Postagens

Noções negativas no budismo

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  English version: Negative notions on Buddhism This essay begins from the hypothesis that what, in contemporary thought, appears as philosophical pessimism in authors such as  Thomas Ligotti ,  Julio Cabrera , and  Arthur Schopenhauer  does not properly constitute a rupture or a late invention, but rather an articulation—under a secular and often more austere language—of a much older intuition, already outlined within the Buddhist tradition: namely, that existence carries within its very structure a persistent negativity, one that cannot be reduced to episodic instances of pain, but instead permeates the very condition of being and experiencing becoming. Any attempt to bring philosophical pessimism into proximity with Buddhism requires, first of all, descending to what might be called its “ground”—not in the sense of a static foundation, but rather an originating layer from which its entire conceptual architecture arises: the so-called Four Noble Truths. Here, ...

Addendum: notas para um suicídio negativo

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English version  Addendum: notes for a negative suicide I come here to clarify some points raised regarding my essay “Notes for a Negative Suicide.”  First, I wish to define more precisely what I mean by “negative suicide”: it is the act of taking one’s own life upon recognizing a negative value in existence itself — in becoming, in being, or however one may choose to name it. This “disvalue” arises, in summary, from the following aspects: the structure of the world, as it is, produces discomfort (not evil) in beings such as humans. These forms of discomfort are structural to human existence; one cannot be born without them. From this, humans, in order to endure their own being, attempt to ascribe value to themselves — whether through aesthetic, gastronomic, moral, or religious means (in short, through all kinds of “positive” activities with which we fill ourselves so as not to confront ourselves).The problem is that these values can often be destructive, manipulative, and har...