The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

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chewybrian
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The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by chewybrian »

Is he a philosopher?

He seeks and seemingly finds wisdom, and that is good enough in my book. Yet, I suspect some will say he is not a philosopher because he makes no attempt to prove his assertions by stacking logic upon them . He seems to get his ideas by intuition, or at least does not offer another source.

Is it 'his' philosophy?

Some of his ideas seem to be restatements of the ideas of other philosophers (or 'real' philosophers, if you do not bestow the title upon him). QUOTE 1 seems to be a rewriting of the stoic principle of the dichotomy of control. QUOTE 2 seems to be built upon the ideas of Wittgenstein, or if you prefer (as I do), Aldous Huxley. Yet, I don't know if he considered these ideas original or not, or if he was exposed to the ideas that seem so similar to his. QUOTE 3 or QUOTE 4 might properly be attributed to him alone, yet the ideas do not seem new.

Is there value in what he says?

Of course, I say there is. I recently purchased and read "The World According to Mr. Rogers". It's not earth-shattering, but his reading his ideas is almost like a form of meditation. The big takeaway for me was the idea that strength cannot, should not, be defined as physical strength, as the ability to make others do work, to defeat them by force or to gather the most money or resources. Strength, as he defines it, is the willingness to go out and display your true self to the world, to do good without keeping score and to love and forgive yourself and others. He speaks of risks not in terms of battles or finances but in terms of emotions.

Quote 1
It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is firm.
Quote 2
In order to express our sense of reality, we must use some kind of symbols, words or notes or shades of paint or television pictures or sculpted forms. None of these symbols or images can ever completely satisfy us because they can never be any more than what they are--a fragment of a reflection of what we feel reality to be.
Quote 3
When I was a boy I used to think that 'strong' meant having big muscles, great physical power; but the longer I live, the more I realize that strength has much more to do with what is not seen. Real strength has to do with helping others.
Quote 4
Sometimes, though, I wonder if we confuse strength with other words--like aggression and even violence. Real strength is neither male nor female. It is quite simply one of the fines characteristics that any human being can possess.
"If determinism holds, then past events have conspired to cause me to hold this view--it is out of my control. Either I am right about free will, or it is not my fault that I am wrong."
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Pattern-chaser
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by Pattern-chaser »

chewybrian wrote: March 11th, 2023, 11:23 am Is he a philosopher?
I'm sorry to be such an idiot, but who is "Mr Rogers"?

Nice to see you, btw. 🙂
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mrdim
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by mrdim »

I have never heard of Mr Rogers.

But I would like to say. Because of the number of works and papers available at least to English speakers in the world, practically every subject has been touched on by someone who has something to say about it simply because they could state their opinion for the sake of it, or build an entire system around it.

I think that using known sources in your work is important, but not necessary for building a perspective unique to the individual.
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by Pattern-chaser »

chewybrian wrote: March 11th, 2023, 11:23 am Is he a philosopher?
If he offers serious and considered thinking, then (IMO) he is a philosopher.
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chewybrian
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by chewybrian »

Pattern-chaser wrote: March 12th, 2023, 11:01 am
chewybrian wrote: March 11th, 2023, 11:23 am Is he a philosopher?
I'm sorry to be such an idiot, but who is "Mr Rogers"?

Nice to see you, btw. 🙂
He was a minister who had a very popular children's show nationally on public tv for many years.

Image

He wasn't religious or political on his show, although...

Image

His basic message was that everyone was ok just for being themselves, that everyone had value and should be celebrated. Sometimes that conflicted with the customs of his day, and sadly the present day. Some folks would say he was 'woke' for practicing actual Christianity.

He wasn't really philosophical either, although...

Image

He did get the kids thinking and kept them engaged by treating them as equals.
mrdim wrote: March 12th, 2023, 11:48 am I have never heard of Mr Rogers.

But I would like to say. Because of the number of works and papers available at least to English speakers in the world, practically every subject has been touched on by someone who has something to say about it simply because they could state their opinion for the sake of it, or build an entire system around it.

I think that using known sources in your work is important, but not necessary for building a perspective unique to the individual.
I'm sure there is nothing new under the sun. I know I prefer writers when I connect with their style. I can read the same concepts by Wittgenstein and by Huxley, but they hit home when they come from Huxley.
"If determinism holds, then past events have conspired to cause me to hold this view--it is out of my control. Either I am right about free will, or it is not my fault that I am wrong."
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JackDaydream
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by JackDaydream »

chewybrian wrote: March 11th, 2023, 11:23 am Is he a philosopher?

He seeks and seemingly finds wisdom, and that is good enough in my book. Yet, I suspect some will say he is not a philosopher because he makes no attempt to prove his assertions by stacking logic upon them . He seems to get his ideas by intuition, or at least does not offer another source.

Is it 'his' philosophy?

Some of his ideas seem to be restatements of the ideas of other philosophers (or 'real' philosophers, if you do not bestow the title upon him). QUOTE 1 seems to be a rewriting of the stoic principle of the dichotomy of control. QUOTE 2 seems to be built upon the ideas of Wittgenstein, or if you prefer (as I do), Aldous Huxley. Yet, I don't know if he considered these ideas original or not, or if he was exposed to the ideas that seem so similar to his. QUOTE 3 or QUOTE 4 might properly be attributed to him alone, yet the ideas do not seem new.

Is there value in what he says?

Of course, I say there is. I recently purchased and read "The World According to Mr. Rogers". It's not earth-shattering, but his reading his ideas is almost like a form of meditation. The big takeaway for me was the idea that strength cannot, should not, be defined as physical strength, as the ability to make others do work, to defeat them by force or to gather the most money or resources. Strength, as he defines it, is the willingness to go out and display your true self to the world, to do good without keeping score and to love and forgive yourself and others. He speaks of risks not in terms of battles or finances but in terms of emotions.

Quote 1
It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is firm.
Quote 2
In order to express our sense of reality, we must use some kind of symbols, words or notes or shades of paint or television pictures or sculpted forms. None of these symbols or images can ever completely satisfy us because they can never be any more than what they are--a fragment of a reflection of what we feel reality to be.
Quote 3
When I was a boy I used to think that 'strong' meant having big muscles, great physical power; but the longer I live, the more I realize that strength has much more to do with what is not seen. Real strength has to do with helping others.
Quote 4
Sometimes, though, I wonder if we confuse strength with other words--like aggression and even violence. Real strength is neither male nor female. It is quite simply one of the fines characteristics that any human being can possess.
The name Mr Rogers seems a bit peculiar and formal. Is that his real name? Also, even though you describe some of his ideas, with a title like that I am wondering if the book is fiction or non fiction. I will admit that the title of the book would not capture my attention, especially if it is nonfiction, although maybe it is meant to come across as rather different from philosophy style titles as making a specific statement.
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chewybrian
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by chewybrian »

JackDaydream wrote: March 12th, 2023, 2:39 pm The name Mr Rogers seems a bit peculiar and formal. Is that his real name? Also, even though you describe some of his ideas, with a title like that I am wondering if the book is fiction or non fiction. I will admit that the title of the book would not capture my attention, especially if it is nonfiction, although maybe it is meant to come across as rather different from philosophy style titles as making a specific statement.
Yes, that is his real name, although you could also refer to him as Fred Rogers (but then nobody from the states would know who you meant!). It is non-fiction. The book is simply a collection of things he said and wrote, collected by his wife and others. It doesn't seem to be intended as philosophy, yet it certainly comes across that way, and I contend that it is.
"If determinism holds, then past events have conspired to cause me to hold this view--it is out of my control. Either I am right about free will, or it is not my fault that I am wrong."
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Pattern-chaser
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by Pattern-chaser »

chewybrian wrote: March 13th, 2023, 7:20 am Yes, that is his real name, although you could also refer to him as Fred Rogers (but then nobody from the states would know who you meant!). It is non-fiction. The book is simply a collection of things he said and wrote, collected by his wife and others. It doesn't seem to be intended as philosophy, yet it certainly comes across that way, and I contend that it is.
I would agree. If he offers serious and considered thought, on pretty much any subject or topic, then that's philosophy, IMO.
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LuckyR
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Re: The Philosophy of Mr. Rogers

Post by LuckyR »

I'm still processing the idea that people don't know who Mr. Rogers is.
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