Sorry, I meant to give an explanation for the title of this blog. It’s an abbreviated reference to a quote from the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer which states: “Will minus intellect constitutes vulgarity.” I don’t necessarily mean to imply that this blog constitutes vulgarity — I’d prefer to leave that open to interpretation.
I don’t read much philosophy but Schopenhauer is far and away my favorite philosopher. A supremely pessimistic and stubborn man he actually followed the same exact routine every day for the final 27 years of his life. He lived alone, got up at 7 AM, had a bath but no breakfast, drank a cup of coffee before writing until Noon, at which point he practiced playing the flute for precisely half an hour. He had lunch at the same restaurant every day and would then return home to read until 4 PM, followed by a 2 hour walk that took place rain or shine. At 6 PM he would travel to the Frankfurt library to read The Times, then attended the theater or a concert followed by dinner at a restaurant or hotel. He’d get home between 9 or 10 PM and head to sleep immediately only to follow the same routine the next day.
He was completely insane and I love him. I’m sure I’ll write about him and his works quite often. But for now I’m working on a longer essay about “Conspiracy.” Hopefully I’ll have it posted today or tomorrow. I’m likely to get distracted by game 3 of the Celtics-Lakers series, which as it turns out plays a part in my “Conspiracy” essay.
Filed under: General | Tagged: Arthur Schopenhauer
