Thread by @JimmyRis

THE GAY SCIENCE

"Neitzche also spoke of a 'Socrates who makes music' - a philosopher who is also an artist. But for Neitzche that never meant being a philosopher six days and a poet on the Sabbath, or writing a conventional philosophical book with some poetry at the beginning and the end...

...it meant -- gay science, philosophy that sings and sizzles"

Neitzche saw the Old Testament at its best as superior even to ancient Greek literature, while the New Testament represented a low point in human history.

"It seems to be written in the language of the wind that throws ice and snow: high spirits, unrest, contradiction, and April weather are present in it, and...

...one is instantly reminded no less of the proximity of Winter than of the triumph over winter that is coming, must come, and perhaps has already come."

Every person has a personal philosophy. Some NEED it because they philosophize from their weakness, some enjoy it because it comes from a place of strength.

Section 1: The Teachers of the Purpose of Existence

"The comedy of existence has not yet become conscious of itself" ==> The Big Laugh!

"Gradually, man has become a fantastic animal that has to fulfill one more condition of existence than any other animal; man has to believe, to know, from time to time why he exists."

Man is obsessed with why we are, therefore we see an endless stream of "teachers" and frameworks of morality and religion that come and go. In truth, we just are! Time will bring with it this realization eventually.

Each teacher claims his latest "meaning" is the serious one and eventually it is laughed out of town like the rest.

Eventually, all that will be left is the Gay Science.

Section 2: the intellectual conscience

“The great majority of people lack an intellectual conscience.“

Summary: most people are content with believing anything without questioning, and this is unforgivable. at least if you hate the questionnaires you know that questioning is an option. The ignorant bliss in the midst of the great mystery of life is pretty much death

Section 3: Noble and common

Summary: the common folk look down on the noble as silly idealist, who is passions overcome their intellect.

The noble cannot comprehend why the common do not share their passions.

Both think humans are nuts

Section 4: what preserves the species

“The strongest and most evil spirits have so far done the most to advance humanity”

They force passionate good people to act, they highlight faults in current systems, Evil just means setting out to tear down excepted stuff

“In truth, however, the evil instincts are expedient, species preserving, and indispensable to as high a degree the good ones; their function is merely different. “

- gadfly on society
- the Trump effect re: activism
- chaos needed for growth

Section 5: unconditional duties

Those who seek to teach the reasons for being often rely on fancy words and a set of “unconditional duties “or values and principles that allow them to submit to whatever power they’ve chosen as their God without the shame of submission

Section 6: loss of dignity

People used to stop and think when they had a thought or wanted to reflect. “Reflecting has lost all the dignity of its form. “

Now we think too fast and never pause no matter how important a task or seriously undertaking. “An old style wise man would be considered in tolerable “

Section 7: something for the industrious

In order to really figure out morals and philosophy, there is so much work to do in so many different rounds of scientific study to bring the full history of different human features to light

Love, envy, law, marriage, avarice, cruelty, punishment, friendship, schedules and daily habits of work, manners, nutrition, collective living

All this must be explored for a full treatment of history and morals

Section 8: unconscious virtues

There are visible, conscious virtues that others can see and we can understand about ourselves, then there are invisible virtues that we understand poorly and follow different rules than visible ones.

These unconscious virtues govern much of our behavior that’s mysterious

Section 9: our eruptions

Evolution is slow and then sometimes all at once. Values, Habits, superpowers with picked up (good and bad) often manifest much later, even generations later. And then they erupt forth.

Section 10: a kind of atavism

People of rare character can be seen as emergences of the culture that created them. To understand people, look at the history of their culture. It is in conservative cultures or errors but this return to old values is seen, not in places were culture is changing rapidly.

Section 11: consciousness

Consciousness is the newest development of the animal mind and is therefore weak and immature.

Our consciousness is a danger, and the only reason our silly conscious efforts to make sense of the world haven’t killed us yet is because our survival mechanisms and instincts are so much stronger.

Section 12: on the aim of science

Science can act as a minimizer of pain, in which case it makes us less human. Pain and pleasure often come hand-in-hand, where the greatest pleasures enjoys from life require the greatest pain experience to unleash them.

The stoics knew this, and reduced pleasure in order to reduce pain. Works both ways. So science can also bring pain but through it pleasure.

Section 13: on the doctrine of the feeling of power

We inflict pain on those we wish to feel our power, Because pain begs the question of what its origin is well pleasure often does not.

We help those who are dependent on us to increase our own power and to convince those dependence to fight threats to our power. Even murdered him is to increase the martyrs power by furthering because that is believed to provide that power.

Hurting others is a sign you like power because you seek to increase your relative power by lowering others.

Powerful people do not pity and do not enjoy dealing with lesser forces. It only makes them feel good to act as equals with courtesy to those that are peers.

Weak people use petty to feel better by comparing themselves to the even weaker.

Section 14 the things people called love

Avarice and love are the same instinct in different context.

“Possessions are generally diminished by possession”

Love for an object or a person is really a desire to own it, to be the only one with access to it. Far from selfless, romantic love may be the most egoist thing.

When you share or desire or love with another for something higher this is friendship

True selfless love for another, unconditional, transcends romance and sexual love and is an authentic desire (still a desire!) To increase their power, which in turn increases your power by association

Section 15: from a distance

Some beauty or value is only present at a distance. Upon climbing the mountain you are disappointed.

Section 16: over the footbridge

Those who are shy with their feelings may shut down if you catch them feeling: it’s important to make them know it’s OK to feel and that you don’t take it too seriously, to help coax them out.

Section 17: finding motives for poverty

Shortcomings or problems in life can be viewed as necessary to alleviate suffering from them.

Section 18: the pride of classical antiquity

The concept of human equality has elevated the slave (mental, physical, any kind) to a full being and therefore prevent modern man from fighting slavery.

Being a janitor is OK now where as before that was an office to eliminate

Section 19: Evil

Trees grow strong thanks to stroms and fires fires just as people grow strong fromm misfortune and societeis grow strong from evil.

Evil is a necessary compoenentto the growth of good.

"The poison of which weaker natures perish strenghtens the strong"

Section 20: the dignity of folly

Prudence is desirable until every action is prudent and this becomes tyrannical. At this point enteratining folly would become dignified. Make mistakes!

"Just as a tyranny of truth and science could increase esteem for the lie, a tyranny of prudence could spur the growth of a new kind of nobility. To be noble might then come to mean: to entertain follies."

Fake news and "Fake News!" were a response to the outsourcing of truth to trusted third parties. Necessary overreactions meant to cut us off from our addiction to accepting truth from "authorities"

Section 21: To the teachers of selfishness

Virtues are judged based on their utility to society or the group, not to the individual. Often they are sold as means of enriching oneself but truly are bad for the self.

Being virtuous is seen as a sacrifice to the "greater good" by others and therefore the praise of virtue is actually a selfish thing in that the praiser is being advantaged by the sacrifice

Virtues are promoted over self-preservation, causing the virtuous over time to die out and the invirtuous to last.

The big contradiction of morality being sold as a good thing for individuals is that it is saying "seek your advantage by sacrificing your life."

Section 22: L'ordre du jour pour le roi; The order of the day for the king

Don't order the day too much or you'll end ⬆️ doing a lot of unnecessary shit

Section 23: The signs of corruption

When corruption sets in, society moves from a place of religiosity and faith to a place of "superstition" (or conspiracy)

This conspiracy is free-thinking, a rejection of the faith and a symptom of enlightenment. Conspiracy is given a bad reputation by the faithful.

When corruption rears, nationalism wanes and the people redirect energy from supporting war to pleasing themselves. They focus the "national energy" inward instead of outward.

Some say cruelty lessens, but this is when intellectual creulty and slander reign. Morals decay and tyrants appear.

Once fighting between tyrants exhausts the slowly maturing egos (leaving individuals, sovereigns) the Caesar appears. The people, now individuals, realize they need control.

Bribery and individualistic "dog eat dog" takes hold as the newly sovereign individuals realize they've gotta be for themselves and take matters into their own hands.

Private morality takes precedence to public.

The sovereigns that emerge from the corrupt society now seed new societies.

"Corruption is merely a nasty word for the autumn of a people."

Section 24: Diverse dissatisfaction

Weaker, feminine dissatisfaction is insatiable, and seeks to make things nicer, more beautiful, more profound

Stronger, masculine dissatisfaction seeks only to make things safer and better

The masculine is easily satisfied and leads to stagnation if not accompanied by the instaible feminine.

Dissatisfaction is the genius of all invention.

Section 25: Not predestined for knowledge

Some avoid discovering new truths because they are cowards and do not deserve knowledge

Section 26: What is life?

Continually shedding anything that is weak.

Section 27: The man of renunciation

The man of renunciation seeks to fly higher than all other men, to reach the height of heights.

To do this he sheds baggage and so externally looks like a man of renunciation. He is fine with this because concealing his motive and desire serves his flight by avoiding hangers on.

Section 28: To be harmful with what is best in us

Our greatest strengths can become harmful if they cause us to lose sight of what the effect is or causes those weaker but growing to be destroyed by our greatness.

Section 29: Add Lies

Reasons and purposes for habits within any morality or religion are lies added after the fact in response to attacks on the reasons or purposes of those habits or questions

Section 30: The comedy played by the famous

Famous people like politicians gather people and friends to absorb some of their character when it serves them to be seeen as similar in some way to those friends.

These friends cycle through as needed and so there is turnover and the reputation of the famous person changes to reflect their surrounding influences.

Section 31: Trade and nobility

Hunting was common ebcause it was necessary. Then it became a luxury and something for the noble when it became unnecessary.

Buying and selling is common, but may soon become unnecessary and therfore a hobby of the rich and noble. This could be a UBI utopia where the only real trade is collectibles by the rich.

Section 32: Undesirable disciples

Inability to say No makes you weak and useless and sure to perish

Willingness to compromise on anything makes you actually dangerous to any cause deem to support

Section 33: Outside the lecture hall

Man is more evil now than ever, and still not so much. He "needs" a science and an explanation and has lost faith and trust.

Section 34: Historia obscordita, Unknown history

Each human must discover the past for themself and any human could yet reveal pieces of the past that are essential to move forward

Section 35: Heresy and witchcraft

Fighting the system is not always a sign of higher thinking, it's often just a resistance to any dominant system

Section 36: Last Words

When Augustus and Nero died, they both noted that great actors were dying, that they had been playing their part and wearing a mask. Both were wises and stoic emporeres often praised, but it was fake.

Tiberius was evil and cruel but was authentic. Who was better? More human?

Section 37: Owing to three errors

Three errors drove science:
1. Science would bring understanding of God (Newton)
2. Knowledge has absolute utility wrt to morality and happiness (Voltaire)
3. Science is objective and man's evil holds no sway over it (Spinoza)

Section 38: The explosive ones

Young men are explosive and therefore attracted to high energy causes with explosive promises without doing due diligence on reasons or whether they should be supporting

Section 39: Changed Taste

"The change in general taste is more powerful than that of opinions. Opinions, along with all proofs, refutations, and the whole intellectual masquerade, are merely symptoms of the change in taste and most certainly not what they are still supposed to be, its causes."

Section 40: On the lack of noble manners

Men will submit willingly to those they truly feel are higher and more powerful. Military societies win out over industrial societies because men see the power of their general but see nothing but greed and lack in their boss who is no different than them.

Socialism is born because employers are not commanding of respect.

Section 41: Against remorse

Failure and success are simply data points and answers based on what was attempted.

Remorse is for those who have recieved orders and may be punished for failing.

Section 42: Work and boredom

Boredom is essential to spur new adventures and real thinkers would rather starve than work aimlessly.

Work with pleasure is essential and cannot be substituted for by work for money only.

Section 43: What laws betray

Laws do not show what a people prefers or anything about them, it shows what they find outlandish or foreign.

Section 44: Supposed motivations

Knowing the motives that men *believe* they are following is more important than knowing their actual motives, as it is what really drives behavior.

Section 45: Epicurus

Calm, radiant happiness can only be truly appreciated by someone who has known great chaos and pain.

Section 46: Our Amazement

We are amazed that science works and are so blessed to have some sort of solid footing in this great tumultuous sea of uncertainty we all call Life and Nature

Section 47: On the suppression of the passions

Suppressing the language and manners of passion eventually dampens the passions themselves. While many may pretend passion with language, this will eventually drive actual passion.

Section 48: Knowledge of misery

The ages of Man are separated by knowledge of misery.

Modern peope do not know real, deep soul and body pain and therfore are senstive to any discomfort and "painful thoughts."

To alleviate "misery" --> misery

Section 49: Magnanimity and related matters

Forgiveness is just as egotistic as revenge, just of a different quality

Section 50: The argument of growing solitude

Even the strongest fear alienation from the pack because the human herd instinct fears isolation

Section 51: Truthfulness

Neitzsche rejects all questions that do not permit experiment.

Section 52: What others know about us

What others know (or think they know) about us is paramount to our happiness

"It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than a bad reputation"

Section 53: Where the good begins

Those who cannot see the evil for its subtlety think the world is good.

Great thinkers are not cheerful, common folks are.

Section 54: The consciousness of appearance

Life is not a dictionary, it's a thesaurus

Reality is subjective and simply "appearance" but there is nothing under the appearance

Life is a dream, but upon becoming "Lucid" (like Neitzsche) you do not wake ⬆️. There is no waking state.

You must keep dreaming, and those among us that understand the dream keep it going for the unknowing herd to keep dreaming blindly.

Section 55: The Ultimate Noblemindedness

What makes you noble?

Not mere sacrifice, people sacrifice for dumb shit.

Not mere passion, there are dumb passions.

Not mere selflessness, noble men are selfish and powerful as a result.

Nobility stems from particular sacrifice for particular aims, desire to better and improve the station of other men and the world.

Section 56: The Craving for Suffering

People crave unhappiness to spur action and dispel boredom, but are not self-aware enough to come up with their own reasons to fight or be unhappy.

They sign on to fight others' monsters and make a lot of noise about others' distress without actually addressing their personal distress.

Book 2

Section 57: To the realists

So-called "realists" are still humans and are artistic compared to fish (a quote, lol). What is so realistic? There is no way to avoid the intoxication of being animals and humans, even for realists.

Section 58: Only as creators!

"To realize that what things are called is incomparably more important than what they are."

"We can only destroy as creators."

"It is enough to create new names and estimations and probabilities in order to create in the long run new things."

Things are not just "what they are," they are symbols for whatever meaning and attribution has been attached to these things over time.

Over time, what was a name becomes what the thing actually is. This works both ways, in that attaching new names and meaning to existing stuff makes new stuff.

Section 59: We artists

When we love something, be it woman or God, we ignore reality and nature as we see fit to proclaim the object of our affection perfect beyond all knocks.

Section 60: Women and their action at a distance

Women appear at a distance to be the lovely peace and beauty that men want in their life, but this is an effect of the distance.

In reality, humans are humans and woman share much of the spiritual strife that men do.

Section 61: In honor of Friendship

Friendship is the highest form of feeling, over pride, and recognized by all. This could be as a result of the trust it shows in you by others, social vaidation that you don't suck.

Section 62: Love

"Love forgives the lover even his lust."

@threadreaderapp unroll bitte