09.08.08

Pascalian psychology

Posted in Philosophy, Psychology at 8:59 pm

S’il se vante, je l’abaisse,
S’il s’abaisse, je le vante;
Et le contredis toujours,
Jusqu’à ce qu’il comprenne
Qu’il est un monstre incompréhensible.

If he vaunts himself, I abase him,
If he abases himself, I vaunt him;
And contradict him always,
Until he comprehends
That he is an incomprehensible monster.

  • http://monadology.net hb

    Ah, Pascal. He would have been helpful: “Hey, asshole on the couch. Self-knowledge is impossible!”

  • method

    “‘Know thyself’ does not mean ‘Observe thyself.’ ‘Observe thyself’ is what the Serpent says. It means: ‘Make yourself master of your actions.’ But you are so already, you are the master of your actions. So that saying means: ‘Misjudge yourself! Destroy yourself!’ which is something evil — and only if one bends down very far indeed does one also hear the good in it, which is: ‘In order to make of yourself what your are.’” — Kafka