My personal philosophical journey has evolved from an interest largely centered on what is “out there” (e.g., what “really” exists, what are the “proper” or “rational” epistemological principles) to a desire for inner peace – to be comfortable in my own skin (not that these perspectives are necessarily mutually exclusive).
This shift has largely been motivated by a dawning realization that the big questions are almost certainly beyond my understanding and abilities. For example, in light of Goedel’s work, I am doubtful that I could ever be more certain of the consistency of my own system of beliefs than I am right now – certainly, I could never be “certain!” So, in a very fundamental way, I can never even be completely certain of my own rationality. Even worse, I would concede that my belief system is probably riddled with inconsistencies, equivocations and truly incoherent or self-contradictory notions.
The issue of self-contradictory notions is particularly troublesome. There was a point where I would have said that a particular notion or property or set of properties (call it P) could not be self-contradictory because I could imagine within my mind some sort of model with property P, which would be impossible if P were contradictory. To my dismay I have found that this sort of reasoning can go awry. For example, I may believe for all the world that I can picture a Penrose triangle, when most likely all I am doing is picturing a sort of optical illusion that appears to have the properties of a Penrose triangle. I can’t even trust my ability to classify my own mental content, at a fundamental level.
Given all that, how could I hope to address the big questions? I can’t even put my own house in order, intellectually speaking. That doesn’t mean I’ve given myself permission to give up, however. It simply signals a reordering of priorities. Prior to questions regarding the outside world are the questions of how to live in peace within my own highly fallible mind. That is, prior to the search for truth is the search for harmony.
Perhaps this search for harmony must be addressed in terms of philosophy as way of life (philosophy as the search for the principles of proper living) rather than philosophy as analytical method – although, again, I’m not saying the perspectives are mutually exclusive. What, then, are the guiding principles of a harmonious mind?
Ya, me too. I’ve been meaning to re-read the Charmides for a very long time…
…and more recently pre-Socrats, in terms of Sophrosyne, e.g. Heraclitus:
I think this is where the empire of modern science starts admitting its limits, and asking for something akin to transcendent (maybe not the right word, but) reference. Alas, though, in terms of historical progression, through which, and to the extent that, science has taken the lead, we’re simply not there yet, so far as I can figure it… On the other hand, the notion of historical progression is a fundamental assumption in that same regard. Heraclitus also observes that the path up and down is the same path. My word for it is “updn”.
the world is full of atrocities and injustice that I’m sure any philosopher would be upset about, and whats worse is as time goes by the integrity of moral action disappears as well. I seriously doubt that there are indeed harmonious answers to such a scarred world. Most of life is very contradictory if you keep it in mind and based on history the comfortable realities turn out not to be as real as we once thought. plurality and diversity are things to be sought after even if they don’t fit any philosophical model. Experience I think is the greatest equalizer that and perservernce, that might be the measuring stick, but always remember the world is a harsh place so act accordingly. Peace I don’t think is possible when human life is the bargaining chip, but it is only opinion. Whats even a bigger question to human limits is in light that there is no god A person who feels inadaquat is responsible his or her actions,I hope is responsible. Wouldn’t you agree? The only truth I know is that every person thoughts and emotions and they are worth exploring and possibly even preserving. I feel great that you feel good in your own skin, but to be a pragmatist there might be more worth while endeavors than your own comfortablity
It seems to me guys with one-size-fits-all prescriptions for inner peace tend to want your money. Or, they’ve got funky Kool-Aid. But maybe that’s just a western phenomenon. On the other hand, you seem to be at an extreme where essentially no guidance at all is possible.
Does that mean “The Purpose-Driven Life” and Prozac are the zenith of achievement in western understanding of the principles of inner harmony? In other words, have we really gone nowhere?
I’m not saying I’m comfortable in my own skin, it’s more of a goal. It’s largely an end in itself, but I do believe that by developing my own inner harmony I can in a small way promote harmony in the world, whether by just being a good example or through volunteer work or what have you.
Ask yourself in every moment of your life and in everything you encounter: “What is it? And what does it do?” The answers don’t matter, but just having them there will allow patterns to emerge. You will become the world around you.
Think of it in terms of grokking, being a higher form of knowing in which one becomes the knowledge, rather than just learning or digesting.
Which can only be defined and found, I think, in man’s questioning and seeking the relationship between his place in the universe and with others and how that brings him/them to wholeness.
Because subjective truth lives only in the “moment” and so is always changing…widening as more and more perspective enters in…changing in its content but never [just as with Truth] its purpose and meaning.
I think that truth only appears to be “absurd” when one looks and sees how deeply engrained and unreal our perceptions [of truth[ can be… as when we are “looking through a glass darkly”. “For now we see through a glass, darkly…” (1 Cor. 13:12). Perhaps this is the only way in which we can see truth…it’s a continuing journey wherein we “see” more and more of an entire picture.
Metaphorically/metaphysically speaking. One can actually use an example of a woman or a man stripping before each other. That is when the real truth of the fantasy/illusion comes to bear. The reality may never be as good as the fantasy but it is the truth/love of truth of what has been revealed that holds the most treasure as it is the love that holds the real treasure, and not the bodies being revealed. It is the same with truth…bit by bit, layers of what appears to be reality are “peeled off”, must be peeled off in order that truth will always be seen and continue to have the final say in each continuing “moment”.
