First, Santayana is difficult to take seriously as a philosopher because he never deigns to argue: “Technical philosophy abounds in unnecessary problems, which the truly wise will not trouble about, seeing that they are insoluble or solved best by not raising them.” While I fully agree with Santayana that the disputatious tone and nit-picking arguments of philosophy can be wearisome, I also think that mere assertion is hardly less irritating. Yet, though it is rich with ideas and pungent with wit, The Realms of Being is not wholly satisfying either as a metaphysical treatise, a humanistic critique, or a spiritual guide. Santayana’s solution to this predicament has much in common with Proust’s-the appreciation of essence, stripped of all attachment to the material world-although Santayana does not consider memory vital for this task.Here are three ways that this book can be read. Thus all the suffering we go through in our way through the world, and all the worrying and fretting we do about ourselves, is just a waste.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |