Notes From Underground My thoughts on: Part 1

Basically me talking about Dostoevsky's Notes and some of the lines that really stood out to me and how I relate to them. I'd love to hear other peoples' relations too :)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• notes from underground
• notes from the underground
• Fyodor Dostoevsky
• existentialism
• isolation
• introversion
• conciousness
• angst

[TheJUNGLESURFER]

cool  videos

[hammertapping]

great book.

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[jdunbaugh]

Suffering (and the rest of sentience) is evidently neurophysiological in nature. Consider drugs and mental disorders. Existential philosophy (among all manner of thoughts) only triggers the brain to generate certain kinds of experiences. The only way out is the advancement of neuroscience, and even the possible post-darwinian transition.

[TrevorKingKwong]

@pawnstar3

They do endure and embrace the fact that suffering exists, but when they realize that the causes of suffering (attachment to belief systems) are illusions, they cease to suffer. Only when they believe in these illusions do they suffer. Whereas existentialism states that not believing in these illusions and realizing that they're actually illusions, causes suffering.

[pawnstar3]

@TrevorKingKwong But how can Buddhists transcend suffering if they don't endure it and embrace the fact that it exists?

[TrevorKingKwong]

@pawnstar3

That's right. What I mean is this:

In existentialism, realizing that all belief systems are illusion, causes suffering; while in Buddhism realizing this, rids suffering.

In other words, Buddhism states that the individual already transcends when he realizes that all belief systems are illusions. Existentialism, on the other hand, states that the individual suffers when he realizes this. Then, only after he suffers, he has the ability to transcend.

[pawnstar3]

@TrevorKingKwong Existentialism simply states that suffering is in the world - but that doesn't mean that you can't find pleasure in life. It's just pointing out the inherent pain and suffering in the world. It's up to the individual to transcend that as best he can.

[TrevorKingKwong]

@Kornd0g8

I find it odd how Buddhist thought is the opposite. Existentialism argues that realizing the nature of reality (nothingness) causes suffering while Buddhism argues that it causes enlightenment.

[jimihydrox]

This book changed my life, I'm glad to see other people in this generation truly being touched by it.

[Mrjrzjohnny]

Wow, A Gentle Creature identifying with the Underground Man. Remember that Dostoyevsky is coming from a perspective of a Slavic Orthodox Christian in pre-Revolutionary Russia. This mindset is foreign to most in the West even though you may identify with it to some extent. I have read Notes three times in the past ten years and never tire of the new insights that arise every time. Hope you read more of his stuff, truly one of the greats.