Practice & Contemplation
In the series on the dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, we will go through his training in refutation. Only he who is trained in it can go to philosophy as a positive discipline; that is when one’s mind has an arbitrary form it cannot claim philosophical knowledge (wisdom) before they surrender themselves to philosophy as a negative discipline.
To contemplate reality, one has to get himself there. St. Augustine would claim that without moral purity no contemplation of truth is possible. However, even to get this drive towards the good and moral, to be able to grasp it, some discipline and silence, that is space for the mind to reflect are necessary.
In the series on the dialogues of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, we will go through his training in refutation. Only he who is trained in it can go to philosophy as a positive discipline; that is when one’s mind has an arbitrary form it cannot claim philosophical knowledge (wisdom) before they surrender themselves to philosophy as a negative discipline.
This guest article provides a metaphysical account of reality and its practical aspects. The author claims that only change exists, thus discussing at length its consequences for the notions of time and the I. Originally written in Armenian, the manuscript found its way to our website.
To contemplate reality, one has to get himself there. St. Augustine would claim that without moral purity no contemplation of truth is possible. However, even to get this drive towards the good and moral, to be able to grasp it, some discipline and silence, that is space for the mind to reflect are necessary.
Silence is a self-rewarding activity. Not only does it calm the mind, but it also creates a framework for concentration and contemplation. It is a recreative activity that heals the very inmost of a person.
Born into society, we reflect through it on ourselves. The role of an ideal community is to make us independent so that we can make our decisions. But we make choices among people; hence, due to our need for society, loneliness does not feel well for we are devoid of meaningful communication.
If one wants to achieve concentration, productivity, and stability in one’s endeavours, then one should consider simplicity and order in daily life. Less distraction in every area results in better efficiency. Heightened focusing is needed especially if one’s undertakings are intellectual.
In the article on the Stoic philosopher Seneca, we analysed an ethical or practical take on time. He characterised it as the only possession man can have. Time appeared to be the place of the dispersal of human life. But what is time?
In the Time Deconstructed series we would like to present how time can be thought of in philosophy – that is, time reflected out and through man’s experience and then put back into the experience to transform or modify it.
Solitude and silence can be gratifying things if you learn how to use them. Those practising meditation know how hard it is to stop the constant chatter of the mind. There is nothing wrong with having thoughts, but having too many ideas can be exhausting and contaminating for vision.
