Arquivo de philosophy | Page 111 of 116

Nietzsche and Cioran: Philosophy for Teenagers?

It has become commonplace to say that Nietzsche and Cioran are not authors for adults, that the whole philosophy of both does not cause strong impressions but in adolescents. I say for my part: I read Nietzsche and Cioran, above all, for aesthetic pleasure. I consider both, before philosophers, skilled artists; I see in them an expression power that I cannot find in other places; and the validity or not of their philosophies, for me, is secondary matter. If I were to analyze only by logic, I would say Nietzsche’s philosophy, if taken by block, is absurd; Cioran’s I would say leads us to apathy. But, for me, none of this constitutes demerit. Those who seek in philosophy a foolproof manual to guide their thinking and their actions do better by reading self-help. I am not obliged to box Nietzsche and Cioran in the “I do not agree” group, I do not feel uncomfortable facing their ambiguities or delusions; on the contrary, I consider them as masters of style. As I said, I read both for aesthetic pleasure, to find beauty and acuity in expressions and to see them give rise to discomfort in me. And I still notice the poverty in the words of those who tax Nietzsche and Cioran’s entire work as “philosophy for teenagers.” Nothing shallower than summarizing everything as “right” or “wrong”, this only demonstrates narrowness of vision and inability to deal with the ambiguous, the complex. Finishing a work full of nuances, impeccably written and saying only “I do not agree” seems to me the most adolescent of generalizations.

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Future of Humanity

I have some optimistic perspectives on the future of humanity. Here is one: I imagine a hypothesis in which, in the near future, digital advances would enable John, a cold meat storer, to buy a ticket to embark forever on an instigating virtual reality. (In order for the world to become really better with the advance, the ticket price would have to be affordable; say, costing the equivalent of three years of manual labor.) Then John would no longer be an underpaid worker, with terrible prospects, dissatisfied with life, harassed by the banks and would adopt an interesting nickname, giving up a poor life to enter in another stimulant, full of adventures and challenges, that kept glory and respect for the hardworking player. The new John, depending on his effort, could occupy a prominent position in his new reality. On the other side, here on the real world, science could invent a machine that would maintain the functioning of the brain independently of the body; this would allow John, once a participant in the new reality, to be cut from the neck down, and his vital organs could be destined for transplants. It is rather an optimistic possibility: John would be satisfied and make the happiness of some needy. In addition, his remains – at first useless – could be used in scientific research or other purposes that interested the evolution of mankind. I believe that, in this way, science and digital technology would certainly be operating for general happiness, for the well-being of society and for the progress of humanity in a socially sustainable and conscious way.

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Intelligent Attitude

Perhaps it is an intelligent attitude to inebriate the senses at every opportunity and in all the free time that arises, throwing sand into consciousness and silenting the inner voice that arises singing to the human being the macabre melody of the emptiness. Is facing it a sign of courage? It could be… But certainly denying the abyss (eternally postponing the confrontation with nothingness) allows a socially acceptable and sensible life according to the terms of modernity. The other option is, dancing to the sound of a funeral waltz, sinking into desperate and atrocious melancholy.

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Alfred de Vigny: “La solitude est sainte”

“La solitude est sainte” — said, in the nineteenth century, the French romantic poet Alfred de Vigny. Today, I find it impossible to write a phrase like this; I mean, the stones would be the inevitable reception. In our time, everything is collective: men are hand in hand circling around the beautiful world they share. And if, for a moment, someone feels an impulse to seclusion, a need for loneliness, he should not make a fuss! Otherwise, he will be crushed as an insect, censored by anyone who has the displeasure of seeing his lack of social maturity. The loner is sick, not having in himself the sense of collectivity is to be inferior. Today, only the common good matters, and only to the common good should direct the efforts a sensible, modern and conscious human. Therefore, I consider myself to be a quadruped: I judge any kind of collective intelligence impossible and I have no sense of belonging in me. The human being, for me, only develops intellectually in silence and retreat. So I cannot be read, so I cannot even find a Vigny’s book in Portuguese on Amazon. This century is too spacious to provide accommodation for solitude..

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