Month: February 2025

(Wiki: Possible bust of Heraclitus, from the Hall of Philosophers in the Capitoline Museums)

Heraclitus ( c. 500 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. He has a wide influence through the works of such later authors as Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, Marx and Heidegger.

One of his main ideas was thinking how things relate to one another (day/night; young/old; etc.).

Question: Imagine you had to write a few paragraphs about who you were, but you couldn’t use your own point of view. In other words, you could only talk about what your parents or guardians thought about you. What sorts of things would they say? Is this different from how you see yourself? How does comparing things help to uncover a topic better than just looking at one thing. Can you give examples?

Friedrich Nietzsche, circa 1875 (Wiki Friedrich Hermann Hartmann – https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/04/10/0b/04100baec90c105729b47f33c371476b.jpg)

Friedrich Nietzsche famously wrote, “Without music, life would be a mistake” in his book Twilight of the Idols, published in 1889. This line appears in the section titled “Maxims and Arrows” which is a collection of sayings

Nietzsche often reflected on the profound role of art, particularly music, in human life. For him, music was not just a listening pleasure but a vital force that could elevate existence, provide meaning, and helps relieve the suffering in life. This saying shares his belief in the power of music as an essential part of the human experience.

QUESTION:

What makes life special for you? Write a short story or poem about a life without that thing.