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How can i change my perspective to see each individual as unique and valuable?
I feel that i only value intelligence and i can't see someone being worth it or capable of producing something unique if he isn't highly intelligent.
Also i feel sad thinking that intelligence is needed to really appreciate beauty and have individuality.
People just seem bland i can't find pleasure in life anymore.
Please, help me change;
“If you can think of times in your life that you’ve treated people with extraordinary decency and love, and pure uninterested concern, just because they were valuable as human beings. The ability to do that with ourselves. To treat ourselves the way we would treat a really good, precious friend. Or a tiny child of ours that we absolutely loved more than life itself. And I think it’s probably possible to achieve that. I think part of the job we’re here for is to learn how to do it”
― David Foster Wallace
DFW makes me want to change so much. I don't want to be miserable.
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"Treat yourself" - David Foster Wallace
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Just hang on there
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>>8443603
Just b urself dude
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I saw a performance of Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon this summer. It made me want to read some Shakespeare again or maybe a good book about him. Anyone have any recommendations? I've read every play except for The Two Noble Kinsmen, so that's on the list. I would not mind reading some of the old plays again, but it would be interesting to read a decent book on the bard.
Pic related is a Restoration era performance of Hamlet.
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>>8443596
Harold Bloom's major obsession is on Shakespeare. Read that one, called something like Invention of the Human I think it's called. Shakespeare is one of the few areas where he comes across as very insightful.
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>>8443604
Maybe I'll give that one another look. I thought the premise of that book to be a bit of a stretch.
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>>8443693
Everything Harold Bloom proposes is a stretch, but he does have a point. Shakespeare did make a lot of headway in regards to normalizing the self-reflecting character. Before his era, most of literature's "reflective characters" were deemed so simply for being morally upright against temptations, which was still rare then. For example, Dante and Aeneas and Odysseus. Which is why so much pre-modern literature feels so simple minded in comparison. The stretch is where Bloom ascribes this shift almost entirely to Shakespeare.
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/ic/fag here. can someone tell me if this course is gonna be bullshit?
>No one doubts that we live in a globalized world, but how can we understand its complexity in cultural terms? Under the framework of everyday life, ------ pursues an answer to this question by approaching culture from the perspective of the quotidian: as an analysis of the ways that people live, work, shop, create, struggle, and dream in the daily contexts that comprise their globalized worlds. As a general introduction to the field of Cultural Studies, the course will follow the historical development of the concept of everyday life as it has been used by philosophers, critical theorists, artists, workers, and activists to challenge elitist understandings of culture. Whether in the context of shopping malls or the internet, global tourism or the routine activities of staying home, our discussion will focus on the most taken-for-granted aspects of both individual and collective social experience. By learning how to interpret the complexity of daily life through the many forms of its cultural expression—films, novels, memoirs, performances, video, digital art—this course revises familiar understandings of globalization by thinking about culture as both distinct from and complexly related to economics, politics, and social policy. In doing so, it introduces students to the value of the Humanities for exploring the meaning, history, and experience of globalization. While this course serves as an introduction to the major, its concerns will be equally valuable to students working in any number of fields, including Cultural Anthropology, History, Romance Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and English.
i was thinking about pursuing a second major in philosophy/theory (the other is stem), but i also kinda want to just take actual art courses to git gud faster
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I don't care about you or read what you said. I do want to know who that girl is, though.
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Just read this book instead
Why is writing so draining?
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>>8443409
If the tire ran into the bush they would switch lines, which would be funnier
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>>8443433
Damn this guy makes a great point
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>>8443433
Are you Shake-speare?
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So you know how people always say that nihilism is childish, implying that somehow thinking that everything is meaningless and laws are arbitrary isn't a mature way to think? What are mature themes?
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>>8443377
Love and death
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>>8443377
>everything is meaningless
Is that sentence meaningless?
checkmate nihilists
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>>8443418
EHM THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEMANTIC MEANING AND EXISTENTIAL MEANING YOU POOP ASS STINK
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Can someone make a more expanded version of this?
I am a pleb but I have enjoyed pretty much all of the recs you guys give.
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>>8443307
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whoever put Mason & Dixon as "extreme" & even harder than GR hasn't read either
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>>8443354
Thx bb
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This is a little experiment from a german, trying to interpret the tendencies in global development, inspired by certain ideas expressed by the philosopher Byung-Chul Han, though the text is transporting it into a political realm. While it is political in essence, i think that discussion of left/center/right, capitalism and so are often present on /lit/ and fit here more than they do on /pol/. I'm just experimenting here, trying to see if my thoughts seem understandable or maybe interesting to others. If not then let me know (if possible in a constructive way)
The 20th Century was the Age of Immunology. Of defending oneself against the "Other" or the "Foreign", by negating it's (perceived) destructive negativity. The "Other" is rejected or eliminated or one turns blind to it.
A wall separates
Inside // Outside
Friend // Enemy
Own // Others
As examples one could pose the rise of Racism and Nationalism. The Holocaust, the murder of millions in communist Russia (especially during it's beginnings, when the "whites" were hunted down), the great paranoia in the USA, the divide between East and West (also in Germany) and of course more generally speaking the Cold War.
According to Byung-Chul Han this perspective of the world is disappearing, being replaced by one of homogenity, assimilation of the Other and so on, due to immunological technologies which no longer make this perspective neccessary as means of self-sustainment (It should also not be hard to recognize this if one observes the discourse of the neoliberals and the liberal popular left or generally technocrats)
The Immunological perspective is rejected by the left, equality and assimilation are their progressive doctrine. It is the doctrine of globalization, which promises the opening of the world and proposes the dream of "World Citizens", which wishes to eliminate, in it's ideological core, the ideological perspective of antagonism between self/other nation/world and so on. This is the Neo-Liberal dream, the left has fallen into this ideal, the ideal of globalized capitalism. Differences between states are eliminated, ethnicity, skin colour, culture become homogenized. The final reality of this dream is the world as one, unrestricted global market.
But this ideal is not the reality of the system. Globalized Capitalism is a system which perpetuates a constant state of competition between Individuals, Nations and Organizations. If forces unite (European Union, TTIP, TPP) they do so out of strategical reasons, not to adhere with the ideal of a united world (Observing the rapture within the EU should showcase this well enough, the rift between all the nations, the blocs forming even inside it are proof (imo) that the ideal, which was constantly exclaimed by defenders of the EU during the Brexit-debate is nothing but an ideological lie and do i even need to mention Greece as to show the reality of this union?)
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In reality everyone needs to save his own skin, only the strongest survives. (See again what happened in Greece or look at Africa, a continent mostly stuck in poverty and misery due to the incapability to compete with global economic powers, unable to succesfully integrate themself as autonomous forces in global economy. This leads to almost absurd if not tragic cases where countries produce enough food to feed their own starving population but due to the economical constellation they can not compete with the cheap prices of foreign companies and are thus unable to feed their own nation, in which wages are too low or there are not enough jobs (due to the nations economy being unable to sell it's products otherwise) to afford the food
The conflict exists between the Ideal and the Reality. The Right executes or proposes "Realpolitik" according to the competetive reality of the system and is always willing to leave treaties or unions that they deem damaging to their capability of sustaining themself in the capitalist battlefield of our time. (Hungary, Britain, Poland, Front National, Trump, Afd and so on) They often present themself as the opponents of global capitalism, but in truth they propose no critical action against it, they merely wish to focus on themself. They are fully aware of the destructive essence of this system and they "oppose" it by gearing themself up to defend themself against it (here again the immunological perspective).
The Left is in most cases (This is atleast my experience, i may be too influenced by mainstream media and 4chan but it also lines up with my experience with leftist people i've met in real life) blind towards reality and would in cases of exerting power over a nation or a union turn it either into a "loser of globalisation" or a Nation that could only sustain it's privileges (Higher wages, less working, open borders, no illegal immigrants and so on) on the back of those who have lost, because their politics are not compatible with the reality of the system.
It requires neutral and calculating politicians like Merkel, which maintain the Illusion of the Ideal (The Neoliberal Dream of Globalization) while still acting according to Realpolitics. Her (governments) behaviour in the refugee crisis was a bet: The Anger of the rightists/reactionaries or people who still have internalized the "outdated" immunological perspective of Inside/Outside - against the very likely collapse of various Nations in the EU and as such the collapse of the Ideal of it, which is required a to maintain (or atleast pretend to) the EU as a united political body, which can handle and survive a global crisis (Much needed reassurance for the financial markets). Meaning: She had to choose the existence of the EU, which from her perspective is the most promising way as to let Europe survive as a significant economical power over the unrest it would cause in the EU.
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"Willkommenskultur" (Welcoming Culture) is an ideological lie to appease and mobilize the left population in society, while at the same time the "Realpolitik" of the rightist population is assimilated (Border controls, closing of borders, closing of the balkan route, faster deportation and in the end the catastrophic failure of the Turkey deal) as to slowly appease the other side of the nation, and slowly ease up the conflict in total. It is an incredible act of balancing, which could easily go wrong and maybe has gone wrong already, time will tell.
The question i'm asking myself is whether anybody could be satisfied, except for the financial markets whose credo is "Stability". Neither Left and their Ideals, nor the right and their friend/foe mentality have found expression in these politics. What remains is strategic calculation and constant, blatant lies and deception. Politics without Conviction or Vision. Even worse, what remains is also frustration and alienation from democracy.
In this conflict neither the majority of left, nor right nor center propose a real alternative to a system which constantly causes crisis, which it has to solve itself. Except it seems as if crisis after crisis grows more dire, as if conflict rises and antagonism in society too. I myself have no answer and no doctrine, but insist that the only real solution must be one that is utmostly critical to an existing system which seems to grow less and less capable of containing it's own antagonisms.
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Seems legit, although these are things alt right and NRx have said for years
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Is there any philosopher in history that he would not eloquently eviscerate in a debate on philosophy/ethics?
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>>8443163
>It's a regular morning in the Republic of Zooland, a province of Rationalia
>After breakfast you praise Sam Harris, wisest of the Four Horsemen
>When you get to work you do your daily MRI scan
>You are found to have had problematic brainwaves within the last 24 hours
>They discovered you had been thinking about the possibility of gods existence
>You are given into custody of the Order of Sam
>They give you two choices: live out the rest of your life exiled in the atomic wasteland of Syria or take a beheading
>You choose the latter
>They hold a public execution
>Crowds gather to watch, they call you a stupid fundie as the headsman prepares his blade
>"Forgive me Lord Harris" you think to yourself as the cold blade cuts through your skin
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Had a hearty chuckle, anon
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>>8443163
Zoolander would eviscerate Schoepnhauer for not picking Fashion as the highest form of art
hey guys i'm not really a book like you guys but i want to be. these are books i have downloaded, i've read deconstructionist and the stranger (AKA Boring Guy Handles Hot Weather Badly by Camus) and i'm 3/4 through the stranger. i've dipped into most of the philosophy books i downloaded along with infinite jest, but i feel like i should save those for when i'm a bit more into it all. recs and shit? thx
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>namefag
>zero proofreading before posting
>shitty writting and grammar
Shut up and lurk more before posting again.
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>>8443119
Bro it's 2016 how do you not know how to take a screenshot
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Newfag here.
During the brief time I've been here, I've seen many posts claiming Spenser as the greatest of English literature. In my ignorant opinion, it seems that Spenser is often the forgotten fourth pillar of the English canon, (Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton). I would like to know if you agree or disagree from that statement.
I'm also very interested in wondering where to start with Spenser, probably the Faerie Queene. If that's the case are there any preferred editions with annotations or footnotes. It would help this novice greatly.
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>>8443063
> I've seen many posts claiming Spenser as the greatest of English literature
> In my ignorant opinion, it seems that Spenser is often the forgotten fourth pillar of the English canon
Anon, make up your mind.
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>>8443136
Apologies, I meant to say Spenser is only exposed at extreme scholastic avenues, whereas the big three are exposed at advanced high school curriculum.
I just wanted a general Spenser discussion. Feel free to ignore my anecdotes.
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>>8443063
Definitely Faerie Queene. Literally start from book 1. The problem with notes is that really the symbolism is so dense that you can have notes on a single stanza that go a page because of the cool effects in the metrical pattern that denote a theme (for example, he commonly reuses sounds over and over to convey the feeling of being trapped, or the characters going through circles), or in book 1, Canto 1 or 2, where RCK and Una go into a forest and it describes the types of trees they pass, each one having a different medieval symbolism, such as the Elms (?) in the center ring of the forest being the same wood used in the trojan horse, which means they are travelling further into a state of moral decay, or on another the forest is more evil in the center, yadda yadda
No, I'm not exaggerating, it's that dense. Don't expect to get most of it, or you'll never finish the fucking thing.
Enjoy, it's not much in terms of philosphy but it is one of the most essential works of fantasy ever written.
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I'm really not feeling it. Should I press on since it's such an essentially thing or nah?
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>>8443007
Read L'immoraliste by Gide instead
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>>8443007
essential for what ?
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>Sartre
>Essential
How new?
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I read Sappho and now I want to fuck her
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she's a dyke Anon
she doesn't want you
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The only real joy in life is eating out a lesbian who doesn't like men at all and just wants to be eaten out.
I've done it six times and those times are the only times I've actually been alive. Everything else in my life has been some kind of sleep unto death.
I want a lesbian to sit on my face right now.
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>I can't express myself through words
I understand a concept in my head but when someone asks me for help I try to explain it and it just comes out a confusing jarble mess.
What's wrong with me.
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Well if you learn more words people will just call you pretentious. Just communicate with your dick like everyone else.
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Do you really understand a thing if you can't express it?
Language is the foundation of how we interact with and categorize the world; perhaps you've just become habituated to assuming you understand a thing - and the difficulty you face when expressing this alleged understanding is cold reality seeping in?
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>>8442886
I kinda get what OP means. I'm shit at explaining things on the spot.
If I'm having a really in depth conversation about something I actually care about and/or with someone I actually care about, I'll some times make a note of their question(s) or the general topic and come back to them with something more concrete - usually a few written notes/etc.
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When does it get good?
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>>8442831
When you put it down
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>>8442831
if you're not hooked by the meeting at the monastery, drop it
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>>8442836
Oh yeah. Never understood that part when they are talking about the State and the Church
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I'm looking for characters I can relate to. I'm in my early 20s, I'm a thin, I'm very liberal and atheist but I guess you could say I'm spiritual in my own way, just not in a way that involves believing in things which can't be proven or thinking I feel things which other people can't. I feel extremely embarrassed about talking to other people, often on your average day when I'm sitting around my house, I think of moments where I really sounded like a fucking idiot and I feel glad that I'm not around other people. I also like guys, but guys who are more on the beautiful, thin, greek god thin surf body or twink side and have a bit of a kinky side as well. I feel that I'm very creative, because I know that I have an easy time thinking creatively (I can't back that up here though, because I feel that I wouldn't do myself justice and I can't just summarize what creativity is in a brief little paragraph or two). I am also looking forward to the technological age and consider myself a trans humanist.
If there's any characters in books who I could relate to, I would appreciate it very much if you'd tell me what books they're in.
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>>8442815
where did you find this copypasta
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I also want to add that I'm unemployed and the thought of getting a job sickens me. I'd like nothing more than to just read and listen to music and play online for a living.
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>>8442815
Any John Green novel you self-absorbed faggot.