It is so riveting to realize that pessimism is not actually and necessarily related to depression or failure but rather a very grounded and mature way of thinking and facing life, shared by great philosophers, and you can be a pessimistic person and yet live a worthy existence.
I recently discovered this one and concur with your comment. This comment & video is five years old so I hope there are many more and the channel remains active.
Thanks! You have provided true education. Thank you for all of your hard work! Great quality, I appreciate everything you do here. I hope this channel explodes with subscribers, best of luck to you!
I saw a study of pessimism vs optimism which discovered that pessimists have a clearer idea of reality than optimists, because they saw reality more clearly.
Dude i just started watching this channel the other day and havnt watched anything else since. Appreciate the effort it took to make these very comprehensive, interesting, and relevant.
Maybe so, but I´m one of those who may believe more in life than probably is good. This embracing-thing feels like we loose our personality and identity. Like we are just energies shaped and finally destroyed by creation. Like we and nothing else really matter. I like the idea of transcending life and becoming greater than it without it necessarily have something to do with power. Eternal life wouldn´t be that bad if we were created for it I think. I don´t like the idea of aging and finally dying. The eternal life could give me the possibility of living out all my dreams. Maybe it´s silly but at least I could live life fully without having to be afraid.
@@renehenriksen1735 Do not fear my friend for life is eternal. Energy persists and takes new form. There are many multiverses and pockets of reality, space and time you can incarnate into and learn from. The problem with "Easy Mode" comes from the players inability to choose a hard enough game that keeps them creating. If you are given all of time what is there to do? Is there still meaning to learning and growing if you are already eternal? We like to put ourselves and other players within our own games that are specifically meant to end in failure. Or at least the perception of failure ie death.
Thank you for these video lessons! Pessimism of Strength sums up my headspace for the past few years: "trust in life is gone.... Yet... even love of life is still possible, only one loves differently" 👏✊
An EXCELLENT explanation of these concepts. A "pessimism of strength" puts into words the reasons I sought to give my life meaning after many months of the idea of death causing me great stress and anxiety.
I love this channel. Does anyone else feel though that pessimism was not clearly defined? I generally see pessimism as unnecessary, but I agree with the implications of "a pessimism of strength", which indicates that my understanding of pessimism is not consistent with the one being indicated in the video. If I understood correctly, what is meant by pessimism here is the assumption that life comes with challenges and suffering, and is not all flowers and roses. If this is the case, then the understanding of optimism that results from it is too narrow relative to what I think is meant by healthy optimism.
You sir, with this video, have proven to me that you are one of those (not so many) beings who see the world with eyes akin to my own. I watched all of your videos, and when I saw the title of this new one, I couldn't help but smile out of respect and comprehension. Thank you.
Ali SANHAJI so he validated you, and you think that by telling everyone (what should be a mere internally confirmed recogition), that you are NOT, IN FACT, AND IRONICALLY SO, revealing your self-referential narcissism: seeking AS YOU ARE to utilitize a person's view as a means of publicly bestowing upon your own self (esteem), a sense of vindicated brilliance... SAD, AND OBVIOUSLY INSECURE expression of Solipsistic PROJECTION...
Another idea discussed here is the concepts of Order and Chaos. You could look at Chaos as representing the Future (unpredictable in the near term, unknowable in the long term) and the Past is represented by Order (as certain as your knowledge of it and utterly unalterable) The passage of time could then be described as Orda ab Chao... order out of chaos! ;)
@Ace Arch we can't separate ourselves from the universe, the Chaos of the universe guaranteed the universe would form itself in an ordered form and entropy guaranteed that order eventually be destroyed.
AbsoluteMonarchist Dont really care, it would be absurd to care how you, or anybody else is insane. No disrespect. You should instead of talking about you, exchange and provoke with great ideas.
Thank You. Again! This is one of those "I told you, I'm not Pessimistic at All. I'm Realistic. I can't help it if you think of realism as negative." I Love Nietzsche. He is at the top of people in history, I really want to talk with. He knew how the world was and even eerily would be. I love this Channel. So I joined as a Member. Yalls love of Knowledge and Learning is Awesome. I rarely come aross this kind of mind. Thank You So Much! Peace and Love Always ♡ Tauney
I bet some money that non of those hired as psychologists and assigned to do therapy for KAISER have any concept of this. This bring memories of prompts in highschool. I need to collect these and pass them to those seeking needing value in life.
Pessimism of strength is such an Plutonian philosophy. The idea of looking at difficult situations and subjects and using them to improve is exactly how Pluto transforms, destroy and give birth to better humans.
It's videos like these that should be stored in a bunker so the knowledge they contain may survive any war or natural desaster and live on as an elixir of wisdom to those that survive. Lives can be fixed with these lessons. I think mine has taken a positive turn so far. Just need to find the gas pedal.
I feel happy being a pessimist. If you surrender yourself to suffering then your life has no purpose or meaning. If you fight against suffering then your life does have meaning. It reminds me of a scene from “Kingdom of Heaven” when he says “Who am I if I don’t try to make the world better?”. It’s noble to fight against suffering even though we will never defeat it.
Please come back. You offer such a great help for everybody, and many of your veiwers like me are just high school students who love philosophy and need some guide.
academyofideas I am really glad that you will be back. I will be waiting impatiently for the video. Thank you for making awesome videos and helping us.
I was an optimist in the first years of my life but slowly declined into a pessimist around my teenage years. With age and wisdom, I have concluded that one must acknowledge the hard times but also strive for better. People try too hard to avoid these negative emotions and struggles that we experience, but we should never let them hold us down. We cannot always predict when though times will cross out life, but we shall endure.
associated with feelings of depression & despair. But not necessarily crippling. "The idea that a pessimistic philosophy is necessarily one of discouragement is a puerile idea, but one that needs too long a refutation." Albert Camus 11:30 Pessimism of strength : finding joy in struggles and tragedy. Valuying development and growth above comfort and satisfaction. Viewing suffering as valuable material to be used in the transfiguration of the self.
I am a huge fan of philosophy. I admire the deep thinker. most humans are disturbingly shallow. my conclusion on these matters is......, a knowledge of ones own personal truth, and to embrace and except it is the most likely pathway to personal peace. the world is always what it is. what is important is to be what you are and to stand by that.
Nietzsche's thoughts and convictions on this topic (time, pain, loss and the affirmation of life despite these) are complex, as he insists he does not have any system or program, and the virtues and human reserves of strength he points towards resist attempts at specification. But speaking very generally (and thus cautiously) his most radical gesture is to call not for the acceptance of pain and suffering (stoicism and ascetic religion) but for LOVE of the particular pains and sufferings that are part of any concrete life (Amor Fati).This is powerfully expressed in a hypothetical encounter with a demon who is thanked and praised for bringing the news of eternal recurrence-- all that has happened in this life, no matter how painful or difficult, will happen over and over in future lives, ad infinitum. Such love in the face of radical fatalism calls for all kinds of virtues which must be "cultivated." The problem with all of this is that, as Nietzsche well knows, "we" (he doesn't believe literally in personal identity, since "man is dividuum not individuum") are not in charge of our own emotions, thoughts, actions. Nietzsche says that "free will" is an "error," and when he talks about cultivating virtues and loving/affirming life unconditionally, he uses metaphors like "sculpting" or "giving style to character" -- all of which is far from clear. He never claimed to embody all these virtues,or know the state of amor fati from personal experience. In fact, he noted that he was "decadent" in Ecce Homo. I would argue that his varying descriptions of total affirmation of life are utopian, or at least rarely, if ever instantiated. More problematic still, they constitute a kind of telos or ideal end which exists only in a possible future. If you love your fate already, then you don't need to cultivate virtues, "will a self" or engage any particular project at all. You're already strong despite fate. But if you do believe that you need to "become" something other than who you already are (say more courageous, honest, hard, and other Nietzschean virtues) then you are back to the problem of measuring the value of the present in terms of an ideal future ( i.e. possible state which is not yet, and may never be). This in turn often leads to discouragement, self-deprecation, vain introspection, and unrealistic expectations. But most of all it presupposes some kind of agency by which we can not simply accept but alter our natures. Nietzsche was aware of this tension between fatalism and "self-overcoming" in his thought, yet his discussions of "self-overcoming" and notions of "willing a self" or "creating a self" are filled with internal tension and contradictions (e.g. to will a self supposes a prior "self" and the efficacy of goal-directed willing, both of which he denies). In the end, his response to this problem is to say that he uses language more as a poet than theorist, and that each individual must feel his/her way through the metaphors uniquely through interpretation. This leaves us roughly where we started. If a tour-guide claims to point only to interpretations and not objects, then it's not clear when 2 tourists are pointing at the same object. In this case, it's unclear just which people, if any, can be said to exemplify amor fati or pessimism of strength. But Nietzsche defends a radically playful/poetic view of language use. He famously remarked (no doubt poetically!) "there are no facts, only interpretations." Of course, this begs the question, "Interpretations of WHAT? Other interpretations?" Even a poet has to touch the ground in order to poetize about it. Nietzsche's extreme statements can't be taken at face value, but the point is that there is an undeniable tension between an emphasis on personal growth and the unconditional love of life. The most tragic problem of all is that unconditional love (by definition) cannot be "cultivated." For cultivation is conditioning of one kind or another. It's like the commandment to love your neighbors. If you already love all your neighbors, the commandment is superfluous. If you do not, then the commandment may not be something you can obey (since we are not in charge of what we feel). In that case it is likely to weigh on your conscience and sense of worth, as you will feel that you "should" love them all. Then you cry out "What's wrong with me!?," and possibly fall into self-loathing which brings you even further from unconditioned love or the affirmation of life. Niezsche knew all about such conundrums and called it "The Tyranny of the Should" which he associated with the history of western morality. I would say that his poetic evocation of an ideal state of fatalism characterized by love and strength falls prey to the same problem/s he diagnosed in other philosophies and religious systems.
Yes, exactly. Amor fati is more like slave morality if done forcibly. Nietzsche lost his rigour in an attempt to denial of being unhappy. Maybe this led to his madness.
silverskid nicely said. i can concur with most of what you are saying, and also, i believe i am in charge of what i feel. i cannot change what i've already felt, or what i'm feeling in this moment, but with practice and work, i AM choosing what to feel, whether through expectations, or lack of expectations.
Very interesting comment, but you misunderstood him in some ways (For an exemple he didn't say man is dividuum not individuum, but "In morality man treats himself as dividuum not individuum", and you can say "but he was a moralist" not entirely, he debunks morality in The Gay Science, On genealogy of morals and Beyond good and evil, he even called himself an anti-moralist.) It is true that he mostly uses language more as a poet but not as a theorist, but that's the main foundation of his philosophy. Nietzsche was more of a philosopher which if you asked "What does this mean?" he would have answered "What does it mean to you?". He mostly stated that one should deepen into self-knowledge and become the genius that live inside of him/her. To become who you are.
re: Nietzsche's idea about The Past... the stone "it was" From a Stoic perspective, this represents something outside of one's control or ability to change. Therefore, a stoic would not concern themselves with the past except to use it as a lesson on how to avoid repeating it in the present. A stoic derives satisfaction and value from their knowledge of the past.... no matter how bad it seems.
What about "optimism of strength", life has so many sides to it, both good and bad. One man can't be aware of them all simultaneously, but he does have the power to choose which ones to focus on, and it is that focus of his that determins the nature of his human experiance. Having the strength to admit the negative aspect of reality and still look for the positive ones is the path I think is worth pursuing.
The only path is the biological destiny of our race. We need living space and eugenics and war as a conflict within which the Nietzschean master race of white warrior bionihilists. And eventually they will extend their lives with technology indefinitely and become machines. Our ultimate destiny is to escape the confines of this mortal solar system and colonise habitable planets in star systems throughout the universes.
AbsoluteMonarchist you sir are a dangerous imbecil, I can't know what frustrations drive you to such a disorted view of the world, but obsession with "the supreme race" , eugenics and becoming gods through technology is very disturbing and looks like a mental illness to me. You are driven by an animal insticts to preserve the race with which you identify at the cost of everyone else, that's the classic animal/fascist state of mind that can't expand his empathy for the people outside the group he considers him self to be a part of. What you are talking about is the path opposite of evolution, the path leading us back to the animal/beast part of us, which evolution of culture, knowledge and consciousness should allow us to transcend.
If you're really into philosophy of pessimism and love watching TV show, you gotta check out 'True Detective' Season 1. The main character, Rust Cohle is literally a pessimist.
Buddha: "All sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, & ideas that are welcome, appealing, agreeable - as long as they're said to exist, are supposed by the world together with its devas to be bliss. But when they cease, they're supposed by them to be stress. The stopping of self-identity is viewed by the noble ones as bliss. This is contrary to what's seen by the world as a whole. What others say is blissful, the noble ones say is stress. What others say is stressful, the noble know as bliss. See the Dhamma, hard to understand! Here those who don't know are confused. For those who are veiled, [the Dhamma is] darkness, blindness for those who don't see. But for the good it is blatant, like light for those who see. Though in their very presence, they don't understand it - dumb animals, unadept in the Dhamma. It's not easy for those overcome by passion for becoming, flowing along in the stream of becoming, falling under Mara's sway, to wake up to this Dhamma. Who, apart from the noble, is worthy to wake up to this state? - the state that, through rightly knowing it, they're free from fermentation, totally unbound."
Thank you for the perfect complement to this video. The path to be awoken is worth every uncertain step along the way. The path must be walked by each individual with courage and faith in its meaning.
If the world around you decrys anything you have no hope of ever realizing your potential. Being satisfied with that is a big deal. Few are able to achieve even that.
Dozens of times have I seen this video on Suggested, but never actually saw it. I always thought it'd be about the pessimist nature of the Need for Strength, in a sort of lament of the famous "Si vis pacem para bellum". Now i find myself amused of my preconception but I still think such a theme deserves some insight. Maybe if I watch all the videos I'll find something of the sort.
Time is a broken awareness, it is like what lies behind the middle of a black hole; awaken nervoussympathicus a finds of region dictated by a declaration does not hold back the declaration to which a futility is a beholden trust for energy, one must hold to as the gravity that never ceases. balance, power, form, psychological awareness, what else is to hold in a facet of the expanding vacuum of awareness?
I've read been getting into these videos but sometimes it feels like we go round in circles. Realistic optimism sounds very much like this pessimism of strength. Optimism takes courage cause life is indeed full of suffering. For you to keep going knowing you may die in the middle of it or fail at least is very brave. That may sound dark and crazy but you can't avoid reality but yet still stay very positive. Or what do you call that? I think it's just being reasonable and mature.
Basically one should love ones own life...for we can truly learn to love life we will come to love it tragedies and be able to enjoy the hollow comedy of existence while tempering ones spirit to be more accepting to the chaos and illogicality of nature thus be able to acheive a sense of satisfaction through progress.
Only in existance is any good possible, as non existance has no concept of good. entropy, and therefore tragedy, is the base function of the universe. everything resisting decay, even for a short while, this is marvelous and cherrishable. by the nature of physics, the universe can't forget. every mistake is a opportunity in the present for the future. everything besides regret is joy.
Bingo. And Nietzsche was in part a fraud to himself because he failed at his own philosophy. He tried his entire life to give himself a pep talk and become a so called ubermensch. Ultimately he failed and went mad. You can't aknowledge pessimistic truths and then go out and seize the day and find meaning and be happy, etc. Doesn't work that way. When you ultimately realize that all success and progress is simply a struggle to beat your competition in the same shameful predicament as you, you lose motivation. The world might as well have been designed by a demon. All life survives by eating others or by crowding others out for resources. Even plants crowd out others for the sun's rays. Once a planet fills up with life, it becomes a system of evil. No longer can a living thing only use nonliving matter to survive. Most likely he must consume the living whether they are plant or animal. Life becomes a quest to devour and satiate our desires which we are slaves to. Have a nice day.
Neutrality is the most sane idea one can have in the mind (in my point of view) for It is detached from toxic drama and exaggerated perceptions. Realism of strenght should be better, i guess.
I'd have advocated Camus over Nietzsche for a pessimism that wasn't resignation. Nietzsche, I've always felt, was over compensating with his thought and writing on strength and will. The man was a pensioned writer who spent a of time just walking around and thinking but ended up having a collapse and becoming an invalid dependent on his sister. His life was mostly in his head. In a lot of ways, he took Schopenhauer's notion of sectioning yourself off from the world into practice. Camus, by contrast, was involved in the world and with people, just as he advocated in his writings. He had his fair share of knocks but he stuck by his principles. His writing came from his actions and impressions of the world at large. He resigned himself to the worthless will of the world and accepted life anyway. Personally, though, I'm with Schopenhauer.
Establish an alter ego and give it a name. Think of something relevant and clever so it will snap you into character. Mine is Kurt Assertive. By adopting an alter ego you gain purpose and can thereby experiment with life.
I am glad that you write you comment. For prolonged time I was, going to use the word, "attacked" with the idea that I have to get give up "my ego". I will always say... "My Ego is me. If I give up my ego I will not be."
How I envy the inanimate object for its non-consciousness! I'd like to not exist at all. But what's next best to that would be to exist as what has no mind. To exist as what cannot think a thought. And to exist as what cannot feel an emotion. Yes, I envy the inanimate object indeed!
The end of physical existence is called "Death". But who has consciously experienced death? The dead are conscious of nothing. How can one experience something that one can't perceive? "Those not being born, are busy dying."--Bob Dylan. "There are some who believe that life is but a joke."--Jimi Hendrix We try to live a moral life, under the delusion of going to some Paradise in some Heaven, and to go home to some God, all of which exist only in our imaginations. "The hell to be endured hereafter is no worse that the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioning our characters in the wrong way.” .--"The Principles of Psychology", Vol 53, Chap IV Habit, William James, page 82 in “Britannica Great Books” The only way to tolerate the slings and arrows of human existence, is to contribute one's time and efforts to the betterment of humanity. But even that is just an illusion. And all that one will reap is abuse and ingratitude.
It is so riveting to realize that pessimism is not actually and necessarily related to depression or failure but rather a very grounded and mature way of thinking and facing life, shared by great philosophers, and you can be a pessimistic person and yet live a worthy existence.
"We never live, but we hope to live; and as we are always preparing to be happy, it is inevitable that it should never be so..." damn.
Every video on this channel is of a very high standard. I appreciate the efforts.
I recently discovered this one and concur with your comment. This comment & video is five years old so I hope there are many more and the channel remains active.
I think he presents the ideas very nicely too. I too agree with you.
This Channel> College Courses (even though we know most colleges are teaching horseshit r n, still amazing)
eye concurrrrrrr
The man articulates a message in a clear, concise, beautiful and intellectual manner.
Thanks! You have provided true education. Thank you for all of your hard work! Great quality, I appreciate everything you do here. I hope this channel explodes with subscribers, best of luck to you!
I saw a study of pessimism vs optimism which discovered that pessimists have a clearer idea of reality than optimists, because they saw reality more clearly.
You blew my mind as soon as you showed the picture of Kronos devouring his children. I've never made that connection before. Nice
Dude i just started watching this channel the other day and havnt watched anything else since. Appreciate the effort it took to make these very comprehensive, interesting, and relevant.
Maybe the best channel on UA-cam right here
Pessimism seems a logical view for those paying attention.
Assume the worst - if you're wrong, you'll be pleasantly surprised
I feel like it’s more about being realistic than negative and cynical
But what if you never find out if you're wrong? Wouldn't you rather have been an optimist in that case?
Embrace chaos. Embrace death. Embrace change.
It doesn't help if you cry, IndustrialBonecraft.
I love this quote!!
IndustrialBonecraft >>>Are you above all that?
Maybe so, but I´m one of those who may believe more in life than probably is good. This embracing-thing feels like we loose our personality and identity. Like we are just energies shaped and finally destroyed by creation. Like we and nothing else really matter. I like the idea of transcending life and becoming greater than it without it necessarily have something to do with power. Eternal life wouldn´t be that bad if we were created for it I think. I don´t like the idea of aging and finally dying. The eternal life could give me the possibility of living out all my dreams. Maybe it´s silly but at least I could live life fully without having to be afraid.
@@renehenriksen1735 Do not fear my friend for life is eternal. Energy persists and takes new form. There are many multiverses and pockets of reality, space and time you can incarnate into and learn from. The problem with "Easy Mode" comes from the players inability to choose a hard enough game that keeps them creating. If you are given all of time what is there to do? Is there still meaning to learning and growing if you are already eternal? We like to put ourselves and other players within our own games that are specifically meant to end in failure. Or at least the perception of failure ie death.
I recently found out I'm a pessimist and this hit alot of my views that I have. 30 years old and learning alot.
Never too old to learn. It's wonderful
@@alexapadilla2928 thanks I appreciate it, yes it is wonderful to learn about oneself.
Thank you for these video lessons! Pessimism of Strength sums up my headspace for the past few years: "trust in life is gone.... Yet... even love of life is still possible, only one loves differently" 👏✊
Recommended Readings:
Pessimism: Philosophy, Ethic, Spirit: Joshua Dienstag - amzn.to/1WR4WGy (affiliate link)
you're work is inspiring to me, thank you
An EXCELLENT explanation of these concepts. A "pessimism of strength" puts into words the reasons I sought to give my life meaning after many months of the idea of death causing me great stress and anxiety.
I will love to meet the owner of this channel. You have reoriented me
I love this channel.
Does anyone else feel though that pessimism was not clearly defined?
I generally see pessimism as unnecessary, but I agree with the implications of "a pessimism of strength", which indicates that my understanding of pessimism is not consistent with the one being indicated in the video.
If I understood correctly, what is meant by pessimism here is the assumption that life comes with challenges and suffering, and is not all flowers and roses. If this is the case, then the understanding of optimism that results from it is too narrow relative to what I think is meant by healthy optimism.
My life is changing because I have been listening to Academy of ideas
You sir, with this video, have proven to me that you are one of those (not so many) beings who see the world with eyes akin to my own. I watched all of your videos, and when I saw the title of this new one, I couldn't help but smile out of respect and comprehension. Thank you.
Ali SANHAJI so he validated you, and you think that by telling everyone (what should be a mere internally confirmed recogition), that you are NOT, IN FACT, AND IRONICALLY SO,
revealing your self-referential narcissism: seeking AS YOU ARE to utilitize a person's view as a means of publicly bestowing upon your own self (esteem), a sense of vindicated brilliance...
SAD, AND OBVIOUSLY INSECURE expression of Solipsistic PROJECTION...
that was fucking hilarious @edwin. smh.
and what are you doing?....oh oh and what am I doing?
Another idea discussed here is the concepts of Order and Chaos. You could look at Chaos as representing the Future (unpredictable in the near term, unknowable in the long term) and the Past is represented by Order (as certain as your knowledge of it and utterly unalterable)
The passage of time could then be described as Orda ab Chao... order out of chaos! ;)
more like chaos out of order
@Ace Arch often, creation cannot take place without destruction
@Ace Arch we can't separate ourselves from the universe, the Chaos of the universe guaranteed the universe would form itself in an ordered form and entropy guaranteed that order eventually be destroyed.
This video changed my life and prevented my from suicide and let me flourish in life!
I wish I could have met Nietzsche. This is a brilliant video. It might be my favorite from this amazing channel so far. Thanks!
I wanted to start a club just for pessimists - noone thought it would work. ,, :-)
I can't be thankful enough for the existence of this channel. thank you very much
When nothing matters then everything matters equally... just pick something and love it, when death comes love that too. Love and let go...
transmutation of the elements...transcendence of the spirit...it all works out in the end!
unbelievably solid content all around on this channel
thank you 🙏
These videos are consistently excellent. Thank you for sharing them.
Hell is this reality. It can not be worse than this! I’m so glad I’m alive to experience it.
Did you know I'm utterly insane? You should read some of the shit I wrote.
AbsoluteMonarchist Dont really care, it would be absurd to care how you, or anybody else is insane. No disrespect. You should instead of talking about you, exchange and provoke with great ideas.
Vladan Pavlović so true.:-) :-) :-)
HAIL SATAN
Thank You. Again! This is one of those "I told you, I'm not Pessimistic at All. I'm Realistic. I can't help it if you think of realism as negative." I Love Nietzsche. He is at the top of people in history, I really want to talk with. He knew how the world was and even eerily would be. I love this Channel. So I joined as a Member. Yalls love of Knowledge and Learning is Awesome. I rarely come aross this kind of mind. Thank You So Much! Peace and Love Always ♡ Tauney
exactly, if i would bring one person back i would bring nietszche and talk to him for an hour even if it costed a million dollars
I bet some money that non of those hired as psychologists and assigned to do therapy for KAISER have any concept of this.
This bring memories of prompts in highschool. I need to collect these and pass them to those seeking needing value in life.
Oswald Spengler had an interesting approach to pessimism, his writings are very worthwhile.
So glad to see you back and as usual excellent work
Fantastic video! Also, you are dead right about Dienstag--one of the best books that I have read in the past twenty years.
+Norman Mullins Thanks! And yes it is a fantastic book.
Pessimism of strength is such an Plutonian philosophy. The idea of looking at difficult situations and subjects and using them to improve is exactly how Pluto transforms, destroy and give birth to better humans.
I'm gonna open up a barber shop called "Everything Fades"
Even the fade will eventually fade. 😞
It's videos like these that should be stored in a bunker so the knowledge they contain may survive any war or natural desaster and live on as an elixir of wisdom to those that survive. Lives can be fixed with these lessons. I think mine has taken a positive turn so far. Just need to find the gas pedal.
I feel happy being a pessimist. If you surrender yourself to suffering then your life has no purpose or meaning. If you fight against suffering then your life does have meaning. It reminds me of a scene from “Kingdom of Heaven” when he says “Who am I if I don’t try to make the world better?”. It’s noble to fight against suffering even though we will never defeat it.
Please come back. You offer such a great help for everybody, and many of your veiwers like me are just high school students who love philosophy and need some guide.
I'm working on a couple videos at the moment. One will be out in a little over a week. Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.
academyofideas I am really glad that you will be back. I will be waiting impatiently for the video.
Thank you for making awesome videos and helping us.
I was an optimist in the first years of my life but slowly declined into a pessimist around my teenage years. With age and wisdom, I have concluded that one must acknowledge the hard times but also strive for better. People try too hard to avoid these negative emotions and struggles that we experience, but we should never let them hold us down.
We cannot always predict when though times will cross out life, but we shall endure.
this channel is very high quality im so glad i found it! hope you keep making videos and are successfull :)
The paintings in your videos are so great
associated with feelings of depression & despair. But not necessarily crippling.
"The idea that a pessimistic philosophy is necessarily one of discouragement is a puerile idea, but one that needs too long a refutation." Albert Camus
11:30 Pessimism of strength : finding joy in struggles and tragedy. Valuying development and growth above comfort and satisfaction. Viewing suffering as valuable material to be used in the transfiguration of the self.
Deep and interesting, Thank you for putting this lecture out
I am a huge fan of philosophy. I admire the deep thinker. most humans are disturbingly shallow. my conclusion on these matters is......, a knowledge of ones own personal truth, and to embrace and except it is the most likely pathway to personal peace. the world is always what it is. what is important is to be what you are and to stand by that.
Nietzsche's thoughts and convictions on this topic (time, pain, loss and the affirmation of life despite these) are complex, as he insists he does not have any system or program, and the virtues and human reserves of strength he points towards resist attempts at specification. But speaking very generally (and thus cautiously) his most radical gesture is to call not for the acceptance of pain and suffering (stoicism and ascetic religion) but for LOVE of the particular pains and sufferings that are part of any concrete life (Amor Fati).This is powerfully expressed in a hypothetical encounter with a demon who is thanked and praised for bringing the news of eternal recurrence-- all that has happened in this life, no matter how painful or difficult, will happen over and over in future lives, ad infinitum. Such love in the face of radical fatalism calls for all kinds of virtues which must be "cultivated." The problem with all of this is that, as Nietzsche well knows, "we" (he doesn't believe literally in personal identity, since "man is dividuum not individuum") are not in charge of our own emotions, thoughts, actions. Nietzsche says that "free will" is an "error," and when he talks about cultivating virtues and loving/affirming life unconditionally, he uses metaphors like "sculpting" or "giving style to character" -- all of which is far from clear. He never claimed to embody all these virtues,or know the state of amor fati from personal experience. In fact, he noted that he was "decadent" in Ecce Homo. I would argue that his varying descriptions of total affirmation of life are utopian, or at least rarely, if ever instantiated. More problematic still, they constitute a kind of telos or ideal end which exists only in a possible future. If you love your fate already, then you don't need to cultivate virtues, "will a self" or engage any particular project at all. You're already strong despite fate. But if you do believe that you need to "become" something other than who you already are (say more courageous, honest, hard, and other Nietzschean virtues) then you are back to the problem of measuring the value of the present in terms of an ideal future ( i.e. possible state which is not yet, and may never be). This in turn often leads to discouragement, self-deprecation, vain introspection, and unrealistic expectations. But most of all it presupposes some kind of agency by which we can not simply accept but alter our natures. Nietzsche was aware of this tension between fatalism and "self-overcoming" in his thought, yet his discussions of "self-overcoming" and notions of "willing a self" or "creating a self" are filled with internal tension and contradictions (e.g. to will a self supposes a prior "self" and the efficacy of goal-directed willing, both of which he denies). In the end, his response to this problem is to say that he uses language more as a poet than theorist, and that each individual must feel his/her way through the metaphors uniquely through interpretation. This leaves us roughly where we started. If a tour-guide claims to point only to interpretations and not objects, then it's not clear when 2 tourists are pointing at the same object. In this case, it's unclear just which people, if any, can be said to exemplify amor fati or pessimism of strength. But Nietzsche defends a radically playful/poetic view of language use. He famously remarked (no doubt poetically!) "there are no facts, only interpretations." Of course, this begs the question, "Interpretations of WHAT? Other interpretations?" Even a poet has to touch the ground in order to poetize about it. Nietzsche's extreme statements can't be taken at face value, but the point is that there is an undeniable tension between an emphasis on personal growth and the unconditional love of life. The most tragic problem of all is that unconditional love (by definition) cannot be "cultivated." For cultivation is conditioning of one kind or another. It's like the commandment to love your neighbors. If you already love all your neighbors, the commandment is superfluous. If you do not, then the commandment may not be something you can obey (since we are not in charge of what we feel). In that case it is likely to weigh on your conscience and sense of worth, as you will feel that you "should" love them all. Then you cry out "What's wrong with me!?," and possibly fall into self-loathing which brings you even further from unconditioned love or the affirmation of life. Niezsche knew all about such conundrums and called it "The Tyranny of the Should" which he associated with the history of western morality. I would say that his poetic evocation of an ideal state of fatalism characterized by love and strength falls prey to the same problem/s he diagnosed in other philosophies and religious systems.
Wow, this made to teary eyed. No joke.
Yes, exactly. Amor fati is more like slave morality if done forcibly. Nietzsche lost his rigour in an attempt to denial of being unhappy. Maybe this led to his madness.
silverskid nicely said. i can concur with most of what you are saying, and also, i believe i am in charge of what i feel. i cannot change what i've already felt, or what i'm feeling in this moment, but with practice and work, i AM choosing what to feel, whether through expectations, or lack of expectations.
Very interesting comment, but you misunderstood him in some ways (For an exemple he didn't say man is dividuum not individuum, but "In morality man treats himself as dividuum not individuum", and you can say "but he was a moralist" not entirely, he debunks morality in The Gay Science, On genealogy of morals and Beyond good and evil, he even called himself an anti-moralist.) It is true that he mostly uses language more as a poet but not as a theorist, but that's the main foundation of his philosophy. Nietzsche was more of a philosopher which if you asked "What does this mean?" he would have answered "What does it mean to you?". He mostly stated that one should deepen into self-knowledge and become the genius that live inside of him/her. To become who you are.
@@maxpainter33 Nietzsche rails against the Stoics/Stoicism in Beyond Good and Evil, exposing it as a naturalistic fallacy
please do one about mid-life ciris!
re: Nietzsche's idea about The Past... the stone "it was"
From a Stoic perspective, this represents something outside of one's control or ability to change. Therefore, a stoic would not concern themselves with the past except to use it as a lesson on how to avoid repeating it in the present. A stoic derives satisfaction and value from their knowledge of the past.... no matter how bad it seems.
Thanks you very much, your videos have been of great help.
We should always be happy no matter dire are the circumstances. Sickness & death are temporary situations.
Love to hear u speak on the Buddha/Buddhism
What about "optimism of strength", life has so many sides to it, both good and bad. One man can't be aware of them all simultaneously, but he does have the power to choose which ones to focus on, and it is that focus of his that determins the nature of his human experiance. Having the strength to admit the negative aspect of reality and still look for the positive ones is the path I think is worth pursuing.
The only path is the biological destiny of our race. We need living space and eugenics and war as a conflict within which the Nietzschean master race of white warrior bionihilists. And eventually they will extend their lives with technology indefinitely and become machines. Our ultimate destiny is to escape the confines of this mortal solar system and colonise habitable planets in star systems throughout the universes.
AbsoluteMonarchist you sir are a dangerous imbecil, I can't know what frustrations drive you to such a disorted view of the world, but obsession with "the supreme race" , eugenics and becoming gods through technology is very disturbing and looks like a mental illness to me. You are driven by an animal insticts to preserve the race with which you identify at the cost of everyone else, that's the classic animal/fascist state of mind that can't expand his empathy for the people outside the group he considers him self to be a part of. What you are talking about is the path opposite of evolution, the path leading us back to the animal/beast part of us, which evolution of culture, knowledge and consciousness should allow us to transcend.
DigitalSoulArts I total ly agree with you.:-)
this lecture is made 50 times better because of its narration by a Canadian accent ;)
I'm serious about this folks.
Noo doot aboot it
If you're really into philosophy of pessimism and love watching TV show, you gotta check out 'True Detective' Season 1. The main character, Rust Cohle is literally a pessimist.
RookieN08 wait literally or figuratively?
I think he's more of a nihilist.
He's a nihilist, I personally disagreed with many of his views
@6:04 when you said unrelenting force i shouted FUS DO RA and flipped my desk. Thanks.
Well, that cheered me up.
Buddha was the one who shattered all my hopes, dreams, illusions, etc.Yet offers a way out; I'll be forever thankful.
Buddha:
"All sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, & ideas that are welcome, appealing, agreeable - as long as they're said to exist, are supposed by the world together with its devas to be bliss. But when they cease, they're supposed by them to be stress.
The stopping of self-identity is viewed by the noble ones as bliss. This is contrary to what's seen by the world as a whole.
What others say is blissful, the noble ones say is stress. What others say is stressful, the noble know as bliss. See the Dhamma, hard to understand! Here those who don't know are confused. For those who are veiled, [the Dhamma is] darkness, blindness
for those who don't see. But for the good it is blatant, like light for those who see.
Though in their very presence, they don't understand it - dumb animals, unadept in the Dhamma. It's not easy for those overcome by passion for becoming, flowing along in the stream of becoming, falling under Mara's sway, to wake up to this Dhamma.
Who, apart from the noble, is worthy to wake up to this state? - the state that, through rightly knowing it, they're free from fermentation, totally unbound."
Thank you for the perfect complement to this video. The path to be awoken is worth every uncertain step along the way. The path must be walked by each individual with courage and faith in its meaning.
Buddhism starts where pessimism ends.
wanna source that for us?
If the world around you decrys anything you have no hope of ever realizing your potential. Being satisfied with that is a big deal. Few are able to achieve even that.
I have been waiting for a video, thanks for your work!
Dozens of times have I seen this video on Suggested, but never actually saw it. I always thought it'd be about the pessimist nature of the Need for Strength, in a sort of lament of the famous "Si vis pacem para bellum".
Now i find myself amused of my preconception but I still think such a theme deserves some insight. Maybe if I watch all the videos I'll find something of the sort.
I enjoy watching these lectures so keep them coming
Pessimism and fear is only valuable if one takes proper precautions, actions to a better future..
Time is a broken awareness, it is like what lies behind the middle of a black hole; awaken nervoussympathicus a finds of region dictated by a declaration does not hold back the declaration to which a futility is a beholden trust for energy, one must hold to as the gravity that never ceases. balance, power, form, psychological awareness, what else is to hold in a facet of the expanding vacuum of awareness?
This excerpt on time is giving me severe anxiety. Thanks!
Brilliant.
Schoepenhauer: "We'd been better off had we never existed."
Sure, that makes sense. What an advantage nonexistence brings!
The "advantage" is having never had to suffer. Which would be worse to someone's existence when they die, to be sent to hell, or to cease to exist?
Can you make a video on "Why we should make choices to for Good and not Evil?"
I've read been getting into these videos but sometimes it feels like we go round in circles.
Realistic optimism sounds very much like this pessimism of strength. Optimism takes courage cause life is indeed full of suffering. For you to keep going knowing you may die in the middle of it or fail at least is very brave. That may sound dark and crazy but you can't avoid reality but yet still stay very positive.
Or what do you call that?
I think it's just being reasonable and mature.
This could not have come at a better or more appropriate time in my life.
Basically one should love ones own life...for we can truly learn to love life we will come to love it tragedies and be able to enjoy the hollow comedy of existence while tempering ones spirit to be more accepting to the chaos and illogicality of nature thus be able to acheive a sense of satisfaction through progress.
There is no edit option.So the reader will have to endure some measure of agony if he or she wants to read this piece of shit I have written.
0:00 Nice cheery one liner
This is very good. Congrats.
THE ROCK HARD FAITH N HOPE,stops thinking esp negative.THE KNOWLEDGE N WISDOM OF THE TRUTH provides the way of the life.
Best Chanel
Only in existance is any good possible, as non existance has no concept of good. entropy, and therefore tragedy, is the base function of the universe. everything resisting decay, even for a short while, this is marvelous and cherrishable. by the nature of physics, the universe can't forget. every mistake is a opportunity in the present for the future. everything besides regret is joy.
Time adds to life, nature takes away.
thanks for the great video. is there a list of references where the quotes are taken from and where to find the whole passages?
This is a banger!
10:31 Pessimism without those feelings is not pessimism at all!
Bingo. And Nietzsche was in part a fraud to himself because he failed at his own philosophy.
He tried his entire life to give himself a pep talk and become a so called ubermensch. Ultimately he failed and went mad. You can't aknowledge pessimistic truths and then go out and seize the day and find meaning and be happy, etc. Doesn't work that way.
When you ultimately realize that all success and progress is simply a struggle to beat your competition in the same shameful predicament as you, you lose motivation.
The world might as well have been designed by a demon. All life survives by eating others or by crowding others out for resources. Even plants crowd out others for the sun's rays.
Once a planet fills up with life, it becomes a system of evil. No longer can a living thing only use nonliving matter to survive. Most likely he must consume the living whether they are plant or animal.
Life becomes a quest to devour and satiate our desires which we are slaves to.
Have a nice day.
fantastic video
Nice piece.
There is no peace; only Zule.
this channel is very good
Neutrality is the most sane idea one can have in the mind (in my point of view) for It is detached from toxic drama and exaggerated perceptions. Realism of strenght should be better, i guess.
I'd have advocated Camus over Nietzsche for a pessimism that wasn't resignation. Nietzsche, I've always felt, was over compensating with his thought and writing on strength and will. The man was a pensioned writer who spent a of time just walking around and thinking but ended up having a collapse and becoming an invalid dependent on his sister. His life was mostly in his head. In a lot of ways, he took Schopenhauer's notion of sectioning yourself off from the world into practice.
Camus, by contrast, was involved in the world and with people, just as he advocated in his writings. He had his fair share of knocks but he stuck by his principles. His writing came from his actions and impressions of the world at large. He resigned himself to the worthless will of the world and accepted life anyway.
Personally, though, I'm with Schopenhauer.
Andrew McIntosh yes, nihilism is an absolute paradox.
I guess poor Nietzsche went a bit nuts as time passed by.
The problem with this is that Pessimism, nor optimism, is not necessarily the truth in all situations.
Excellent videos!
For me the benefit of the captions was very nice except when superimposed by the Ruski Cyrillik Obscurations ~
The wise old man said ; life is only suffering but when you accept it you no longer suffer.
Can someone tell me the painting on the pessimism of strength slide (12:15)?
Crepúsculo marino (Ocean Twilight) by Antonio Smith.
Very good. Thanks.
Establish an alter ego and give it a name. Think of something relevant and clever so it will snap you into character. Mine is Kurt Assertive. By adopting an alter ego you gain purpose and can thereby experiment with life.
I am glad that you write you comment. For prolonged time I was, going to use the word, "attacked" with the idea that I have to get give up "my ego". I will always say... "My Ego is me. If I give up my ego I will not be."
Amazing vid....💙💙💙💙💙
Pessimism kept me from becoming a guinea pig for a second time .
I can't change the results of the first time I was bamboozled.
Good channel, I subscribed...
A Wonderful Video
How I envy the inanimate object for its non-consciousness! I'd like to not exist at all. But what's next best to that would be to exist as what has no mind. To exist as what cannot think a thought. And to exist as what cannot feel an emotion. Yes, I envy the inanimate object indeed!
What is the painting at 8:58? Great video by the way.
Agno51 Thanks! It's called "Suspicious Smoke" by Carl Spitzweg.
academyofideas You're welcome and Thank you!
Just viewed your video mate, really love the content. Subscribed straight away, We should connect!
What is the artwork on the right at ~5:10, if I may ask?
The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli.
Thanks!
The end of physical existence is called "Death". But who has consciously experienced death? The dead are conscious of nothing. How can one experience something that one can't perceive?
"Those not being born, are busy dying."--Bob Dylan. "There are some who believe that life is but a joke."--Jimi Hendrix
We try to live a moral life, under the delusion of going to some Paradise in some Heaven, and to go home to some God, all of which exist only in our imaginations.
"The hell to be endured hereafter is no worse that the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioning our characters in the wrong way.” .--"The Principles of Psychology", Vol 53, Chap IV Habit, William James, page 82 in “Britannica Great Books”
The only way to tolerate the slings and arrows of human existence, is to contribute one's time and efforts to the betterment of humanity. But even that is just an illusion. And all that one will reap is abuse and ingratitude.