Ryu's Blog

I’ve been reading a book called The Great Philosophers in the past few days. I found it insightful and well-written, and would recommend it to people who’re interested in philosophy but don’t have much background (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/019289322X/qid=1135115310/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl/026-4346327-3098835).  Here’re a few ideas I found interesting or want to think more about.

One is Schopenhauer’s view on art.  He sees the world as a miserable place that people can’t do anything about, and the only temporary escape from this hostile and horrible world is through art. Since it’s only then we don’t consider our self-interest or desire but see things from the aesthetic point of view. For him, art’s less about expressing emotion but convey insight into universal nature of things, which in turn may move people emotionally. To quote Magee, it’s “the general behind the particular, yet in terms of the uniquely specific.” Although I like artistic activities, but so far I don’t have my own view/philosophy about art, so Schopenhauer’s writing may be a good place to begin developing my thought in the subject.

Another interesting idea is Heidegger’s view on nihilism, which if I understand correctly, said that as history progress and people try to explain everything, we reach a stage where there’re no guidelines for actions anymore.  For example, in Greek society, there’re heroes and villains, victory and disgrace, and this cultural paradigm acts as guidelines for leading good lives. Or in medieval society when most people believe in God, they have saints and sinners, salvation and damnation, so people know what to expect or do. He thinks we reach a point where there’re no more guidelines, no more goals. What people concern’s only to become more and more efficient, and strive for efficiency for its own sake.

Though I don’t agree with all he said, I think there’re some truths in it. It seems that people are easily lost when there’s no concrete thing to strive for, and it can happen when society doesn’t provide clear values about the meaning of life. That may be a reason why many people enjoy immersing themselves in the fantasy world of video games where values and purpose in life are clearly defined. At many times I also found myself think of things in term of efficiency. For examples, I may think of socializing with others as networking activity and getting potential contacts for future use, or exercise and health as improving my efficiency in doing other things. Everything may be regarded as a mean to something else, but that something (i.e. goals, aims in life) may not be well defined or exist at all. I think life would be better if I learn to appreciate things in life such as friendship, art or other activities more for their own merit than as means.

Although there’re ideas from other philosophers I identified with, Hume’s view and attitudes toward life are overall closest to my ideal, and I would like to read more about him if have time. But for now, I guess I spent enough time reading philosophy (probably it’s time to get back to my economics study to avoid failing miserably in the coming midterm). I’ll continue learning about life, and at the same time enjoy my journey and treasure the experience and friends I’ve even though what I perceive may not be real. After reading various comments posted, I feel grateful to have many good friends. I believe life’s more than finding answers to things, if there’re any.