The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless. — Leo Tolstoy
Best solutions to life’s most intricate problems lie in following your intuitions.
This thought came to me as I realized that philosophy does not have the answer. The ultimate solution philosophy offers is suicide. Not out of depression, but out of the knowledge of the absurdity and meaninglessness of life.
Rational/philosophical development sure makes us less stupid and thus enables us dodge the suffering that we might otherwise run into out of excessive stupidity. But not all of the life’s suffering has the solution in philosophy. Too much rational inquiry ultimately leads to the philosophical dead-end.
Having a sound approach in truth-seeking is going beyond rationality, to include the fickle nature of our mind also in our Truth. Our mind doesn’t operate with perfect rationality. It is subject to the forces of natural instincts within us, which serve the purposes of Nature; even those purposes of Nature which are beyond our goals as humans. So, many of the things that we feel may be irrational for us (being counter-productive with regards to our goals), but they are rational from Nature’s point-of-view (serving Nature’s – evolutionary – goals). For us, feeling those things means suffering. But it’s an unavoidable suffering.
Trying to find the solution to this suffering will be to no avail. To keep looking for the solution is to keep fighting with Nature. Not working.
Instead, Nature has to be understood, and accepted. Understanding Nature and giving in to it can also be seen as “extended rationality”. I call it rational-irrationalism. Meaning, rationally accepting irrationality in life because we “rationally” understood that rationality isn’t the answer!
Intuitions are like Nature’s voice. Reasoned thoughts are our own rational mind’s voice. We have to listen to both. Since our rational mind’s endeavor is towards human goals, we want to give priority to our rational mind, because we are humans. But there are situations in life where our rational mind isn’t capable to take a decision, the one that would get us the most wellbeing. At that moment, instead of feeling distraught and lost, it will do good to listen to intuitions. That would mean flowing with Nature’s current. Nature loves it. And Nature rewards it well. There isn’t a thing called “perfect solution”, but in those situations, it’s as close to “perfect” as it can get.
Rationality tells that life is meaningless. Intuitions never will, because Nature wants us to live.
Only don’t forget our human goals, because human goals are not exclusive of Nature’s goals since we are also a part of Nature – if that makes sense. If it doesn’t, that’s not a big problem.
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Intuition: A thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.
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Best solutions to life’s most intricate problems lie in following your intuitions.
This thought came to me as I realized that philosophy does not have the answer. The ultimate solution philosophy offers is suicide. Not out of depression, but out of the knowledge of the absurdity and meaninglessness of life.
Rational/philosophical development sure makes us less stupid and thus enables us dodge the suffering that we might otherwise run into out of excessive stupidity. But not all of the life’s suffering has the solution in philosophy. Too much rational inquiry ultimately leads to the philosophical dead-end.
Having a sound approach in truth-seeking is going beyond rationality, to include the fickle nature of our mind also in our Truth. Our mind doesn’t operate with perfect rationality. It is subject to the forces of natural instincts within us, which serve the purposes of Nature; even those purposes of Nature which are beyond our goals as humans. So, many of the things that we feel may be irrational for us (being counter-productive with regards to our goals), but they are rational from Nature’s point-of-view (serving Nature’s – evolutionary – goals). For us, feeling those things means suffering. But it’s an unavoidable suffering.
Trying to find the solution to this suffering will be to no avail. To keep looking for the solution is to keep fighting with Nature. Not working.
Instead, Nature has to be understood, and accepted. Understanding Nature and giving in to it can also be seen as “extended rationality”. I call it rational-irrationalism. Meaning, rationally accepting irrationality in life because we “rationally” understood that rationality isn’t the answer!
Intuitions are like Nature’s voice. Reasoned thoughts are our own rational mind’s voice. We have to listen to both. Since our rational mind’s endeavor is towards human goals, we want to give priority to our rational mind, because we are humans. But there are situations in life where our rational mind isn’t capable to take a decision, the one that would get us the most wellbeing. At that moment, instead of feeling distraught and lost, it will do good to listen to intuitions. That would mean flowing with Nature’s current. Nature loves it. And Nature rewards it well. There isn’t a thing called “perfect solution”, but in those situations, it’s as close to “perfect” as it can get.
Rationality tells that life is meaningless. Intuitions never will, because Nature wants us to live.
Only don’t forget our human goals, because human goals are not exclusive of Nature’s goals since we are also a part of Nature – if that makes sense. If it doesn’t, that’s not a big problem.
--
Intuition: A thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.
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I agree wholeheartedly with suicide part
ReplyDeleteThe journey of purpose of purpose is endless and thus absurd. Inception of life begins with irrationality. We call it irrational because we can't understand its inception, but that does not make it any less important. But as you live you have got to follow the path of rationality.
ReplyDeleteTo live a life we have got to give importance to both rationality and irrationality, and try to strike a balance between both end. Inclination toward either end is also pose a peril to life.
Or we can ask a question to our self that how much it is rational to follow the rationality, knowing that it led to the dead-end.
ReplyDeleteIn this sense acknowledging irrationality is kind of rational decision to live.
there are no such thing as intuitions, its just a calculated guesswork.
ReplyDeleteAlbert Camus was the one to formulate the concepts of "absurdism" - where man tries to find meaning in life and fails miserably:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism
So we're caught in a constant tussle between our brain and instincts.
This gets even more depressing once we realize the entire UNIVERSE itself is going to end one day: http://www.bhagwad.com/blog/2010/personal/living-in-a-meaningless-universe.html/
Then I found a workaround which gave me a measure of peace and allowed a certain amount of logical joy in the world :D
http://www.bhagwad.com/blog/2010/personal/i-found-how-to-live-in-a-meaningless-universe.html/
Probably a stop gap solution, but it works for me sometimes...
Well said, my friend.
ReplyDelete'"The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless." - Tolstoy'
Gems! :)