To the human race, this universe is not yours…
The idea that the world belongs to the human race is not a new one; in the Holy Bible, book of Genesis, it explicitly states: Then God said, “Let Continue Reading
The Flow of Experience…
Experience… Just stay in the present moment and you’ll realise by direct awareness that experience is not episodic. To those practitioners paying mindful attention to the present, they will soon Continue Reading
The Origin of Love…
We’ve all had those moments when without warning we meet the gaze of a random stranger and time seems to stop. Without so much as a word they empty their Continue Reading
The psychological reason why you shouldn’t force your religious beliefs on anyone.
When I was a kid growing up in the 1970’s and 80’s there was a popular saying doing the rounds that went along the lines of ‘never discuss religion and Continue Reading
What is Nihilism?
We’ve all head the term nihilism, sometimes liberally thrown about as a synonym for pessimism or defeatism. But in philosophical circles worthy of the name, it’s an actual philosophical system Continue Reading
What is philosophy for?
Let’s begin by saying something bold, philosophy is first and foremost about using the rational faculty that all human beings possess to determine personal happiness. In order to find happiness, Continue Reading
Do I give assent to this?
Among the tools of the stoics is Epictetus’ Discipline of Assent. Now the Greek work for consent or approval is sunkatathesis, but in the stoic context it means agreeing with Continue Reading
Schopenhauer and the striving
For Schopenhauer the will is the thing in itself, all revealed and bare to anybody who looks at the phenomena of every day matter. The will is inherent in Continue Reading
Premeditatio malorum – ‘premeditation of adversity’
We just don’t know for certain what is around the corner as we go about living our lives. When times are rosy, we naturally let our guard down in Continue Reading
Why am I Anxious?
Why am I anxious? Your conscious mind is like an ant that rides on top of an elephant. It might think that it’s in charge, but it isn’t! Continue Reading
What is a philosophy?
There is a great deal of information present within all of reality, so much so that the sensory input of it all can be overwhelming. Human brains, minds and sensory Continue Reading
What is the point of philosophy?
Was a question asked by an unknown student attending Plato’s Academy, who was then promptly thanked for his interest and dismissed from the class which in retrospect seems a little Continue Reading
The ship of Theseus
Theseus’ paradox, more popularly known as the ship of Theseus, is an ancient thought experiment first appearing in the writings of the famous ancient Greek historian, biographer and philosopher Continue Reading
Schopenhauer and Presentism
While reading On the Vanity of Existence, an essay by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, I came across this which I will share the excerpt: “That which has been exists no Continue Reading
Experience Nothing and be like Socrates by looking death in the eye!
An experience of nothing is a very sought-after meditative discipline in the Buddhist community, usually it takes a long time, years in fact for a Buddhist practitioner to attain the Continue Reading
A stab in Schopenhauerian pessimism – enjoy youth while you can…
“In early youth, as we contemplate our coming life, we are like children in a theatre before the curtain is raised, sitting there in high spirits and eagerly waiting Continue Reading
Nihilism as a Negating Philosophy
Nihilists negate any sense of personal meaning as illusory, this might sound pessimistic but it doesn’t have to be. The mind that makes a judgement of pessimism is also capable Continue Reading
The trap of expectation
Large featured image, just so you get the message! While reading through German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer’s Counsels and Maxims, I came across this sentence: “The safest way of not Continue Reading