Philosophy Stories

[Metis]

The Happy Conflagration
Søren Kierkegaard, "Parables of Kierkegaard", edited by Thomas C. Oden; 1978, Princeton University Press.

It happened that a fire broke out backstage in a theater. The clown came out to inform the public. They thought it was just a jest and applauded. He repeated his warning, they shouted even louder. So I think the world will come to an end amid general applause from all the wits, who believe that it is a joke.

--"A" in Either/Or, I, p. 30 (SV II 30)​

 

[Metis]

The Critical Apparatus
Søren Kierkegaard, "Parables of Kierkegaard", edited by Thomas C. Oden; 1978, Princeton University Press.

Imagine a country. A royal command is issued to all the office-bearers and subjects, in short, to the whole population. A remarkable change comes over them all: they all become interpreters, the office-bearers become authors, every blessed day there comes out an interpretation more learned than the last, more acute, more elegant, more profound, more ingenious, more wonderful, more charming, and more wonderfully charming. Criticism which ought to survey the whole can hardly attain survey of this prodigious literature, indeed criticism itself has become a literature so prolix that it is impossible to attain a survey of the criticism. Everything became interpretations--but no one read the royal command with a view to acting in accordance with it. And it was not only that everything became interpretation, but at the same time the point of view for determining what seriousness is was altered, and to be busy about interpretation became real seriousness. Suppose that this king was not a human king--for though a human king would understand well enough that they were making a fool of him by giving the affair this turn, yet as a human king he is dependent, especially when he encounters the united front of office-bearers and subjects, and so would be compelled to put the best face on a bad game, to let it seem as if all this were a matter of course, so that the most elegant interpreter would be rewarded by elevation to the peerage, the most acute would be knighted, &c.--Suppose that this king was almighty, one therefore who is not put to embarrassment though all the office-bearers and all the subjects play him false. What do you suppose this almighty king would think about such a thing? Surely he would say, "The fact that they do not comply with the commandment, even that I might forgive; moreover, if they united in a petition that I might have patience with them, or perhaps relieve them entirely of this commandment which seemed to them too hard--that I could forgive them. But this I cannot forgive, that they entirely alter the point of view for determining what seriousness is."

--For Self-Examination, pp. 58-59 (SV XVII 69-73)​

 

[Metis]

The Amusement of the Gods
Søren Kierkegaard, "Parables of Kierkegaard", edited by Thomas C. Oden; 1978, Princeton University Press.

Something wonderful has happened to me. I was caught up into the seventh heaven. There sat all the gods in assembly. By special grace I was granted the privilege of making a wish. "Wilt thou," said Mercury, "Have youth or beauty or power or a long life or the most beautiful maiden or any of the other glories we have in the chest? Choose, but only one thing." For a moment I was at a loss. Then I addressed myself to the gods as follows: "Most honorable contemporaries, I choose this one thing, that I may always have the laugh on my side." Not one of the gods said a word; on the contrary, they all began to laugh. From that I concluded that my wish was granted, and found that the gods knew how to express themselves with taste; for it would hardly have been suitable for them to have answered gravely: "Thy wish is granted."

--"A" in Either/Or, I, pp. 41-42 (SV II 44)​

 

[Metis]

The Laughter of Parmeniscus
Søren Kierkegaard, "Parables of Kierkegaard", edited by Thomas C. Oden; 1978, Princeton University Press.

As it befell Parmeniscus in the legend, who in the cave of Trophonius lost the power to laugh, but got it again on the island of Delos, at the sight of the shapeless block exhibited there as the image of the goddess Leto, so it has befallen me. When I was young, I forgot how to laugh in the cave of Trophonius; when I was older, I opened my eyes and beheld reality, at which I began to laugh, and since then I have not stopped laughing. I saw that the meaning of life was to secure a livelihood, and that its goal was to attain a high position; that love's rich dream was marriage with an heiress; that friendship's blessing was help in financial difficulties; that wisdom was what the majority assumed it to be; that enthusiasm consisted in making a speech; that it was courage to risk the loss of ten dollars; that kindness consisted in saying, "You are welcome," at the dinner table; that piety consisted in going to communion once a year. This I saw, and I laughed.

--"A" in Either/Or, I, p. 33 (SV II 36)​

 

[cascadeco]

Uf, existentialism is (ab)used by the part of the educated middle class that's lazy and spoiled to justify it's own uselessness. "Don't ever try, just laugh". The motto of blissful mediocrity.

I can't comment on this specifically, since I don't remember anything specific about Kierkegaard or existentialism - but this comment and my skimming the quotes in this thread reminded me of how when I went through a year or so of a philosophy kick a long time ago, reading four volumes of a multi volume history of philosophy series, I distinctly recall that Kierkegaard was basically the first philosopher I'd come across after centuries of others that diverged so far from my thought process that I found him unrelatable and in cases incomprehensible. I'm guessing my own philosophy is far from existentialism, due to that.

 

[1487610420]

 

[The Cat]

I don't know about existentialism or the finer points of the hullaballoo of the deep ones, but I do subscribe to a certain philosophy...

 

[cascadeco]

A brief history :

In all fairness, existentialism was needed during its time and opened new perspectives in society and science, but today's existentialism is limited to a very lazy, imo, approach to life, Camus' approach.

bahaha. Great vid.

 

[cascadeco]

On a more serious note, if you're interested:

To me, as a naturalist, existentialist philosophy sounds very confused.

Thanks for the vid. Unlike my issues with his own writings and thought processes/attempts at explaining, that was fully comprehensible. I actually don't disagree with much of what was highlighted in the vid; I find there is truth in most philosophers, it's just everyone thinks and perceives differently and maybe more importantly hones in on and focuses on specific elements of existence and sloughs off the rest. The view described, while I understand it and probably believe bits of (though some bits mentioned I don't see at all), is not a view I can 'sit' in at length.

 

[Metis]

The Cat and the Meat
Shah, Idries: The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin; 1983, Octagon Press Ltd.

Nasrudin gave his wife some meat to cook for guests.
When the meal arrived, there was no meat. She had eaten it.
"The cat ate it, all three pounds of it," she said.
Nasrudin put the cat on the scales. It weighed three pounds.
"If this is the cat," said Nasrudin, "where is the meat? If, on the other hand, this is the meat--where is the cat?"​

 

[1487610420]

 

[Maou]

I don't have any stories to tell, but existentialism is a huge factor in my life lol.

I do like this poem though.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

 

[Metis]

Excerpt from A Wrinkle in Time
L'Engle, Madeleine; 1962, Crosswicks, Ltd.; orig. published in the U.S. by Farrar Straus Giroux


"We had to hurry so there wasn't quite time.... You wanted us?" Mrs Whatsit asked.

The tallest of the beasts bowed again and took a step away from the table and toward Mrs Whatsit. "It is a question of the little boy."

"Father left him!" Meg cried. "He left him on Camazotz!"

Appallingly, Mrs Whatsit's voice was cold. "And what do you expect us to do?"

Meg pressed her knuckles against her teeth so that her braces cut her skin. Then she flung out her arms pleadingly. "But it's Charles Wallace! IT has him, Mrs Whatsit! Save him, please save him!"

"You know that we can do nothing on Camazotz," Mrs Whatsit said, her voice still cold.

"You mean you'll let Charles be caught by IT forever?" Meg's voice rose shrilly.

"Did I say that?"

"But we can't do anything! You know we can't! We tried! Mrs Whatsit, you have to save him!"

"Meg, this is not our way," Mrs Whatsit said sadly. "I thought you would know that this is not our way."