Author Topic: Spinal Catastrophism  (Read 4195 times)

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Ibra

  • Philosopher of the Void
  • Posts: 132
Re: Spinal Catastrophism
« on: November 13, 2020, 04:39:52 am »
Quote from: Silenus
I can't say much about searching for "truth;" I'm interested in a creating a synthesis of interpretations and representations to shine some strange light on the little we know about ourselves. I hope I will always learn in some capacity, as long as I may live.

well said, Silenus about synthesis. It reminds me of Schopenhauer essay about Writing in his distinction of the "matter vs form".

Quote from: Schopenhauer - On Authorship and Style.
A book can never be anything more than the impression of its author’s thoughts. The value of these thoughts lies either in the matter about which he has thought, or in the form in which he develops his matter — that is to say, what he has thought about it.

The matter of books is very various, as also are the merits conferred on books on account of their matter. All matter that is the outcome of experience, in other words everything that is founded on fact, whether it be historical or physical, taken by itself and in its widest sense, is included in the term matter. It is the motif that gives its peculiar character to the book, so that a book can be important whoever the author may have been; while with form the peculiar character of a book rests with the author of it. The subjects may be of such a nature as to be accessible and well known to everybody; but the form in which they are expounded, what has been thought about them, gives the book its value, and this depends upon the author. Therefore if a book, from this point of view, is excellent and without a rival, so also is its author. From this it follows that the merit of a writer worth reading is all the greater the less he is dependent on matter — and the better known and worn out this matter, the greater will be his merit. The three great Grecian tragedians, for instance, all worked at the same subject.

So that when a book becomes famous one should carefully distinguish whether it is so on account of its matter or its form.

Quite ordinary and shallow men are able to produce books of very great importance because of their matter, which was accessible to them alone. Take, for instance, books which give descriptions of foreign countries, rare natural phenomena, experiments that have been made, historical events of which they were witnesses, or have spent both time and trouble in inquiring into and specially studying the authorities for them.

On the other hand, it is on form that we are dependent, where the matter is accessible to every one or very well known; and it is what has been thought about the matter that will give any value to the achievement; it will only be an eminent man who will be able to write anything that is worth reading. For the others will only think what is possible for every other man to think. They give the impress of their own mind; but every one already possesses the original of this impression.

I am with Mr. Hentrich that I prefer the direct style. I tried to read many works of the "French" academics but I find it not a smooth experience. besides becoming more muddle-minded than before.
I wonder why authors do not combine a direct style with new synthesis.

I hope you are getting by.


« Last Edit: November 13, 2020, 08:22:32 am by Ibra »
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