Philosophy

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher whose insightful and forceful writings challenged the bedrock of Christianity and traditional morality. He can justly be regarded as a modern philosopher who declared God is dead and chose to affirm life itself, rather than dwell on the hereafter.

     Nietzsches idea of life-affirmation is inextricably linked to his view that all life is a quest for power. He emphasized the importance of health, creative pursuits, and worldly realities. Implicit in his outlook was a questioning and a rejection of any doctrine that sapped ones vitality, irrespective of how widely accepted such a belief-system might be in society.

     Nietzsches iconoclastic writings and books have won him some controversy, and a vast following, from people belonging to every section of society.

     Karl Marx has been an icon to millions of people the world over for apparently having founded a political ideology that was to unleash powerful waves in the world polity for decades. Marx had propounded a view of society that saw capital as being central to it. It was the owners of capital that got to determine the social superstructure. It was the relation that a person had to the means of production in society that influenced his status in society. Marx divided society on the basis of their relation with the means of production into the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.  

     Marxs emphasis was on equality and justice, rather than the freedom and profit motive that are associated with capitalism. Marxs radical writings and worldview was to win allegiance from vast sections of society, including the intelligentsia. Marxs appeal cut across all divisions of status, gender, race, nation and the like. Indeed, Marx led to a sharp polarization in the prevalent political ideologies of the modern times.  

     Marxs concerns may be distilled and sought to be comprehended at the micro and the macro dimensions. Marx wanted the worker to lead a life that was creative, meaningful, productive and rewarding. However, he was convinced that this could not occur under the capitalist system of private ownership of the means of production. On the larger front, Marx was concerned with a society that had capital owned publicly. This, according to Marx would enable a more orderly and just society.

     The dastardly and inexplicable shooting spree indulged in by Nidal Makik Hasan, a U. S, army major working as a psychiatrist, on November 5, 2009 has shocked the world. The American-born Muslim opened fire without any provocation or warning and fired over a hundred rounds. He killed 12 people and injured 30 others.

     Having been shot at in return, Hasan is paralyzed from waist down, and faces many counts of premeditated murder and attempt to murder. Hasans motives remain a mystery. Experts have refused to term it as terrorism. He appeared to have turned more religiously inclined after the loss of his parents in recent years.

     Hasan also seemed to have been affected by tales that he had heard of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sure, Hegelian alienation may have had a role in Hasans disenchantment and despair, but such barbarian acts against innocent people can never be comprehended or sanctioned.

     But, at this juncture, when the will is most imperiled, art approaches, as a redeeming and healing enchantress she alone may transform these horrible reflections on the terror and absurdity of existence into representations with which man may live. These are the representation of the sublime as the artistic conquest of the awful, and of the comic as the artistic release from the nausea of the absurd. The satyric chorus of the dithyramb is the saving device of Greek art. -- Nietzsche.  
     Morality is herd instinct in the individual. -- Nietzsche.  
     Equality to the equal inequality to the unequal  that would be true justice speaking and its corollary, never make the unequal equal.-- Nietzsche.  
     Let us imagine a rising generation with this bold vision, this heroic desire for the magnificent, let us imagine the valiant step of these dragon-slayers, the proud daring with which they turn their backs on all the effeminate doctrines of optimism that they may live resolutely, wholly, and fully would it not be necessary for the tragic man of this culture, with his self-discipline of seriousness and terror, to desire a new art, the art of metaphysical comfortnamely, tragedy -- Nietzsche.  
     Danger alone acquaints us with our own resources, our virtues, our armor and weapons, our spirit  and forces us to be strong ... -- Nietzsche.  
     Religion is the opiate of the masses.  Marx.
     Philosophy is to the real world as masturbation is to sex.  Marx.
     The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways the point is to change it.  Marx.
     The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.  Marx.
     It is not the consciousness of men that determines their beeing, but on the contrary, it is their social being that determines their consciousness.  Marx.
     Boredom is the root of all evil - the despairing refusal to be oneself. -- Soren Kierkegaard.
     Concepts, like individuals, have their histories and are just as incapable of withstanding the ravages of time as are individuals. But in and through all this they retain a kind of homesickness for the scenes of their childhood. -- Soren Kierkegaard. 
     Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good. -- Soren Kierkegaard.
     God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful he makes saints out of sinners. -- Soren Kierkegaard. 
     How absurd men are They never use the liberties they have, they demand those they do not have. They have freedom of thought, they demand freedom of speech. -- Soren Kierkegaard. 
     World history is a court of judgment. -- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.