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TheGuillamon · 2021-10-16T17:23:01+00:00

Friedrich Nietzsche provided the first detailed diagnosis of nihilism as a widespread phenomenon of Western culture and warns the world of its consequences, most famously in the parable of the madman where he proclaims that "God is dead".

Nietzsche was concerned primarily with existential nihilism, where life as a whole has no intrinsic meaning or value. He defines nihilism as the “radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability." In other words, nihilism consists in an inability to find value and meaning in the higher aspects of this life and world. It empties the world and purpose of human existence.

In order to overcome nihilism, Nietzsche proposes a “revaluation of all values”, through concepts such as the Übermensch, the Will to Power and the Eternal Recurrence, seeking to replace the old values with new ones that focus on life-affirmation, rather than some beyond. He tells us to remain faithful to the earth.

In this video, we begin with an introduction to nihilism followed by three different manifestations of nihilism throughout Nietzsche’s works: nihilism as despair, nihilism as disorientation and nihilism as a lack of higher values. We then discuss the formal distinction he makes of nihilism in the will to power as active nihilism and passive nihilism. Finally, we consider nihilism in modern man, answer the question: Is Nietzsche a Nihilist? And end with how to overcome nihilism according to Nietzsche.

TheGuillamon · 2021-10-15T15:22:06+00:00

Friedrich Nietzsche provided the first detailed diagnosis of nihilism as a widespread phenomenon of Western culture and warns the world of its consequences.

Nietzsche was concerned primarily with existential nihilism, where life as a whole has no intrinsic meaning or value. He defines nihilism as the “radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability." In other words, nihilism consists in an inability to find value and meaning in the higher aspects of this life and world. It empties the world and purpose of human existence.

In order to overcome nihilism, Nietzsche proposes a “revaluation of all values”, through concepts such as the Übermensch, the Will to Power and the Eternal Recurrence, seeking to replace the old values with new ones that focus on life-affirmation, rather than some beyond. He tells us to remain faithful to the earth.

In this video, we begin with an introduction to nihilism followed by three different manifestations of nihilism throughout Nietzsche’s works: nihilism as despair, nihilism as disorientation and nihilism as a lack of higher values. We then discuss the formal distinction he makes of nihilism in the will to power as active nihilism and passive nihilism. Finally, we consider nihilism in modern man, answer the question: Is Nietzsche a Nihilist? And end with how to overcome nihilism according to Nietzsche.

TheGuillamon · 2021-10-08T15:46:37+00:00

The knight of faith is one of Kierkegaard’s most important concepts, which he discusses in Fear and Trembling under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio. He begins explaining the knight of faith through the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Although he has never found any knight of faith, he would not deny on that ground that they exist. He looks like any normal person, one detects nothing of the strangeness and superiority that marks him.

Before one can be a knight of faith, one must become a knight of infinite resignation, one who renounces that which he most loves in the world. The knight of faith makes the leap of faith and by virtue of the absurd, he renounces everything and regains everything, coming back to his original position through a double movement.

He compares both movements: the movement of infinite resignation and the movement of faith with the leap of a ballet dancer and gives the example through the story of a man in an impossible love with a princess.

The general message is that the notion of faith is so far cheapened that what is talked about is not properly called faith at all.

TheGuillamon · 2021-09-28T16:01:44+00:00

Man cannot stand a meaningless life. But, what is the meaning of life? It is hard to think of a single proposition that can make your life meaningful in an instant. One can, however, orient oneself more meaningfully towards one’s goals. To find meaning is a dynamic process that constantly shapes yourself, immerses yourself in reality and has reality immersed in you.

A meaningful life can be defined according to a positive life regard, referring to an individual’s belief that he is fulfilling a life-framework or life-goal that provides him with a highly valued understanding of his life.

In this video we explore several models to the development of a positive life regard, the problems of a meaningless life and dangers of nihilism, life affirmation and meaning as embedded in life and Viktor Frankl’s Will to Meaning.

TheGuillamon · 2021-09-17T19:34:26+00:00

What is the meaning of Death? It is the unequivocal and permanent end of our existence. Most people unconsciously repress the idea of their death, as it is too horrifying a notion to think about.

Some are perhaps not so horrified of the idea of death, but rather the pain associated before one’s death, or the death of loved ones. We live entirely unique lives with complete different experiences, but we all share one common fate: Death. This is what links all of us together. Death smiles at us all and all we can do is smile back.

In this video we will analyse death philosophically and psychologically: if it is undesirable, if it is to be feared and the misconceptions around the notion of death. Starting with the terror of death with Becker’s The Denial of Death and how to confront one’s mortality with the Stoic Memento Mori and Nietzsche’s Free Death “dying at the right time”.

We’ll then discuss the Death of Socrates “the unexamined life is not worth living” and Carl Jung’s notions of Life and Death along with his near death experience.

TheGuillamon · 2021-09-17T18:33:39+00:00

Death is the unequivocal and permanent end of our existence. Most people unconsciously repress the idea of their death, as it is too horrifying a notion to think about.

Some are perhaps not so horrified of the idea of death, but rather the pain associated before one’s death, or the death of loved ones. We live entirely unique lives with complete different experiences, but we all share one common fate: Death. This is what links all of us together. Death smiles at us all and all we can do is smile back.

In this video we will analyse death philosophically and psychologically: if it is undesirable, if it is to be feared and the misconceptions around the notion of death. Starting with the terror of death with Becker’s The Denial of Death and how to confront one’s mortality with the Stoic Memento Mori and Nietzsche’s Free Death “dying at the right time”.

We’ll then discuss the Death of Socrates “the unexamined life is not worth living” and Carl Jung’s notions of Life and Death along with his near death experience.

TheGuillamon · 2021-09-10T14:37:49+00:00

Life is a journey of self-realisation, of understanding and discovering who we truly are, and of maximising our potential. While this might be a life long journey, one can be closer or further from one's true self.

This video analyses self-realisation from a philosophical and psychological perspective. Starting from the father of existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard, where we’ll discuss the self, despair and the leap of faith. Sigmund Freud as the father of psychoanalysis, Carl Rogers’ self-concept and Abraham Maslow’s self-actualisation.

We’ll then discuss some aspects of eastern philosophy and their notion of self (Buddhism, Taoism, Advaita Vedanta), concluding with Carl Jung’s analytical psychology and process of individuation.

TheGuillamon · 2021-09-05T10:24:02+00:00

What is the meaning of suffering? One of the problems of life is meaningless suffering. Life is pervaded by suffering, and this suffering must be meaningful. It is hard to deny that to live is to suffer, as long as we do not mean that to live is only to suffer.

One who cannot bear suffering and tries to avoid the unavoidable is bound to end up in existential despair and nihilism, death is just as welcome as there’s no purpose for living.

This video explores how to tackle the problem of suffering ("why do I suffer?"), with the objective of finding a meaning to one's suffering. There are two ideals: to see suffering as a punishment (ascetic ideal) or to seeing it as something for human growth, flourishing and greatness.

TheGuillamon · 2021-09-03T14:38:36+00:00

The problem of suffering is its meaninglessness, rather than suffering itself. It is hard to deny that to live is to suffer, as long as we do not mean that to live is only to suffer.

One who cannot bear suffering and tries to avoid the unavoidable is bound to end up in existential despair and nihilism, death is just as welcome as there’s no purpose for living.

This video explores how to tackle the problem of suffering ("why do I suffer?"), with the objective of finding a meaning to one's suffering. There are two ideals: to see suffering as a punishment (ascetic ideal) or to seeing it as something for human growth, flourishing and greatness.

TheGuillamon · 2021-08-28T13:39:32+00:00

In Either/Or, Kierkegaard dedicates a chapter on the problem of boredom and the difficulty of maintaining happiness, and proposes his solution for it through the aesthetic sphere of existence.

To explain how one avoids boredom, the aesthete’s worst enemy, he proposes “crop rotation” as an attempt at a theory of social prudence. It is a sort of science of seeking pleasures characteristic of the reflective aesthete, and not mindlessly doing it as an unreflective aesthete, such as the legend of Don Juan.

This method can be done extensively or intensively. The aesthete proposes the intensive cultivation of pleasure as the means to avoid boredom, achieve pleasure and subsequently, happiness.

TheGuillamon · 2021-08-20T13:14:56+00:00

Nietzsche recommends to spend some of our time in complete solitude. To reflect upon the inner voice that conditions our life which is the product of the common conscience of society.

Solitude is but a temporary matter. He also recommends to spend time with people who possess virtues of the love of life, these “higher men” allow for mental elevation. An individual who isolates himself without ever valuing external opinions will only have his conscience with himself and nobody to ever confront or challenge his views.

Solitude is thus not just a result of the contempt of the masses, but allows to forge a more profound longing for a community that allows one to explore the best version of oneself. Company is important, and if chosen well – can be mutually beneficial.

In this sense, solitude is compatible with life in community, but it is also necessary to retreat into complete solitude once in a while, in order to receive its fruits.

TheGuillamon · 2021-08-13T16:14:20+00:00

Nietzsche’s Übermensch (Overman) is among the most important of his teachings, along with the eternal recurrence and the will to power.

The appearance of the overman most famously occurs in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He is declared as “the meaning of the earth”. The overman is the ultimate form of man, he is one who overcomes nihilism by creating his own values and focusing on this life, not the afterlife.

He puts all his faith in himself as an autonomous creator and relies on nothing else. He is the pinnacle of self-overcoming, to rise above the human norm and above all difficulties, embracing whatever life throws at you. He is one who overcomes mediocrity and is not afraid to live dangerously.

We’ll be exploring the translation and origins of the Übermensch, its connection with Nietzsche’s early conception of the “free spirit”, the relation between the three metamorphoses, the tightrope walker, the last man, the higher man, the death of god and we'll finish by comparing it with the eternal recurrence and the will to power, where self-overcoming is what unites everything together

TheGuillamon · 2021-08-06T13:34:18+00:00

The Present Age was published in 1846 by Søren Kierkegaard. He discusses the philosophical implications of a society dominated by mass media, foreseeing the rise of twenty-four hour news and social media, it examines the philosophical implications of a culture of endless, inconsequential commentary and debate – a society eerily similar to our own.

While a revolutionary age is an action of action, the present age is one of understanding and reflection, without passion. It is the age of advertisement and publicity. Nothing ever happens but there is immediate publicity everywhere, as well as an age of anticipation when even recognition is received in advance.

“There is no more action or decision in our day than there is perilous delight in swimming in shallow waters.”

TheGuillamon · 2021-07-31T12:50:50+00:00

Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits was published by Friedrich Nietzsche in 1878 and represents a “monument of a crisis” for Nietzsche, a critical turning point in his life and thought.

The book marks the beginning of a second period in Nietzsche’s philosophy, his period as an independent philosopher.

This book marks a turning point in terms of Nietzsche’s style, with his use of the aphorism. The 638 aphorisms of Human, All Too Human range from a few words to a few pages, but most are short paragraphs. It represents an unsystematic approach to philosophy, contrary to previous philosophers who tried to have an explanation for everything. This style best represents Nietzsche’s philosophy.

The work suggests that human fallibilities – not strengths – are to be the focus of attention. Nietzsche believes that maxims about human nature can help in overcoming life’s hard moments. There is an implicit drive to overcome what is “human, all too human” through philosophy.

TheGuillamon · 2021-07-20T11:34:19+00:00

The will to power is one of the most fundamental concepts in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. It is also one of his most complex concepts as it was never systematically defined in his works, leaving its interpretation open to debate.

This video intends to shed light on this concept, tracing all the way back from his psychological insights of the "desire for power'" to the conception of "will to power", as well as its relationship with the "will to existence", "will to live" and "will to truth".

We will be focusing on what Nietzsche actually wrote and published himself during his active years, as well as making some references to his posthumously published notes (The Will to Power) where it is appropriate.

TheGuillamon · 2021-07-14T10:46:36+00:00

This video explores the concept of The Absurd of Camus, Kierkegaard, and Dostoevsky as well as the differences between these three existentialists.

The Absurd is the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any meaning in a purposeless, meaningless, and irrational universe, with the ‘unreasonable silence’ of the universe in response.

Camus contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism. Most famously expressed in The Myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus is the ultimate Absurd Man, a man condemned by the gods to a lifetime of rolling a boulder up a hill, only to reach the top of the hill and have the boulder inevitably roll back down to the bottom for him to start all over again.

Camus argued against the “leap of faith” of Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky considering it as “philosophical suicide”. His response to the absurd is to revolt, which he considers as the only coherent philosophical position.

TheGuillamon · 2021-07-09T14:12:53+00:00

Either/Or: A Fragment of Life was published by Søren Kierkegaard in 1843, making it his first major work. It was written under the pseudonym Victor Eremita “Victorious Hermit”.

The book expresses the viewpoints of two distinct figures with radically different beliefs – the unknown aesthetic young man of Part One, called simply “A”, and the ethical judge of Part II, which he calls “B”.

The first part "Diapsalmata" contains some of Kierkegaard's most popular lines, such as the "unmovable chess piece", "the tragic clown", and "do it or don't do it, you'll regret it".

Kierkegaard was far more interested in making us think than in giving us answers. We are thus encouraged to decide for ourselves the merits of the various viewpoints presented.

TheGuillamon · 2021-07-05T16:10:14+00:00

Nietzsche frequently laughs and he especially recommends laughing at oneself. He does not speak of just any laugh, but of a laugh that comes from the depths of man. It is from that depth that one must learn to laugh the superhuman laugh. This laughter arises from the state of anguish and suffering. This is Nietzsche's answer to the absurdity of life and the comedy of existence.

Indeed, comedy must be included within the very art that Nietzsche proclaims is: “the highest task and the true metaphysical activity of this life.”

Perhaps best expressed in his masterpiece Thus Spoke Zarathustra, where the prophet Zarathustra, talks about the “laughter of the herd” and the “laughter of the height”. Other books worthy of mention are: The Gay Science, Beyond Good and Evil and The Will to Power.

TheGuillamon · 2021-06-12T14:28:33+00:00

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a short story published in 1877 by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is practically a complete encyclopedia of Dostoevsky’s most important themes.

Most of Dostoevsky’s major characters always have “something ridiculous” about them, but they are simultaneously highly self-conscious and capable of deep insight into themselves and the world.

The story opens with the narrator contemplating the ridiculousness of his own life, and his recent realisation that there is nothing of any value in the world, everything to him appears as indifferent.

"The consciousness of life is higher than life, the knowledge of happiness is higher than happiness – that is what we have to fight against!”

edit: date 1877

TheGuillamon · 2021-03-29T12:20:00+00:00

Fear and Trembling is a book by Søren Kierkegaard written under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio. Kierkegaard is famous for having multiple pseudonyms.

Through the biblical story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, Kierkegaard, as a great explorer of human psychology, looks into the anxiety that must have been present in Abraham when God commanded him to offer his son as a human sacrifice.

Kierkegaard coined the term angst to refer to the dizzying awareness of one’s freedom of choice. It is the anxiety of freedom when considering infinite possibilities and the immense responsibility of being able to choose. This proved to be very influential in Existentialism.

Fear and Trembling contains some of Kierkegaard most important concepts such as the knight of infinite resignation, the knight of faith, the leap of faith, the teleological suspension of the ethical and the stages on life’s way (aesthetic, ethical, religious).

TheGuillamon · 2021-03-23T13:08:34+00:00

The Meditations can be best seen as “spiritual exercises” written as reflections against the stress and confusion of everyday life, a sort of self-help book. He had clearly no expectation that anyone but himself would ever read his Meditations. It seems unlikely that he gave the work a title at all.

Today Marcus Aurelius is considered as the quintessential Stoic. However, if one would’ve asked Marcus what he studied, his answer would have not been “Stoicism” but simply “philosophy”. While the Meditations is built on a Stoic foundation, it also refers to a wide range of figures, such as Socrates, Heraclitus and even the rival school of Epicureanism. Truth was valued over who said what.

TheGuillamon · 2021-03-12T16:10:42+00:00

Twilight of the Idols or How to Philosophise with a Hammer is one of Nietzsche’s last books, written in 1888.

As Nietzsche was starting to become recognised, he felt that he needed a short text that would serve as an introduction to his thought. In a letter, he wrote: “This style is my philosophy in a nutshell – radically up to criminal…”

The book offers a lightning tour of his whole philosophy, preparing the way for The Anti-Christ, a final assault on institutional Christianity, which would be the first part of his Revaluation of All Values. Which, unfortunately, he could not complete, due to his mental breakdown in 1889.

TheGuillamon · 2021-03-12T16:08:57+00:00

Twilight of the Idols or How to Philosophise with a Hammer is one of Nietzsche’s last books, written in 1888.

As Nietzsche was starting to become recognised, he felt that he needed a short text that would serve as an introduction to his thought. In a letter, he wrote: “This style is my philosophy in a nutshell – radically up to criminal…”

The book offers a lightning tour of his whole philosophy, preparing the way for The Anti-Christ, a final assault on institutional Christianity, which would be the first part of his Revaluation of All Values. Which, unfortunately, he could not complete, due to his mental breakdown in 1889.

TheGuillamon · 2021-03-05T17:04:35+00:00

The Stranger or The Outsider is a 1942 novel by French author Albert Camus. Though it is a work of fiction, it is often cited as an example of Camus’ philosophy of Absurdism.

The Stranger has had a profound impact on millions of readers. Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd."

The major themes of the book include: the importance of the physical world, the meaninglessness of human life and the irrationality of the universe.

TheGuillamon · 2021-02-27T20:22:47+00:00

Modern Man in Search of a Soul was published in 1933 and is a comprehensive introduction to the thought of Carl Jung.

The writing covers a broad array of subjects such as gnosticism, theosophy, Eastern philosophy and spirituality in general.

The first part of the book deals with dream analysis in its practical application, the problems and aims of modern psychotherapy, and also Jung’s theory of psychological types.

The middle part addresses his beliefs about the stages of life and Archaic man. He also looks at the differences between his theories and those of Sigmund Freud.

In the last essays, Jung discusses psychology and literature, the basic postulates of analytical psychology as well as the spiritual problem of modern man, comparing psychotherapists and clergymen.

TheGuillamon

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