Arquivo de philosophy | Page 114 of 123

To Love and To Be Loved

“To love and to be loved”: this is capitalism applied to affective relations, showing us its immense vigor. I could say: only love those who do not require anything in return, or love is precisely to expect nothing. But how outdated it would sound! Today is all an exchange: “I generate value, then I want my retribution!” And it is naïve to think that the exchanges do not apply to everything, that the greatest of loves or the tiniest of conventions could not be summarize in a relation of exchange. To observe this, it takes only a modest interior examination…

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The Intellectual Life, by A. D. Sertillanges

The Intellectual Life, by Antonin-Dalmace Sertillanges is, above all, a practical book: a manual intended for all those who seek to structure a life that exceeds everyday banality. I say for my part: when, by my twenties, I came across this work, I found precisely what I needed: the motivation and the means to architect a plan of long-term studies, recognizing the importance of habits, the selection of readings, the solitude, in short: the organization of life to intellectual progress. And I remember the pleasure in breathing those beautiful pages of Sertillanges, gifted with contagious serenity, justifying, elevating and ennonoking intellectual work. No doubt it’s book to close inspired, grateful and motivated.

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Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness can only be the purpose of life in futile natures. First, because of its impossibility; second, for its smallness.What harm does it do to accept life in full? It is a vigorous attitude to greet the bad times, and more: to value them as formers of meaning.

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Human Corruption

According to Pascal, man is corrupted to such an extent that even knowledge is not immune from forgery. If we take such a statement seriously, it will be necessary that we adopt a humble stance towards everything: we will have to doubt each of our words and be extremely cautious about anything that appears to us as “conviction”. We will treat ourselves with a certain contempt, and self-esteem will be an impossible word. We will be likely to avoid contact and our independence, if it manifests itself, will do so in a measured manner. In short, we will be exactly the opposite of the men of this century.

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