Philosophy: Modern and Ancient

[icarus]

I've just read Aristotle and just been blown away. Absolutely brilliant. I don't agree entirely, but I'm simply amazed at his logical capacity and connection between the mundane and sacred.

Confucius was subtle and exacting. Confucianism eventually resulted in a great deal of repression, but it seems that most Confucians ignored fundamentals in order to make that so.

The Bhagavadgita, while Buddhism is virtually opposite to those views, was beautiful and breath-taking in its vast view.

Although Descartes did not succeed in his goals and reached conclusions that I would not have, his willingness to assume nothing, this hyperbolic skepticism and his thoroughness was mesmerizing.

Then I read some more modern philosophers.

I'm going to assume that process of time will cull some of these guys. *rolls eyes*

Comments

[srichard.livejournal.com]

I've always been most fascinated by Aristotle's Poetics. That man nailed what makes stories work so well that, essentially, no one has had to do it since.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I really do have to read Poetics. Er. After I finish the Shes Terzod.

Icarus

[mousapelli.livejournal.com]

I was just wondering which Artistotle thing you just read? I read a bunch of stuff for my paper just a few days ago, and his poetics don't really do it for me. So I was curious what you had such a strong reaction to.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Nichomachean Ethics! Oh, it's dry at first, but then it's brilliant.

Icarus

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Read Karl R. Popper. Also Josiah Royce. Also Aurel Kolnai. And if you were looking into the classics, how come you missed the greatest of them all - Thomas Aquinas?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

But as the good Buddhist *wink* I'll probably start with another set of classics. Who could forget Longchenpa, called the DaVinci of Tibet?

Icarus

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Whatever. The great man of Aquino has, in the past, been unfairly victimized by crass anti-Catholic prejudice, but these days most students of philosophy agree that to study philosophy without studying him is like studying history of music without Beethoven.
I never heard of Longchempa. Thanks for telling me. That's one thing about this - getting to hear new things. Incidentally, have you heard of the forthcoming Clay Sanskrit Library?