Certainly it has already been noted that virtue is simple and vice complex. Virtue does not disguise itself, and almost always presents itself as banal, boring, dull, which often misleads about its nature. Vice, on the other hand, is difficult for us to see right away as vice: compared to virtue, it has a more charming, more instigating presentation. Virtue is simple because, to justify it, one never needs more than a handful of words or immediate common sense; vice, on the other hand, makes use of more sophisticated possibilities of argument, and its dialectic convinces precisely because of its sophistication. Reflection on such qualities seems to suggest a dualism between form and content—and the conclusions we draw show, unwillingly, which one we value more.
Tag: philosophy
It Is Beneficial for the Moralist…
To a certain extent, it is beneficial for the moralist to be able to identify falsehood from afar, so that an inflection or a glance is enough to reveal a character. Pragmatically, this ability will be of use to him throughout his life. There is, however, an inevitable side-effect: realizing its near omnipresence, he must either tolerate it or turn away. If he has learned to detest it, if he has taken an invincible repulsion to it, he will fall into that rare practice which is now called a personality disorder, and even if, for whatever reason, he ends up giving in to the torture which his contact with the world will become, it is only in that that he will find his peace.
The Dungeons of Thought
An independent thinker concerned with the ultimate purposes of existence must necessarily lodge for a time in the dungeons of thought. And then to study and know them. Some remain there for life; but it seems, however, that the time comes when he must leave them and return to the previous environment, as the heroes always return from their journeys: transformed and with something to teach.
Laughter Really Seems to Be the Superior
Laughter really seems to be the superior among all the ultimate manifestations of the spirit. Therefore, it is valid and even necessary that there be a conscious effort, in cases where it does not occur spontaneously, for it to erupt as a victory over more natural and immediate tendencies. Indignation and sadness are often justified, but can never represent the overcoming of the circumstances that triggered them. If they stimulate, that is the most they can do. Victory over any circumstance implies a detachment that allows one to look at them and laugh.