The irony of rational thought is that it tacitly demands a conclusion. Otherwise, it is to declare itself useless, to conclude that it has not advanced. And the conclusion is precisely the impossible, the false step and the defeat! By concluding, one loses the game, one buries beforehand future possibilities, one declares the end of mental activity. From this we extract: if one is to fail and give up, let one fail and give up late, only when faced with the presentiment of failure and if seized by an irresistible impulse. Schopenhauer, a brilliant mind, did himself harm by doing this too early: he would have had more peaceful days had he not walked, for almost all of his adult life, carrying the weight of his conclusions.
The Irony of Rational Thought Is That It Tacitly Demands a Conclusion
