Single Idea 19618

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy]

Full Idea

I turned away from philosophy when it became impossible to discover in Kant any human weakness, any authentic accent of melancholy; in Kant and in all the philosophers.

Gist of Idea

I abandoned philosophy because it didn't acknowledge melancholy and human weakness

Source

E.M. Cioran (A Short History of Decay [1949], 1 'Farewell')

Book Reference

Cioran,E.M.: 'A Short History of Decay', ed/tr. Howard,Richard [Penguin 2010], p.49


A Reaction

An interesting challenge, but if I set out to develop a philosophy based on human weakness I'm not sure where I would start, once I had settled the 'akrasia' [weakness of will] problem.