? Philosophy, as the mother of discipline, may be farther and farther away from our modern life. Difficult technical terms and complicated logical relations greatly increase the difficulty for us ordinary people to read philosophy. Is philosophy really high and low, or is it disgusting In fact, philosophy can be easy to understand and lively and interesting.
? Will durant, a philosopher and historian, devoted his whole life to liberating philosophy from the academic ivory tower and letting it enter the lives of ordinary people. It took him 50 years to complete a history of world civilization with a volume of 1 1, and he also won the Pulitzer Prize and the Medal of Freedom. The Story of Philosophy written in his later years has a strong personal style. Among many philosophers, he only chose 15 to introduce their stories and philosophical theories. Starting with the life background of these philosophers, he introduced their growth experiences and emotional stories, and then led to their philosophical thoughts. We can find that the birth of any philosophical theory does not come out of thin air, and we can find clues from their life stories. While restoring the philosopher's portrait, the author also makes the abstruse theory friendly and full of human feelings. This book was very popular after its publication, and it was quickly translated into 18 languages, which set off a wave of global philosophy.
First, Plato's story
? Plato was born in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of philosophy. Athens is the birthplace of philosophy. Relying on the geographical location connecting the East and the West, the developed maritime trade and the collision of multi-cultures, a number of business classes have been bred that are not tamed by religious dogma. These businessmen began to study astronomy and geometry for the needs of maritime trade. Philosophy was born in this scientific thinking atmosphere.
? Plato is a typical Gao Fushuai, rich, handsome and powerful. When he was young, he won two medals at the Athens Olympic Games. If such a person can still have philosophical depth, he is the most perfect man. Thanks to his teacher Socrates.
Socrates is also a famous philosopher and is deeply loved by students. He was called the most wise man in Athens by the magical priests in Athens at that time. Before Socrates, philosophical research was carried out around the law of the occurrence and development of the material world, and Socrates turned the object of philosophical research to the human mind, leaving an eternal famous saying: Man, please know yourself!
? When Plato was 28, Socrates, 70, was sentenced to death for rejecting polytheism, insisting that there is only one God, and criticizing the democratic system implemented by the Athens government at that time. Plato's attempt to save Socrates aroused the suspicion of the ruling Democrats. Plato left Athens for safety and began to travel around the world. During his wandering tour in 12, he went to Egypt, Sicily and Italy, and now to Palestine. It is said that he also went to the Ganges River in India to study meditation.
When Plato returned to Athens at the age of 40, he had grown into a mature philosopher and poet. He created a literary form "dialogue" which combines truth, goodness and beauty. His work is also called Dialogue. Philosophy put on a gorgeous coat for the first time, and no one can surpass it in the future. Among them, Plato's most famous chapter is The Republic. To understand Plato's thoughts, you must read The Republic.
In The Republic, Plato created the perfect city-state in his mind and answered an extremely difficult question: What is justice? Plato said: "Justice means that everyone has his place and does his duty". Plato believes that human behavior has three sources: desire, emotion and knowledge. Everyone has these three aspects of energy, but everyone has different degrees. Some people are completely the embodiment of desire, insatiable and eager to show off luxury. Such people dominate this industry. Some people admire emotion and courage, are brave and enterprising, and are proud of having power. Such people make up the army and navy. Others, thinking and understanding are their interests. They yearn for truth and have wisdom, but they are not used by others. This third kind of person is a philosopher. Because political talents are a science and an art, only the king of philosophy can lead the country. Therefore, the king of an ideal city-state should be the king of philosophy.
In his view, justice represents the coordination of desire, emotion and knowledge in the body for individuals. For the society, justice represents the collection of just individuals, representing various forces to perform their duties and the harmonious operation of society. Therefore, he said, "Justice means that everyone has his place and does his duty".
So, how can we build such a just society? "Republic" is a social model given by Plato.
In an ideal country, children are taken away from their parents at birth and receive equal education. Plato believes that everyone's talents and abilities are different, so we should train all children equally and give them opportunities to display their talents. He also believes that the knowledge of forced learning cannot go deep into the heart, so children should study in a free environment. Plato also had a specific study plan. For example, in the initial 10 years of education, the emphasis was on physical education to build children's strong bodies. In the second decade, music will cultivate children's noble behavior and character through beautiful melody. However, I only know that concerts make people weak, so after 16, I should focus on learning mathematics, mechanics, language and other subjects.
At the age of 20, these children will go through a big test combining theory with practice. The losers are responsible for the national economic production and become farmers, workers and businessmen. The rest will receive 10 years of education and training aimed at body, mind and quality, and after the second round of more rigorous examinations, the losers will become civil servants and officers. In order to prevent this group of people from rebelling because of dissatisfaction, Plato fabricated a myth that people were born different, some were made of copper and some were made of iron, and became workers, farmers and businessmen. You are made of silver, and you should be the assistant of the country. Only a man made of gold can become the supreme leader of the country. So, you should behave yourself and don't do anything that doesn't fit your status. This is determined by fate.
The last group of people, 30 years old, will continue to study philosophy for five years to prepare for becoming the king of philosophers. Train clear thinking and governance. They want to study the intangible "ideas" behind the tangible material world, that is, abstract concepts, rules and ideals. At the age of 35, can these people still govern the country? No Most of what they are receiving now is theoretical education. Next, these people will return to the cruel real world and accept the survival test of 15.
? Finally, when these people are 50 years old, the survivors who remain will naturally become the rulers of Utopia, who are clear-headed, experienced, philosophical and have accumulated wisdom in time. Plato believes that in order to ensure that power is not abused, they should enter a productive life, and necessities of life and a certain amount of luxury goods are rationed, and women also have them together. From then on, they were no longer troubled by desires and served the people of the country wholeheartedly.
? People criticized Plato's Republic as a utopian society and impossible to realize. But if you look at medieval Europe, you will be surprised to find that people in the Christian world were divided into three classes: laborers, soldiers and priests, and the last class ruled the whole European world with great power. Isn't all this very similar to the "Republic"? In fact, Plato also felt that he described a utopia that was difficult to realize, but he believed that the value of human beings lies in their constant desire and then strive to realize some of them. Man is an animal born to create utopia!
In his later years, Plato lived a quiet and happy life. At the age of 80, he attended a student's wedding banquet. He retired to a quiet corner of the house and rested in laughter. At the end of the banquet the next day, people found him dead peacefully in his sleep. When he was buried, all Athenians came to see him off. This shows how respected Plato is. His masterpiece The Republic is still priceless in the world. Emerson, an American thinker and poet, represents everything. He said: Plato is philosophy and philosophy is Plato.
Second, the story of Spinoza.
Speaking of Spinoza, perhaps most people think of a philosopher who grinds glasses in the attic. He lived in obscurity and poverty all his life and was not known until his death.
In fact, according to historical records, Spinoza had many powerful friends, for example, the then president of the Royal Society was his pen pal; For example, the leader of the French army invited him to visit the headquarters at that time, and another example was a Dutch local tyrant who made a will and left all his property to him. But he refused all kinds of invitations and kindness and has been working to support himself. Moreover, he is careful, and the money he earns is only enough to support himself, not much at all.
By the time he was 24, he was already famous among Jews in Holland. Why? Because he doubted the authenticity of the Bible, he was expelled from the Dutch Jewish church and publicly cursed.
? In fact, Spinoza was very smart from an early age and was very interested in Jewish history and religion. Everyone regards him as God's chosen man. But the more Spinoza knew, the more suspicious he became. Finally, he put forward some views that were considered heretical by the church.
? Spinoza thinks that God is not independent of us. He believes that God and nature are unified, and the so-called God is the eternal causal law hidden behind everything. So what we think of as beauty, ugliness, goodness and evil are all human prejudices, because they have no universal regularity. These views may be nothing now, but they have shocked the world in Europe dominated by the church in 1646. 46 years ago, Bruno was set on fire in Rome for proposing "Heliocentrism".
? Spinoza's excommunication is not a glorious thing. Modern people may find it hard to imagine the seriousness of this incident. In Europe from 65438 to 0646, religion played an important role in society. It was the Jewish church that expelled him. As we all know, the Jewish nation is a troubled nation. From the time when the Romans drove the Jews out of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. until the Jews established the State of Israel after World War II, Jews have been wandering between countries and nations, persecuted, exiled and slaughtered for nearly 2,000 years.
In such a long time, Jews have married different nationalities, and their looks are very different, but they are still United because of their belief in Judaism. In fact, Spinoza herself is a typical Portuguese Jew. His eyebrows are long and thick, his hair is dark and curly, and his face is handsome. His family fled Portugal earlier and settled in the Netherlands.
For displaced Jews, loyalty to religion is actually equivalent to our loyalty to the country. Spinoza's doubts about the authenticity of the Bible are tantamount to betraying the country and are unforgivable. We can listen to what the church's expulsion ceremony said: scold him during the day, scold him at night, scold him when you go out, and scold him when you come back ... The ceremony also announced that from now on, no one can talk to or write to him, stay under the same roof with him, or be near him within four feet. Later, Spinoza's family and friends broke up with him. One night, he was walking on the road and was almost murdered by a religious fanatic. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and ran away, leaving only a little blood on his neck.
? These things deeply influenced Spinoza. Let him believe that as a philosopher, there is no place in this world. Although he calmly accepted the expulsion from the church, he decided to live alone from now on. It is precisely because he is not accepted by the secular world that his theology and politics are banned even if they are published anonymously. Deep insecurity made him delay the publication of his other book Ethics 10 years, and it was not published until he died of consumption at the age of 44. The essence of Spinoza's thoughts is in the book Ethics. Although it is only about 200 pages thick, it contains many thoughts. Especially for the study of human nature, later philosophers think that Spinoza's moral system is the highest achievement of modern thought.
? Spinoza believes that whether a person's virtue is noble or not depends on the extent to which he can preserve his existence and seek something useful for himself. It sounds hard to understand. In fact, what he means is that the more a person can love himself and find something beneficial to himself, the more noble his moral character will be. From this point of view about whether a person should be "selfish" or "altruistic", we can see Spinoza's generosity. He believes that everything will make every effort to preserve its existence, and so will people. This is an instinct. People don't exist. What's there to talk about? Therefore, driven by the instinct of self-protection, it is an inevitable result for people to do things that are beneficial to them, so profit is an inevitable result. Spinoza's ethics is not based on the theory that human nature is good or altruistic like utopian revolutionaries, nor on the theory that human nature is evil or selfish like cynical conservatives. It is based on the irresistible and excusable "egoism" about human instinct. Therefore, Spinoza does not advocate that people sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. The foundation of noble virtue is to maintain human existence and make oneself happy.
? So just keeping people alive is enough? Of course not. If simply understood, Spinoza's thought is not brilliant. Spinoza added the brilliance of reason on the basis of human existence. Driven by instinct, desire determines all human thoughts and behaviors. At this level, people have no free will. But if a person is only drawn by desire, it is a completely stupid and ignorant person. So how can we avoid the trap brought by instinct? The only reason. Usually, our instinctive response to external stimuli is passive and one-sided. Only through rational thinking can people gain a global vision, and it is a nobler virtue to seek what is beneficial to them under the guidance of rationality. It should be noted that Spinoza's rationality means that we should be aware of the existence of objective laws, all of us will be affected by the law of cause and effect, and we cannot know our own destiny. This calm acceptance of fate can bring a real peace of mind. This is the foundation of all wisdom and strength.
Spinoza lived only 44 years old. His most famous masterpiece is Ethics. Although he didn't establish a school, his thoughts were soaked by philosophers after him. His most famous point of view is that the concept of "self-preservation" has influenced Fichte's self, Schopenhauer's will to life and Nietzsche's will to power, and also influenced Bergson's life motivation. Hegel even said: If you want to be a philosopher, you must be a Spinoza.
Third, the story of Nietzsche.
? Nietzsche was very popular among young artists in China in the last century. But Nietzsche was lonely when he was alive. Only 40 copies of Zarathustra, his masterpiece, were sold, and only one reader recognized it, but no one appreciated it. His 56-year-old life can also be said to be a painful life and a contradictory life. Nietzsche achieved peace and tranquility only in the last 1 1 year of his life, but at that time, he was already insane.
? Nietzsche was born in a theological family in Prussia from 65438 to 0844. His father died when he was very young, and he was raised by a group of devout women. Influenced by them, Nietzsche didn't like to play with little boys since he was a child, and he was very sensitive and fragile. Many critics later said that Nietzsche had a man's body and a woman's heart. Young Nietzsche's devotion to religion is unambiguous. When he was a child, his classmates said he looked like Christ in the church. If anyone dares to doubt the truth of the Bible story, he dares to imitate the hero in the story and burn the firewood in his hand until it goes out. However, this passion for God ended when he was 18 years old.
? For Nietzsche, 18 years old is a major watershed in his life. Before that, his heart was full and his faith was firm. Later, he overturned his belief. While he violently attacked God, his heart fell into emptiness, so he began to search constantly, eager to find a new God to fill his heart. When he was in college, Nietzsche began to learn to smoke and drink, lead a dissolute life and have promiscuity, but he soon became disgusted with alcohol, tobacco and women. 2 1, Nietzsche fell in love with Schopenhauer, and Schopenhauer's pessimism left a permanent mark on him. Moreover, they have one thing in common: they don't appreciate and enjoy the warmth of family relations and have never been married. At the age of 23 and 26, Nietzsche served as a soldier twice, but both were short-lived. He fell off his horse for the first time and sprained his chest muscle, so he had to retire. The second time, he couldn't go to the battlefield because of myopia and had to do nursing work, but he was too weak to faint at the sight of blood and was finally sent home half dead. But Nietzsche always yearned for the masculinity and iron blood represented by war.
? After his first return from the battlefield, Nietzsche became a linguist. At the age of 25, he became a professor of classical linguistics in university of basel, but he soon regretted choosing this career. It was also at the age of 25 that Nietzsche, who loved music, met the person he loved most in his life-musician Wagner. In Nietzsche's 28-year-old masterpiece "The Birth of Tragedy: Soul from Music", he idolizes Wagner and holds him as great as Aeschylus, the father of Greek tragedy. However, this sweet relationship did not last long, and then the two broke up because of different ideas. One day, after Nietzsche's insanity, someone showed him a picture of Wagner who had been dead for a long time. Nietzsche was awake in an instant. He said softly, I love him very much. At the age of 35, Nietzsche was seriously ill and almost died. After his illness, he began to worship health, sunshine and the beauty of life. He also fell in love with a girl named Salome. But then the girl chose someone else, and the injured Nietzsche hid in the Alps. On the barren hilltop, he was inspired to write his most famous masterpiece Zarathustra. Zarathustra is a prophet. At the age of 30, he went to meditate on the mountain. After enlightenment, he began to preach down the mountain. He said that God was dead. We should welcome a new god, that is Superman.
Nietzsche wrote in his book: "All the gods died a long time ago. This is a happy ending for them. " Through Zarathustra's mouth, Nietzsche said: If the gods exist, how can you tolerate yourself who is not God, so the gods do not exist. After making such sensational remarks as "God is dead", Nietzsche began to enthusiastically praise the birth of Superman. Superman here is not an alien who can fly from the roof to the wall in film and television dramas, but the best person. As a supporter of Darwin's theory of evolution, Nietzsche believes that the purpose of human evolution is not to promote the human species, but to cultivate excellent and powerful individuals, that is, superman. Superman can only be born after careful selection of eugenics and noble education. Therefore, Nietzsche believes that the marriage between excellent people should be guaranteed by legislation, and heroes and maids, geniuses and seamstresses should never be allowed to get married because of love. In addition to carrying on the family line, marriage also bears the responsibility of cultivating superman. With a good background, the cultivation of Superman has to go through an extremely strict school, in which everyone naturally pursues perfection. Students must silently endure physical pain, take responsibility and get no comfort at the same time. Here, they have to reject the corrosion of freedom and indulgence, they have to learn to obey, learn to give orders and cultivate strong perseverance. Finally, cultivate yourself into a superman who transcends "good and evil". Superman has a clear and lofty goal. In order to achieve this goal, he can do whatever he wants regardless of the secular definition of good and evil. As long as it can enhance strength, it is "good", as long as it makes people weak, it is evil. Nietzsche said that only by taking Superman as the goal in life can we love life. So he called on everyone to either become Superman or become Superman's servants and tools. In this process, an excellent nation can be born.
This essay book is called1the greatest work of the 9th century. His language is exaggerated, conceited and full of power. He subverts all accepted ideas, mocks all virtues and praises all evils. People have different views on him. But Nietzsche's "Superman" theory is of great significance to the German nation. Bismarck, the then "Iron Prime Minister", unified Germany through three wars with Denmark, Austria and France. A brand-new empire needs new philosophy to publicize its military and industrial strength and defend its war. Nietzsche became the best spokesman in Germany.
? Understanding the stories of philosophers, learning some philosophical thoughts and thinking methods are conducive to insight into the world and society, so as to distinguish right from wrong and improve one's self-cultivation.