/lit/ - Literature

>>15093763
'What has been is what will be; and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun."

Nobody does anything fundamentally new. The point is to paint old truths in this ages lies.

>>15093725
>>15093751
I agree the fascism of thought and the never ending pursuit of goals issue, but I think they're more a problem of modern society than of thought in general. I don't believe that most people can be expected to rise above thought, which is to in a sense attain a sort of zen enlightenment. This goal is too hard to attain and is left to saints and messiahs. But like i said thought and the rat race is a problem in modern society, but I think its rooted in our particular belief system of radical freedom/ denial of human nature/ denial of the unavoidable social disparities of society. Modern societies try to act as if all men are free and can become billionaires/ reach the top of society. This makes men rapacious and unhappy if they are anything other than top of the heap. I think that a transition to a more hindu-esque/ Plato's republic-esque understanding that society naturally has unavoidable castes will help the mind calm down. If men realize there is no shame in belonging to a lower caste, but only shame in being a bad member of whichever caste, and we all collectively believe this, then everyone can achieve happiness and fulfillment by filling their own life role properly. And people who are on top of society will be condemned if they don't have virtue, not propped up regardless of virtue because they have power. Obviously idealistic, but I think a that this is the direction we are headed and should go towards, even if it only manifests imperfectly.

>>15093743
I don't think you know much about much. I suggest the Greeks and others on my list, you decide whether to take that advice.

>>15093692
In the Theological Political Treatise he often says that you should explain things to people in whatever way brings them understanding. So to impart knowledge to a Jew, speak to them through Jewish texts, to a Christian, through Christian texts, to a child, through parables etc. His point is that language is filtered by people through a passive metaphysical lens, and that what is conveyed is not really in the language but is rather evoked by language- a sort of pure rational understanding. Modern example could be that Descartes' Demon illusion is fundamentally the same as The Matrix, but a dogmatic Atheist would dismiss the dream demon because he has prejudice against christian language, whereas he would be able to reach understanding through the Matrix because it conforms to his mythological view of the world as being fundamentally rooted in science and technology. But from a 'pure reason' perspective, both Descartes demon and the Matrix are the same. So, sort of language philosophy and the impact of one's mythology on their ability to grasp underlying truth.

Second, The Ethics main point is that matter and mind are 2 expressions of the same substance/ 'God.' Essentially, Substance is sheet music, matter is a piano playing the sheet music, mind is a violin playing the sheet music. They both follow the same pattern, because they are expressions of the same thing, and only perceived as different. It solves the mind/body problem and seems to be true according to our pragmatic experience of the world. Other than that the Ethics doesn't offer much, in my opinion.

>>15093693
I think so.

>>15093655
Can you explain? I'd like to know, I don't want to be pretentious. I just don't know how not to be

>>15093601
I'm writing a book not leading the movement. I don't have any doubt that it will eventually happen, I believe its fundamentally true, which means our denial of it has consequences. Society will sooner or later recognize this, the same way a man who denies fire is destructive realizes he's wrong when he sticks his hand in the flames. In Hegelian terms, the internal contradictions will make themselves known over time and incite their own synthesis. All I plan to do is write my books and play the role I'm fated to play.

>>15093534
Holy cringe. I went through a Nietzsche worship phase too man, try some Plato and Aristotle and it'll clear that up. Seriously though, holy fucking cringe.

You're right, I'm a book reader not a man of action. I spent a lot of time trying to be, and life experience showed me that it wasn't in my nature and didn't bring me fulfillment. Nietzsche full of self loathing, he isn't someone for you to idealize or emulate.

>>15093363
Society should generally look down upon drug use. The truly individualistic will seek them anyway, and conformists will be better off being indoctrinated into thinking they're bad. Alcohol and drunkenness should be thought of as a way to build deeper relationships with friends, psychedelics might have some place in coming of age ceremonies/ life transitions because they reveal our unconscious desires to us. Casual drug use should be scorned.

>>15093394
Write a book that synthesizes Aristotle, Plato, Hegel, and Kant with post modernism, reconciling objective morality with relativism and subjectivism. Reawaken a sense of the mystical and teleological aspects of life. Reawaken the knowledge that man has a nature which must be cultivated, not dissipated in aimless freedom.

>>15093399
English, enough Spanish to hit on Columbian women. Not enough game to bed them, unfortunately.

>>15093136
People tell me I'm pretentious so I must be. But its hard not to be when you try to discuss politics, religion, and other things with people who don't know any history or philosophy and can't think outside the paradigm they've been indoctrinated into. They can't even see the paradigm. So yeah, I'm actually pretentious, but part of it is just intimidation and an appearance of pretentiousness that comes from others being unable to keep up intellectually. The alternative is to act like I don't know more than them, which I usually do now because normal people don't give a shit if you've given yourself an actual humanities education.

>>15093156
yes

>>15093163
I don't think that he did. In the Republic Socrates exalts mousike and argues it should be part of the fundamental education of the leader caste. I think Plato's issue was with animal instinct and the music/ arts that inflamed it. Like, you can't grind in a club to Pachelbel's Canon in D. You need heavy bass beats to awaken that sort of movement, or at least, that sort of music most naturally evokes our animal desire to dance wildly and sexually. So Plato would dislike that music because it enflamed the animal passions in the masses and drove them to improper behavior that did not align with reason and temperance. The same principle goes for all Art in regards to Plato. Mousike in general, however, he did not dislike

>>15093078
What are my lies? Ask me a philosophy question to test me. If you know enough to ask interesting questions.

If you hate me, its only because you want to read the books I've claimed to and you have no idea how to self actualize. Sorry about it, honestly, I don't know how to get you to follow your dreams.

>>15093081
whodat?

>>15093083
I think so. My book revolves around the idea that consciousness experiences reality locked in an illusory Solipsism- which means that fundamentally all things are interconnected. As a result subjectivity and objectivity can be reconciled, in the sense that subjectivities interact with each other and refine each other to, in a sense, overcome zero sum games, which will culminate in a hegelian end of history scenario where all subjectivities are harmonized such that they can attain their ends simultaneously and without parasitizing or oppressing each other. As far as modern philosophy/theology/politics:
Modern philosophy needs to drop materialism and become Spinozan, i.e. mind and matter are both reflections of the same fundamental substance. (analogy: mind and matter are a piano and a violin, both playing the same sheet music but manifesting in different ways (sounds).
Theology: Christianity's flaw is Satan's eternal severance from God, creating an unbridgeable dualism which has created the modern outlook of death being non-being and modern materialist atheism. Satan is saved in the end. The final judgement is not God looking down on us, but all consciousnesses realizing the reason behind everything, and as a result judging everything to be necessary and therefore forgiven. Freedom is not libertarian, it is a state of alignment with our nature.
Politics: The form doesn't matter (rule by many, few, or one) what matters is the attainment of eudaimonia. All concepts and states of affairs in the world are only ever instrumentally good; the Good lies in consciousness and its self-evident assessment of life

>>15093041
In general yeah, there was a baseline of enjoyment. Occasionally though epiphanies come that are unlike anything else in life, and are without a doubt the best moments of my life. You never know when they'll come. That's what kept me going.

>>15093052
In my personal life yeah, no doubt. As a philosopher? I might be remembered 500 years from now. Time will tell

>>15093032
Never head of it

>>15093034
No. I traveled the world, biked across the states, and lived in China for a year seeking a meaningful life. In doing so I lost the love of my life who gave up after 7 years of waiting, I was recently betrayed by a friend, and I currently work a manual labor job. All I have is knowledge and the book I'm writing to keep me going. Personally I'm lonely and oscillate between hating life and loving it.

>>15093036
Depends on a lot of assumptions

I've read 20% - 80% of
>Plato
>Aristotle
>Kant
>Spinoza
>Rousseau
>Cicero (and other meme stoics)
>Homer
>Sophocles and Euripides
>Shakespeare
>Marx
>Nietzsche
>Emerson
>Zhuangzi
>The Bible
>The Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita
>Boethius

And other literature/ philosophy.

Ask me anything or troll me or something.