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    Sculpting Sententiae: An Art Form of Independent Philosophy
    Sculpting Sententiae: An Art Form of Independent Philosophy
    Sculpting Sententiae: An Art Form of Independent Philosophy
    Ebook95 pages1 hour

    Sculpting Sententiae: An Art Form of Independent Philosophy

    By Richard Schain

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    SCULPTING SENTENTIAE An Art Form of Independent Philosophy contains 406 original sententiae (statements) plus a preface discussing why the author considers this type of philosophical writing to be an art form. It represents a radical departure from the contemporary university approach to philosophy as a scholarly discipline. Unlike discursive prose, sententiae do not entertain or support the reader on a flowing current of language. Here the mind does not analyze, it apprehends, it sees. If the ultimate purpose of art is the awakening of consciousness, the significance of a sententia is to be found in its ability to produce this awakening not only in the reader but in the writer as well.

    The sententiae in this work have been grouped in five categories: Philosophy and Religion; Philosophy Among the Ancient Greeks; Bourgeois Existence Today; The Philosopher as Artist; Bywork. An appendix with translations of the foreign language phrases is provided. The three essays included at the end were originally published in the electronic journal Philosophy Pathways. These are: Significance of the Sense of Holiness; The Problem and Promise of Consciousness; Fame - The Last Infirmity of the Noble Mind. These essays present in discursive prose many of the ideas that are more directly and succinctly expressed by the sententiae.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris US
    Release dateJun 9, 2010
    ISBN9781453510889
    Sculpting Sententiae: An Art Form of Independent Philosophy
    Author

    Richard Schain

    Richard Schain obtained B.A. (philosophy) and M.D. degrees from New York University. He trained in neurology at Yale University, later serving as professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCLA. His life as an independent philosopher began with the publication of Affirmations of Reality in 1982. Subsequent works include Philosophical Artwork (1983), Souls Exist (1989), The Legend of Nietzsches Syphilis (2001) and In Love With Eternity (2005). Sententiae on illustration boards have been exhibited as art objects in art galleries. A personal memoir is entitled Behold the Philosopher (2007). Currently, he lives with his wife Melanie in Alamos, Mexico.

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      Book preview

      Sculpting Sententiae - Richard Schain

      Copyright © 2010 by Richard Schain.

      ISBN:                  Softcover                          978-1-4535-1087-2

                                  Ebook                               978-1-4535-1088-9

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

      Xlibris

      1-888-795-4274

      www.Xlibris.com

      81575

      CONTENTS

      Preface

      Philosophy and Religion

      Philosophy Among the Ancient Greeks

      Bourgeois Existence Today

      The Philosopher as Artist

      Bywork

      Translations: (numbers refer to sententiae)

      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SENSE OF HOLINESS

      THE PROBLEM AND PROMISE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

      FAME—THE LAST INFIRMITY OF THE NOBLE MIND

      To Melanie Dreisbach

      "Das Ewig-Weibliche

      zieht uns hinan"

      Preface

      Sententiae—sentences expressing a way of thinking, opinion,

      thought, meaning, purpose.

      Cassell’s Latin Dictionary

      It has been long known that the tastes of readers are at least as important for the success of a writing as are the literary skills of the writer. From Aeschylus to Beckett, successful writers have had to have the wit and patience to find a public appreciative of their work. The form of philosophical writing utilized here is one that requires a special consciousness of self and freedom of spirit on the part of the reader. It represents a radical departure from the contemporary university approach to philosophy as a scholarly discipline. Unlike extended prose, sententiae do not entertain or support the reader upon a flowing current of language. They should be conceived of as a form of philosophical artwork in which the philosopher reveals his mind in brief passages. Sententiae are not discursive, but are oracular-type expressions derived from the interior life of the writer. The antique Σπουδαιολογος (serious thought) is its essential feature. Every literary person looks more or less for le mot juste in his writings but in the case of sententiae, this requirement is critical. If the ultimate purpose of art is the awakening of consciousness, the significance of a sententia is to be found in its ability to produce this awakening—not only in the reader but in the writer as well.

      Heraclitus, the greatest writer of sententiae in the antique world, declared that the purveyor of wisdom does not explicate or conceal but gives a sign. He was regarded as a philosophical force second to none throughout a thousand years of classical culture; subsequently, his impact was lost on a public given over to the cult of Christianity. We now live in a society that looks to literature for diversion or instruction, but rarely for awakening. Those with a taste for the classics turn to the literary honey of Plato rather than the tough meat of Heraclitus. Yet it is as true now as in antique times that honeyed words have a limited effect on the spirit of a reader. Transport into the endless Disneylands of extended discourse is commonly a way of escape from self rather than its awakening. The humorous comment of Callimachus of Alexandria, a literary giant of his times (≈ 250 BC), was µεγα βιβλιον, µεγα κακον—much writing, much evil.

      The title of this writing, Sculpting Sententiae, is a metaphor chosen because there is a strong resemblance to sculpture in creating philosophical passages. One must carve them out of a morass of distracting language and ideas. The writer chips away gradually at the resistant material; he deletes, adds, alters and arranges. The often deceptively simple end product of artwork is difficult to attain, as any artist knows. The goal of writing sententiae is not to cover pages with verbose explications but to construct sentences conveying thoughts that demand expression. A century ago, Hermann Diels in his landmark translation of Heraclitus from Greek to German (Herakleitos von Ephesos, 1901) expressed the view that this format was the only one suitable for the philosophical depths of his subject.

      As in most forms of art, the essence of a sententia is in its intuitive nature. Here the mind does not analyze; it apprehends, it sees. One is far removed from the writings of scholars. Coming upon a meaningful statement is a significant event in one’s life that may put at risk the ordinary affairs of the individual. It is not a trivial thing to loosen mental straightjackets. A person whose mind is not attuned to this approach to philosophy—which is further defined in #22—need read no further. Although this writing consists of 406 individual sententiae, I believe there is a coherent worldview that will be found to resonate throughout the work. May there be individual readers in whose minds it resonates as well.

      Virtually all of the sententiae in this work are original. Many have been culled with alterations from my collections entitled Philosophical Artwork, A Contemporary Logos, and Sentences in Small Spaces. In spite of the axiom traduttore, traditore, I plead guilty to providing an appendix with translations of foreign language phrases when the translations are not present in the text. All translations are mine.

      The three essays appended here were first published in the electronic journal Philosophy Pathways. They present in discursive prose form many of the ideas more directly and succinctly expressed in the sententiae.

      This work would not have seen the light of day without the technical skills of my wife Melanie Dreisbach. But far more than that, her bright spirit has always been an unfailing source of inspiration to my often wavering creative energies.

      Philosophy and Religion

      Die Wahrheit zu sagen ist Pflicht, nicht, viele Rede zu machen.

      Democritus of Abdera—Diels’ Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker

      1

      Philosophy—The transmutation of vital experience into concepts is a special form of creative expression. The ancient Greeks

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