|
22070
|
Irony is consciousness of abundant chaos [Schlegel,F]
|
|
Full Idea:
Irony is the clear conscousness of eternal agility, of an infinitely abundant chaos.
|
|
From:
Friedrich Schlegel (works [1798], Vol 2 p.263), quoted by Ernst Behler - Early German Romanticism p.81
|
|
A reaction:
[1800, in Athenaum] The interest here is irony as a reaction to chaos, which has made systematic thought impossible. Do romantics necessarily see reality as beyond our grasp, even if not chaotic? This must be situational, not verbal irony.
|
|
22069
|
Plato has no system. Philosophy is the progression of a mind and development of thoughts [Schlegel,F]
|
|
Full Idea:
Plato had no system, but only a philosophy. The philosophy of a human being is the history, the becoming, the progression of his mind, the gradual formation and development of his thoughts.
|
|
From:
Friedrich Schlegel (works [1798], Vol.11 p.118), quoted by Ernst Behler - Early German Romanticism
|
|
A reaction:
[1804] Looks like the first sign of rebellion against the idea of having a 'system' in philosophy, making it a key idea of romanticism. Systems are classical? This looks like an early opposition of a historical dimension to static systems. Big idea.
|
|
22068
|
Poetry is transcendental when it connects the ideal to the real [Schlegel,F]
|
|
Full Idea:
There is a kind of poetry whose essence lies in the relation between the ideal and the real, and which therefore, by analogy with philosophical jargon, should be called transcendental poetry.
|
|
From:
Friedrich Schlegel (works [1798], Vol 2 p.204), quoted by Ernst Behler - Early German Romanticism p.78
|
|
A reaction:
I think the basic idea is that the imaginative creation of poetry has the power to bridge the gap between the transcendental (presupposed) ideal in Fichte, and nature (which Fichte seems to have excluded from his system).
|
|
23896
|
We see our character as a restricting limit, but also as an unshakable support [Weil]
|
|
Full Idea:
Our character appears to us as a limit by which we do not want to be imprisoned, …but also as a support that we want to believe is unshakable.
|
|
From:
Simone Weil (On the Concept of Character [1941], p.100)
|
|
A reaction:
A nice perception. It is fairly easy to criticise, or even laugh at, one's own actions, but extremely hard to criticise our own character. Maybe we all wish we were more determined in our projects, but not much else.
|
|
23893
|
We don't see character in a single moment, but only over a period of time [Weil]
|
|
Full Idea:
Character is constant over a period of time; the way a person is at a single moment does not at all reflect the character of this person. We do, however, concede that character changes.
|
|
From:
Simone Weil (On the Concept of Character [1941], p.98)
|
|
A reaction:
I do think, though, that there are moments in behaviour which are hugely revealing of character, even in a single remark. But I agree that most single moments do not show much.
|
|
23895
|
We modify our character by placing ourselves in situations, or by attending to what seems trivial [Weil]
|
|
Full Idea:
We can modify our character, by putting ourselves in circumstances that will act on us from the outside, …or by the orientation of our attention in the moments that appear most insignificant or indifferent in our lives.
|
|
From:
Simone Weil (On the Concept of Character [1941], p.99)
|
|
A reaction:
I've never seen anyone address this question (apart from Aristotle's emphasis on training habits). Choosing your source for current affairs information strikes me as very important. What you read, what you watch, who you spend time with…
|