The Philosophical Debate Thread

[Mr. Charlie]

That's an interesting mix of ingredients. I briefly googled him just now and he seems quite acclaimed. Can you recommend one of his books?

[grindy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Charlie

That's an interesting mix of ingredients. I briefly googled him just now and he seems quite acclaimed. Can you recommend one of his books?

His best is clearly "Chapayev and Void" aka "Buddha's Little Finger" aka "Clay Machine Gun".
There's a lot of philosophy there you'll enjoy, but I'm not sure you'll be interested in the whole background of the october revolution/post-soviet reality.
Other great novels you might enjoy are "The Life of Insects" (allegorically comparing certain types of people to different insects, but with a uniquelly fun and surreal twist) and "The Sacred Book of the Werewolf" which mixes Chinese mythology, a pinch of Japanese furry erotica (not interested in it as well, but it's used pretty hilariously) and zen.
His short stories and novellas are also pretty cool.
You'll like "The Yellow Arrow". Quite short and a powerful allegory for the human condition.
There's also the novel "Babylon" aka "Generation Π" aka "Homo Zapiens", which looks at the world of advertising and politics from a shroomy angle, but this one might be a little too "Russian". Although some of my German friends loved it, so who knows...

[Mr. Charlie]

I said one!

Hmm, maybe I'll let the user reviews on Amazon UK dictate which book I start with. I wanna pick a goodun, otherwise I might reject him by starting with a poor choice.

[grindy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Charlie

I said one!

Hmm, maybe I'll let the user reviews on Amazon UK dictate which book I start with. I wanna pick a goodun, otherwise I might reject him by starting with a poor choice.

I'd clearly recommend the first one, but I'm not sure how interested decadent westerners are in its more russian/soviet elements.
Going by amazon reviews might actually be a good idea for a non-commie.

[Mr. Charlie]

What's that? You say haven't read the Dhammapada? Crikey. You better watch this video:

[Mr. Charlie]

These snippets of poetry by Rumi don't really belong here. And yet this is where they best belong. It's funny how what the Sufi poets say echo what Jesus said, and Muhammad, and Buddha, and Lao Tzu, and the Hindu scriptures in the Bhagavad Gita, and the Zen teachings of Bodhidharma, and the esoteric school of thought in the Jewish Kabbalah, and the writings of the mystic Meister Eckhart. The names they use are different, the concepts they employ are different, the methods they prescribe too; but go beyond the langauge, and they're describing the same experience. The same condition.

If that sounds like nonsense, no problem, just enjoy his fabulous wordsmithing :

[Mr. Charlie]

I seem to have hijacked this thread and turned it into the spirituality, maybe even religious (oh no! ), thread. I now endeavour get it back on track. If only for a little while.

I like philosophy. And am grateful to it. Not modern philosophy which concerns itself with arguing whether certain philosophical statements are true or not, and largely consists of arrogant, thinly veiled vein displays of one's intellectual prowess. Not abstract philosophy either. But practical philosophy. Old school philosophy. The philosophy of men like Socrates, Diogenes and Epicurus. Philosophy that when put into practise brings peace and contentment, philosophy that teaches one to extract the essential oil from each and every experience.

I was particularly keen on Stoicism for a time, it served as an important stepping stone, and helped me during a period of my life when nothing else - not sex, drugs, alcohol, materialsm, or money - would.

I suppose we only turn to philosophy (maybe religion too) when things ain't quite right, when wordly pleasures no longer scratch the itch, when all other avenues have been exhausted. It's certainly true in my own case at any rate. It certainly seems that the last place we think of looking for what we need is ourselves - and yet that is precisely where all good philosophy tells you to go a-digging.

Let's see what those dusty old Stoics were on about:











Good books on Stoicism? Marcus Aurelius' 'Meditations', Lucius Annaeus Seneca's 'On The Shortness of Life' and Epictetus' 'The Enchiridion'.

Heed the words of old Marcus Aurelius:

"Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig".

[Stephen]

I'm partial to Seneca myself.

[RoxyRollah]

Its not even coffee tho.. ^

[Mr. Charlie]

Originally Posted by Stephen

I'm partial to Seneca myself.

Alain de Botton! I love that man. That video is one of six shows he did, the other five focused on Socrates, Epicurus, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Montaigne. I think it was aired (in the UK) a good 10 years ago. Excellent series. Epicurus was my favourite episode.