Philosophy

Ref: The Republic Gymnastic is for the body, and music is for the soul. Gymnastic as well as music should begin in early years; the training in it should be careful and should continue through life. Music includes literature and literature can be true or false. Therefore, censorship is necessary. When modes of music change, the laws of the State always change with them. The music style must be more narrative than imitative; the artist, willing to imitate only the good and virtuous. A song or ode has three parts--the words, the melody, and the rhythm. The melody and rhythm must depend upon the words The State must not allow mixed styles that create confusion. The State must banish melodies that express lament and sorrow, and also banish instruments such as flute for promoting such melodies. Thus, only the lyre and harp are allowed. When a man allows music to play upon him and to pour into his soul through the funnel of his ears sweet and soft and melancholy airs, and his whole life is p...

Sometimes philosophers have been misunderstood. It could be because the philosopher's communication was vague. It could also be because the philosopher didn't use Ockham's razor and multiplied terms unnecessarily forcing reviewers to impose the razor, with the result that what needs to be cut is not cut and what was essential is taken out of the equation. But, it could also be because the reviewer was too much in a hurry and his choice of sample writings and quotes intepreted in light of his hypothesis of what the philosopher might be meaning committed the fallacy of hasty generalization (even if his critique of the philosopher was voluminous). Whatever, it is an unfortunate sight when one observes that a scholar may have misinterpreted another scholar and the other scholar is alarmed that that is not what he meant. Some philosophers give rise to various conflicting schools of interpretation; to quote an example, the left Hegelian and the right Hegelian schools that emerged...

Raja-niti refers to the politics of party and power ("raja" means king and "raj" means rule). It is the common word used for "politics" in India. In contrast to it, the Sarvodaya philosophers, especially Vinoba Bhave, in the Gandhian line promoted what they called as "Loka-niti", i.e. the politics of people. For the Gandhians, centralization of power in any form (dictatorial or "democratical") is a threat to swaraj (self-rule). "...any state, with separated and strongly developed organs of legislation, execution, and judiciary in well organised large societies, cripples the free-play of individual's faculties and curbs his initiative by enlarging the regions of state control. Progressively it attains the position only next to air in its all-pervading nature. No matter whether such government is an elected representative of its people or a dictatorially established one against the will of the people, it unfailingly produces the ...

The kind of "believe in yourself" that is dangerous is the one that: Is out of connection with reality, fact, or truth. Is wishful and presumptuous. Tends towards absolute autonomy, as if one has no need of anybody else (oblivious of the fact that man is a very contingent and dependent being). Believes that knowledge of self alone defines fulfillment in life. Is disconnected from God: from His Truth, His Love, and His Power. "The church's concept of faith has been corrupted by our American culture. People in this country have been feeding on a demonic gospel of self-esteem, self-worth, self-help. We've been told, "Believe in yourself." Then add to that our obsession with "instant everything" -- instant meals, instant drinks, instant information, instant gratification." - David Wilkerson, Delivered From This Present Evil World "THOROUGHLY worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims whi...

From The Republic And no good thing is hurtful? No, indeed. And that which is not hurtful hurts not? Certainly not. And that which hurts not does no evil? No. And can that which does no evil be a cause of evil? Impossible. And the good is advantageous? Yes. And therefore the cause of well-being? Yes. It follows therefore that the good is not the cause of all things, but of the good only? Assuredly. Then God, if he be good, is not the author of all things, as the many assert, but he is the cause of a few things only, and not of most things that occur to men.  For few are the goods of human life, and many are the evils, and the good is to be attributed to God alone; of the evils the causes are to be sought elsewhere, and not in him. That appears to me to be most true, he said.