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Single Idea 19586

[filed under theme 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / d. Philosophy as puzzles ]

Full Idea

The philosopher lives on problems as the human being does on food. An insoluble problem is an indigestible food. What spice is to food, the paradoxical is to problems.

Gist of Idea

Philosophers feed on problems, hoping they are digestible, and spiced with paradox

Source

Novalis (Logological Fragments II [1798], 09)

Book Ref

Novalis: 'Philosophical Writings', ed/tr. Stoljar,M.M. [SUNY 1997], p.68


A Reaction

Novalis would presumably have disliked Hegel's dialectic, where the best food seems to be the indigestible.


The 5 ideas from 'Logological Fragments II'

Philosophers feed on problems, hoping they are digestible, and spiced with paradox [Novalis]
Philosophy aims to produce a priori an absolute and artistic world system [Novalis]
The highest aim of philosophy is to combine all philosophies into a unity [Novalis]
Logic (the theory of relations) should be applied to mathematics [Novalis]
Philosophy relies on our whole system of learning, and can thus never be complete [Novalis]