classics digests, reflections and reviews
As an armchair Platonist, I find Locke’s idea of toleration lacking in justice for the following reasons: The Goods of Man According to Locke, states and churches are founded on the voluntary and rational consent of people who share common interests. The common interests of the people of any state is to protect their lives and properties, and the common interests of the churchgoers is to obtain the salvation of […]
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Diogenes’ Repartees One day when Plato had invited to his house friends coming from Dionysius, Diogenes trampled upon his carpets and said, “I trample upon Plato’s vainglory.” Plato’s reply was, “How much pride you expose to view, Diogenes, by seeming not to be proud.” Others tell us that what Diogenes said was, “I trample upon the pride of Plato,” who retorted, “Yes, Diogenes, with pride of another sort.” Some one […]
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This Dream is Human Life That great general universal dream which not only the sleeping but also the waking dream. This dream in veriest truth is human life. In the visions of sleep, seeing we see not, hearing we hear not, tasting and touching we neither taste nor touch, speaking we speak not, but they are empty creations of the mind, which produces pictures and images of things without any basis […]
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What is Time Time is merely a device by means of which we gradually see that which is in reality and which is ever the same. In order that the eye may see the entire globe, the latter must turn before the observing eye. Even the world revolves before the eyes of men in time. Time and space is the disintegration of the infinite for the convenience of finite creatures. […]
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Connexion of the Sensible and the Abstract Some things are perceived by the senses immediately, some mediately, with the intervention of others. The latter may be signified and suggested to the mind by sensible marks, with which they have an arbitrary connexion. For instance, in reading a book, what I immediately perceive are the letters; but mediately, or by means of these, the notions of justice, virtue, truth, etc. Philosophers […]
Read moreA story of Tolstoy was related by Prof. Irwin Weil [1]: A young Jewish man wrote to Tolstoy a few months before the latter died, and asked how a Jew could believe his teachings which were based on the words of Jesus Christ. Tolstoy replied, “The words of Christ are not important and applicable because they were said by Christ, on the contrary, they were said by Christ because they […]
Read moreAn online acquaintance recently sent me a private message recommending a Catholic apologetics book — my post on sola scriptura was an upshot of a debate with her and a few others. I thanked her for the recommendation, but politely declined, saying that I had a very long to-read list and wouldn’t have time for it. Her reply suggested that I was not “open-minded enough”. I was a little taken aback, […]
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