Marcus Aurelius on the pursuit of recognition
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Marcus Aurelius on the pursuit of recognition

Marcus Aurelius (or Marcus Aurelius) is not only considered a kind-hearted Roman emperor (161 to 180 AD) but also, along with Seneca and Epictetus, one of the last representatives of the late Stoics. He was considered to be very prudent, in keeping with his philosophical outlook. This is also reflected in his following quote. If you knew from which...

Are Philosophers Crazy? Where This Assumption Comes From

Are Philosophers Crazy? Where This Assumption Comes From

With some philosophical statements, one can easily get the impression that the author was or is definitely crazy. But what exactly is there to this assumption? In short, there were crazy philosophers, but most are not. Often the impression arises, by the fact that the philosophical statements are formulated on the one hand complex and on the other hand abstract...

Alan Watts explains: Don't take life too seriously
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Alan Watts explains: Don't take life too seriously

Don't take life too seriously. Most people have probably heard this phrase. It is extremely widespread and even the philosopher Alan Watts had used it. But what exactly did he mean by it? Alan Watts tried to mediate between Eastern and Western philosophy and therefore it is not surprising that his approach to "the...

Alan Watts on money, life and spiritual awakening
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Alan Watts on money, life and spiritual awakening

Alan Watts was known not only for making Far Eastern worldviews accessible to the Western world, but also for criticizing various circumstances of our modern society. This short but powerful excerpt from one of his speeches does both. Alan Watts explains the interdependence in which opposites stand, since they cannot exist without each other. In the...

Alan Watts on Problems of Modernity: Philosophers and Materialism
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Alan Watts on Problems of Modernity: Philosophers and Materialism

Alan Watts was known for placing criticism on various circumstances of our society. This article is about Watts' view that our perception of materialism is wrong and modern philosophers have forgotten an important aspect of philosophy. Alan Watts made it clear that in his opinion the term materialism would be misinterpreted. Actual materialism implies...

Alan Watts reveals the secret of Nirvana
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Alan Watts reveals the secret of Nirvana

Alan Watts (born 1915 in Chislehurst, Great Britain, died 1973, Druid Heights, USA) first studied theology and later moved to the United States (1938) and began Zen training. From then on he began to study Eastern philosophy in general. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Buddhist concept of nirvana became part of his writings....

Alan Watts on the futility of life (and Wu-Wei)
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Alan Watts on the futility of life (and Wu-Wei)

English philosopher Alan Watts is known for "translating" Indian, Japanese and Chinese traditions of Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu philosophy for a Western audience. In his writings and lectures, he often tried to convey the meaning of foreign words and concepts. One of these is the Taoist "Wu-Wei." Wu-Wei describes the art of non-striving, which is probably...

Quotes explained: Stephen Covey on our perception of the world
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Quotes explained: Stephen Covey on our perception of the world

We often forget that our perception of the world is not truly objective, but is largely influenced by who we are. The quote comes from the French writer Anaïs Nin, but has become even more famous thanks to the American bestselling author Stephen Covey, who has included it in several of his works (e.g. ....).

You carry the history of mankind within you

You carry the history of mankind within you

What if we carry around not only our own history, but also that of our ancestors, which on top of that influences us in everyday life? What sounds like an idea from the famous Assassins Creed series of books and games is actually an integral part of Carl Gustav Jung's theory of analytical psychology. Even the name of the super-computer "Animus" finds...

Musashi's Most Relevant Quotes For Modern Life
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Musashi's Most Relevant Quotes For Modern Life

In this article, we'll look at six of Miyamoto Musashi's greatest quotes that have been extremely helpful to me (and countless other people) to steadily improve, see things in a more relaxed way, and find more inner peace - in short, to better cope with modern life. In this article we will look at the meanings and...