Category Archives: …and other stuff

miscellaneous postings by Lawrence R. Spencer

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EXISTENTIAL CHESS

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A central proposition of existentialism is that existence precedes essence, which means that the actual life of the individual is what constitutes what could be called his or her “essence” instead of there being a predetermined essence that defines what it is to be a human. Thus, human beings – through their own consciousness – create their own values and determine a meaning to their life.  Although it was Sartre who explicitly coined the phrase, similar notions can be found in the thought of many existentialist philosophers from Kierkegaard to Heidegger.

It is often claimed in this context that a person defines himself or herself, which is often perceived as stating that they can wish to be something — anything, a bird, for instance — and then be it. According to most existentialist philosophers, however, this would constitute an inauthentic existence. Instead, the phrase should be taken to say that the person is (1) defined only insofar as he or she acts and (2) that he or she is responsible for his or her actions. For example, someone who acts cruelly towards other people is, by that act, defined as a cruel person. Furthermore, by this action of cruelty, such persons are themselves responsible for their new identity (a cruel person). This is as opposed to their genes, or ‘human nature’, bearing the blame.

As Sartre writes it in his work Existentialism is a Humanism: “man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world – and defines himself afterwards.” Of course, the more positive, therapeutic aspect of this is also implied: A person can choose to act in a different way, and to be a good person instead of a cruel person. Here it is also clear that since humans can choose to be either cruel or good, they are, in fact, neither of these things essentially.

The notion of the Absurd contains the idea that there is no meaning to be found in the world beyond what meaning we give to it. This meaninglessness also encompasses the amorality or “unfairness” of the world. This contrasts with “karmic” ways of thinking in which “bad things don’t happen to good people”; to the world, metaphorically speaking, there is no such thing as a good person or a bad thing; what happens happens, and it may just as well happen to a “good” person as to a “bad” person.

Because of the world’s absurdity, at any point in time, anything can happen to anyone, and a tragic event could plummet someone into direct confrontation with the Absurd. The notion of the absurd has been prominent in literature throughout history. Many of the literary works of Søren Kierkegaard, Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus contain descriptions of people who encounter the absurdity of the world.

It is in relation to the concept of the devastating awareness of meaninglessness that Albert Camus claimed that “there is only one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide” in his The Myth of Sisyphus. Although “prescriptions” against the possibly deleterious consequences of these kinds of encounters vary, from Kierkegaard’s religious “stage” to Camus’ insistence on persevering in spite of absurdity, the concern with helping people avoid living their lives in ways that put them in the perpetual danger of having everything meaningful break down is common to most existentialist philosophers. The possibility of having everything meaningful break down poses a threat of quietism, which is inherently against the existentialist philosophy.

Read more about EXISTENTIALISM at Wikipedia.org

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HANDS OF SILVER

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Since the 60s I have been enchanted by Manitas de Plata (Fingers of Silver).  He is the finest, most authentic Gypsy Flamenco guitar player who ever lived.  He was the progenitor of  The Gypsy Kings, together with the singer who performed with him most of his life, Jose Reyes.  This is a full-length (remastered) concert by Manitas de Plata, with Jose Reyes (and others) from 1975.  The first solo performance by Manitas de Plata in this concert begins at 10:00.  It is “Por el Camino de Ronda“.

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HUMAN DEVOLUTION

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“We did not evolve up from matter; instead we devolved, or came down, from the realm of pure consciousness, spirit.” — Michael Cremo.”

Longtime Vedic scholar says humankind did not evolve from apes, rather, we devolved from a higher plane of consciousness into matter, as described in the Vedas, and how Alfred R. Wallace, whose theory of evolution by natural selection was published with Darwin’s, got co-credit until he later suggested that evolution was directed by cosmic intelligence. Where did we come from? Drawing upon a wealth of research into archeology, genetics, reincarnation memories, out-of-body experiences, parapsychology, cross cultural cosmology, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, Cremo provides a refreshing perspective.