Justice and the Violence of Life @gpxavier

G. P. Xavier How do we reconcile our need for justice with the inherent violence of life? Modern people are confused about this. If there's no transcendent world of perfection, why demand universal justice—a demand that, if carried through, would eliminate life?

In this video, I explore various religious and philosophical approaches to this problem: Nietzsche's affirmation of violent life, the Christian idea of the fall of creation, the transhumanist desire to transform everything, the Hindu belief in the universe as God's play (lila), the self-sacrificial theology of Simone Weil, and the ethical thought of Max Scheler.

0:00 Introduction
0:33 Nietzsche Quote
6:40 Christianity
11:22 Modernity/Modern Confusion
14:08 Transhumanism
16:52 Nietzschean Vitalism
20:27 Hinduism
24:25 Simone Weil
28:39 Immanence and Transcendence (List of the Positions)
32:12 Scheler's Hierarchy of Values
37:04 Hope for Complete Transformation?
39:38 Concluding Thoughts

LINKS:

Original essay: gpxavier.writeas.com/the-violence-of-life-vpck

'Christ and Kali' video: youtube.com/watch?v=wSU5ExWAG7w

Scheler's Hierarchy of Values: youtube.com/watch?v=vWb5BW26YxI

Rupert Sheldrake book on 'laws' of nature as 'habits': sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-presence-of-the-past-morphic-resonance-and-the-habits-of-nature

updated 9 months ago

Justice and the Violence of Life

G. P. Xavier 2024-01-01 | How do we reconcile our need for justice with the inherent violence of life? Modern people are confused about this. If there's no transcendent world of perfection, why demand universal justice—a demand that, if carried through, would eliminate life?

In this video, I explore various religious and philosophical approaches to this problem: Nietzsche's affirmation of violent life, the Christian idea of the fall of creation, the transhumanist desire to transform everything, the Hindu belief in the universe as God's play (lila), the self-sacrificial theology of Simone Weil, and the ethical thought of Max Scheler.

0:00 Introduction
0:33 Nietzsche Quote
6:40 Christianity
11:22 Modernity/Modern Confusion
14:08 Transhumanism
16:52 Nietzschean Vitalism
20:27 Hinduism
24:25 Simone Weil
28:39 Immanence and Transcendence (List of the Positions)
32:12 Scheler's Hierarchy of Values
37:04 Hope for Complete Transformation?
39:38 Concluding Thoughts

LINKS:

Original essay: gpxavier.writeas.com/the-violence-of-life-vpck

'Christ and Kali' video: youtube.com/watch?v=wSU5ExWAG7w

Scheler's Hierarchy of Values: youtube.com/watch?v=vWb5BW26YxI

Rupert Sheldrake book on 'laws' of nature as 'habits': sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-presence-of-the-past-morphic-resonance-and-the-habits-of-nature

Dialogue with Xavier Velasco-Suarez: Being, Suffering and Love

G. P. Xavier 2024-10-19 | In this conversation, (another) Xavier and I talk about infinite versus limited being (i.e. God and his creatures), the status and role of suffering in the universe, and the deep importance of love.

Xavier reached out to me in a comment on my previous video on 'Jordan Hall's Dionysian Christianity,' agreeing with me that Christianity rejects the intrinsic value and necessity of suffering, but disagreeing with me that a world without suffering is impossible. He used an analogy with the human body: pain arises when there is disorder within the body; likewise, suffering exists in the universe when we violate its order (Logos).

In our discussion, I push back against this analogy: the human body is a partial and temporary harmony dependent on a wider context of violence, suffering and flux—this wider whole being the very thing the analogy is attempting to explain.

Xavier's channel:
@xaviervelascosuarez

My video on 'Jordan Hall's Dionysian Christianity':
youtube.com/watch?v=yEhRp74frOM

'But Why Christianity?' (Vervaeke, Hall, Pageau):
youtube.com/watch?v=Vp_08T0Ucik

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
4:53 – Beginning of dialogue (TLC)
7:19 – Peterson vs. Barron (evil as privatio boni)
10:55 – The Christian opposition to suffering
21:18 – Infinite and limited being; foreknowledge of God's sacrifice
38:11 – Can beings be limited without suffering? (human body analogy)
47:29 – My response to the human body analogy
57:09 – The 'But Why Christianity?' dialogue
1:01:49 – Do we really want eternal life and infinite happiness?
1:05:02 – Is God personal? (Is God love?)
1:12:04 – Is suffering necessary for love?
1:17:27 – Will to power and self-sacrificial love: are they both necessary? how they relate? do they converge in God?
1:30:18 – What is 'happiness' really?
1:39:27 – Topics for next time

Saying Yes to Everything (John Richardson on Nietzsches Value Monism)

G. P. Xavier 2024-10-14 | I read and comment on a passage from philosopher John Richardson's article on Nietzsche's 'value monism'—the idea that everything has the same value: everything is (equally) good.

The article is from Nietzsche on Mind and Nature (2015):
google.co.nz/books/edition/Nietzsche_on_Mind_and_Nature/zHfhCQAAQBAJ

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction and context
11:05 – Reading the key passage

Jordan Halls Dionysian Christianity? (Response to But Why Christianity?)

G. P. Xavier 2024-10-05 | This is a video response to the excellent dialogue between @JordanGreenhall, @johnvervaeke and @JonathanPageau:

But Why Christianity? – John Vervaeke, Jordan Hall, Jonathan Pageau
youtube.com/watch?v=Vp_08T0Ucik

What Jordan Hall said about immersion into life with all its intrinsic and meaningful suffering struck me as incredibly Dionysian (in the Nietzschean sense). The question to my mind is: but is it Christian?

The dialogue seems to revolve around the issue of immersion versus escape, with Christianity being cast as the former—but is this accurate? Isn't it essential to Christianity that it rejects the world as it is for the sake of a world that 'should' be? Isn't it also an escapism? It seems this elevation of morality above the world is a big problem if the hoped-for world cannot be.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
5:29 – Clip of Jordan Hall on immersion in reality
9:02 – Nietzsche quote on Dionysus vs. the Crucified
17:36 – Total vs. partial affirmation of life
22:53 – Suffering affirmed as part of life or as means of redemption
35:40 – Clips of Jonathan Pageau on self-sacrificial love
43:55 – Will to power vs. self-sacrificial love as fundamental
1:09:03 – Morality as relative vs. ultimate
1:19:01 – Concluding thoughts and questions

Psi & Micro-PK: Can Consciousness Influence Random Number Generators?

G. P. Xavier 2024-10-05 | In this video I overview scientific evidence for micro-psychokinesis—the mind's effect on random systems.

This stems from a conversation I had with Lucas Vos:
youtu.be/_-hQ1EETMe4?si=TbEdATjNZSBy7RFM&t=1050

Online true random number generator:
random.org

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
1:59 – What is Micro-PK?
9:00 – Meta-Analyses
19:07 – Conclusions & Complications

Interview with Dean Radin (gives broader overview):
Examining Evidence for Psi Phenomena
youtube.com/watch?v=UbXcCBPHUn0

References:
(Note: all these articles are available for free—just search in Google Scholar)

Radin & Nelson (1989). Evidence for consciousness-related anomalies in random physical systems.
doi.org/10.1007/BF00732509

Radin & Nelson (2003). Meta-analysis of mind-matter interaction experiments: 1959-2000.
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=a8c4766015c8b2a6d1f7197dd9c7d2525132920b

Bösch et al. (2006). Examining psychokinesis: The interaction of human intention with random number generators: A meta-analysis.
doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.4.497

Varvoglis & Bancel (2015). Micro-psychokinesis.
researchgate.net/profile/Peter-Bancel/publication/273889027_Micro-psychokinesis/links/550fe9930cf21287416c6dc2/Micro-psychokinesis.pdf

Varvoglis & Bancel (2016). Micro-psychokinesis: Exceptional or universal?
parapsychologypress.org/_files/ugd/82c4a8_fe3c8e30280044f6b884475b72d74a3f.pdf#page=37

Maier, Dechamp, & Rabeyron (2022). Quantum measurement as pragmatic information transfer. (Erroneously referred to in the video as 'Dechamp & Rabeyron, 2023).
doi.org/10.31156/jaex.23535

Radin et al. (2006). Assessing the evidence for mind–matter interaction effects.
http://ww.w.leyline.org/papers/pdf/scex-20-03-02_361..374.pdf

Dechamps (2019 thesis). Mind–matter interactions and their reproducibility.
https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/25403/1/Dechamps_Moritz.pdf

Rabeyron (2020). Why most research findings about psi are false– The replicability crisis, the psi paradox and the myth of Sisyphus.
doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.562992

Dialogue with Aron van Os: Nietzsches Zarathustra (Part 2)

G. P. Xavier 2024-09-09 | Aron and I continue our discussion about Nietzsche's Zarathustra, exploring different interpretations and debating the supremacy of the Dionysian vs. Christian ideal.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra Commentary (Lampert's Interpretation):
youtube.com/watch?v=eWsSoXkOoPc

My first talk with Aron, on his thesis 'The Pious Antichrist':
youtube.com/watch?v=cZfQpLdpIRI

Dialogue on Nietzsche's Zarathustra between Lucas, Aron and I:
youtube.com/watch?v=5g-JRCzAHvo

Aron's channel:
youtube.com/@UChfvz3jPfvBYk94HHNECf5w

0:00 – G. P. against René Girard's interpretation of Nietzsche (ontological versus societal levels); what if everyone in the world becomes fully authentic Christians?
27:42 – Aron on Laurence Lampert's interpretation of Nietzsche
32:52 – Is Nietzsche ecological?
47:24 – Heidegger's interpretation of Nietzsche

Dialogue with Lucas Vos: the Supernatural, Free Will, & the Self

G. P. Xavier 2024-09-04 | In this conversation, Lucas and I cover a range of topics, including: the paranormal/supernatural, synchronicity, the DMT realm, the afterlife, monism vs. individuality, miracles, and free will. We mention the views of C. G. Jung, Bernardo Kastrup, John Vervaeke, Spinoza, Wolfgang Smith, U. G. Krishnamurti, and Sri Ramakrishna.

A wonderful conversation, as it always is with Lucas!

Part 1 (mostly on Scheler's hierarchy of values):
youtube.com/watch?v=0til_b3XAiE

Lucas' channel:
youtube.com/@Lucasvoz

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introducing the supernatural
5:41 – Intuition and patterns, synchronicity
17:30 – Psi experiments with RNGs
19:10 – DMT
24:01 – Higher beings and consciousness beyond the brain
37:39 – U. G. Krishnamurti and the Calamity
40:44 – The Christian afterlife
42:19 – Love and Individuality
45:52 – Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Self
59:30 – Is the soul sinful?
1:01:25 – Vervaeke, miracles and free will
1:34:39 – Civilizational Christianity, Dawkins and Harris
1:41:20 – Vervaeke, Nietzsche's relation to Christianity

Dialogue with Lucas Vos: Max Schelers Hierarchy of Values

G. P. Xavier 2024-09-04 | A little while ago I had an excellent conversation with Lucas about the philosopher Max Scheler's approach to ethics and value—though the last part diverges into some other interesting topics! This is followed by a 2nd part.

Lucas' channel:
youtube.com/@Lucasvoz

My video explaining Scheler's hierarchy:
youtube.com/watch?v=vWb5BW26YxI

Timestamps:
0:00 – Introducing Scheler's approach to values
27:18 – How do you know that you're not beholden to evil?
40:00 – The holy without experience of it
43:00 – The objectivity of morality and values
50:30 – Value and Pirsig's Quality
55:39 – Everyone is spiritual and religious
57:55 – The vital values
1:05:49 – Non reductive physicalism, Vervaeke, and Spinoza
1:14:09 – The transcendent God in polytheism
1:20:45 – The (super)natural and part 2!

Dialogue with Aron van Os: Nietzsches Zarathustra (Part 1)

G. P. Xavier 2024-09-02 | I spoke with Nietzsche scholar Aron van Os about Nietzsche's great work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. We shared our views about the book and the man who wrote it, and, of course, explored many other topics in the process.

We'll continue this dialogue in a second part soon!

Thus Spoke Zarathustra Commentary (Lampert's Interpretation):
youtube.com/watch?v=eWsSoXkOoPc

My first talk with Aron, on his thesis 'The Pious Antichrist':
youtube.com/watch?v=cZfQpLdpIRI

Aron's channel:
youtube.com/@UChfvz3jPfvBYk94HHNECf5w

0:00 – Introduction
5:00 – Aron's thoughts on Zarathustra (and Lampert's interpretation)
12:13 – What drew G. P. to Zarathustra; immanent (Dionysian) vs. transcendent ('Crucified') orientations
20:45 – Analysis of the Dance Song (crucial chapter of Zarathustra)
34:03 – Thoughts on the death of God and beauty
43:33 – More on immanence vs. transcendence, and their synthesis in life
1:05:49 – How Zarathustra is a religious text
1:10:39 – Carl Jung's interpretation of Zarathustra
1:21:56 – René Girard's perspective on Nietzsche

Nietzsches Thus Spoke Zarathustra: Full Commentary

G. P. Xavier 2024-08-24 | This is a commentary on Nietzsche's greatest work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, based on the brilliant interpretation by Laurence Lampert. It covers every chapter of Parts I–III, which is the complete book as intended by Nietzsche; a brief summary of Part IV is included at the end.

Timestamps for the chapters are below. The most important are in bold, in case you only want the gist of this interpretation.

0:00 – Introduction
5:50 – Lampert's Approach

PART ONE
17:11 – *Prologue*
33:32 – 1. On the Three Transformations
42:10 – 2. On the Chairs of Virtue
43:46 – 3. On the Afterworldsmen
44:53 – 4. On the Despisers of the Body
46:36 – 5. On Joys and Passions
48:08 – 6. On the Pale Criminal
49:21 – 7. On Reading and Writing
51:56 – 8. The Tree on the Mountainside
54:27 – 9. On the Preachers of Death
56:21 – 10. On War and Warriors
57:49 – 11. On the New Idol
59:27 – 12. On the Flies of the Marketplace
1:00:24 – 13. On Chastity
1:02:42 – 14. On the Friend
1:03:40 – *15. On the Thousand Goals and One*
1:09:31 – 16. On Love of the Neighbor
1:10:38 – 17. On the Way of the Creator
1:11:56 – 18. On Old and Young Women
1:18:18 – 19. On the Adder's Bite
1:20:36 – 20. On Marriage and Children
1:21:09 – 21. On Voluntary Death
1:23:51 – 22. On the Gift-Giving Virtue

PART TWO
1:29:11 – 1. The Child with the Mirror
1:32:48 – 2. On the Blissful Islands
1:35:15 – 3. On the Pitying
1:36:54 – 4. On the Priests
1:38:15 – 5. On the Virtuous
1:39:25 – 6. On the Rabble
1:41:53 – 7. On the Tarantulas
1:45:30 – *8. On the Famous Philosophers*
1:49:15 – 9. The Night Song
1:51:18 – *10. The Dance Song*
1:57:12 – 11. The Funeral Song
2:01:02 – *12. On Self-Overcoming*
2:10:53 – 13. On the Sublime Ones
2:14:03 – 14. On the Land of Education
2:14:55 – 15. On Immaculate Perception
2:15:56 – 16. On Scholars
2:17:17 – 17. On Poets
2:22:07 – 18. On Great Events
2:26:06 – *19. The Soothsayer*
2:30:08 – *20. On Redemption*
2:39:47 – 21. On Human Prudence
2:42:08 – 22. The Stillest Hour

PART THREE
2:44:10 – 1. The Wanderer
2:46:37 – 2. On the Vision and the Riddle
2:56:13 – 3. On Involuntary Bliss
2:57:41 – *4. Before Sunrise*
3:02:15 – 5. On the Virtue that Makes Small
3:03:26 – 6. On the Mount of Olives
3:04:22 – 7. On Passing By
3:06:32 – 8. On the Apostates
3:07:28 – 9. The Homecoming
3:08:19 – 10. On the Three Evils
3:13:08 – 11. On the Spirit of Gravity
3:16:56 – 12. On Old and New Law-Tables
3:21:36 – *13. The Convalescent*
3:35:52 – *14. On the Great Longing*
3:45:21 – *15. The Second Dance Song*
3:53:26 – 16. The Seven Seals (or: The Song of Yes and Amen)

PART FOUR
3:56:18 (Brief Summary)

Dialogue with Sam Tideman: Biblical Unitarianism and the Relation Between the Natural and Divine

G. P. Xavier 2024-05-07 | In this dialogue, Sam explains Biblical Unitarianism—the belief that Jesus Christ was not God, yet was nonetheless the perfect and exalted mediator between God and man. We also explore its relationship to Trinitiarian Christianity, parallels in other religions, and the relationship between the divine and the non-divine or natural.

I found this to be a fantastic and fascinating conversation. Although I wouldn't call myself Unitarian (or Trinitarian), it's helped me to better understand the figure of Christ, and impressed upon me the deep continuity between these different theological approaches. Far from being a bleak view of a world hopelessly separated from God, Sam's Unitarian vision shows a world suffused with grace, participating in the divine, and making its way, through Jesus, to final perfection.

Check out Sam's channel here:
youtube.com/@transfigured3673

Sam's dialogue with Dr. Khalil Andani:
youtube.com/watch?v=iBBgjVitGj4

0:00 Introduction
1:34 What is Biblical Unitarianism?
12:10 Why be Unitarian? Biblical, historical, philosophical and practical arguments
17:55 Relation between Jesus' and God's will ("willfully renouncing his will")
20:14 Christ as mediator between God and humans
30:31 Old creation and new creation
37:18 Christ as conduit/revelation of God
41:54 Need for divine mediator: examples in Islam, Judaism, Neoplatonism, Hinduism
45:58 Mystical experiences of unity/identity with God; miracles
49:37 Jesus' attempts to express his experience of unity with God
55:49 Unitarianism better able to acknowledge non-Christian spiritual achievement?
59:46 What is the 'divine' versus non-divine/'natural'?
1:03:43 'Angelic mediation'/protection from God's perfection
1:06:22 Gap between divine and non-divine; individuality and participation
1:09:45 Reflections on the doctrine of the Trinity
1:14:57 Personal versus transcendent views of God
1:22:41 Trinitarian and Unitarian theologies as different expressions of same basic facts
1:28:20 Current trends in Unitarian–Trinitarian relations
1:32:20 Concluding comments

Dialogue with Lucas Vos: Death, Eternal Life, Finitude and Transcendence

G. P. Xavier 2024-04-24 | I had a wonderful conversation with Lucas Vos focused on the topics of mortality and immortality. How do we—and how should we—relate to the fact that we will die? Should we accept our mortality or take advantage of technology to keep us alive and youthful as long as we wish? Is this life all there is or is there a life after death—or is 'eternal life' best understood as being outside of time altogether?

We explore these questions and many more!

Lucas' channel:
youtube.com/@Lucasvoz

0:00 Introduction
1:55 How Lucas relates to death
5:39 My thoughts on death: not wanting to die and not wanting to live forever
11:55 Lucas on the 'afterlife' and experiencing the atemporal/eternal
22:00 Can the 'vertical'/atemporal influence the 'horizontal'/temporal?
26:25 The Resurrection (Jesus' and General)
35:07 Vedic vs. Christian views (Wolfgang Smith)
42:40 Trinity, Sophia, and the Vedic view
49:55 Western fascination with Eastern spirituality and religion
57:05 The case for immanence/against 'eternal life'
1:06:41 Faith
1:09:11 Life extension, Bryan Johnson
1:25:10 Mystery and meditation
1:29:43 God's will and participation
1:37:15 Closing thoughts

Update: Hamlets Ressentiment, Gladiator Story, What Im Thinking About, Thank You for Subscribers

G. P. Xavier 2024-04-06 | This is an update to let you know about a couple of pieces I recently published on my writing blog:

The Gladiator (short story):
gpxavier.writeas.com/the-gladiator

Hamlet's Ressentiment (article/essay):
gpxavier.writeas.com/hamlets-ressentiment

Both concern the issue of 'ressentiment' or resentment, which is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. In particular, I've been wondering: how can we live positively, without resentment—and what worldviews help or hinder this?

The Gladiator story illustrates the clash between the old Roman worldview centered on power and glory with the new Christian worldview centered on humility and self-giving love. It tells the tale of two men sentenced to fight in the Colosseum—men who are very different, yet also the same.

The essay is about Shakespeare's play Hamlet. The riddle of Hamlet is: why does he take so long to avenge his father? I argue that Hamlet is motivated a particular kind of resentment, which does with words what he cannot do with deeds. However, with Nietzsche, I also argue that he has a genuine insight into the terrible heart of being. While he might have taken from that a joyous affirmation of life, his resentment warps it into something nihilistic and paralyzing.

Finally, as I just hit 100 subscribers, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has subscribed to my channel!

In the future I hope to do more interviews, as well as videos on Max Scheler's later thought and Nietzsche's book Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Please feel free to engage!

0:00 The problem of ressentiment (resentment)
1:21 Nietzsche vs. Christianity
2:24 Scheler's positive view of Christianity
3:12 The Gladiator (short story)
3:46 Hamlet's Ressentiment (essay)
4:19 'Literary ressentiment'
4:49 Hamlet as Dionysian man
5:34 Against René Girard
6:37 Thank you for subscribers
6:57 Future directions for channel

Dialogue with K. on Justice and the Violence of Life (Full Interview)

G. P. Xavier 2024-02-12 | In this dialogue I sit down with my dear friend 'K.' to discuss the problem of how to think of justice in relation to life's inherent violence, as outlined in a recent video and essay:

Video: youtube.com/watch?v=iWnYO9QayAY
Essay: gpxavier.writeas.com/the-violence-of-life-vpck

This is the full recording of the dialogue.

PART I:

0:00 Introduction.
5:44 K.'s perspective; what is justice?
16:06 What is transcendence and how does it relate to immanence?
23:24 "If we can speak about the transcendent, maybe it's that element of experience that actually destroys..."
25:15 Nietzsche and affliction; Nietzsche's insanity.
30:26 Clarification of K.'s perspective on immanence and transcendence.
32:57 How significant and valuable is 'justice' really?
38:02 K.'s views on God/divinity.
47:19 Congruence between Simone Weil and Nietzsche; Amor Fati (to be master and/or slave of fate).
53:37 "What force allows you to affirm fate?" (Nietzsche, Weil, Christianity)
58:17 Jesus as beyond resentment.
01:01:01 Attention as true power and strength (more on Weil); Nature as necessity; Weil's theology; Nietzsche's 'light' philosophy.
1:07:39 Talking (and not talking) about God; is Nietzsche secretly theistic?; Weil and ordinary people.

PART II:

1:14:25 Max Scheler's hierarchy of values
1:23:05 How do you know when to destroy and consume and when you must not?; vital values versus higher values; sexuality; worth of contemporary Nietzschean/vitalist movement.
1:33:58 Submission to fate (Christian versus Nietzschean interpretations), Jesus; Resurrection; what did Weil believe?
1:39:23 The Christian view of perfectible Creation; violence as essential to life and nature; victims and revenge.
1:43:40 Is the Christian view of perfectible Creation a) possible? b) appealing?; miracles and paranormal powers.
1:50:04 What motivates us?; revenge and forgiveness; hatred and love.
1:54:19 Jesus' relations to plants and animals; violent/unsavory parts of the Bible; why are the Hebrews special?
2:01:00 "To affirm fate requires love" (even for Nietzsche); return to the Greek/Classical view ("a kind of lightness").
2:04:02 Is there a sense in which the aesthetic is more important/primary than the ethical?
2:09:07 Tragedy as dissonance in music; Schopenhauer.
2:12:42 Weil and aesthetic receptivity versus ethical transformation; the relation between aesthetic and ascetic.
2:16:47 The Hindu view (Creation as God's play/lila); ethical swallowed by deep time; Nietzschean worldview as subset of Hindu.
2:20:34 "Does moralizing that suffering give it any meaning?"
2:24:40 How to deal with violence in history?
2:28:04 Dangers of elevating aesthetic over the ethical; Kierkegaard; intellectuals versus ordinary people.

PART III:

2:35:41 Contemporary (confused) view about the problem; how motivated by justice are we really?
2:44:03 Transhumanism; should we use technology to eliminate suffering?
2:54:51 AI vs. humanity vs. God.
3:02:06 How do we move forward as a society on justice and violence?; rebirth of Classical culture.
3:06:56 Need for blasphemy; modern people neither humble nor great; will to power as grace.
3:11:00 Need to stop fixating on justice; God and justice; forgiveness as unjust ("true mercy dissolves justice"); Jesus and justice.
3:16:04 Accepting death while loving life; life-affirming Christianity.
3:18:45 Apprehending life aesthetically (not as a victim).
3:21:39 Forgiveness.
3:23:39 God as aesthetic, transcending ethics; prayer.
3:27:41 Love; vice/sin as the attempt to consume beauty; receptivity.
3:32:42 Forgiveness and love undermine clinging to life; K.'s interpretation of Jesus' message.
3:36:46 "We should not give excessive credence to money or ethics..."
3:39:52 Two main points K. is confident about: submission to fate requires love; value of regular people.
3:41:43 Summary of K.'s position; Catholicism as closed system/open reality.

More on Nietzsche:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

More on Weil:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Weil

Video on Scheler's hierarchy of values:
youtube.com/watch?v=vWb5BW26YxI

More on Max Scheler:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Scheler

The Pious Antichrist: Nietzsche as a Religious Thinker (Aron van Os Interview)

G. P. Xavier 2024-01-14 | Aron van Os teaches philosophy at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. His Master's thesis was titled 'The Pious Antichrist: Nietzsche as a Religious Thinker,' and explores Nietzsche's complicated relationship with Christianity. In this interview, Aron discusses Nietzsche's inner conflict between the ideals of 'Dionysus' and 'the Crucified,' how this conflict eventually became one-sided and destructive, and how it could become harnessed as a productive and positive tension that embraces both this life and the transcendent.

You can read Aron's thesis here:
https://studenttheses.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/20.500.12932/40975/Van_Os_%3F_Nietzsche_as_a_Religious_Thinker_%3F_UU_RMaPhil_Thesis_20.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Aron's channel:
youtube.com/@arono9304

Other talks/discussions by Aron:

Knowing Nietzsche (The Information Addict Interview)
youtube.com/watch?v=L8M-4R4jVzE

Nietzsche's Hammer, Free Will, and Forgetfulness as an Active, Potentially Creative Force (The Meaning Code Interview)
youtube.com/watch?v=_Qr8v6HxoXM

Nietzsche & Christ: (Ir)reconcilable Responses to the Meaning Crisis- Breakwater Festival 2023
youtube.com/watch?v=jw3OD2NMwTI

0:00 Introduction
0:35 'God is Dead' and Nietzsche's inner conflict
8:36 Nietzsche's view of Jesus
20:59 Dionysus versus the Crucified
33:27 Nietzsche's insanity (and letters of insanity)
47:37 Psychological theodicy
55:35 Kierkegaard
59:02 What does embracing both Dionysus and the Crucified look like in practice?
1:06:39 Sacrifice, René Girard

Max Schelers Hierarchy of Values

G. P. Xavier 2023-12-07 | An overview of philosopher Max Scheler's hierarchy of values. According to Scheler, values are inherently ordered into different levels.

Scheler developed a phenomenology of value and helped found a unique approach to ethics known as material value ethics. This video introduces material value ethics, explains how he applied the phenomenological approach to value, and outlines the ordered hierarchy of values that came from this.

0:00 Introduction
3:56 Material Value Ethics
18:46 Establishing the Order of Values
20:50 The Act of Preferring (and Placing After)
28:26 Five Properties Associated with Value Height
42:00 The Hierarchy of Values
42:51 Sensual Values
44:27 The Useful
46:04 Vital Values
48:43 Spiritual Values
52:24 'Absolute' Values
56:26 Conclusion

Analysis of John Keats Ode To Autumn

G. P. Xavier 2023-11-03 | In his ode To Autumn, addressed to a passing season, Keats uses the beautiful language of sensation to perfectly express the truth of life's transience. Helen Vendler explains the meaning of this magnificent poem, the last and greatest of Keats' odes.

This is the final video in a series on the Odes of John Keats, based on the interpretation by literary critic Helen Vendler in the book of the same name. Watch the others here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKrRgZAgmrIeBjyEhqi6op0imMdr9FYRw

0:00 Introduction
1:38 The Poem
3:53 Vendler's Analysis
6:46 Major Structural Movements
9:17 Minor Submotions
10:42 Constitutive Trope/s
12:22 Analysis of Stanza I
18:39 Analysis of Stanza II
22:25 Analysis of Stanza III
30:32 Overall Meanings
39:35 Beauty, Truth, and Poetry

Analysis of John Keats Ode on Melancholy

G. P. Xavier 2023-11-03 | In his Ode on Melancholy, Keats actively embraces the reality of process and finds that sadness and joy are inseparable. Helen Vendler explains the meaning of this great poem.

This is the fifth video in a series on the Odes of John Keats, based on the interpretation by literary critic Helen Vendler in the book of the same name. Watch the others here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKrRgZAgmrIeBjyEhqi6op0imMdr9FYRw

0:00 Introduction
1:17 The Poem
3:07 Vendler's Analysis
5:11 Structural Shape
9:36 Constitute Trope
11:55 Canceled 1st Stanza
13:11 Poem as Quest
14:07 Syntax of the Poem
16:56 Resolutions
22:59 Sensation and Thought

Analysis of John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn

G. P. Xavier 2023-11-02 | In his Ode on a Grecian Urn, Keats explores the visual art of an ancient Greek urn as a model for art in general. As he enters into and disengages from the timeless scenes of the urn, he comes to appreciate the need for both Beauty and Truth and to accept the fundamental reality of process. Helen Vendler explains the meaning of this great poem.

This is the fourth video in a series on the Odes of John Keats, based on the interpretation by literary critic Helen Vendler in the book of the same name.Watch the others here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKrRgZAgmrIeBjyEhqi6op0imMdr9FYRw

0:00 Introduction
1:27 The Poem
4:41 Vendler's Analysis
6:29 Notion of Art in the Ode
7:55 Constitutive Trope
8:31 Structural Shape
12:55 Stanza I: Art-as-Illustration
15:13 Stanzas II–III: Art-as-Mirror
18:31 Stanza IV: Art-as-World
23:03 Theme of Process
24:27 Stanza V: Beauty and Truth

Note: At 18:31 I say, "In the sixth stanza..." where I meant to say, "In the fourth stanza..."

Analysis of John Keats Ode to a Nightingale

G. P. Xavier 2023-11-01 | In his Ode to a Nightingale, Keats explores the natural music of birdsong as a metaphor for art: spontaneous, non-representational, a stream of pure sensation offering temporary release from the woes of the world. Helen Vendler explains the meaning of this great poem.

This is the third video in a series on the Odes of John Keats, based on the interpretation by literary critic Helen Vendler in the book of the same name. Watch the others here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKrRgZAgmrIeBjyEhqi6op0imMdr9FYRw

0:00 Introduction
1:44 The Poem
6:50 Vendler's Analysis
7:39 Recording of a Nightingale
8:05 Notion of Art in the Ode
11:31 Structural Shape
13:50 Constitutive Trope
16:07 Opening Stanza
17:06 Stanza II (Wine)
18:14 Stanza III (Life's Sorrows)
21:00 Stanzas IV–VI (Bower Scene)
26:00 Stanza VII (Audiences)
30:22 Closing Stanza/Outcome

Analysis of John Keats Ode to Psyche

G. P. Xavier 2023-10-31 | In his Ode to Psyche, Keats leaves his indolence behind and begins to create art – though this an art that is wholly internal, an attempt to save things from loss by reduplicating them inside the mind. Helen Vendler explains the meaning of this great poem.

This is the second video in a series on the Odes of John Keats, based on the interpretation by literary critic Helen Vendler in the book of the same name. Watch the others here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKrRgZAgmrIeBjyEhqi6op0imMdr9FYRw

0:00 Introduction
1:54 The Poem
6:05 Vendler's Analysis
7:20 Structural Shape
9:01 Art in the Ode
10:20 The Goddess Psyche
12:49 Two Restorations of Psyche
14:22 Three Languages of the Ode
16:49 Echoes of Milton
18:23 Mansion of Many Apartments
23:42 Outcome of the Ode

Analysis of John Keats Ode on Indolence

G. P. Xavier 2023-10-30 | In his Ode on Indolence, Keats finds himself in a state of indolence (idleness or laziness) that is at once creative and despairing. In this state, he attempts to resist the recurring summons of his three fates: Love, Ambition, and Poetry. Helen Vendler explains the meaning of this great poem.

This is the first in a series of videos on the Odes of John Keats, based on the interpretation by literary critic Helen Vendler in the book of the same name. Watch the others here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKrRgZAgmrIeBjyEhqi6op0imMdr9FYRw

0:00 Introduction
4:51 The Poem
9:09 Vendler's Analysis
12:30 Structural Shapes
15:53 The Three Figures
19:09 Three Keatses/Languages
31:48 Evolution of the Figures
33:11 Outcome of the Ode

The Sovereignty of Good (Iris Murdoch): Overview

G. P. Xavier 2023-07-09 | An explanation of Iris Murdoch's philosophical book, The Sovereignty of Good, in which she argues for an ethics centered on the metaphor of vision.

0:00 Introduction
2:46 Two Fundamental Assumptions
6:54 The Opposition
13:47 Mother-in-Law Example
19:12 What Has Happened? (Genetic Analysis)
21:14 What Has Happened? (Ordinary View)
22:32 Refutation of Genetic Analysis
29:03 Freedom and Vision
38:29 Methods of Purification
39:29 Method 1: Beauty
44:24 Painting: Flaying of Marsyas (Titian)
45:28 Painting: Surrender of Breda (Velázquez)
46:21 Method 2: Technai
48:38 Method 3: Contemplation of Good
52:37 What Is the Good?
1:06:41 ...But What IS the Good?
1:11:39 Coda: Love and Humility

Christ and Kali: Convergent Symbolism

G. P. Xavier 2023-05-20 | In this video, I explore a symbolic similarity between the Hindu goddess Kali and Jesus Christ. I argue that the Hindu image of Kali standing on Shiva can be seen as an icon of the Crucifixion. I also discuss the Biblical figure of Sophia (Wisdom), and how the Hindu notion of a personal cosmos (Shakti) could enrich Christianity. Finally, I outline the meaning these images and myths can have for us, regardless of our religion (or lack thereof).

0:00 Introduction
3:03 Kali and Shiva
4:45 Jesus Christ
6:40 Sophia (Who Is the World?)
12:13 Transformation
18:02 Conclusions

My Reflections on Allan Blooms Interpretation of Platos Republic

G. P. Xavier 2023-04-21 | In this video, I discuss some of my reflections on Plato's Republic and particularly on Allan Bloom's Straussian interpretation of it.

If you're not familiar with the Strauss/Bloom approach to the Republic, you can watch my video explaining it here:

youtu.be/hZ5TW39dw38

Allan Blooms Interpretation of Platos Republic: Explanation

G. P. Xavier 2023-04-20 | In this video, I explain the esoteric approach (inspired by Leo Strauss) that Allan Bloom takes in interpreting Plato's Republic, with various examples.

For my own reflections on this, see my followup video:

youtu.be/zeoftV3ye30

0:00 Introduction
1:54 The Straussian/'Esoteric' Approach
6:45 Bloom's Translation & Interpretive Essay
9:42 The Case of Thrasymachus
14:28 The Taming of Thrasymachus
19:33 What Is Accomplished?
24:54 Glaucon, Man of Eros
30:37 Why Philosophers Wouldn't Rule
35:54 The Comedy of Callipolis
41:04 Philosophy vs. the City
45:24 Against Utopianism
47:00 Adeimantus the Austere
49:58 Philosophy vs. Poetry
59:24 The New Poetry
1:03:16 Conclusions