Making notes since this is quite heavy: The first two chapters go over the psychology of the human experience and the standing philosophies during the 20th century. He introduces himself as a man who went searching for something new through philosophical thought and research, only to discover that the Truth he discovered was not his to discover—it had always been. Chapter 2 contemplates the mad man as one who doesn’t lack logical reason but instead creates too much of it. Lunacy can only be enjoyed by the sane, who can recognize he himself has some madness, and what breeds the lunatic is reason. He completes ab existence which is circular and connects, yet the parts are greater than the whole. He uses this to demonstrate the fallacy of materialism (that is, the doctrine that nothing exists outside of matter and its modifications), which was a common doctrine during this time. The mania of this modern thinking actually binds the human mind rather than freeing it.
Interesting start, I haven’t even finished the second chapter as he proceeds to tackle the issue of mercy within the doctrine of determinism. As this is written prior to 1905, I think it stands to note that his points were almost inevitably proven by the sheer fact that few stand by these scientific doctrines in the 21st century. Evidently, those that created this “truth of reason” were either driven mad, or found themselves bound in their own way of thinking—in which we now see a complete switch into spiritualism and mystical “truths”. Humanity is still trying to create its own doctrine of which to believe, but has started to recognize to explain the unexplainable is more binding than following any law of religion.
The first two chapters go over the psychology of the human experience and the standing philosophies during the 20th century. He introduces himself as a man who went searching for something new through philosophical thought and research, only to discover that the Truth he discovered was not his to discover—it had always been. Chapter 2 contemplates the mad man as one who doesn’t lack logical reason but instead creates too much of it. Lunacy can only be enjoyed by the sane, who can recognize he himself has some madness, and what breeds the lunatic is reason. He completes ab existence which is circular and connects, yet the parts are greater than the whole. He uses this to demonstrate the fallacy of materialism (that is, the doctrine that nothing exists outside of matter and its modifications), which was a common doctrine during this time. The mania of this modern thinking actually binds the human mind rather than freeing it.
Interesting start, I haven’t even finished the second chapter as he proceeds to tackle the issue of mercy within the doctrine of determinism. As this is written prior to 1905, I think it stands to note that his points were almost inevitably proven by the sheer fact that few stand by these scientific doctrines in the 21st century. Evidently, those that created this “truth of reason” were either driven mad, or found themselves bound in their own way of thinking—in which we now see a complete switch into spiritualism and mystical “truths”. Humanity is still trying to create its own doctrine of which to believe, but has started to recognize to explain the unexplainable is more binding than following any law of religion.