Love and Philosophy | The Power of Focus & Precision of Puzzles with C. Thi Nguyen and Andrea Hiott @waymaking23 | Uploaded October 2023 | Updated October 2024, 7 hours ago.
This dialogue explores the intricate relationships between trust, focus, agency, and the transformative power of experiences, whether in gaming, interpersonal relationships, art, or literature. The conversation delves into how games, as structured forms of play, can both shape and reflect our understanding of agency, challenge our capacities for trust, and influence our cognitive and emotional landscapes. The discussion touches on various aspects, including the ability of games to foster trust and collaboration, the risks and rewards of engaging with different forms of media, and the profound impact of opening oneself to new experiences. Through comparisons between games, literature, and other art forms, the conversation sheds light on the unique ways games engage with the medium of agency, allowing players to adopt and explore new desires, abilities, and perspectives. The dialogue concludes with reflections on the nature of love and its juxtaposition with the concept of games.
00:00 Introduction to the Guest and the Show
00:16 Diving into Language, Writing, and Philosophy
00:49 The Journey from Novelist to Philosopher
02:04 Exploring Academic Writing and Personal Style
04:25 Professionalism vs. Personal Style in Academia
09:19 The Art of Writing and the Challenge of Being Understood
13:00 Philosophy, Love, and the Motivation Behind Hard Work
19:06 Games, Agency, and Art: A Philosophical Exploration
34:43 Exploring Player Engagement and Emotional Investment in Games
37:40 The Transformative Power of Games and Art
41:51 The Distinctiveness of Games as a Medium
43:53 Virtual Environments vs. Games: Understanding the Difference
45:49 The Role of Play and Agency in Games
51:19 The Impact of Games on Perception and Focus
01:02:11 Navigating the Complexities of Trust and Vulnerability in Art and Games
#cthinguyen #philosophy #games #andreahiott
A conversation with philosopher and author C. Thi Nguyen about the power of focus, the precision of puzzles, the dangers and delights of games and play and the distinction between them.
We talk about his recent book Games, Agency as Art and well as his popular articles Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles and How Twitter gamifies communication.
Some of the books and people mentioned are:
Mary Poovey, History of the Modern Fact: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo3614698.html
Theodore Porter, Trust in Numbers: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208411/trust-in-numbers
Bernard Suits definition of games: gamestudies.org/2003/articles/mitchell_liam#:~:text=Bernard%20Suits%20is%20known%20best,43).
On Jerry Levinson:pgrim.org/philosophersannual/40articles/nguyenwilliams-moral.pdf
Basho: even in Kyoto / when I hear a cuckoo cry / I long for Kyoto
Feminist philosophy of art by Anne Eaton: https://phil.uic.edu/profiles/eaton-a-w/
Annette Baier, Trust and Anti-Trust: jstor.org/stable/2381376
Transcript:
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Love and Philosophy Beyond Dichotomies. Today, we're đź“Ť talking to C. Thi Nguyen. Mostly about his book Games ,Agency as Art but also about many other things....about love, how is it related to games? Thi is a kind of philosopher's philosopher, so it's a little surprising to hear him say that philosophy was his backup career that he actually wanted to be a novelist. But when you hear how much pleasure he takes in Kant's formula of humanity, I think you'll also imagine he's always been a philosopher as well....we turn back and forth and shift around like a Rubik's cube. Art. Porn. Focus. Vulnerability. We talk a lot about trust...
Full written transcript available to download when listening on any podcast platform such as Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/51TOeA9RNvs2T6RTDtD4Ag
This dialogue explores the intricate relationships between trust, focus, agency, and the transformative power of experiences, whether in gaming, interpersonal relationships, art, or literature. The conversation delves into how games, as structured forms of play, can both shape and reflect our understanding of agency, challenge our capacities for trust, and influence our cognitive and emotional landscapes. The discussion touches on various aspects, including the ability of games to foster trust and collaboration, the risks and rewards of engaging with different forms of media, and the profound impact of opening oneself to new experiences. Through comparisons between games, literature, and other art forms, the conversation sheds light on the unique ways games engage with the medium of agency, allowing players to adopt and explore new desires, abilities, and perspectives. The dialogue concludes with reflections on the nature of love and its juxtaposition with the concept of games.
00:00 Introduction to the Guest and the Show
00:16 Diving into Language, Writing, and Philosophy
00:49 The Journey from Novelist to Philosopher
02:04 Exploring Academic Writing and Personal Style
04:25 Professionalism vs. Personal Style in Academia
09:19 The Art of Writing and the Challenge of Being Understood
13:00 Philosophy, Love, and the Motivation Behind Hard Work
19:06 Games, Agency, and Art: A Philosophical Exploration
34:43 Exploring Player Engagement and Emotional Investment in Games
37:40 The Transformative Power of Games and Art
41:51 The Distinctiveness of Games as a Medium
43:53 Virtual Environments vs. Games: Understanding the Difference
45:49 The Role of Play and Agency in Games
51:19 The Impact of Games on Perception and Focus
01:02:11 Navigating the Complexities of Trust and Vulnerability in Art and Games
#cthinguyen #philosophy #games #andreahiott
A conversation with philosopher and author C. Thi Nguyen about the power of focus, the precision of puzzles, the dangers and delights of games and play and the distinction between them.
We talk about his recent book Games, Agency as Art and well as his popular articles Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles and How Twitter gamifies communication.
Some of the books and people mentioned are:
Mary Poovey, History of the Modern Fact: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo3614698.html
Theodore Porter, Trust in Numbers: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208411/trust-in-numbers
Bernard Suits definition of games: gamestudies.org/2003/articles/mitchell_liam#:~:text=Bernard%20Suits%20is%20known%20best,43).
On Jerry Levinson:pgrim.org/philosophersannual/40articles/nguyenwilliams-moral.pdf
Basho: even in Kyoto / when I hear a cuckoo cry / I long for Kyoto
Feminist philosophy of art by Anne Eaton: https://phil.uic.edu/profiles/eaton-a-w/
Annette Baier, Trust and Anti-Trust: jstor.org/stable/2381376
Transcript:
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Love and Philosophy Beyond Dichotomies. Today, we're đź“Ť talking to C. Thi Nguyen. Mostly about his book Games ,Agency as Art but also about many other things....about love, how is it related to games? Thi is a kind of philosopher's philosopher, so it's a little surprising to hear him say that philosophy was his backup career that he actually wanted to be a novelist. But when you hear how much pleasure he takes in Kant's formula of humanity, I think you'll also imagine he's always been a philosopher as well....we turn back and forth and shift around like a Rubik's cube. Art. Porn. Focus. Vulnerability. We talk a lot about trust...
Full written transcript available to download when listening on any podcast platform such as Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/51TOeA9RNvs2T6RTDtD4Ag
