Sign in with Facebook
75,371 books
—
279,763 voters
IF the immediate and direct purpose of our life is not suffering then our existence is the most ill-adapted to its purpose in the world: for it is absurd to suppose that the endless affliction of which the world is everywhere full, and
...more
“Our naive childishness has in it the seeds of creativity, and illusion is a natural component of life, and neither of them can ever be suppressed or replaced by the rationalities and practicalities of convention.”
― The Spirit In Man, Art, and Literature
― The Spirit In Man, Art, and Literature
“Doubt crashes down upon us like a calamity; far from choosing it, we fall into it. And try as we will to wrest ourselves from it, to conjure it away, doubt never loses sight of us, for it is not even true that doubt crashes down upon us, doubt was within us, and we were foredoomed to it. No one chooses the lack of choice nor strives to opt for the absence of option, for nothing that affects us deeply is willed.”
― The Fall into Time
― The Fall into Time
“Against positivism, which halts at phenomena—"There are only facts"—I would say: No, facts is precisely what there is not, only interpretations.”
― The Will to Power
― The Will to Power
“It is not a matter of going ahead (—for then one is at best a herdsmen, i.e., the herds chief requirement), but of being able to go it alone, of being able to be different.”
― The Will to Power
― The Will to Power
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror when nothing stood between you and death? Have you questioned your eyes? And by looking into them, have you then understood that you cannot die? Your pupils dilated by conquered terror are more impenetrable than the Sphinx. From their glassy immobility a certitude, strangely tonic in its brief mysterious form, is born: you cannot die. It comes from the silence of our gaze meeting itself, the Egyptian calmness of a dream facing the terror of death. Each time the fear of death grabs you, look in the mirror. You will then understand why you can never die. Your eyes know everything. For in them there are specs of nothingness, which assure you that nothing more can happen.”
―
―
Philosophy
— 5712 members
— last activity Sep 25, 2025 10:13AM
What is Philosophy? Why is it important? How do you use it? This group looks at these questions and others: ethics, government, economics, skepticism, ...more
Existential Book Club
— 1421 members
— last activity Jul 21, 2025 01:19AM
This a book club for anybody interested in reading existentialist literature and fiction. Every month I'll be putting up a new text either by an exist ...more
Political Philosophy and Ethics
— 6039 members
— last activity Oct 13, 2025 10:12AM
Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more
Matthew’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Matthew’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
696 books
|
469 friends
729 books
|
39 friends
322 books
|
19 friends
838 books
|
521 friends
102 books
|
2,130 friends
434 books
|
8 friends
685 books
|
21 friends
226 books
|
30 friends
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Matthew
Lists liked by Matthew
