Friday, February 24, 2012

The Defense of A Banished Philosophy


Thomas Agrusti
Philosophy
1 Life
Mesmerize
Defense of a Banished Philosophy
                Recently, I recalled a debate I had with myself, and a few peers, about a type of philosophy that has gone into an area so gray, if not black, that people regard in one of the harshest negatives of American society. Before stating the defense of this philosophy, I shall first present the irony in several other philosophies that are regarded with a smile within the same American society. Note, these are all based on the idea of passive philosophies, regarding the thought and the personal beliefs within moral withstanding.
                The first philosophy, as well as the backing trait in this philosophy to my defense, is certain forms of Buddhism. Though Buddhism does hold a general system of beliefs, as do any other philosophy or religious faith, certain faiths follow a reverence towards Buddha, placing him above the standard of human being. He is regarded in some scenarios as a creation of divine conception, that he has accomplished super human feats, and that his life practices fall well within the bounds of super human presence. The same philosophy also wards off worldly desires, calling those of great faith to live in an area above that of common society, creating a section of human beings who are above the rest based on their standard of living, and should, thusly, have a position to be aspired, and revered for those already, or seeking to attain, this position.
                Keeping all these in mind, we move to stoic philosophy, along with the general sense of self-actualization. For the course of this essay, we shall bear in mind that “Self-actualization” shall be defined as “the act and desire for one to specialize and actively improve upon their own abilities.” In short, this will mean “A person actively becoming, and seeking to become, the best that they can possibly be, both philosophically, mentally, and physically.” Though not only limited to stoic philosophy, the act of self-actualization is greatly respected and, in some persons, revered, within American society. For a person to reach towards a greater goal of self-accomplishment, be it for personal desire and or reward, or some other purpose, this act and philosophy is one greatly accepted by American society.
                The last philosophy is a dramatization of these past two in past history, known as the Spartan philosophy. It is known that, within the Spartan regime, a person was expected to be the best they could possibly be, a state of self-actualization. These persons were meant to be the fastest and the strongest out of the entire human race, to excel in every field that they could reach. It should also be known that Spartan society held to the practice and knowledge that those who didn’t would lose their life, be it by the hand of the enemy, or by the society’s own hand. This being said, American philosophy, of the greater American dream, bears heavily into this idea, though not officially stated. In the business world, one must work and strive arduously in order to attain wealth, power, personal prospect, and those who do not are known as “lay-abouts”, regarded with contempt for being lazy and working towards no accomplishment and no benefit to the society, being left with no economic value, and thereby, leading to their own social destruction, born in the contempt that American Society holds for them. This trait mirror greatly the same Spartan philosophy of “Make it or break it.”
                Finally, we come to the defense of the negatively regarded philosophy. The previous philosophies, which I believe American Society accepts greatly, include the traits of: Reverance to a human being as a leader and example for all, as well as the reverence and aspiration for a type of living that creates a greater form of human living; the act and practice of self-actualization to become the best that one can possibly be; the knowledge that not living to the best of one’s capacity, that the state would invariably leave them behind, or do away with them, holding them in contempt for being lesser and human. If any of these should disagree with the previous arguments and claims, then the argument ends here since the reasoning is false. However, if all of these philosophies still hold true, and are all respected in American society, then think of Nazism; how, if these are respected, is Nazism, which is simply a collection of these traits, resented as a negative philosophy? Mind you, it shall be understood that the practice of malicious, violent, or vulgar acts should be discarded as morally wrong, as it denies a person or persons from the birth right of happiness. However, the philosophy itself could be known, in American society as righteous.
-          (This section was written at a later time. Thusly, a change in tone may be seen due to a change in the state of mind from fatigue and the re-accountance of the train of thought.)
                If further reinforcement is needed, one should start by lining up the traits equally and within the coexisting boundaries. The Nazi philosophy regards Adolf Hitler as a righteous man, and, in some views, a deity. Alongside of him were the Gestapo, the German forces, SS, and other members of his inner circle, who held true to the values of the Nazi philosophy. The Nazi philosophy also calls those who hold their faith to show no sympathy in those below them, now obedience to anyone other than your brothers in arms and leaders above them, and silent consent and loyalty to any demand and duty that you are called for. It is also known that those who were less capable or irreverent to the faiths and loyalty demanded of them, they were to be done away with. Thusly, we see the matching traits between these two fields of thought.
                In closing, the reader should not be demanded to mold thine own views, faiths and beliefs based on this paper. However, I do call those who read this, along with all human beings, to think with a free mind, bearing that all things can be viewed in any light. One should not be constrained or constricted to view things only within the light that it is commonly viewed under. Thusly, I encourage and beckon all those to free thought, viewing any and all topics from every imaginable angle for internal and external discovery. As such, I sign off on this essay, and wish those reading this a good day and a blessed life.

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