I have to be the world's worst blogger. Every time I start this thing, I lose interest and quit posting once something shiny is dangled in front of my face. After a little soul searching, I've come to the conclusion that my biggest problem is a simple lack of direction. So, I'm trying something new. I've decided to replace my inane ramblings of little consequence with a personal exploration of philosophy. I'll also throw a little anthropology in from time to time. This could get ugly - or it will just be short-lived, like so much else.
I'd like to start by saying that I'm not a philosopher. I'm not really interested in coming up with the answers for any global problems or social ills. I'm not here to answer any eternal questions about God or the afterlife. Instead, I'm simply searching for a new way of looking at things. I want to see the world through my own eyes. I want to ask questions, even if the answer seems obvious. I don't want to take anyone's word for anything. I want to question reality. I want to figure out what really matters to me (not you). Above all, I want to hold the intellectual high ground when arguing with someone who is supposed to be "my superior."
I'm not really going to go into anything tonight, but I'd like to introduce myself from a philosophical standpoint. First of all, I didn't really study philosophy in college (I took two classes). However, anthropology does flow over the boundaries of philosophy in several places, so I'm not completely in the dark here. And I've read enough to be fairly certain about a few points. I don't really get into modern philosophy. I think Nietzsche is overrated (although he did have a bitchin' mustache) and existentialism is a term that gets thrown around a bit too lightly. And even though I do agree with a lot of existential views, I've always been fond of the Cartesian credo of "Cogito ergo sum".
Nope, I'm a classical kind of guy. I love to read about bearded men in togas debating the nature of virtue and ethics. It seems to me that philosophy was pure then, unhindered by its own bullshit. And it seems that I can't get enough Stoicism. Stoicism was the philosophy of choice during the time of the Roman Empire and I think it still has a lot of merit today. Whenever we tell someone to "suck it up and take it," we are espousing the view of the Stoics, albeit in a less eloquent fashion. Despite the fact that I tend to bitch and whine more than a true Stoic it still appeals to me. I never said it was the guiding principle of my life.
So, that's it for now. Like a radio station undergoing a format change, I'm sure I'll be feeling my way through this for a while. But, if philosophical inquiry were easy and the outcome certain, there wouldn't be any point to it.
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