses receive a lot of raw data from the...
Ralph Ammer
The Creative Switch This secret to creativity will help you come up with many ideas. The post The Creative Switch...
over a year ago
33
over a year ago
This secret to creativity will help you come up with many ideas. The post The Creative Switch appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
J.J. Gibson—The meaning of the world A quick introduction for beginners to J.J. Gibson's ecological approach to visual perception. Gibson...
over a year ago
31
over a year ago
A quick introduction for beginners to J.J. Gibson's ecological approach to visual perception. Gibson was an American pragmatist and psychologist. The post J.J. Gibson—The meaning of the world appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
Confucius – Why we need rituals This is a quick introduction to the virtue philosophy of Confucius. The post Confucius – Why we...
over a year ago
30
over a year ago
This is a quick introduction to the virtue philosophy of Confucius. The post Confucius – Why we need rituals appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
So… this is a job? What is Design? The post So… this is a job? appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
over a year ago
Ralph Ammer
The Book of Change Introduction to the Yijing or "book of change", China's oldest philosophical book. The post The Book...
over a year ago
26
over a year ago
Introduction to the Yijing or "book of change", China's oldest philosophical book. The post The Book of Change appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
What is a picture? This article gives a phenomenological definition of what a picture is. The post What is a picture?...
over a year ago
24
over a year ago
This article gives a phenomenological definition of what a picture is. The post What is a picture? appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
Ludwig Wittgenstein – How we speak This is a quick introduction to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. The post Ludwig Wittgenstein...
over a year ago
20
over a year ago
This is a quick introduction to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. The post Ludwig Wittgenstein – How we speak appeared first on Ralph Ammer.
Ralph Ammer
Why study Philosophy? Why you should study philosophy. 5 reasons why philosophy is useful. The post Why study Philosophy?...
over a year ago
18
over a year ago
Why you should study philosophy. 5 reasons why philosophy is useful. The post Why study Philosophy? appeared first on Ralph Ammer.