I know a lot of people connect the word ‘misanthropy’ with Scandinavian death metal/Satan worshippers but I’m actually talking about ‘Intelligent Misanthropy’ that was professed by philosophers like Schopenhauer. He stated that in life there’s only a choice between solitude & vulgarity.
When reading philosophy or enjoying art, I truly admire the human intellect and its capabilities.
But everytime I really look around me, the same painful realisation occupies my mind: the mass and its insignificance.
It annoys me to see many people, that perhaps have the ability to think and reflect, live out an ignorant life of pure vulgarity. I tend to think that if one is blessed with intellectual qualities, it is one’s duty to use it.
And there’s the fact that we keep on polluting the earth, abusing animals and killing each other in wars.
Yes, people are interesting beings but there are but a very few that are capable of something worth admiring.
Any misanthropists here?
Let’s share thoughts on misanthropy.
This topic reminds me of the author – i think it was Swift – of whom it was said that he hated the human race but loved individual people.
By they way, are you really in Bejing? Is ILP.com getting past the government censors?
Do you think that Marxist philosophy – and other non-humanisms – are misanthropist?
Yes I really live in Beijing, but am not a local, just studying Mandarin. And yes, to my surprise ILP gets past the government censors.
As for your question about Marxism, I’m not familiar enough with his philosophy to give you a decent answer on that. But for as far communism goes, isn’t that more like the opposite of misanthropy? Perhaps you could give me some further explanation…?
I think one true misanthrope would be a hermit. All others are wanna bees.
You can’t hate humanity and still be a part of it. You can be disgusted, fed up tired , bored, dislike, but if you still reside in a society and deal with or love another human you can’t be a misanthrope. The idea of being one has a rebellious appeal. So folks try to apply it to themselves. It won’t wash., Unless you go and slaughter everyone you see, then that would make you a misanthrope also. So you either have to be a hermit or a big time mass killer to be a misanthrope, at least in my book. Other than that you are just a rebel.
Well, you can probably tell me more about communism than I could tell you. I’ve come to see it as an attempt to solve a humanist problem (poverty) in a non-humanist fashion (totalitarianism).