Søren Kierkegaard wrote one of the most remarkable theistic existentialist works of the 19th century, The Sickness unto Death is famed for the depth and acuity of its psychological insights. Writing under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard explores the concept of ‘despair’. Despair is a deeper expression for anxiety which is a not-wanting-to-be-oneself. It is aContinue reading “Book Review: The Sickness unto Death – Kierkegaard”
Category Archives: Philosophy
(mis)Understanding Nihilism
What exactly is Nihilism? It is often associated to extreme pessimism and believed that it is an active negation of life, or thinks of it as empty of inherent meaning. In other words, that there is no such thing as “meaning” or “value”, no meaning in the universe, no meaning in the search of meaningContinue reading “(mis)Understanding Nihilism”
Book Review: Genealogy of Morals – Nietzsche
Nietzsche wrote On the Genealogy of Morals: A Polemic, in response to a book by his former friend Paul Rée, on the origins of morality. This book is among Nietzsche’s most sustained and cohesive works. In the first essay, titled “Good and Evil”, “Good and Bad”, Nietzsche sets up a contrast between what he callsContinue reading “Book Review: Genealogy of Morals – Nietzsche”
Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov and Nietzsche’s Übermensch
The frequent mention of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky together is still topical for the very reason that both of them were among the acutest anatomists of our cultural, social and moral crisis, the symptoms of which were already so prominent at the turn of the nineteenth century. It was a flourishing period for the creative powersContinue reading “Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov and Nietzsche’s Übermensch”
The Philosophy of Laughter in Nietzsche
Nietzsche states in Beyond Good and Evil: “I would really allow myself to order the ranks of philosophers according to the rank of their laughter – right up to those who are capable of golden laughter. And assuming that the gods also practise philosophy, a fact which many conclusions have already driven me to –Continue reading “The Philosophy of Laughter in Nietzsche”
The Absurd – Camus, Kierkegaard & Dostoevsky | Existentialism
Albert Camus’ views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism, he defines the Absurd “as the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any meaning in a purposeless, meaningless, and irrational universe, with the ‘unreasonable silence’ of the universe inContinue reading “The Absurd – Camus, Kierkegaard & Dostoevsky | Existentialism”
Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Hinduism)
Both Hinduism and Buddhism (see Nietzsche and Buddhism) are of interest to Nietzsche not in themselves, but as alternative positions from which to continue his attack on Christianity. He declared that “the critic of Christianity is profoundly grateful to the students of India” for making Buddhism available as a religion to compare with Christianity. InContinue reading “Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Hinduism)”
Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Buddhism)
There are some good reasons to believe that Nietzsche was interested in Eastern philosophy during his lifetime. In the Antichrist he states: “Buddhism, I repeat, is a hundred times more austere, more honest, more objective. It no longer has to justify its pains, its susceptibility to suffering, by interpreting these things in terms of sin—itContinue reading “Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Buddhism)”
The Stoic Virtues (Art of Living): Wisdom
Wisdom or prudence can be gathered through learning, discussion and trial and error. The wise man is able to offer himself good counsel. As Seneca says: A man with white hair and wrinkles hasn’t lived long – he has just existed long. Your time is valuable, and it is the only thing that you cannotContinue reading “The Stoic Virtues (Art of Living): Wisdom”
The Stoic Virtues (Art of Living): Temperance
Not to be confused with the temperance movement against the consumption of alcohol. To Stoics, temperance is moderation, or self-discipline. There must be a balance, to know what to choose, what to avoid, and what things to not do at all. We are to do the right number of things in the right way, avoidingContinue reading “The Stoic Virtues (Art of Living): Temperance”