“Nevertheless, the ancient Greeks already knew that logical thinking is a structured process, to some extent governed by certain laws. These laws can be described. Aristotle systematized syllogisms, and Euclid—geometry; however, many centuries passed before an era of progress in the study of logical thinking arrived again.”
Analyzing history, I cannot help but feel my heart grow cold as I recall the many centuries of ignorance and the enslavement of the human spirit—beginning roughly with the so-called “birth” of Christ, that is, with the establishment of ideas harmful to reason and freedom: the dogmatic religions of Christianity, Islam, and the like. Combined with the ideas and fixations of settled life, and later with the development of feudalism and other structures, this shut out the light of a happy life and the prospects of knowledge for many, many years.
In this connection I always think of one thing: surely there will come another “darkening”—whether from late stage capitalism, or from “too fast” accelerated technologies (technological progress always brings more freedom and happiness in distance, but at certain stages, it can lead to the exploitation and dishonest of many people). Or perhaps from something else, such as new ideas about power cults. After all, people in their nature tend to look to take as much as possible, which is like laziness: it’s a natural mechanism of energy to which we should somehow resist to maintain balance in everything else.
Seeing today how people, by and large, so easily “become enslaved,” how readily they submit to any foolishness, how rotten the whole system of today’s world has become, I grow all the more skeptical that times of darkness will not return—they will.
I have no doubt this is largely due to the ossification of the fundamental structures of human settlement and community, combined with a general tendency to seek the easiest path—though true ease lies not in what appears easiest at first, but in what proves easier when seen in perspective.
Therefore I ask everyone, insofar as possible: remain free; look around attentively; do not believe every pronouncement—even (and especially) if it is shouted loudly; do not settle in too rigidly or dogmatically; do not cement yourself to any single place or tribe; preserve flexibility and mobility—in body and in soul—so that it will be easier to resist and to develop.
And in the depths of your soul, always stay warm toward other people—more honestly: in your depths you are warm, after all; and then you will be warmer toward yourself and toward everyone, because ultimately we are something together, not apart.
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