Philosophy

kurban olurum... - Meme-Dini from Bookmarklet

Outside the arts, a work of genius may be inaccessible to all but the professional audience; for example, Godel’s Theorem or Andrew Wiles’s proof of Fermat’s conjecture. The artist, mathematician, scientist or philosopher, working at the edge of comprehensibility has a very small audience indeed. The issue of unlocking a special kind of communication for a wide audience is not the case here. The other fields where inspiration is paramount are mysticism and religion. One does not say that St. Paul, for instance, was a genius, rather that he was divinely inspired by the grace of God. This is hardly different from the hackneyed idea that great poets are inspired by some muse or other: usually some teenage beauty who has spurned their love, as was Dante’s lucky fate. Great technical ability, like that possessed by Alexander Pope or Milton produced amazing works that few could emulate, and which deserve the attribution of genius if only for their assiduous labor. But some would prefer the... more... - Lethe Bashar

What we think of as a writer's unique and individual gifts, those sparkling sentences that critics extol--in my present understanding--are really the effervescence of language itself. - Lethe Bashar

In this mode of appreciating art, the furthest I can see is not far enough. Fixated on the individual and her gifts, I lose sight of the deeper meaning or beauty in the work of art. By reducing art to the individual, and setting a spotlight on the hand that wrought perfection, I mistakenly short-circuit the whole enterprise of art. - Lethe Bashar

Andrew Zuckerman book and project. Inspired by idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience, the Wisdom project seeks to create a record of a multicultural group of people who have all made their mark on the world. Presented agains the same white space, all of the subjects are removed from their context, which not only democratizes them, but also allows for a clear dialogue to exist between them. In an attempt to create a more profound, honest, and truly revealing portrait of these luminaries, the project encompasses their voices, their physical presence, andthe written word. This comprehensive portrayal of such a profound and global group is an index of extraordinary perspectives. Source: http://www.wisdombook.org/ - Amira from Bookmarklet

Amira I think you are right that there is wisdom to be learned, the issue seems to be that people, understandably, usually draw from lessons learned from their own experience rather than lessons learned before. So the same cycles reoccur. How do we disrupt these cycles? - Todd Hoff