Because after everything is doubted, and you believe in nothing at all, will you begin to truly believe in anything for the first time in your life. It is not until all is destroyed, that the value of everything becomes readily and most immediately apparent, comprehended, and known. Properly understood. To see all the values in the universe requires a leap into the void of existence…to non existence. To attempt to understand what cannot exist. This must be the first step of any true philosopher. And doubtlessly claimed, every philosopher known to humanity must have at least some experience of this most basic requirement. The original barrier to and of philosophy. The reason and cause of which, philosophers are so rare in human existence. A sprinkle of geniuses here and there, a handful from century to century, and reduced down to just a few names over thousands of years.
Perhaps philosophy is the only intellectual endeavor that requires this 99.9999% casualty rate. Philosophy is for nobody, not for everybody. It is for one in a billion. It is for none others. And to these ones in a billion, these rarest types will seek each other out, across the most distant spaces and time, to recognize each other. Birds of a feather flock together. Philosophers speak through the ages, not to the present. A philosopher does not talk to the moderns around him. He speaks to the children yet to be born, and to the billions of forgotten ghosts of the ancient past. A philosopher is the embodiment of humanity. He is the highest type. He is the human archetype’s highest glory. The star quarterback of the human race. The representative of all humanity. The best, the brightest, the most prized individual.
Because it is through the Philosopher that all the hopes, dreams, and most powerful memories of humanity flow. Because within the mind of the Philosopher are these deepest secrets kept the safest.
It is witty statement not too much room for doubt there.
Yet this is an axiom of a kind form which a kind of philosophy starts.
An axiom is a premise. One may be certain of its truthiness or doubt it.
In the first case it may be deemed that one has faith in it. But it still could be a starting point for some great theory (or just a great rant as the case may be.)
In the second scenario a new philosophy, refuting anything the first one is claiming may be created.
But it will nonetheless build the new concept on something
a) Beloved to be true, while opposite to the initial axiom
b) Assumed to be possible independently or in contradiction with the said initial axiom.
As per Berdyaev - philosophy is not [just] a science. Because since is something following simple or more complex laws. Science is always obedient. It is subject ted to the rein of necessities. Something which should be overcome. Thus and only thus we (humans) could pass into the world of Freedom.
As per Berdyaev “Philosophy … is the creative perception by the spirit of the meaning of human existence.”
His philosophy starts with freedom and (simplistically said) ends where the Man meets God if at all.
Berdyaev essentially claimed that philosophy is an act of creativeness. He further held that creativity depends on the person being free and original. Is he, himself an acknowledged philosopher is quite another question. (Some claim he is just a gifted essayist.)
To go back from where we started we must reconsider the connection between freedom doubt and faith.
Is the faith invariably chaining us? And does any indiscriminate doubt removes the chains from our spirit.
I think – not.
In the final part of “The Myth of the Eternal Return” by Mircea Eliade we can see Eliade’s point of view:
This is just an example of another point of view. Not an argument. But Like I said IMHO we need both doubt and [good] faith to start thinking philosophically.
What is called philosophy today, here or most other places too, has almost nothing to do with the real thing. The real thing doesn’t bother fraternizing with insanity, for it is steeped in the eternal.
Philosophers are so rare because philosophy is hell, is the slow progressive ruin of the human being through Phoenix-like transformations, death and birth, over and over without end. Seeing truth alienates you from this existence, no one else gives a fuck about anything other than their own particular brand of self-flagellation and pathological compensation mechanisms. The world and truth only overlap in either the human-unconscious or the philosophic-conscious.
If you want to sink down into the depths and begin the real work, you are only going to do so out of extreme need and only because you are unable to do anything else. Philosophy is a disease, the only real disease there is.
You’re also right about philosophers speaking to each other. If he is lucky the philosopher finds one or two other minds in his own era; if not, he merely communes with shades and spirits, populating an eternity the scope and magnitude of which would crush any merely human being who might accidentally wander in there (lucky for him that is impossible).
Does it really?
That might also be the definition for a more rational belief as in one’s own religion.
I’m not sure that I would put it from that perspective. I suppose what you might be saying here is that you might be more discerning in your beliefs…even a bit nihilistic on the positive side.
Maybe not so “immediately” apparent. But this doesn’t necessarily have to do with philosophy but since philosophy is the seeking after wisdom and truth, yes, it could be said. When we have lost it all, or think we have, and there’s nothing left to lose we do begin by seeing true value or what is true value for us.
If you’re leaping into non-existence, where is the value there? If one sees nothingness, what is there to see? Anyway, that seeing takes time and discernment.
You mean to say what “might not” exist or what can’t be seen. Couldn’t you say the same thing about any true scientist, not meant to denigrate the part a philosopher plays, a true philosopher I mean.
And doubtlessly claimed, every philosopher known to humanity must have at least some experience of this most basic requirement. The original barrier to and of philosophy. The reason and cause of which, philosophers are so rare in human existence. A sprinkle of geniuses here and there, a handful from century to century, and reduced down to just a few names over thousands of years.
.
By 99.9999% casualty rate, do you mean having to totally begin again? Don’t scientist also have to scratch it all and begin again? I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. But I will agree that philosophy is definintely not for everyone though being a bit philosophical within one’s own life can only be helpful but that of course is a far cry from seeking truth and questioning and agonizing and wondering and constructing and deconstruction as philosophers do.
It is for one in a billion. It is for none others. And to these ones in a billion, these rarest types will seek each other out, across the most distant spaces and time, to recognize each other. Birds of a feather flock together. Philosophers speak through the ages, not to the present. A philosopher does not talk to the moderns around him. He speaks to the children yet to be born, and to the billions of forgotten ghosts of the ancient past. A philosopher is the embodiment of humanity. He is the highest type. He is the human archetype’s highest glory. The star quarterback of the human race. The representative of all humanity. The best, the brightest, the most prized individual.
One can also say that of a Mom who really loves her children.
You’re romanticing the philosopher.
Oh, it hasn’t just begun. It’s been flowing forever. It’s a beautiful continuum.
Sorry, didn’t mean to discount the philosopher.
Existence is that which has affect. Non-existence is that which has no affect whatsoever.
That is all of the understanding of existence and non-existence necessary to resolve all of the rest of natural philosophy (aka “Science”). Everything else is purely logical deduction (wisely followed up with empirical verification and documentation).
[b]Because it is through the Philosopher that all the hopes, dreams, and most powerful memories of humanity flow. Because within the mind of the Philosopher are these deepest secrets kept the safest.
A philosopher does not talk to the moderns around him. He speaks to the children yet to be born, and to the billions of forgotten ghosts of the ancient past. A philosopher is the embodiment of humanity. He is the highest type. He is the human archetype’s highest glory. The star quarterback of the human race. The representative of all humanity. The best, the brightest, the most prized individual.[/b]
The philosophical drive and disposition is antithetical to the religious drive and disposition. A man cannot be both philosophical and religious at the same moment. Philosophy represents doubt. Religion represents faith.
Both are necessary forms of thought and intellect.
A philosopher is rarest, because the philosopher’s doubt is strongest and most extensive. A philosopher will doubt everything, all truths, all premises. Nothing is true. Nothing is given, at face value. Deeper investigation, into nature, life, cosmic existence, is required. The faithful, the religious, do not investigate and seek knowledge. The religious withhold knowledge, have knowledge, guard knowledge. The religious already know whereas the philosopher’s starting point is ignorance. The philosopher begins in ignorance. The religious begins in knowledge.
Hence, the philosopher doubts (destroys), the religious pushes faith (creates).
The greatest philosophy must represent the greatest doubt.
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A philosopher examines and considers axioms and premises that seem “self evident” the majority. For example, the majority of humans believe in “humanity”, universal love, life after death, science, whatever. The philosopher can take all these “truths” and smash them all. Break all premises. Refute all premises.
Start from nothing. Understand nothingness (Nihilism). Comprehend no truths, to begin. And then work from nowhere, from no premise. Nothing taken for granted. Everything examined, questioned, argued, debated, ridiculed, tested…
Everything in dispute. A war of all ideas.
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Also known as “Existential Anxiety” and “Awakening”, to become vividly and consciously aware of all existence, not just the petty confines of the globalized human zoo. To think outside what is “normal” and “acceptable”.
Since philosophy can be interpreted as “Disease”, a visceral Need to Know, to lack knowledge, to need to have TRUE knowledge…then it must be a genetic anomaly. Most humans will never have this need, and if they did need to know about existence, would cower away from premise after premise that their mental state could not acknowledge nor overcome.
Just as most humans are unwilling to disbelieve in “love”, or give up “hope” of a better life. Idealism can be a great barrier to deeper levels of philosophical enlightenment.
At what price does knowledge come?
Which risks must a philosopher truly take, which sacrifices? (you already mentioned a necessary isolation and estrangement from commoners)
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On the contrary, you’re romanticizing mothers, who are commonplace, numerous, unmemorable (except to kin), and their “challenge” in life is choosing which men to have sex with… (resulting in pleasure)
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Since humans retain a limited amount of knowledge, new knowledge must become integrated into the communal consciousness (god-mind). So you must consider the advent of new information, new data, new forms of evolution, new perspectives, new developments, and the endless changing of existence.
The mystery is reawakened by the Philosopher, who, begins to reexamine all that humanity had already considered true (Dogma). The philosopher’s first major obstacle, intellectually, is to challenge dogma, not only of his own society and culture, but science and every other culture too.
Eventually leading to metaphysics, and the reexamination of physical laws.
Myehh… all of that was yesterday.
Today it isn’t “dogma” any more, but rather indisputable ontological facts (not referring to Science nor other religions). There really isn’t any arguing with them other than merely to learn of them, much like learning algebra the first time.
The metaphysics is all, entirely, 100% resolved. The only thing related to mystery now is exactly which, where, when, and how much. The why, what, and how questions are expired, metaphysics resolved.
And that might seem scary to many, but actually shouldn’t. It is time to pay more attention to actual life rather than theoretical or fantasy life. As people get more involved in what is going on immediately around them, “living in the now”, regardless of the physics and metaphysics within, the more they learn to handle the pursuit of life to the benefit of everyone involved.
There is no longer need to pursue why, how, or what-is, but rather merely to maximize IJOT - learn to live.
You cannot resolve a thing that is not a problem.
Metaphysics is a way of looking at the world, which will continue.
Personally i think phenomenology and existentialism show the lie that is metaphysics, but that is another story.
It should be obvious to see now which types are against the project, action, and behavior of philosophy.
Doubt is a very powerful ability indeed. Perhaps the adversaries of doubt, fear doubt, because of the mountains of faith they’ve built for themselves?
A priest will build his entire life upon lies, even after the critical books have been pulled out from underneath him. A priest will die for his dogma. But if your dogma is built upon lies, falsehoods, contradictions, and hypocrisy?
The priest must immediately rebuke philosophy and the philosopher. The faithful will refuse to even begin the conversation. They already (claim to) “know” everything.
I have resolved metaphysics to the point of having no questions left, even if no one else already had. There is nothing to “give up”. The answers are already written. And there are no more questions.
Realize that the mysteries that you believe in, are merely mysteries to you and others like you at the moment. Shortly there will be no more asking, merely learning and applying.
The philosopher heads toward the Sun. He was warned to not get too close. What I am telling you is that was yesterday’s concern. I am now on the other side of that Sun, having passed through.
You are the one who isn’t doubting that there is no end to philosophizing. I am telling you that [even] I have already passed that end.
I am not avoiding questions. There is are no more to ask.
As usual … YOU have become the religionist, dogmatically insisting that everyone either agree with your doubt, or be the evil enemy, “against us good people”.
There are three options [size=150]NOT MERELY TWO!!![/size]
Old answers, religions
New doubt, “philosophy” 3) New Answers.
What is the point in asking questions, doubting, if you are never going to listen to any answers?
