T. Context.
Is it possible for a philosopher to get married without screwing up his being-philosopher?
By now it has become nearly impossible for me to count the relationships Ive broken off in favor of my philosophic solitude. I dont want to recall as all of these acts of separation have been painful to both the ladies in question and myself. I may have a child or two running around that, in my philosophic arrogance, I have no knowledge of, and because of this arrogance, never will have. It has worked for me so far, but this time I feel I might be a fool to tread the same path. I am terribly apprehensive still, not at all keen on tying myself to another human by law and indefinitely - my instincts rebel.
Philosophic instinct - foremost, a yearning for solitude. The absolute need to have the opportunity to sink into Tartaric depths and to rise to Olympic heights on a whim, without notice, without consideration for anything less extreme - the philosopher is necessarily an extremist. On occasions though, he must perhaps at least acknowledge the possibility of adopting an attitude that might be called sensible.
I am past the idea of polygamy. If only because the ones who tend to win my affections arent the type to settle for merely a portion. If there is one thing that attracts me in a woman it is pride - perhaps my tendency to break hearts, my own and those of those who saw a future with me, is related to this preference for the proud - I prefer to know that a woman will find happiness after I leave her, and there is nothing so sure to pull a woman out of her misery as a proud heart. Whereas men often use their pride as fuel to navigate abysses and even make their camps in them, proud women are… wiser, I suppose. We would not exist as a species, probably, if they werent. We would still be primates.
Still and all. I am one of these people who find it nearly impossible to master their instincts. And ironically, I cant deny being proud of this, for some sordid reason.
Have there ever been any philosophers marriages which werent farcical, or lover-philosophers who werent Parsifal - must the philosophers social status remain marginal?