Donald W Catchings Jr

Category: On Philosophy

  • Theoden and the Wraith: Looking Along Death and Immortality

    Death and Immortality: two words that men contemplate, and shudder. Yet, these two words have occupied the imagination of men since, at least, the epoch of flickering fables orated around fires in Bedouin camps of contemporary man’s long dead ancestors. From The Epic of Gilgamesh and Moses’ Torah to the Bhagavad Gita, from Homer’s Iliad…

  • 1984 vs Brave New World

    Who rightly predicted the future, pre-apocalyptic state of humanity, George Orwell or Aldous Huxley? This is a popular topic in the world of dystopian fiction. Many think that we are on the cusp of post-humanity. Such people are looking for a prophet to give them a glimpse of what may happen next. Will it be…

  • Orwell vs Huxley?

    A good question. But, I think it is shortsighted.

  • 1984: Book Talk

    This is my overview of George Orwell’s 1984. If you have not read the book, fear not; no spoilers lay ahead. If you would like to read more about this book, you can read my article from An Unexpected Journal: https://anunexpectedjournal.com/orwells-1984-70-years-later-are-we-the-dead/

  • Inception: Is Reality a Dream?

    In this video, I discuss Christopher Nolan’s film, Inception, and its stance on whether or not reality is really real. For the Elon Musk video I mention in the talk, click here: https://youtu.be/xBKRuI2zHp0. For a longer discussion on this topic, click here: https://donaldwcatchingsjr.com/2019/11/14/christopher-nolans-dream-world-is-fiction-a-firm-foundation/

  • Jesus is Truth: The First Principle

    A person’s philosophy of life is the motivating factor that dictates every action taken in the course of that person’s life. The most basic axiomatic point from which a person constructs a philosophy of life is called the first principle. A person’s first principle is the source from which a person derives all metaphysical, epistemological,…

  • Ironic Nihilism in The Big Lebowski

    Nihilism? What is that? For those who have never had the displeasure of a run-in with Friedrich Nietzsche, I will give a quick rundown of nihilism: There is nothing; nothing . . . nothing . . . nothing; no purpose; no reason . . . nothing—at least there is nothing beyond the perspective of the…

  • Post Modern Pragmatism: O’ Brother Where Art Thou and The Dark Knight

    O’ Brother Where Art Thou and The Dark Knight are two relatively contemporary movies that are quite different in overall cinematic approach; yet, both are products of their post-modern age, and both rework older stories to present a modern message. O’ Brother is a comedy that humorously reworks Homer’s Odyssey. The light-hearted mockery of the film, along with the often ignorant…

  • Inception: Is Fiction a Firm Foundation?

    Are you really reading these words? Are you really sitting in that chair? Did you wake up this morning? Take a deep breath. Did your diaphragm just contract and your lungs expand? Look around and listen close. Is what you see and what you hear more than a figment of your imagination? Is your imagination…