La Rochefoucauld was one of the best writers of maxims in France. The book contains cynicism, skepticism, pessimism, and cannot help but make you wiser. Below are my highlights. Men are not only prone to forget benefits and injuries ; they even hate those who have obliged them , and cease to hate those who … Read more
Curtis Jackson started dealing drugs when he was 12 years old. One day, after he was given drugs on consignment (he would be given drugs for free and would pay the supplier back a certain amount and pocket the rest), he had a hard time selling them to fiends. Curtis didn’t do drugs himself. If … Read more
Law 46: Never Appear too Perfect It is dangerous to appear better than others, it is especially dangerous to appear to have no faults. Envy creates secret enemies; it is wise to display defects and vices to deflect envy from others. Only the gods and the dead can get away with appearing perfect. A greedy … Read more
Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness Don’t do anything halfheartedly. Being doubtful and hesitant will inevitably sabotage your project. Be audacious, everyone admires the bold, and no one cares for the timid. When you act timidly, those that are bolder will encircle you. And when you lack confidence, you will be unable to overcome obstacles … Read more
Following in the great tradition of Nietzsche and La Rochefoucauld, Nassim Taleb has written The Bed of Procrustes. For those who are interested, the name of the book comes from Greek mythology. Procrustes “the stretcher [who hammers out the metal]”), was a rogue smith and bandit who attacked people by stretching them or cutting off … Read more
The Art of Worldly Wisdom – Baltasar Gracian – Summary The Maxims – La Rochefoucauld – Summary The Bed of Procrustes – Nassim Taleb – Summary
A compilation of my philosophy blog posts. Philosophy of Technology The Singularity: The basic premise is this, according to Kurzweil. Scientific change has been happening for a few hundred years. For the majority of this time period, progress has been pretty slow. Arguments of ‘The Singularity is Near’: Kurzweil believes that this will happen approximately … Read more
What is wrong with political correctness? Answer: Hegel said it best. The Hegelian dialectic comprises three dialectical stages of development: a thesis, giving rise to its reaction; an antithesis, which contradicts or negates the thesis; and the tension between the two being resolved by means of a synthesis. In more simplistic terms, one can consider it thus: problem … Read more
A maxim is a short, pithy statement describing a general law or premise. An aphorism is an original laconic phrase conveying a principle of thought. Maxims Benjamin Franklin Michel De Montaigne Machiavelli (One and Two) Nietzsche Buddha François de La Rochefoucauld Aesop Dale Carnegie Thomas Carlyle Anton Chekov Winston Churchill Confucius Fyodor Dostoevsky Albert Einstein Epictetus … Read more
Jesus was a risk taker In Christianity, it would have been easier to separate Jesus from God, but there was an insistence on the Trinity. The duality of Jesus (being both man and God) is central, and has caused monotheists to see traces of polytheism in Christianity and Christians to be beheaded by the Islamic … Read more