Ideas from 'A Short History of Decay' by E.M. Cioran [1949], by Theme Structure
[found in 'A Short History of Decay' by Cioran,E.M. (ed/tr Howard,Richard) [Penguin 2010,978-0-141-19272-7]].
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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 3. Wisdom Deflated
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19608
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Wisdom is just the last gasp of a dying civilization
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1. Philosophy / B. History of Ideas / 1. History of Ideas
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19631
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The history of ideas (and deeds) occurs in a meaningless environment
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19624
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Intelligence only fully flourishes at the end of a historical period
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19599
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Ideas are neutral, but people fill them with passion and weakness
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19629
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A nation gives expression to its sum of values, and is then exhausted
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19645
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Some thinkers would have been just as dynamic, no matter when they had lived
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy
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19621
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Originality in philosophy is just the invention of terms
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19618
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I abandoned philosophy because it didn't acknowledge melancholy and human weakness
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19607
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The mind is superficial, only concerned with the arrangement of events, not their significance
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1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics
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19638
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Metaphysics is a universalisation of physical anguish
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1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 3. Metaphysical Systems
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19620
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Great systems of philosophy are just brilliant tautologies
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2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 1. Dialectic
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19630
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No great idea ever emerged from a dialogue
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3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 9. Rejecting Truth
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19636
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Truth is just an error insufficiently experienced
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19642
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Eventually every 'truth' is guaranteed by the police
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5. Theory of Logic / K. Features of Logics / 1. Axiomatisation
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19632
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An axiom has no more authority than a frenzy
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15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 1. Consciousness / a. Consciousness
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19626
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Our instincts had to be blunted and diminished, to make way for consciousness!
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 2. Origin of Concepts / a. Origin of concepts
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19633
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We use concepts to master our fears; saying 'death' releases us from confronting it
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20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / c. Reasons as causes
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19615
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I want to suppress in myself the normal reasons people have for action
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22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / c. Purpose of ethics
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19628
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At a civilisation's peak values are all that matters, and people unconsciously live by them
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22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / a. Nature of value
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19646
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Values don't accumulate; they are ruthlessly replaced
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22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / g. Love
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19614
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Lovers are hateful, apart from their hovering awareness of death
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 1. Existentialism
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19634
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Man is never himself; he always aims at less than life, or more than life
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19619
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To live authentically, we must see that philosophy is totally useless
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 2. Nihilism
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19622
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The pointlessness of our motives and irrelevance of our gestures reveals our vacuity
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19612
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The universe is dirty and fragile, as if a scandal in nothingness had produced its matter
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19617
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Evidence suggests that humans do not have a purpose
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 3. Angst
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19604
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Unlike other creatures, mankind seems lost in nature
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19606
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We can only live because our imagination and memory are poor
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19601
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Life is now more dreaded than death
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 4. Boredom
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19644
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History is the bloody rejection of boredom
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19641
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If you lack beliefs, boredom is your martyrdom
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19602
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You are stuck in the past if you don't know boredom
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19640
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No one is brave enough to say they don't want to do anything; we despise such a view
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24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 2. State Legitimacy / b. Natural authority
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19613
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It is pointless to refuse or accept the social order; we must endure it like the weather
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24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / a. Autocracy
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19627
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Opportunists can save a nation, and heroes can ruin it
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 2. Religion in Society
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19625
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The ideal is to impose a religion by force, and then live in doubt about its beliefs
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / d. Study of history
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19637
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History is wonderfully devoid of meaning
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19605
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Despite endless suggestions, no one has found a goal for history
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25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 4. Suicide
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19610
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Religions see suicide as insubordination
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19611
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No one has ever found a good argument against suicide
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19609
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If you have not contemplated suicide, you are a miserable worm
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25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 5. Sexual Morality
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19639
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We all need sexual secrets!
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28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 4. God Reflects Humanity
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19603
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Why is God so boring, and why does God resemble humanity so little?
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29. Religion / C. Spiritual Disciplines / 2. Taoism
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19616
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As the perfect wisdom of detachment, philosophy offers no rivals to Taoism
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29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / a. Religious Belief
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19600
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When man abandons religion, he then follows new fake gods and mythologies
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19643
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A religion needs to motivate killings, and cannot tolerate rivals
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29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / e. Hell
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19623
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Circles of hell are ridiculous; all that matters is to be there
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