by Justin Carmien
“The man of knowledge must not only love his enemies, he must be able to hate his friends.” (See Walter Kaufmann’s translation of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, On the Gift-Giving Virtue, section 3, page 78) For a long time, I never quite knew how to interpret this passage. My understanding made use of unclear…
Why does a comparison between science and religion seem to lack any substance? Well, today we are plagued by a priority of the method by which we know a fact. So while the method of religion (revelation) seems quite shallow, apparently there is nothing to compare. But method is not the only parameter and, after…
Despite whatever social oppression of which I have read in the news or in history, that discourse feels irrelevant today. And those championing against race, gender, or socioeconomic oppression feel quite shallow. My guess is that future generations will find this historical continuum quite petty, hardly their history. However, I do feel a certain oppression…
It is clear to me why a movement like the flat-earthers has gained in popularity. But let’s be honest—these people are not ignorant of the facts which total the understanding that the earth’s shape is that of a sphere. This is neither a question of cultural exposure nor lack of comprehension. It must be instead…
Consider the problem of the nature of reality—this problem asks what is to constitute as real. Is wood the same entity as timber?—only timber has something added to it (it is a wood building material). Still, couldn’t the entity timber exist without ever understanding the entity wood? Compare timber to toothpick. Since a toothpick can…
Earlier this year I read of the experience of the sensual entity gravitational wave. And this experience came forward as the discovery of this entity. While I have been critical over the ‘discovery’ of entities through science in the past, I have now resolved much of my frustration in qualifying physical entities as distinct from…
It is not always clear to me what scientific gossip is getting at, while I feel something essential in the speech of a religious person—in as much as they talk from experience. Yet, when a creation apologist constructs an exhibition in which men and dinosaurs live together, he is instead fighting a factual battle. And…
You can’t help the feelings you have. You simply have them—until you don’t. Same for your truths. Think of the experience of making a conclusion: you explore two or more rationalized fantasies. You observe how the fantasy strikes you——but you still are subject to your nature. You can’t simply decide to have one feeling about…
Consider the question: “Do you believe in god?” This is probably the wrong question. Unless you can accept the answer, “I do not experience Him.” However, if you expect an enumeration of true/false claims to convince you, I do not know why you have asked this question; after all, you will not be convinced. This…
The pursuit of physics is one of building a universe by describing it in terms of physical entities. Compare this with the pursuit of the Theosophical Society which constructs a history in reconciling theologies. Whether manifested in the physical, theological or otherwise, this universe building I want to theme in spirit something similar to imperialism.…
When we were imagining ourselves as scientists in a lab (See lecture The Romantic) and exclaimed, “I simply discovered nature!” We were referring not to the observation itself—not to the sensual entity—but to an object virus. And isn’t it the same with feelings? Don’t I simply “discover” them? And once identified as feeling, don’t I…
“We describe reality. Or at least our descriptions are compatible with reality. Just look what we have uncovered!” Or “We live the righteous life. Just look how they live. Their world is disgusting. We live in the true world.” Or “My languages are just several of many. And each are just as right or wrong…
Should I have to dismiss the priority of any historic entity to any ‘present’ entity which has, as part of its constitution, the possibility of affirmation before the senses?—for example, sight of apple or taste of apple. Often I find that historic entities strike me harder than ‘present’ entities—and do so in such a way…
Consider the fall of man. Then think on another who makes use of the language of the fall. How does another who speaks in this way speak of the world? Well, another’s world would surely be a fallen one—which could not be ‘cleansed by baptism’. Either another speaks in a way which discloses a fallen…
Should I always have to speak authentically? Or can I say to a lover, “What does God tell you now?—Now that you have fallen out of love with me? Am I still “the one you will marry” as he told you before? Or does he tell you now that was only a test? Or…?” Well,…
I look at an apple and experience it in two ways. In one case I experience the apple as a united sensual experience, and in another case the apple itself dissolves once sight of apple and taste of apple are stripped from it as independent. The object apple feels like something hypothetical. Yet, physical entities…
At some point I began to think of the entities of the visual field as something pure and then the entities of language seemed to me something merely referential. However, I think on the many visual understandings which I can take up which, after reflection, reveal individual visual ‘sentences’ and visual ‘words’. These visual entities…
22.05.2011, Who could believe the universe fiddles a congruent song that they have been granted permission to hear? Who could be so audacious as to assume that their united front is the united front of all the universe—and that they are not one of the thousand thousands which stand outside? Who could believe that the…
A: After studying John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson’s translation of Being and Time for nearly two years, I am of the opinion, as I was from the first reading, that being with cannot be an existentiale of which there is reciprocation. But in saying so, this does not exclude being with from worthy qualification. If…
I enjoy reading philosophy in that it is an activity. The same cannot be said of science—reading on a scientific discovery. I do not know what I am supposed to do once I have read it. What does the author of the article suppose I do? “This observation has proven the theory true”—But what matters…
I can’t help but feel that another could be misled by the epilogue of Walter Kaufmann’s Nietzsche. A remark about Friedrich Nietzsche’s “similarities to Ludwig Wittgenstein” appears between talk of language, grammar and ordinary language in Analytic Philosophy. But consider the careful language of the following translation from Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morals. …the…
For a healthy perspective I revisit Walter Kaufmann’s translations of Friedrich Nietzsche. When reading Beyond Good and Evil I encounter uses of words, such as artist or mother, which do not name any person or even a demographic of people, but instead name a thematic entity: the spirit of the artist or mother. Consider Nietzsche’s…
Today a question draws my attention. Yet I have not raised this question to any friend, colleague, or lover, since I can only imagine the trouble it might bring along with it. Consequently, I do not know if this is a question of my own, or something easily relatable. My question regards facts. This is…