Month: October 2012

Philosophy: Kant (Prolegomena)

Standard
I was just reading the author’s introduction to “Immanuel Kant: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics” in the book “The Great Works of Philosophy” by Robert Paul Wolf [1]. I want to share the last section (pp. 347-348) of this 3-page intro:

“…If the  mind imposes its own subjective forms on nature, then the nature it knows cannot be a realm of things as they are in themselves; it must be merely a realm of things as they appear to us. In short, our knowledge must be limited to appearances; reality is forever obscured from our view. Hence metaphysics, the “science of reality,” must be an empty discipline, a mere pretension and illusion to be refuted rather than encouraged.
Thus Kant’s philosophy is at one and the same time optimistic and pessimistic. He reassures us that our mathematics and science is valid knowledge, but he cautions us that it is valid only for appearances, not for reality itself. In the end, the transcendental philosophy is a lesson in intellectual humility, for it teaches us that the human mind lacks the power to penetrate the veil of appearance and grasp the inner nature of independent reality.”

—————————

Thanks for reading

Online Security: Rules to stay safe online

Standard

Some basic rules of thumb to use when online to increase your safety online, ordered in order of

  • General
    • Never open or reply to any email from an unknown. Consider it suspicious.
    • Never click a link given by a stranger or even by a friend if you’ve not asked for it.
  • Browser related
    • Disable redirects (links might redirect you to fake pages!)
    • Use HTTPS instead of plain HTTP
    • Block JavaScript & Java
    • Block Ads
    • Block 3rd parties in web pages (most of which are hidden)
    • Control cross-site requests
    • Erase internet history, private data, cookies
    • Erase Flash Local Shared Objects (LSO), also known as long-term Super-Cookies

Note: Pages might not load well enough with the above; you will often need to allow some services & parties, but at least its under your control!

  • Chatting
    • Follow the “General”
    • Use a good Instant Messenger
    • Use encryption

And remember, a computer is as smart as its user is & secure as cautious its user is!

Disclaimer: Please be warned that following the above rules increases your online security but it is by no means guaranteed to be completely safe! As a matter of fact, there’s nothing as being completely safe online!

Thanks for reading

last update: 2013-09-15