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Philosophy of History & Quirky Writers Block

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Onasander View Drop Down
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Joined: 21-Aug-2015
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  Quote Onasander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Philosophy of History & Quirky Writers Block
    Posted: 21-Aug-2015 at 16:32
I'm 32, and have been active in Philosophy since 2007, deciding to turn to it while stationed in Iraq, and have always had a interest his history. I've always had a emphasis on primary texts, with a concentration bordering on Obsessive Compulsion regarding details. 

It's become a crucial asset in Philosophy debates, as there is a endless assortment of philosophers on the lookout to twist, or simply make up history to fix their prejudice, I've had alot of success in ripping apart their false histories. Saying this, I'm of the Cynic-Stoic tradition of philosophy predominantly. I've always been leery of Chryssipus' approach as a scholarch, in asserting kinds of thought in debate as logical fallacies, something to be systematically rejected. He promoted the idea of academic usage of logical fallacies, and trounced paradox. I have always habitually gone the exact opposite direction, and built up my logic from Ethical Paradoxes to see where conflicting arguments originate, and if the naturally, habitually find a end. So I can accept a noble myth in place of the truth in Ethics at times, and don't fight every battle. It's hard sometimes when I see someone become over zealous in their liberties.

I've been systematizing my use of humor, taken from Aristotle and Bergson, and applying it to my methods. For example, I'm writing a essay "Am I Full of Shit" analysing Freud's Anal Retentive theory of personality development, in a mode of thought reminiscent of Descartes Meditations "I Think, Therefore I Am". It's hard to tell if it's a absolute joke, or the truth at times, any given point can delve up hugh insights. I've found test examples have garnered alot of attention, the title itself invariously getting the thread banned from moderators. If it's Banned in Boston, you know your on to success.

But alot of my ideas are more sombre, and I'm hesitant to apply such pedological tools in them. My humorous stuff will be remembered, burned into people's memories like the Black Adder no doubt, but I keep finding myself turning to history in and of itself. I have big names I follow with a certain love and respect, Ibn Khaldun my favorite. I kept a copy of his work in Iraq. Machiavelli, a teenage infatuation. Suppose it's from being a INTJ, the exile and sacrifice for his city is attractive to me, and I've grown a fondness of quoting his lesser known works. Compilers like Arius Didymus. It seems he went from being the most important philosopher in History, the intellectual weight to Emperor Augustus, to being universally forgotten. I've become overwhelmed by Ctesias.... his bad wrap is most out of ignorance, we have a embarrassing dirth if cross disciplinary studies, I've found his most questioned and continuously ridiculed story of Sardanapullas in two other eras, one of which sits central to Chinese history quite prior to it. I've been shaken there is very likely a unified link between the Ethics of Confucius and Aristotle through this story alone. I discovered it in November, and have been sitting on it uneasily since. Honestly, who wants to inform the Chinese a old Zhou text ended up in the Persian Royal Archives, and makes Confucius into a liar? I have Robin McNeal's Conquer and Govern infront of me, know of Ralph Sawyer's Conquest and Dominion infront of me, as well as the smoking gun they've been dying to look at, and I become..... a procrastinator. In my first few days of writing it, I had over 80 pages, wittled it down to 10, expanded it to include St Eusubius and Chinese Water Myths, was going into Dea Syria..... and backed off again. I know with absolute certainty its dramatic and impactful, but I get gun shy. I'm used to small scale success. The idea of introducing to that their most cherished history didn't come that easily or successfully isn't very.... thrilling. I suppose I'm not in History or Philosophy for the fame, but the confirmation. 

I've have no problem asserting arguments on the small scale, they can be grand, logical, and beautiful.... but you multiply the idea a hundred thousand fold, I get queasy.

I wish I can say it stopped here on one discovery, but made a few. I've procrastinated on them all, save in small scale debate where I feel comfortable.

As of late, my mind has turned to questions of The Philosophy of History. I had a year of college prior to entering the military, never cared or wanted to return. I literally can't stomach the idea of being told what to study or looking at a professor again and questioning to myself why I have to look up to their expectations, if I time and again turn away from theories left and right, and can fairly effective run them into the ground. It's not a matter or pride, but severe boredom. I spent most of that year of college, bored, never doing my homework, reading what I cared to read. I regret it in only one very small way, it would give me a bit of a shield to hide from stage fright. I can be a lion even infront of distinguished professors in Philosophy debates, I really dislike the idea in many ways of becoming the authority, thee authority.

Yet at the same time, I've seen the approach to history as rather rotten. We miss alot if apparent, simple stuff. 

So I've recently started rewriting my ideas in a small essay, spent the last two nights in it. I have a obsessive-compulsive side to style, and pragmatic need for necessity, and yet find myself juxtapositioning between ideas of modern neurology, John Ruskin's Pathetic Fallacy, and Byzantine-Sassinid rivalries. I get nervous I'm pushing too much too compact, but am frightened of making too long of a essay, I want it under 10-15 pages. I have many outlooks on how history should be written, and want to save a good, new idea per essay, but also want to explore through example some if my discoveries.

But the impulse to procrastinate pops up again and again. I end up with a main text, and a dozen longer fragments after it. I keep trying to perfect it, and then think some guy half way around the world in Angyang 300 years from now will by a book off a bookshelf, flip through it and read about my gut wrenching entry into that little world. Or a graduate student in terhan will rip apart or worst, affirm an idea regarding Persian history, or a Canadian scholar on lord dunmore's war.

Worst, I see how historians attack philosophers or historians who use mixed rhetorical methods. Lucian gets hit up all the time as untrustworthy because people can't tell when he is exaggerating or not. It's like I'm writing for a core audience of five people stretched over a thousand years, 99.9℅ aren't going to get it, but my perfectionist streak (one that doesn't exhibit itself on forums) demands it, so I'm obsessed with Heurmeunetics in it now. I want it so simple the common dumbest denominator grasps it in a simple reading, yet profound enough to have a meaningful impact. Well read enough its known and quoted, but only by people I don't know.

It's becoming rather absurd. I've become so nervous on facts, in one spot in my earlier attempt to write on Arius Didymus, I bought a study of the Clausulae of St. Ambrose just to be certain I understood why some historians dispute if his Roman and Jewish Laws is really his work, all because wikipedia said their was a dispute. Do you know what occurs in studies looking at the frequency of Latin Clausulae consist of? It looks like a medieval musical scorecard. I can't decipher it, nor can the Latin speaking Catholic priests I know. Or my favorite, being hesitant to publish on Lord Dunmore's War, all because I can't figure out the if and where those Archives exist. In the US, Virginia, New York, the Bahamas, or England. What makes it worst, that house went extinct. Yes Theodore Roosevelt found a text on him, one I can't find. I'm left with a long laundry list of primary texts AWOL that supposedly aren't lost, but simply can't be found. I have to be the only soldier in the history of the US Army paniced, spending his first leave after the war in the Rare Books Room of the Library of Congress. It was a long flight from Alaska to reach there, and I was in physically bad shape.

This doesn't extend to purely philosophical works. I've been able to write under very hostile conditions against Nietzsce (I have some grips with his History is Tragedy, and Genealogical methods). The problems don't cross over, but then again, I understand the moral imperative much better. In Iraq, I saw communities rotting under the aristocratic prestige and several, opprotunistic violence he advocates, and his followers write very bad histories, especially his National Socialist followers.

My only real guides to a Philosophy of History are Hegel and Nietzschean, Foucault to a degree, a few historians who I recall such as Giogio Agamben, classical writers of course, but in modern times, no one more specific that Cottonwood, a student of Vico. I have a excellent background in psychology and works on statecraft, military science, princes mirrors, etc. Generally good background in Philosophy, eclectic at times. 

I keep finding excuses to stop. I feel like the TV character monk at times. I suppose if I could put these essays out in a parallel dimension on kindle I can swallow it easier.

Has anyone here struggled with anything similar? It might make me feel a lot better if everyone encountered this, or better, if no one cares. Maybe no one would read me then, I can pump out a few dozen essays over a lifetime, contributing without anyone knowing I was around to begin with?
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Onasander View Drop Down
Immortal Guard
Immortal Guard


Joined: 21-Aug-2015
Location: West Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9
  Quote Onasander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Aug-2015 at 16:34
Wow, one post and I'm already a immortal guard. Impressive.
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