I actually agree with Seneca's points about Liberal Studies. Of all things, it actually reminded me of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus" which features a running theme of Knowledge without wisdom. Just because knowledge is learned it does not make you wise, just as Liberal Studies can open your eyes to great works, it also permits you to "window shop" but never really buy into any of the concepts offered to you. For those who don't mind spoilers: Frankenstein does not have parents who are very involved in his upbringing. He reads often and is a very good student in his youth, but the use of his knowledge without ethical considerations (wisdom) culminates in the form of the Monster. I find myself thinking about it a lot and it is seriously an extremely underrated book that really emphasizes the importance of Wisdom in human character. Thank you for posting such wonderful content, I feel like I'm getting a truer representation of the study of humanities than currently exists on most college campuses today.
@@viking3744344I generally agree that depth, not breadth, is preferable in many aspects of life and learning, though I stand by my original premise; this series contains wonderful, throught provoking musings that many others too could benefit from. To say nothing of enhancing the conversation with additional perspective.
This is, easily, the most inspiring thing I've ever found on the internet. That is not hyperbole. I'm dead serious. This made me want to strive for so much more as a person. Thanks, Empire! You're doing such good work here.
@@admiralkipper4540 depends on whether or not you enjoy what you do, I only take a day or two off a month for 1/2 the year, however I'm happy doing what I do and that makes all the diff
You have the most underrated channel on the entirety of this platform . Keep it up dude your videos really help open up the ability to see from other angles .
Thank you for the quote by Lewis from "An Experiment in Criticism." Here is a quote from him on a similar but more focused topic - the value of old books in correcting the blind spots of our own age: "Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books. All contemporary writers share to some extent the contemporary outlook-even those, like myself, who seem most opposed to it. Nothing strikes me more when I read the controversies of past ages than the fact that both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny. They thought that they were as completely opposed as two sides could be, but in fact they were all the time secretly united-united with each other and against earlier and later ages-by a great mass of common assumptions. We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century-the blindness about which posterity will ask, "But how could they have thought that?"-lies where we have never suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement between Hitler and President Roosevelt or between Mr. H. G. Wells and Karl Barth. None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction. To be sure, the books of the future would be just as good a corrective as the books of the past, but unfortunately we cannot get at them." -Introduction to Athanasius' On The Incarnation
You continue to support and feed the ravenous beast that is my hunger for all that you give out. I have wondered many times over the course of a longish life, what is the point of all the reading and wondering. Where does it go? Where does it lead? What do I do with it? Only over the last few years have I learned what I should do with it, and what can be done with it. It is not a gentle breeze but a storm that has me. But, I would not be without it. I know why I am here and I know how I should be living my life. Thank you for what you have given and I hope will continue to give. (forgive the hyperbole)
Rich soil for fertile minds. EOTM creator has a beautiful soul. This channel makes me happy knowing kindred spirits are out there enjoying this content.
This is exactly how I have been living my life and coordinating my mind for the last few years, and it has felt like a new life, like I am truly experiencing existence, not merely wandering aimlessly and blindly, and simply doing without contemplation. For me, this came when I finally abandoned ideology, my mind was opened to new ideas, not in express intent of enacting them or acting upon them, but to entertain them freely and consciously.
I came across your videos a couple of months ago. I went back and watched every video that you've made. Thank you for all the time and effort, it is appreciated. Hope all the rest of you masochists have a great day.
You’re welcome! And thank you for watching my stuff with such thorough dedication. ‘Masochists’ should be the official name for this channel’s community.
I love the use of descriptive language at a much higher level than my daily work and life. It stimulates my mind after a long day working with blue collar talk at an auto shop to keep my mind sharp and manage my shop well. Keep up the good work!
Come all come some! Whichever endeavor steal your attention then this channel is for them! An oasis in the hot, bland, desert. A respite for the weary and a new passion to be discovered!
This was such a fantastic essay. Thank you for putting out content that leaves one feeling ravished in the most literary and intellectual sense. I felt like I had to stop many times just to bask in the rapture of the truth of what was being said. So good, thank you.
Found this site today, 1-6-23. What a mindblower, it’s what I’ve been looking for from Jay Dyer and even Jordan Peterson. HIGHEST COMPLIMENTS. Now locking in for 6-8 hours to see how high this Grand Unified Theory of Ideas climbs…
This is by far the best channel on the platform. The vast majority of 'philosophy' channels are either essentially high brow trivia, useless rhetorical posturing disguised as debate, or needlessly bogged down by epistemological riddles. Your channel is one of the few that doesn't make me wonder if I've wasted the time spent watching it (something which is definitely helped by your consistently impeccable taste in thinkers). When someone comes to understand, or at least attempts to understand, the course of virtue and honest morality they come (at least as far as is possible for humans) to be free. As an elderly Sam Houston said when secessionist thugs attempted to threaten him: "It is nothing but a fice barking at the lion in his den." Thank you for helping to contribute to the long conversation of the intellectual tradition, every single video has been exceptional.
Thank you for this channel, I bumped into your treatise on Lolita and was immediated enchanted. May we all come to better know what it means to be human. Cheers!
Excellent channel and content. I've watched a few of the videos so far and it's a breath of fresh air. I'm convinced that if the general population had a better understanding of many of these topics the world would be a much better place. Keep up the good work 💯 Much respect ✌️🙏👑💪❤️ God Bless
A talent for breaking down things into elements, and an elocutionary style usually only seen in professional broadcasters. Good production. This would be very difficult for one single individual to pull off.
Yet smart enough to realise that you needed to watch the video again to let the information sink in, frankly I think a lot of people could learn from you
Great video 👍🏻 I’ve watched a number of your vids and they’re like mini lectures but without the ‘annndd I’ve had enough for today’ moment 😅 very interesting takes!
As a student of theology, I can see that you say so much in so little time. 30 minutes may not sound like "little time," but it would take me hours to cite and exposit scripture that covers the same ground and same truths you do in a mere half hour. I especially like how you find ways to incorporate even the bad ideas of philosophers into your own ideas, by stripping them of the bad or adjusting them to fit a better idea. An example of how I do this is with Ayn Rand, an ardent atheist and anti-Christian, but whose ideals of reason, self sufficiency, and ownership of responsibility can be fitted into a Christian worldview. Her glorification of selfishness can be adjusted from mere greed and carelessness toward others into focusing on being conformed to Christ (who is the most perfect expression of what it means to be human), that when the "self" you live for becomes Christ, that will bring about the greatest good for all: "seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you." Love your work.
Thank you, my friend! To be fair, I have struggled over this particular essay for years, writing and re-writing, so it has taken a lot of time and effort to condense it all. Even Christ and Paul spent years studying before they began their ministries. In the theological circles I used to run in, I was always bothered by the ‘all-or-nothing’ attitude which held sway. Seneca could gladly draw from non-Stoics because he believed that ‘Everything which is *true* belongs to me, no matter who speaks it.’ I’ve always been drawn more to the theologians who have this kind of hunger for all truth everywhere. Nietzsche said something like: Self interest is worth only so much as the person who has it. I think this is the weakness and (as you pointed out) strength of Rand. The doctrine of union with Christ is too often ignored, at least in my circles.
@@EmpireoftheMind As a question: It seemed to me much of your point of view in the essay is about acquiring ideas from others and then integrating them into your own worldview. In my view, this is a good, grand project, and I too have pursued it throughout my life. However, is there not also a vital place for one's own direct experience of life, in all it's aspects (including the spiritual)? The most important learnings for me have been made from my own direct, personal experiences (some of which have entirely re-shaped my worldview); and from my own, personal thinking-out (and writing-out) of the implications of those experiences (although, of course, within the context of all I have learned from other's writings and teaching). I would be interested in your thoughts on this. With all best wishes.
@@davereckoning9530 People already tend to learn from their own experiences. The wise man, the old soul as EotM spoke of in an earlier video, will learn from the great minds through history and integrate those ancient ideas into one's own thoughts. So I would say it's less important to "focus" on learning from your own experiences, since if you're the type to seek out wisdom from the ancients, you already do learn from your own life. It's similar to how Jesus said to "love your neighbor as yourself," with the implication that you already do love yourself, so you ought to treat others that way.
Expansive contemplation exploring the infinite ideas and imaginations leads one towards building their own Empire of the Mind, which is the penultimate key to exploring the deepest depths that are possible for mankind's consciousness.
I am probably one of those nitwits who has a prison for a mind. I often am one of those who say that "I want to read", but I rarely do. I can do audio books though. I suspect reading is a struggle for many people, where as listening comes naturally, and there are significant flaws to listening to a book rather than reading it. I suspect it's the social thing. People use their ears all the time, telling and listening to eachother's stories. So, why fight it? I like video essays about all sorts of topics, and I find it infinitely easier to get started than picking up a book. Besides, I am not too smart. It takes a lot of effort to make up my own mind and to understand what a genius is actually saying with his words on the page in its original form. Do you think people should make the extra effort, and start picking up a book instead of getting the audio book?
@@Guy-sb5hf I meant anyone to respond. Thanks for the input. The Socratic method is a lot of work. I honestly have never tried actively applying it to anything.
Thank you for the warning, I'm not that sensitive. From the beginning of Life I've realized that life is not but a vapor. Death is a sure thing! However the hope of eternal life is a sure thing as well! And not all Christians are Catholic! The hope of eternal life after death it's a wonderful thing indeed. This world is not my home I'm just passing through. Love your video. Ty
Thanks for being! a long sought after gem Your channel showed up yesterday and I'm hooked for life! The October 7 Hamas invasion wrecked my 85th birthday,. The criminality ia sick making but inevitable on both sides. I've e-mailed a ton of friends who need diversion and your channel as a relief from this diplomatic catastrophe/ Good luck to us all, Empire.
My favorite philosophy book and I think the best introduction might be Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy." I mean, Solomon had money once. Consider if you will, "The People's History of the American People," Don't criticize if you haven't read it it objectively.
This, God is knowledge. Knowledge is reality and truth, yet even the lie, the illusion. The pursuit to finding divinity is the trail that time has offered us. Love knowledge, love humanity, and that is to love God
@@fruitylerlups530 I say that you're correct. To say that you know God or a god is pure absurdism. There can be no way to actively say that there is a God, for such a concept is beyond the realm of comprehension. I only use God in substitution with knowledge and truth because these are the things that simply are and can be proven. Anything beyond what is is pure speculation, conjecture, and theory. To know the Laws of Nature would be what God would have intended, for the laws that govern reality are the first principles that create the design at which we perceive this reality. I do not know what you think of the concept of God, or the process at which you reason the non-existence of this deity, but I can say that there is no right or wrong as far as the actuality of this omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.
For me, it's Kierkegaard then ALL men whoever existed lol I'm being a bit facetious of course but that dude stirs the DEPTHS of the human soul. "Unscientific Postscript" and "Works of Love" are for the ages. I wonder if there has ever existed a more complete thinker. I'm fanboying a little bit but it's warranted in this case. SK is THE man.
I've been curious as I have watched more of your videos to know if you were classically educated? It is obvious that you've read the classics, but have you read on your own or were you introduced to them formally? I teach at a classical school and a lot of your content seems to resonate with the classical tradition.
If one truly wants to open one's mind and blow one's mind at the same time, one needs to read the book written in 1912 by PD Ouspensky, "Tertium Organum." It is written that "A Word to the Wise is Sufficient." Upon hearing, the wise take action. Tertium Organum: The Third Canon of Thought, a Key to the Enigmas of the World.
I've heard the C.S. Lewis quote before and I've always been a little uncomfortable with it. I don't know why exactly. I'm a big Lewis fan, but my own philosophy is (maybe wrongly) built on the assumption that everything under the sun at least reflects Truth, even the dullest falsehood. While books are certainly good and important things, Lewis seems to be saying they are essential to a good fulfilling life and I reject that. Now I'm sure Lewis didn't actually believe that, but that's what many do believe. I've always hated the education salvationism pushed by teachers and librarians. The answer to everything lies in books. But we live in a time where every person in our country can read, and there's never been less imagination or depth of soul. I don't mean to pick and I know you don't believe that and neither did Lewis. I guess it's just lingering distrust and bad memories of teachers who think only they can save the world and the magic school bus/magic tree house education system I grew up in. The quote, I guess, just reminds me of something a teacher would say. Great video though. And your emphasis on living philosophy certainly seems to say that you do not promote teacher salvationism. 😉
I couldn’t agree more. And I think Lewis would agree as well, if we take all his other writings together with this quote. Either way, only Jesus saves. If I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
How to say this gently....this 73 yr old figurative artist is very impressed by your channel, an oasis in a cultural desert. However good are your visuals and text and scripts the fatal flaw that grinds me down and repels me despite my appetite for such great content is... the very irritating and ultimately distracting windym hill type background"music".Your content is Superlative but that undulating syrupy trite monstrous ai backing track gives me vertigo and makes it an unpleasant chore to absorb said content. It works against your purpose. It is horrible to be driven away from beautiful B-value literature by the obnoxious robot background audio. Sometimes it swells to the same level as your voice.I know "everybody does it", all the more reason to resist the temptation . Starve that beast. Your audience here... we are philosophers and thinkers, here, Dont' worry, we won't run away if you gently kill it. peace and success to you and your hardworking org.
Nietzsche, Jung, Theology, Daoism, Gardening, Stoicism, Caspar David Friedrich art, and all in one channel? You certainly have this mind's Imperial alliance my friend.
I try to see the beauty, but the faults darken its grandeur. If something is beautiful, then it will shine, but if the faults are seen with the beautiful, then they too shall grow or, perhaps, be cast out. I try to cast them out.
I love fiction with an undying passion. The stories that I have loved the most have in essence captured a hold on reality and told me this is how it is and told me how to deal with them. I will always recommend the Lord of the Rings books. They told me that the world is dark, disgusting, seemingly doomed to fail but that it is worth fighting for and that I am but one part in the epic tale of human history in that epic fight. I will also always recommend Legend of the Galactic Heroes because it told me how complicated politics and nations truly are. Most wars are between people that if I sat down and talked with them I'd be at least respectful of their ideals and how they got them. Sometimes good people kill other good people for good reasons and nothing will ever change that fact. Sometimes the war was inevitable sometimes it wasn't but now that it is started it sadly must reach the conclusion we began it for. Death Note gets a recommendation for showing the corrupting nature of power and what it does to even the best of us. Stories have a power that people completely underestimate. Through stories I have learned things people can go their entire lives without knowing. This is why I hate when people say that bad fiction is harmless. I mean just looking at my examples I can say the following: I am apart of a fight against the very concept of evil itself against humans who likely aren't evil in and of themselves. That on this path, power will likely come into my hands and that if I'm not careful I will become the evil I am fighting. Sorry for the ramble but it seemed fitting for the discussion of philosophy. Excellent work, keep it up my man!
I have nothing insightful to add, but wanted to put a comment in for the algorithm. These are words everyone needs to hear, to lead them on a life long quest for truth. It’s too easy to live a passive, side tracked life, even more so in our current age. Thanks for sharing your thoughts from your mindful studies, I enjoy all of your videos.
I regularly find myself obsessed with this concept of yours, this idea of governing the mind like an empire. I've discussed this with dozens of intellectuals and colleagues alike, and it never fails to hit home. Your thoughts and words are doing the world a great service, I hope you never cease to share them. Thank you for making this channel, and for taking such great effort to turn your thoughts into a tangible form. Cheers!
Enjoyed listening to this, and your channel epitomizes what I think I would like to do if I didn't have three young children and could find the time to create a channel. That being the case, your channel is a welcome offering that lets me indulge in many of the things it seems we share. Happy subscription here, look forward to current and future content.
This makes me think of something my mother even as a uneducated and dirt poor woman always said to me growing up was "knowledge is power and power is knowledge". I never really understood it as a child but as I've become an adult it resonates so strongly. I've asked her many times where she heard or came up with that and she has no idea. This has always made me stop and listen to the common folk as while they my not have the literary skills of a poet , they sometime have wisdom that no intellectual could ever learn.
Beautiful!!! Just as I feel about knowledge, learning and reading... I feel if I don't read at least an hour a day, I have wasted such day... Thanx!!! Don't mind if I start visitng your channel more often!!!
I share your same love for the maieutic. As a Wanderer, traveler, and worker of 25+ years throughout Asia, South America, and North America, it is the woven and frayed tapestries of the world's schools of thought that have enriched and laid waste to my once most narrow and shallow views. To awaken that spark is to caste light on the infinite infinities that is life.
Hello Empires of the Mind, I would love your thoughts on the Film The Sand Pebbles staring Steve McQueen. I think it's a brilliant study of human relationships and highly underrated.
If algorithms actually took everything I watched and made intelligent suggestions, I would have found this channel years ago. Instead it was John Cleese talking about Dr Strangelove that bought me here and I could not be more delighted and amazed that a channel like this exists. Thank You!
I actually agree with Seneca's points about Liberal Studies. Of all things, it actually reminded me of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein: or the Modern Prometheus" which features a running theme of Knowledge without wisdom. Just because knowledge is learned it does not make you wise, just as Liberal Studies can open your eyes to great works, it also permits you to "window shop" but never really buy into any of the concepts offered to you.
For those who don't mind spoilers: Frankenstein does not have parents who are very involved in his upbringing. He reads often and is a very good student in his youth, but the use of his knowledge without ethical considerations (wisdom) culminates in the form of the Monster. I find myself thinking about it a lot and it is seriously an extremely underrated book that really emphasizes the importance of Wisdom in human character.
Thank you for posting such wonderful content, I feel like I'm getting a truer representation of the study of humanities than currently exists on most college campuses today.
This channel is a hidden gem. I'm shocked there aren't more subscribers.
Let's not always look for 'quantity '.
@@viking3744344I generally agree that depth, not breadth, is preferable in many aspects of life and learning, though I stand by my original premise; this series contains wonderful, throught provoking musings that many others too could benefit from. To say nothing of enhancing the conversation with additional perspective.
This is, easily, the most inspiring thing I've ever found on the internet. That is not hyperbole. I'm dead serious. This made me want to strive for so much more as a person. Thanks, Empire! You're doing such good work here.
First day off in about 3 Months, a cup of coffee, and an excursion into the Empire of the Mind. Yep, gonna be a good day.
It's been 3 weeks with no break working for me - 3 months is a real stretch!! Hope your day today is f-ing awesome! Cheers!
Jesus man why are you going so long without a day off? That’s not healthy
@@admiralkipper4540 depends on whether or not you enjoy what you do, I only take a day or two off a month for 1/2 the year, however I'm happy doing what I do and that makes all the diff
@@julesknight1511 whatever works for you, it depends what your work is I suppose
@@julesknight1511
K
You have the most underrated channel on the entirety of this platform . Keep it up dude your videos really help open up the ability to see from other angles .
Underrated by who?
It's exceptional.
Thank you for the quote by Lewis from "An Experiment in Criticism." Here is a quote from him on a similar but more focused topic - the value of old books in correcting the blind spots of our own age:
"Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books. All contemporary writers share to some extent the contemporary outlook-even those, like myself, who seem most opposed to it. Nothing strikes me more when I read the controversies of past ages than the fact that both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny. They thought that they were as completely opposed as two sides could be, but in fact they were all the time secretly united-united with each other and against earlier and later ages-by a great mass of common assumptions. We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century-the blindness about which posterity will ask, "But how could they have thought that?"-lies where we have never suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement between Hitler and President Roosevelt or between Mr. H. G. Wells and Karl Barth. None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction. To be sure, the books of the future would be just as good a corrective as the books of the past, but unfortunately we cannot get at them."
-Introduction to Athanasius' On The Incarnation
You continue to support and feed the ravenous beast that is my hunger for all that you give out. I have wondered many times over the course of a longish life, what is the point of all the reading and wondering. Where does it go? Where does it lead? What do I do with it? Only over the last few years have I learned what I should do with it, and what can be done with it. It is not a gentle breeze but a storm that has me. But, I would not be without it. I know why I am here and I know how I should be living my life. Thank you for what you have given and I hope will continue to give. (forgive the hyperbole)
Rich soil for fertile minds. EOTM creator has a beautiful soul. This channel makes me happy knowing kindred spirits are out there enjoying this content.
This is exactly how I have been living my life and coordinating my mind for the last few years, and it has felt like a new life, like I am truly experiencing existence, not merely wandering aimlessly and blindly, and simply doing without contemplation. For me, this came when I finally abandoned ideology, my mind was opened to new ideas, not in express intent of enacting them or acting upon them, but to entertain them freely and consciously.
I came across your videos a couple of months ago. I went back and watched every video that you've made. Thank you for all the time and effort, it is appreciated. Hope all the rest of you masochists have a great day.
You’re welcome! And thank you for watching my stuff with such thorough dedication. ‘Masochists’ should be the official name for this channel’s community.
I love the use of descriptive language at a much higher level than my daily work and life. It stimulates my mind after a long day working with blue collar talk at an auto shop to keep my mind sharp and manage my shop well. Keep up the good work!
This video is almost everything I aspire to be. The rest you have hidden between the lines of your videos, God Bless man
Thanks man!
Come all come some! Whichever endeavor steal your attention then this channel is for them! An oasis in the hot, bland, desert. A respite for the weary and a new passion to be discovered!
This was such a fantastic essay. Thank you for putting out content that leaves one feeling ravished in the most literary and intellectual sense. I felt like I had to stop many times just to bask in the rapture of the truth of what was being said. So good, thank you.
You are very welcome! I am deeply honored by your high praise.
Sincerely hope your channel blows up. Quality content.
Thank you for making RUclips a great experience :D
Everything, everywhere, all at once. I cant wait.
Found this site today, 1-6-23. What a mindblower, it’s what I’ve been looking for from Jay Dyer and even Jordan Peterson. HIGHEST COMPLIMENTS. Now locking in for 6-8 hours to see how high this Grand Unified Theory of Ideas climbs…
Your channel really touches and inspires my soul. Because of you I started reading the Classic philosophers and other ones. Keep up the good work.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Better yet I would encourage you to read the Bible! There's more there than you realize! Your answers are there.
@@fayee8986 Thank you, Faye E. I already did. I'm also Christian.
Congrats on 30K my dude
Thank you my dude
Just stumbled upon this video and your channel for the first time today. Outstanding!! Thank you! I shall definitely be exploring further!
A breath of fresh air. Great job. Thank you so much.
This is by far the best channel on the platform. The vast majority of 'philosophy' channels are either essentially high brow trivia, useless rhetorical posturing disguised as debate, or needlessly bogged down by epistemological riddles. Your channel is one of the few that doesn't make me wonder if I've wasted the time spent watching it (something which is definitely helped by your consistently impeccable taste in thinkers). When someone comes to understand, or at least attempts to understand, the course of virtue and honest morality they come (at least as far as is possible for humans) to be free. As an elderly Sam Houston said when secessionist thugs attempted to threaten him: "It is nothing but a fice barking at the lion in his den." Thank you for helping to contribute to the long conversation of the intellectual tradition, every single video has been exceptional.
I have always enjoyed your videos. You have continually given me many good things to think through. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for this channel, I bumped into your treatise on Lolita and was immediated enchanted. May we all come to better know what it means to be human. Cheers!
Your channel has inspired me to become a better person, and inspired me to seek out more knowledge than ever before.
this is my favorite mind-control ASMR channel on yt
Excellent channel and content. I've watched a few of the videos so far and it's a breath of fresh air. I'm convinced that if the general population had a better understanding of many of these topics the world would be a much better place. Keep up the good work 💯 Much respect ✌️🙏👑💪❤️ God Bless
im so glad that i found this channel. thanks for posting these videos :)
A talent for breaking down things into elements, and an elocutionary style usually only seen in professional broadcasters. Good production. This would be very difficult for one single individual to pull off.
If a name is a compass, of the few that unerringly point north;
there Seneca stands, a giant.
Just found out your channel. Where were you !!!??? Your message is beautifull and brought me so much hope in humanity.
Thank you as always for your excellent and insightful video essay.
I don't often watch your videos, but when I do, I have to watch them two or three times because I'm to dumb to understand them the first time.
Yet smart enough to realise that you needed to watch the video again to let the information sink in, frankly I think a lot of people could learn from you
@@raven-sf3di Let's hear it for those who know they know nothing.
Most inspirational creator on this platform.
Great video 👍🏻 I’ve watched a number of your vids and they’re like mini lectures but without the ‘annndd I’ve had enough for today’ moment 😅 very interesting takes!
Thanks! haha I try to make my videos as endurable as possible :)
I like that you're taking this seriously
As a student of theology, I can see that you say so much in so little time. 30 minutes may not sound like "little time," but it would take me hours to cite and exposit scripture that covers the same ground and same truths you do in a mere half hour.
I especially like how you find ways to incorporate even the bad ideas of philosophers into your own ideas, by stripping them of the bad or adjusting them to fit a better idea.
An example of how I do this is with Ayn Rand, an ardent atheist and anti-Christian, but whose ideals of reason, self sufficiency, and ownership of responsibility can be fitted into a Christian worldview. Her glorification of selfishness can be adjusted from mere greed and carelessness toward others into focusing on being conformed to Christ (who is the most perfect expression of what it means to be human), that when the "self" you live for becomes Christ, that will bring about the greatest good for all: "seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you."
Love your work.
Thank you, my friend! To be fair, I have struggled over this particular essay for years, writing and re-writing, so it has taken a lot of time and effort to condense it all. Even Christ and Paul spent years studying before they began their ministries.
In the theological circles I used to run in, I was always bothered by the ‘all-or-nothing’ attitude which held sway. Seneca could gladly draw from non-Stoics because he believed that ‘Everything which is *true* belongs to me, no matter who speaks it.’ I’ve always been drawn more to the theologians who have this kind of hunger for all truth everywhere.
Nietzsche said something like: Self interest is worth only so much as the person who has it. I think this is the weakness and (as you pointed out) strength of Rand. The doctrine of union with Christ is too often ignored, at least in my circles.
@@EmpireoftheMind As a question: It seemed to me much of your point of view in the essay is about acquiring ideas from others and then integrating them into your own worldview. In my view, this is a good, grand project, and I too have pursued it throughout my life. However, is there not also a vital place for one's own direct experience of life, in all it's aspects (including the spiritual)? The most important learnings for me have been made from my own direct, personal experiences (some of which have entirely re-shaped my worldview); and from my own, personal thinking-out (and writing-out) of the implications of those experiences (although, of course, within the context of all I have learned from other's writings and teaching). I would be interested in your thoughts on this. With all best wishes.
@@davereckoning9530 Absolutely. I think both are important. There’s not much I could add to what you’ve said so beautifully here.
@@davereckoning9530 People already tend to learn from their own experiences. The wise man, the old soul as EotM spoke of in an earlier video, will learn from the great minds through history and integrate those ancient ideas into one's own thoughts.
So I would say it's less important to "focus" on learning from your own experiences, since if you're the type to seek out wisdom from the ancients, you already do learn from your own life.
It's similar to how Jesus said to "love your neighbor as yourself," with the implication that you already do love yourself, so you ought to treat others that way.
This has imbued me with a sense of Hope 🕊😎🕊
My existence as a benift. Thank you. You have a new subscriber here!
I am finding the exploration of the human condition deeply satisfying. Great work.
Expansive contemplation exploring the infinite ideas and imaginations leads one towards building their own Empire of the Mind, which is the penultimate key to exploring the deepest depths that are possible for mankind's consciousness.
@@Guy-sb5hf Fervent pursuit of knowledge and wisdom maybe?
It’s an informative channel! I like it! Different somehow from other channels which I like to view different views from different point of views!!
Thank you from Holland.
Yeah alright dude sounds good
Your thoughts remind me of my own.
Thank you for your videos!
I am probably one of those nitwits who has a prison for a mind. I often am one of those who say that "I want to read", but I rarely do. I can do audio books though. I suspect reading is a struggle for many people, where as listening comes naturally, and there are significant flaws to listening to a book rather than reading it. I suspect it's the social thing. People use their ears all the time, telling and listening to eachother's stories. So, why fight it? I like video essays about all sorts of topics, and I find it infinitely easier to get started than picking up a book.
Besides, I am not too smart. It takes a lot of effort to make up my own mind and to understand what a genius is actually saying with his words on the page in its original form. Do you think people should make the extra effort, and start picking up a book instead of getting the audio book?
@@Guy-sb5hf I meant anyone to respond. Thanks for the input. The Socratic method is a lot of work. I honestly have never tried actively applying it to anything.
Guy had a good answer. I’ll only add that everyone who subscribes to my channel is smart.
Pretty good self-awareness - that’s certainly a good foundation to build on.
Thank you for the warning, I'm not that sensitive. From the beginning of Life I've realized that life is not but a vapor. Death is a sure thing! However the hope of eternal life is a sure thing as well! And not all Christians are Catholic! The hope of eternal life after death it's a wonderful thing indeed. This world is not my home I'm just passing through. Love your video. Ty
Thanks for being! a long sought after gem Your channel showed up yesterday and I'm hooked for life! The October 7 Hamas invasion wrecked my 85th birthday,. The criminality ia sick making but inevitable on both sides. I've e-mailed a ton of friends who need diversion and your channel as a relief from this diplomatic catastrophe/ Good luck to us all, Empire.
Palestinians have been undergoing constant genocide since 1948.
thanks, i needed that.
Great video, that filled me more with knowledge and wisdom. Thank you. Please, continue.
good content
we need more of this
Thanks man and amen
Great Video and interesting Channel.
Greetings from Germany
No, thank you for making RUclips a great experience!
There's just one comment l'd like to make, knowledge often divides people.
breathtaking... Can you also please link the music you use. It's extraordinary choices
My favorite philosophy book and I think the best introduction might be Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy." I mean, Solomon had money once. Consider if you will, "The People's History of the American People," Don't criticize if you haven't read it it objectively.
This, God is knowledge. Knowledge is reality and truth, yet even the lie, the illusion. The pursuit to finding divinity is the trail that time has offered us. Love knowledge, love humanity, and that is to love God
i cannot sincerely convince myself of a god, what do you say to me?
@@fruitylerlups530 I say that you're correct. To say that you know God or a god is pure absurdism. There can be no way to actively say that there is a God, for such a concept is beyond the realm of comprehension. I only use God in substitution with knowledge and truth because these are the things that simply are and can be proven. Anything beyond what is is pure speculation, conjecture, and theory. To know the Laws of Nature would be what God would have intended, for the laws that govern reality are the first principles that create the design at which we perceive this reality. I do not know what you think of the concept of God, or the process at which you reason the non-existence of this deity, but I can say that there is no right or wrong as far as the actuality of this omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.
For me, it's Kierkegaard then ALL men whoever existed lol I'm being a bit facetious of course but that dude stirs the DEPTHS of the human soul. "Unscientific Postscript" and "Works of Love" are for the ages.
I wonder if there has ever existed a more complete thinker. I'm fanboying a little bit but it's warranted in this case. SK is THE man.
I'm a learnaholic to 1) think better 2) teach better
Assasins creed theme on background. Philosphy. I Love you
I am warmed with rapture.
Sounds as if all of this tends towards Hume's Law: One cannot derive an ought from an is. Even Seneca saw it, as he watched Nero spiral over.
I've been curious as I have watched more of your videos to know if you were classically educated? It is obvious that you've read the classics, but have you read on your own or were you introduced to them formally? I teach at a classical school and a lot of your content seems to resonate with the classical tradition.
Could you do a video about nietzsche "eternal recurrence". I would like to watch your take on it. (p.s. great channel :)
Thanks for not including k-pop as 'art' in the beginning ;D
You’re welcome haha
If one truly wants to open one's mind and blow one's mind at the same time, one needs to read the book written in 1912 by PD Ouspensky, "Tertium Organum."
It is written that "A Word to the Wise is Sufficient."
Upon hearing, the wise take action.
Tertium Organum: The Third Canon of Thought, a Key to the Enigmas of the World.
Who is the speaker and host of Empire of the Mind?
wow
I just want to know the author's name.
You should read Rayuela by Cortázar, but learn spanish first because the english translations I have seen miss the points because of the language
Inland empire
I've heard the C.S. Lewis quote before and I've always been a little uncomfortable with it. I don't know why exactly. I'm a big Lewis fan, but my own philosophy is (maybe wrongly) built on the assumption that everything under the sun at least reflects Truth, even the dullest falsehood. While books are certainly good and important things, Lewis seems to be saying they are essential to a good fulfilling life and I reject that.
Now I'm sure Lewis didn't actually believe that, but that's what many do believe. I've always hated the education salvationism pushed by teachers and librarians. The answer to everything lies in books. But we live in a time where every person in our country can read, and there's never been less imagination or depth of soul. I don't mean to pick and I know you don't believe that and neither did Lewis. I guess it's just lingering distrust and bad memories of teachers who think only they can save the world and the magic school bus/magic tree house education system I grew up in. The quote, I guess, just reminds me of something a teacher would say.
Great video though. And your emphasis on living philosophy certainly seems to say that you do not promote teacher salvationism. 😉
I couldn’t agree more. And I think Lewis would agree as well, if we take all his other writings together with this quote. Either way, only Jesus saves. If I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Once upon a time you might have been called a renaissance man.
Religion, k-pop... :D what a company :D
;)
You know, you could just say "keep an open mind."
How to say this gently....this 73 yr old figurative artist is very impressed by your channel, an oasis in a cultural desert. However good are your visuals and text and scripts the fatal flaw that grinds me down and repels me despite my appetite for such great content is... the very irritating and ultimately distracting windym hill type background"music".Your content is Superlative but that undulating syrupy trite monstrous ai backing track gives me vertigo and makes it an unpleasant chore to absorb said content. It works against your purpose. It is horrible to be driven away from beautiful B-value literature by the obnoxious robot background audio. Sometimes it swells to the same level as your voice.I know "everybody does it", all the more reason to resist the temptation . Starve that beast. Your audience here... we are philosophers and thinkers, here, Dont' worry, we won't run away if you gently kill it. peace and success to you and your hardworking org.
Nietzsche, Jung, Theology, Daoism, Gardening, Stoicism, Caspar David Friedrich art, and all in one channel? You certainly have this mind's Imperial alliance my friend.
An unexamined life is not worth living.
Your art is a treasure of the mind. Thank you for your effort and genius. Very moving work!
You’re welcome!
Wonderfully put. Always enjoyable thoughts. Certainly intriguing and inspiring.
I try to see the beauty, but the faults darken its grandeur. If something is beautiful, then it will shine, but if the faults are seen with the beautiful, then they too shall grow or, perhaps, be cast out. I try to cast them out.
I love fiction with an undying passion. The stories that I have loved the most have in essence captured a hold on reality and told me this is how it is and told me how to deal with them.
I will always recommend the Lord of the Rings books. They told me that the world is dark, disgusting, seemingly doomed to fail but that it is worth fighting for and that I am but one part in the epic tale of human history in that epic fight.
I will also always recommend Legend of the Galactic Heroes because it told me how complicated politics and nations truly are. Most wars are between people that if I sat down and talked with them I'd be at least respectful of their ideals and how they got them.
Sometimes good people kill other good people for good reasons and nothing will ever change that fact. Sometimes the war was inevitable sometimes it wasn't but now that it is started it sadly must reach the conclusion we began it for.
Death Note gets a recommendation for showing the corrupting nature of power and what it does to even the best of us.
Stories have a power that people completely underestimate. Through stories I have learned things people can go their entire lives without knowing. This is why I hate when people say that bad fiction is harmless.
I mean just looking at my examples I can say the following: I am apart of a fight against the very concept of evil itself against humans who likely aren't evil in and of themselves. That on this path, power will likely come into my hands and that if I'm not careful I will become the evil I am fighting.
Sorry for the ramble but it seemed fitting for the discussion of philosophy. Excellent work, keep it up my man!
I have nothing insightful to add, but wanted to put a comment in for the algorithm. These are words everyone needs to hear, to lead them on a life long quest for truth. It’s too easy to live a passive, side tracked life, even more so in our current age.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts from your mindful studies, I enjoy all of your videos.
You’re welcome! And thank you for ‘algorithm posting.’ Insightful or not, I still like to hear from everyone who watches.
I regularly find myself obsessed with this concept of yours, this idea of governing the mind like an empire.
I've discussed this with dozens of intellectuals and colleagues alike, and it never fails to hit home. Your thoughts and words are doing the world a great service, I hope you never cease to share them. Thank you for making this channel, and for taking such great effort to turn your thoughts into a tangible form.
Cheers!
Enjoyed listening to this, and your channel epitomizes what I think I would like to do if I didn't have three young children and could find the time to create a channel. That being the case, your channel is a welcome offering that lets me indulge in many of the things it seems we share. Happy subscription here, look forward to current and future content.
This makes me think of something my mother even as a uneducated and dirt poor woman always said to me growing up was "knowledge is power and power is knowledge". I never really understood it as a child but as I've become an adult it resonates so strongly. I've asked her many times where she heard or came up with that and she has no idea. This has always made me stop and listen to the common folk as while they my not have the literary skills of a poet , they sometime have wisdom that no intellectual could ever learn.
A beautifully curated video: the art work, the commentary - it’s all exceptional! Your exposition of Kierkegaard’s subjective thinker was touching.
Thank you, may I call you my friend, for this video, explanations and insights. You, my friend, have a beautiful both mind and soul.
Beautiful!!! Just as I feel about knowledge, learning and reading... I feel if I don't read at least an hour a day, I have wasted such day... Thanx!!! Don't mind if I start visitng your channel more often!!!
I share your same love for the maieutic. As a Wanderer, traveler, and worker of 25+ years throughout Asia, South America, and North America, it is the woven and frayed tapestries of the world's schools of thought that have enriched and laid waste to my once most narrow and shallow views. To awaken that spark is to caste light on the infinite infinities that is life.
Hello Empires of the Mind, I would love your thoughts on the Film The Sand Pebbles staring Steve McQueen. I think it's a brilliant study of human relationships and highly underrated.
I'm deeply thankful for a fellow traveler along the road. Sub+
Possibly the greatest video I have ever seen
Thank you!
You're welcome!
If algorithms actually took everything I watched and made intelligent suggestions, I would have found this channel years ago. Instead it was John Cleese talking about Dr Strangelove that bought me here and I could not be more delighted and amazed that a channel like this exists. Thank You!
Have you read St Maximus the Confessor? His concepts of memory and attention would be very interesting to you.
Not yet, but I need to.