Pages: 1

 

2010-01-24 10:13:44
Macbeth
Banned
+2,444|5876

I'm trying to find a copy of a book called The Last Messiah by Peter Wessel Zapffe.

In this essay, Peter comes to the conclusion that human beings are paradox. Wikipedia sums it up as as

Wikipedia wrote:

Zapffe's theory is that humans are born with an overdeveloped skill (understanding, self-knowledge) which does not fit into nature's design. The human craving for justification on matters such as life and death cannot be satisfied, hence humanity has a need that nature cannot satisfy. The tragedy, following this theory, is that humans spend all their time trying not to be human. The human being, therefore, is a paradox.
So do you think he's theory is just plain crazy or that he may be on right or at the very least onto something?
2010-01-24 10:18:45
Mekstizzle
WALKER
+3,611|6912|London, England
Humans spend all their time trying to be Human. Especially Males. You know what I mean. Prove me wrong.

Basically:

The human craving for justification on matters such as life and death cannot be satisfied
I wouldn't say there's a craving for justification on these matters. Maybe for a select group of individuals who have lived a (on a relative scale) privileged life and then became aware of such things. If you get me.

humans spend all their time trying not to be human
Again, only these too-much-free-time-and-money (and drugs) philosopher types. Not ordinary people. IMO.
2010-01-24 10:24:56
Braddock
Agitator
+916|6581|Éire
Humans are just very intelligent animals. Our primal instinct for sex and violence is never too far beneath the surface. We are remarkable in that somewhere in our history we've realised that through teamwork (society) we can make great advances as a species... even though we're not the biggest or strongest creatures on the planet. The human brain is hardwired to look for meaning and patterns in things (as observed by the Gestalt psychologists) and so we try to deduce some form of meaning in existence when in reality there might not actually be any meaning or pattern there.
2010-01-24 10:26:20
11 Bravo
Banned
+965|5528|Cleveland, Ohio
i was made from a rib of white dude in the middle east wat
2010-01-24 10:27:25
Mekstizzle
WALKER
+3,611|6912|London, England

11 Bravo wrote:

i was made from a rib of white dude in the middle east wat
I didn't know you were a (presumably hot) chick
2010-01-24 10:42:33
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6998|67.222.138.85
Yet at the same time the very things we find to be the most “human” are those without any semblance of reason. Emotion, the fine arts, love, all things that are generally considered the cruxes of our humanity. Now the idea of our humanity and reason sitting side by side may not be impossible, but humanity juxtaposed with rationality degrades the value of the reason to the point that it is invalid.

tbh

Wikipedia wrote:

He concluded humanity "performs, to extend a settled phrase, a more or less self-conscious repression of its damaging surplus of consciousness" and that this was "a requirement of social adaptability and of everything commonly referred to as healthy and normal living."
I like this guy.
2010-01-24 11:05:43
Brasso
member
+1,549|6921

Braddock wrote:

The human brain is hardwired to look for meaning and patterns in things (as observed by the Gestalt psychologists) and so we try to deduce some form of meaning in existence when in reality there might not actually be any meaning or pattern there.
"people in ny have a general idea of how to drive. one of the pedals goes forward the other one prevents you from dying"
2010-01-24 16:41:45
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,057|7062|PNW

It's insanity, not a paradox.
2010-01-24 17:03:00
jsnipy
...
+3,277|6813|...

I think our own arrogance of how we perceive our accomplishments and technology might lead us to think we are some sort of paradox.
2010-01-24 17:07:09
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,817|6397|eXtreme to the maX
The human craving for justification on matters such as life and death cannot be satisfied, hence humanity has a need that nature cannot satisfy.
Hence religion.
Fuck Israel
2010-01-24 22:14:55
Turquoise
O Canada
+1,596|6696|North Carolina

Braddock wrote:

Humans are just very intelligent animals. Our primal instinct for sex and violence is never too far beneath the surface. We are remarkable in that somewhere in our history we've realised that through teamwork (society) we can make great advances as a species... even though we're not the biggest or strongest creatures on the planet. The human brain is hardwired to look for meaning and patterns in things (as observed by the Gestalt psychologists) and so we try to deduce some form of meaning in existence when in reality there might not actually be any meaning or pattern there.
This.
2010-01-24 23:00:36
Diesel_dyk
Object in mirror will feel larger than it appears
+178|6285|Truthistan
Reminds me of the argument, is man a part of nature or is man apart from nature.
He sounds like he's saying we falsely consider ourselves to be standing out side of nature because we contemplate our life and our death, we find inspriation in our own creations and that puts us in a rhelm were nature is not responsible for safistying our intellectual needs. That its a cultural creation the we think that we stand apart from nature and therefore see it as an object to be used until such time as we a saved or delivered into the afterlife.

Sounds like he is answering the old Victorian primativism versus civilization or the human versus beast where man has dominion over alll nature. He is lamenting the effects of the humanity is having on the nature/environment. From what little I've read, he is basically saying that we need to embrace "animalism" and then find our place in nature and stay there, and box up our notions of progress and comfort and breeding. Otherwise we are human animals acting in an inhuman fashion.

I'm not sure what I think of this guy... he's a bit greenie for me.

 

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