Welcome to Litsy!

I knew nothing about Schopenhauer going in, and if asked I would probably have guessed that he was a composer. I didn't really understand the explanation about Schopenhauer's theory of the Will as the meaning seemed to slip and slide about and just as I thought I was beginning to understand it the concept changed. I don't know who was at fault, me, the author, or Schopenhauer.

#sunlightwellness

"Ancient and rooted prejudices do often pass into principles; and those propositions which once obtain the force and credit of a principle, are not only themselves, but likewise whatever is deductible from them, thought privileged from all examination. And there is no absurdity so gross, which, by this means, the mind of man may not be prepared to swallow."

#Nonfiction #philosophy #history

We can say anything, but that doesn't mean that anything means everything. Perhaps Hegel meant this in his Science of Logic. We can learn a great deal about the world if we keep thinking about everything, but how do we know we are still thinking? Only through some feeling or a pleasure that arises from some conscious activity. What matters most in thought is that we are moving in the right direction: if we don't have to stop doing, we succeed.

Whether or not logic really helps us grasp the changing stream of consciousness within our heads is irrelevant: ultimately, we discover the practical meaning of philosophy through experience, not reflection.

The stream of consciousness can be suppressed, and we should never repress anything. To maintain joy, we begin acting in our minds and release full control over our activity in the automatic procedures of the body.

Love this. I draw a lot of portraits of people and animals. This quote made me think of the style I strive for while I work on each art piece. I guess I try to draw the same way Isaac Newton did according to this book. 🤔#art #drawing #idealism #alchemy #isaacnewton