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