Vonnegut's "essence of human wonder"

"The whole magical thing about our painting, Mrs. Berman, and this was old stuff in music, but it was brand new in painting: it was pure essence of human wonder, and wholly apart from food, from sex, from clothes, from houses, from drugs, from cars, from news, from money, from crime, from punishment, from games, from war, from peace--and surely apart from the universal human impulse among painters and plumbers alike toward inexplicable despair and self-destruction!"

Rabo Karabekian (Abstract Expressionist Painter)*
from Vonnegut's Bluebeard

wonder bread

8/18/2008

To me, understanding philosophical paradigms is primarily about interpersonal relationships. Understanding a person is roughly equivalent to understanding a philosophical paradigm. More often than not, the former is more valuable than the latter but the realms aren't entirely distinct.

This understanding, combined with wonder, is the essence of philosophy.


Note: my new thing-- standing around pointing and naming the essence of things

Scribblings

2/15/2008
A philosopher settling upon a previously defined view of the world is like a life-long climber setting up his residence on a mountaintop and throwing away all his gear. Perhaps he's done with struggle and thus awaits death?

2/23/2008
The philosopher as traveler adopts beliefs for their therapeutic value instead of for their truth value. That doesn't mean the beliefs are not true.

They are not after beliefs, ideas, and truth so much as a better life, better ability to enjoy and respect life.

They've seen those who create the world in their own image and seek instead to explore the world. They discover instead of create not because they don't create but because they embody the attitude of wonder.

When you read the travelers you don't take away their truths, you take away lessons for living. "lessons for living" sounds trite, it's not. Rather, it's overfamiliar through misuse.