Influences

And what is good, Phaedrus,
And what is not good—
Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?

Socrates, from Plato's Socratic Dialogue Phaedrus

(also, interestingly enough, the quote that starts "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", a later influence in my life)


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Now, however, man wishes to add deeper significance to his endeavors. Realizing that true fulfillment escapes him, he has begun once more to search within himself for a kind of satisfaction he has not found so far in his conquest of the external world. He knows that he can find biological happiness by achieving adaptation to his physical and social environment, but he realizes that this form of happiness is as limited in scope as the contentment of the cow. The best-adapted populations certainly experienced physical contentment, but their lives were probably deficient in other ways since they have produced chiefly what Toynbee called "arrested civilizations." Modern man is not yet resigned enough to be completely satisfied with purely creature contentment. He still hopes that he can discover a philosophy of life that will be as creative and emotionally rewarding as that of classical Greece or of Western Europe in the thirteenth century.

Our greatest blessing, says Socrates in Plato's dialogue Phaedrus, comes to us by way of madness—mania. In this arresting statement, Plato does not mean mania as a disease, but rather as a state during which man experiences a kind of self-revelation occurring through the emergence of a powerful spirit from the depth of his being. Poetical words, tones, and gestures, and even prophecy are the expressions of enthusiasm—the god within. Apparently certain drugs can help in generating this inspired state. But Plato traced inspiration to the primeval forces that Greek mythology symbolized in the form of deities, especially Dionysos.

The American Microbiologist René Dubos


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I discovered the Socratic Dialogoues around the fifth grade (I was nine), I was introduced to René Dubos a bit later (around fourteen?) by my half-uncle and God-father. The only serious complaint I have with Dr. Dubos is a standard one for folks of his generation, and one I try to...pass over...to the best of my ability, even though it does trip me up some. Gender pronouns. My translation:

Now, however, the human species wishes to add deeper significance to their endeavors. Realizing that true fulfillment escapes them, they have begun once more to search within themselves for a kind of satisfaction they have not found so far in their conquest of the external world. They know that they can find biological happiness by achieving adaptation to their physical and social environment, but they realize that this form of happiness is as limited in scope as the contentment of the cow. The best-adapted populations certainly experienced physical contentment, but their lives were probably deficient in other ways since they have produced chiefly what Toynbee called "arrested civilizations." Modern Humans are not yet resigned enough to be completely satisfied with purely creature contentment. They still hope that they can discover a philosophy of life that will be as creative and emotionally rewarding as that of classical Greece or of Western Europe in the thirteenth century.

Our greatest blessing, says Socrates in Plato's dialogue Phaedrus, comes to us by way of madness—mania. In this arresting statement, Plato does not mean mania as a disease, but rather as a state during which man experiences a kind of self-revelation occurring through the emergence of a powerful spirit from the depth of their beings. Poetical words, tones, and gestures, and even prophecy are the expressions of enthusiasm—the god within. Apparently certain drugs can help in generating this inspired state. But Plato traced inspiration to the primeval forces that Greek mythology symbolized in the form of deities, especially Dionysos.

Other than that very nast habit, Mankind, as if my having a phallus made me the default of the species, I really enjoy his writing. And found him indespensible in the development of my life, and understanding of my reality, as I have found Plato, and many others too numerous to mention here and now.

*Note:

Even Socrates was not as phallic obsessed as an average man (even if "enlightened") of the modern era, hence this from Phaedrus:

SOCRATES: There I cannot go along with you. Ancient sages, men and women, who have spoken and written of these things, would rise up in judgment against me, if out of complaisance I assented to you.

PHAEDRUS: Who are they, and where did you hear anything better than this?

SOCRATES: I am sure that I must have heard; but at this moment I do not remember from whom; perhaps from Sappho the fair, or Anacreon the wise; or, possibly, from a prose writer.

Surely the ancient Greeks had their share of mysogyny, but I always find it fascinating the way even modern grammatical rules dictate the "non"-existence of non-phallic members of the race. Star Belly Sneetches.