Truth and Nature
As I read more of Nietzsche and Loa Tzu, there is an increasing similarity between the basic structures of both philosophical hypotheses than there is difference. Though the outcomes differ, and even the rational of both men's thought process are plotted differently, and suggest drastically different ideal lifestyles, both works, the Tao Te Ching and the Will to Power argue for first an acceptance of an immoral world, a world with no true good nor evil, nor up nor down, but rather just man as he is and nature, connected to man, just the way it is.
Originally its thought that human nature dictates a nature of man, a habit of man's control, whereas others side with thoughts that man patterns after nature, and that nature controls both man and material. As said earlier, both theorists execute their theories differently although here the similarity paradoxically arrives by contrast. Will to Power explains man's tendency to act in accordance to desire and, "(putting it most mildly), exploitation," as ways of human nature. The nature belongs to man. Man becomes the creator of his own self-image; he aims to become the "creator of values," among his subjects, and thus takes nature into his own control. He thus becomes powerful through the control of others. Power, wisdom, strength, the essence of living here is established through conquest.
Now power, (though to even state such definite assertions is clearly defiant of Lao Tzu's attempts to explain the detriment of definition) is gained, or accepted by quietism, and meekness looked down on by the Will to Power. Power, or true strength and nobility is understood through the Tao as achieved by inaction, or flow (e.g. Tao's illusion to water), and not Niet...
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...f religion, in particular Christianity (as it promoted the weak slave mentality and introduced the difference of evil and good verses bad and good). In fact Nietzche is famous for saying that God is dead and the Tao famous for being unaware of any single deity.
The holes and accidents of living, the unpredictable emotional inconsistency of living isn't explained simply through power and best interest alone, instead let us take accidents and mistakes as the foundation of living. Not all things follow power, nor does power the end needs of human ambition obtain complete happiness, but rather promotes the impossible. Something must be said for pity, for the sight of someone in pain that condemns both concepts. Neither weakness nor passivity, nor the understanding of nature would do in describing our actions when faced with starvation, the holocaust, or dying.
What is power to a human? As time has gone by, there have been many forms of control and influence in the world. Many strive to achieve total rule over a society or group of individuals. Yet the question still presents itself to the average man. Why does man desire power so greatly even though there is visible trouble that follows? Shelley’s Frankenstein, Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, whether through the situation or the character themselves, depict the evils and hardships due to an imbalance and poor management of power.
A human being is a complicated entity of a contradictory nature where creative and destructive, virtuous and vicious are interwoven. Each of us has gone through various kinds of struggle at least once in a lifetime ranging from everyday discrepancies to worldwide catastrophes. There are always different causes and reasons that trigger these struggles, however, there is common ground for them as well: people are different, even though it is a truism no one seems to able to realize this statement from beyond the bounds of one’s self and reach out to approach the Other.
First of all, the argument in Peter Singer’s “equal consideration of interests” is strong because the thinking stated in these explanations seems to reveal a speciesism perspective for they implicitly reject a whole range of actions and activities that almost everybody would be motivated to ratify if the victims of the sorrow in question were human creatures. It is sufficient to c...
Smith argues that despite how self centered an individual may be, he or she will have interest in the welfare of others(source). Similarly, no matter how cruel or insensitive one may appear, he or she will be moved by the misfortune of another person. Smith examines compassion and pity, which is “the emotion we feel for the misery of others, when we see it or are made to think about it in a vivid way. The sorrow of others makes us sad” (Smith 1759). Therefore, it can be assumed that in times of a disaster one should become sympathetic for the victims of the
Literal and figurative borders can restrict and control many aspects within the lives of people all over the world. All people should be able to make the decision of where they wish to settle, start a family, and eventually die as a happy and fulfilled human being. The idea of travelling or living in a different country other than where you were conceived and brought up is a dream many people aspire to in era, but all wander-lusting souls should have the opportunity to make that dream a reality and find happiness and a new home in an unfamiliar city or country. The issues with this can vary widely; sometimes there can be issues with obtaining legal immigration papers while moving across countries or maybe financially they are not ready to
For him, “life itself is essentially appropriation, injury, overpowering of what is alien and weaker, suppression, hardness, imposition of one’s own forms, incorporation and at least, at its mildest, exploitation.” That is to say, our desire for power is unavoidable and an inherent part of our nature. On the other hand, the abnegation from “injury, violence, and exploitation and placing one’s will on a par with that of someone else” (instead of propagating one’s own will over others’) is “a will to the denial of life [and] a principle of disintegration and decay.” If one considers life and the act of living itself as the will to power, then master morality’s affinity to honour strength and self-promotion would be the more compelling morality for Nietzsche. This is not precisely the case however, as master morality lacks a certain subtlety as opposed to the act of enslaving oneself, which can be an “indispensable means of spiritual discipline and cultivation.” In any case, Nietzsche’s appreciation of the advantages of master morality is not as intuitive of a sentiment as it is to other modern
The next major influence on the Taoist belief was Chang Tzu. To him, Tzu’s writings defined the truth of life. He went on to write f...
Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Or is it? Questions regarding the nature of truth have always been central to not only philosophers, but all men (and women, of course) who possess any desire for knowledge. For while truth itself is an elusive concept, it is also the underlying theme of all science -- which is the basis of knowledge -- and so the seeker of learning must first discover his own truth about the world; without a strong belief, the slippery nature of truth will only serve to confuse and mislead the student of life. A person who is lacking a basic understanding of truth can never fully grasp the fine distinction between appearance and reality, yet the ability to separate the two is essential to anyone interested in knowledge at a higher level, where appearances lead only to dead ends. Or do they? And who says appearance is not reality? At the heart of this matter is the conflict between truth as an absolute and the truth of the senses; while this may seem like a trivial matter (truth is true, isn't it?), it is anything but.
According to the oxford dictionary, “Power” is the ability to do something or act in a particular way especially as a faculty or even individually. It is also the political, social authority, or control that is exercised by a government. The theme of power, is portrayed throughout several texts and novels in both Mosaic I and II. In the book, Cat’s cradle by Kurt Vonnegut expresses the idea of power through religion, science and politics. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marks and Frederick Engles, demonstrates how power, through class and economy leads to political empowerment. Homer’s Iliad and the Epic of Gilgamesh both demonstrate conflicting views of what is means to be powerful. Throughout these two text, both the Gods and mortals, struggle to discover their own power, whether it is through their strengths or an obsession with glory. The theme of power also manifests itself in the book of Antigone, where Creon abuses his privilege of absolute power and this allows him to suffer to a great extent. The Complete Persepolis and Walden and Civil Disobedience also demonstrates how governing powers can oppress people and this can be very restrictive in societies.
In the video Eric Liu spoke of the systems of power that society has structured. Eric defines power as the ability to make others do what you would have them do. He sees power as being found with family, at your workplace, and in relationships. He defines the six main sources of civic power as being Control of physical force, wealth to buy results and other power, State action (government) to have control over people and what they do. An example for this would be that in a democracy the citizens give government power through elections, and in contrast dictatorship expresses power through force. The fourth civic power is known as social norm, which means what others believe that is okay, and what is not okay. The fifth civic power is ideas meaning
Compassion, like generosity is also admired. But a ruler must be careful that he does not show compassion unwisely. A new ruler has to be cruel initially, because being a new ruler is full of d...
The indifference to the pain and suffering of others is a continuing theme of reflection
In World War II, a lot of people are slaughtered by a man who has absolute power. This man was Adolf Hitler and he murdered 6 million Jewish. A lot of people see him as a powerful dictator, because of his mass murder. People often see often as the ability the to get what someone wants at first thought. However, it has wider concept, it has a more complex structure. It could be used for a lot of purposes and has a lot of type. If some leaders or some institutions have absolute power, ultimately the power they have will corrupt the order expects some kind of power such as knowledge, love, etc.
Power is the ability to control or influence others, especially socially or politically. We often hear of the horror stories, in which corrupt dictators with too much power kill innocent citizens, eliminate all competition, and hurt others for personal gain. Power itself is not necessarily the bad thing here; it comes as an instinctive need to humans, rooted in the primal purpose of survival (Anchor text). The abuse of power leads to corruption. Power is an unstable force that can have positive or negative outcomes, depending on why it was sought and the attitude of those on the receiving end of the control.
In Anton Chekov’s story Gooseberries, two men are caught in a rainstorm and seek shelter at a friend’s home nearby. While at the home, one of the men, Ivan Ivanich, tells a story about the immoral acts his brother committed to become a landowner. After Ivan’s brother achieved his career goal, he lived life blissfully. Ivan finds his brother’s happiness selfish as he believes a happy man “neither sees nor hears others.” Chekov’s story suggests that happy people are indifferent towards the suffering of others. This human position of suffering is also explored in W.H. Auden’s poem “Musee des Beaux Arts” and Scott Carney’s article Cash on Delivery. The respective texts and Chekhov’s quote are bound by their mentioning of individuals as self-interested beings concerned solely about personal happiness. Nevertheless, there is more to life than happiness and one must be aware of the suffering of his/her fellow human-beings.