A Philosopher’s Life

Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer, when he wrote The World as Will and Representation

There is a revival of interest in 19th century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, thanks to Bernardo Kastrup. Sometimes it takes a century or two for a philosopher scribbling in solitude to be fully heard and absorbed. But today, I would like to remind everyone that a philosopher’s life has all the marks of every creative artist. I am thinking of philosophers outside the Academy: Lao-Tzu, Giordano Bruno, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Rousseau…even Bertrand Russell.

Do they suffer in their solitude? What constitutes the mystery of the philosopher’s life?

In an answer to that question, Gilles Deleuze writes movingly of Spinoza’s life: I

The philosopher appropriates the ascetic virtues–humility, poverty, chastity–and makes them serve ends completely his own, extraordinary ends that are not ascetic at all, in fact. He makes them the expression of his singularity. They are not moral ends in his case, or religious means to another life, but rather the “effects” of philosophy itself. For there is absolutely no other life for the philosopher. Humility, poverty, and chastity become the effects of an especially rich and superabundant life, sufficiently powerful to have conquered thought and subordinated every other instinct to itself…the full meaning of the philosopher’s solitude becomes apparent. For he cannot integrate into any milieu; he is not suitable to any of them…the best society will be one that exempts the power of thinking from the obligation to obey, and takes care, in its own interest, not to subject thought to the rule of the state…The philosopher can reside in various states, he can frequent various milieus, but he does so in the manner of a hermit, a shadow, a traveler or boarding house lodger.

Gilles Deleuze, Spinoza: Practical Philosophy, pages 3-4

Most of us have sacrificed for others in our own ways. And most of have compromised along the way for the same reasons. Yet one can’t help but admire the heroic nature of those who have toiled in obscurity and ridicule, persecution, exile, and execution, for the sake of what? Truth?


6 thoughts on “A Philosopher’s Life

  1. When I was 20yrs old I studied under my Palomar Junior College Teacher in San Marcos,Ca retired NASA weldor,a man who authored welding books in Tig,Mig,Oxy Acetylene&Flux Core welding.He perfected the the weld on the Titan Missle an the weld on The moon Aircraft so when it moved in space the welds would net crack.I started welding in High School at 17yrs old.Then went to Jr College,to become the best welder I could be.I’m 50yrs old n I love the YouTube videos of Richard Louis Proenneke.He was a American self educated naturalist,consevationist,writer&wildlife photographer.He was 53yr old weldor,mechanic,construction worker former military.Who injured his eye working with hot metal.He put in his mind to appreciate all the eye could see.So he moved to Twin Lakes Alaska by himself.Built himself a lot cabin with his bare hands.Lived off the land,fished trout,became a avid hiker n writer of everything he did for 30yrs in the Forrest living alone in solitude,while feeding birds from his hands.To this day his log cabin is as a National Monument in Alaska.He later moved to California to live with his brother in California passed away at the age of 87 in 2003 in Hemet,Ca.I would of loved if my step father a Jewish attorney or my birth father a Christian minister n sax player,former printer n truck driver would of taught me how to live like Richard Louis Proenneke rather then follow after this ungodly National Educational System n Babylonian&Egyptian banking system which all teaches that worshiping the shovel IS THE WAY OF LIFE.Equal to punching in a time clock or getting paid salary.

  2. Many times I’d find myself burning time in the library in college waiting for my next class at 20yrs old I to had sinful fleshly desires to surpass my teachers in Knowlege,Reason,Wisdom,Understanding n to study to Philosophy,the books were ther in the library for the taking.When I was at work,home,church,walking,golfing,surfing.I sought to know n Understand.Id ask the Lord in my prayers,Jesus should i study Philosophy with the Bible?The Lord gave me strong conviction not to.One day while reading the BIBLE I came across the writer Aposlte Paul in the book of Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any men spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,after tradition of men,after the rudiments of the world,and not after Christ.

  3. I view philosophy as an unstable blend of artistic vision and rigorous intellectual thought. It is a way of life that begins by questioning our deepest assumptions about reality. It ends, at least for individual philosophers, with a kind of beatific vision of reality. There have been, throughput the ages, Christian philosophers, Buddhist philosophers, Taoist philosophers, Jewish philosopher, theistic and atheistic philosophers. What binds them together is the same obsession with the truth, and even, perhaps, wisdom

  4. For any who are seeking to know of THE WAY in a more of a deeper way.Try listening to this Buddhist Monk of 6or7yrs who lived in extreme poverty.He gives his personal testimony,after years of meditation.It caught my eye an ear because BUDDHIST dont believe in a hell,very powerful testimony.Go to YOUTUBE an type.BUDDHIST MONK DIED and saw hell.

  5. I did want to say,i dont believe BUDDHIST dont belive in hell.The man who was a BUDDHIST for 6or7yrs said that in the video.I meant in his youtube video BUDDHIST Monk died and saw hell.I was just quoting what he said.My aunt who died of cancer also would tell me that.Most Buddhist ive ever met loved fornication,as my aunt really liked fornication,she loved sleeping with married men an was a vegan pretty much all her life.If you are in America an you love Buddhism than you have to except that you do not mind your girlfried,boyfriend,husband or wife cheating on you,because they are wanting to experience NIRVANA.This is what true BUDDHISM represents is reaching NIRVANA.This is what the band REM lead singer sang about,or its what NIRVANA sang about in the song REM.Pease…forgive me it’s been so long since the song came out since early 1990s,i don’t really listen to that type of music anymore.He became so rich an big over night with that one song,he commited suicide,same deal i believe he hung himself.Comedian Robbin Williams was also into BUDDHISM.It’s common knowledge for those who want to go into a higher state of conciousness in BUDDHISM to masturbate while you hang your self with some type of belt,before releasing an ejaculting you then unloosen the belt.But people dont loosen it in time an end up hanging themselves.With comedian Robbin Williams,with a net worth about $120million was found in his mansion in Florida down near or in Palm Beach,hanging by his neck with a belt rapped around neck an the ambulance driver took a snap shot of him.You could see how the belt choked him to death.To a BUDDHIST he was just experiencing his NIRVANA.My 57yr old aunt a vegan who was a practicing BUDDHIST,died of cancer,graduated with a master’s from California State University,an was the head of San Diego,Ca Museum.She would tell me BUDDHIST believe hell is only on earth the negative things we experience.She dated one guy who only fornicated an never married all his life.The DAHLI LAMA believes in fornication an audultry because its the only way to NIRVANA,he believes.From a Christian point of view this type of thinking an teaching is contrary to the BIBLE.The man who my aunt dated would try to be a BUDDHIST.He would pay a monastery $10,000 a yr in California.To give him a small room with a small bed or cot,with a little book shelf n just candles for light.My aunt said it would make him feel holy.He dealt major amounts drugs of all kinds to the Music Industry one major band i will notnmention an alot to the gay community in Laguna Beach,Ca.He felt so bad of what he was doing to the music industry,the gay an lesbian community that he would go so far as to pay a monastery to tell him what to do.His brain was fried from all the drugs such LSD&any thing else you can think of over the years.I asked my aunt,what would he do at the monastery.She said the monks would have him rake rocks for a month.I believe it was Jesus who said come unto me all thee that are heavy laden an i will give you rest.This guy my aunt dated was looking for peace an rest an still never found it.See this man my aunt dated off an on for 20yrs was seeking forgiveness.Buddhist monks couldn’t give him that,they could only give him a room an a rake.So he never stopped dealing drugs.He never changed.Another thing,what’s a horrible truth to those who love the bankered payed ungodly Karl Marx Evolutionist teachings of the NEA=National Educational Association owned by the Rockefeller family,one of the owners of the 12 Federal Reserve in America,my aunts boyfriend didn’t ever go to college.He was making over $100grand a year in the 70s an 1980s doing what he knew how.Born an Squeezed into a forced banking system Philosophy to not necessarily THINK ON GOD,think on family an the relationships with the family an father of the home.To develop a philisophical system to take away the feelings an sensitivity of the parents towards their own children by forced school an forced false god worship of the shovel,what we call work.Punch in the time clock what is now going to having to give your finger print just to work.So that bankers like the Rothchilds can bet a 1$ bill in the bathroom that they can steal all our future energy while sitting on the toilet taking a crap,that our prisons will become more filled.That they will be able to steal the assets from the Vatican,that the Vatican gave to every American when born.An steal off the NYSE of each Americans a CUSIP# on a Birth Certificate.To program an think how to make Americans go after an chase after something that is green,rectangled with spider webs printed on it,with a hidden owl an,small as a dot in the upper right on the $1bill.Also with a pyramid representing Egypt an lettering that’s not English.This is a philosophy of slavery destruction of humanities an our future as a whole.These Federal Reserve owners want all people to get lost into BABYLONIAN JEWISH beliefs an thinking.Which means all people will be forced to accept that anything goes or die.This all comes from JEWISH BABYOLONIAN&EGYPTIAN teachings of the KABALL.Many don’t understand there are many types of Jews.I should know my step father of 47yrs is a jew an now has 5 law firms in California.Who does he protect?The bankers the insurance companies like AIG.Jews were always known to loose their way to the true God an walk away from the 10 commandments.In the beginning of the Bible or even in the Torah,Moses came off the mountain after 40days of fasting an talking with God.He wasnt taking LSD.While the people below the mountain had a Calf made out of gold from the jewelry they took given to them by their slave masters of Egypt.This is as such as we see in the streets of Wall Street in New York the BULL but made by Aaron while everyone was getting drunk,fornicating an commiting adultry.They did this because these are the philosophies,beliefs an false doctrines an false god worship of other nations rather than the true God of Israel.

  6. I did want to mention that,old movie actor David Caradeen in the Hollywood TV Show Kung Fu was a practicing BUDDHIST an was found hung by his neck in I believe Hong Kong China.Whether actor David Carideen an actor Robin Williams was practicing their BUDDHISM or was actually murdered will never know,unless someone cares to do something different besides policing an that would be investigate.Is it BUDDHISM at its fullest an reaching NIRVANA?Or is it a conspriracy of those who control the Federal Reserve,All the Banks,All the News stations,The Music Industry,Hollywood&The Masons which requires a sacrifice in the end for a life of wealth.

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