Arquivo de Notes | Page 298 of 334

“The object of this work is the investigation of the problem…”

“The object of this work is the investigation of the problem. But first, we must define the methods we will use in the analysis. However, we must first say what exactly we understand as a method. But first, we must outline the scope of human understanding. First of all, we need to make it very clear what the limitations of a scope are. Nevertheless, it is fundamental that we explain first in what sense we think something limited…” Oh, God, turn my boat off this course! Turn my poor boat off!

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Affability Is the Customary Packaging of Falsehood

“He is so cool, huh?” Oh, very very nice! Sweet! And the father of lies knows how much one gets from this venerable quality… But there it is: social relations require masks, and affability is the customary packaging of falsehood. I say and do not hesitate: sincerity looks terrible! For is it possible to have any appreciation of social life, knowing it to be a great theatre? Is it possible to smile in response to the smile whose motivation we know? Is it possible not to judge affability as an almost always detestable manifestation? Rhetorical questions, for the answers already count good centuries…

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Thought Only Blossoms in Silence

Thinking, intellectual progress is associated with silence. That is to say: it is impossible to think under noise; thought requires silence to flourish. And when we notice the numerous benefits of silence, solitude, and stillness, we must conclude that to adapt to silence is to strengthen character, to mold one’s own personality. The highest thoughts always spring from where there are no voices, and the inner voice only appears when the world is silent. That is why the path of knowledge is very clear—difficult is to have the courage to follow it.

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He Who Does Not Know Foreign Languages Does Not Know Anything About His Own

Goethe teaches: He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own. But why? It is subject to hundreds of pages… Knowledge of foreign languages makes an invaluable contribution to the mastery of one’s native language. Languages from the same root broaden vocabulary, deepen understanding of words, strengthen the meaning of common radicals, give the student an arsenal of syntactical resources applicable to his language. Languages from different roots, in turn, challenge the intellect, force the brain to deal with a different organization of language—teaching how to structure thought differently,—strengthen the understanding of word classes, presenting them with new applications. This without mentioning the gains of cultural nature: language is the manifestation of a people’s character; to study its evolution and its particularities is to know a new way of understanding and expressing reality. Therefore, the obvious conclusion: assimilation is dependent on comparison; one apprehends the essence of something when opposed to what is different. And so, the words of the master are wise: deep knowledge of native language requires knowledge of foreign languages.

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