10:45 Just like Descartes and his mystical dreams that gave birth to "la raison". Also, the whole ascent/descent and a chariot, does not remind you of Mer................?
in philosophy grad school i convinced a professor to do a one-on-one reading course with him on Heidegger's Parmenides. im a Heidegger nerd and also a Parmenides and Heraclitus nerd
Hey, your merch link is broken and has been for as long as I've been following the channel - you might have missed out on quite a sizeable sum because of this. Is the creator-spring Esoterica store yours? Because I'd absolutely be willing to get some of those badass metal looking shirts.
This is definitely one of your more difficult episodes, if not the most difficult one I've watched. I appreciate the effort you put into translating the argument into formal modal logic. I also appreciate the discussion of the issues surrounding existential predication, which definitely requires multiple rewatches. Your channel is on esoteric topics but I don't think anyone on RUclips is really doing philosophy like you do. Thank you!
Everything is difficult at first. Russell's 'History of Western Philosophy'' is imperfect in many ways - the chapter on Nietzsche is scandalously bad - BUT it is really useful for getting a sense of ''the big picture''. Even for post-docs its worth re-visiting if you want a quick, fairly clear and (usually) accurate rap-sheet. After dipping into that, the Stanford online Encyclopedia of Philosophy is the next port of call.
Ever read Plato's Parmenides? It's unusual for having the character Socrates as a learner, & Parmenides in the role Socrates usually plays. I think it's the densest, hardest to read of all Plato's dialogues.
Parminides is BY FAR the most penetrating person of the ancient world. I become almost giddy every time someone discusses him. Because it seems as if no one does. And he embodies, paradoxically, the treatment which the goddess herself endures: Ignorance by “being” ignored. God and Goddess are one. Night and Day are one. The one defines the other, without the other there is nothing to define. As Lao Tzu has said, “Naming is the origin of all particular things.” Excellent, Dr. Sledge. Excellent.
@@charlesedwards5333 Your desire whether to probe and ask if he was right will carry you a long way. I will try to find an excellent video that may help you.
"The Goddess in the House of Night" would be an excellent title for a prog-rock album, and it would go well with the right kind and quantity of drugs to make Parmenides' revelation make sense. That was great fun.
I'm gonna have to review the lyrics of Blue Oyster Cult's "Spy in the House of the Night" to see if Sandy Perlman was referencing Parmenides... I wouldn't put it past him.
You don’t need drugs look up Theoria Apophasis metaphysics he explains everything with simplex hyper rationality which is the way it’s supposed to be understood it’s the opposite of complex
Well thank you Dr. Justin for bending my mind into a pretzel with this one. I've come to expect nothing less from your presentations. That's why I love them so. But this one takes the cake, and it may take weeks to work the kinks out. Or maybe I will just think this is the being and ruminate on the truth of that.
This is interesting philosophy. The Hindus and Taoists have similarly complicated thoughts about who is thinking the thought? What is feeling the feelings? Are the feelings just feeling and the thoughts just thinking? Wonderful episode! Thanks, Justin.
That's what I was thinking, a lot of these ideas are explored in Taoism, in fact it almost sounds like he is trying to explain the Tao in a sense. However he does mentions in the video that this was the first time these thoughts were explored in the West. Wonderful video though
@@Tolu349 That is because Parmenidean Ontology and Metaphysics is actually an expression of Dialectical Monism, just as Taoist philosophy and Advaita Vedanta are expressions of Dialectical Monism. The main and significant difference between Parmenides and all other philsophers, mystics, and spiritual teachers is that he used Logic and Pure Reason to demonstrate how his conclusions for Dialectical Monism are Logically Irrefutable.
I always love your videos, but this is by far my new favourite. "the thinking of Being had become a scandal, an ontological horror" ! I've felt that horror contemplating being and I loved hearing it in your words. Your prose are unparalleled.
It’s as if consciousness became aware of its own consciousness, or the like 😊 (Please excuse my humor. The impulse couldn’t be helped.) This is truly one of his best lectures… which is certainly an accomplishment ❤
This is by far my favorite episode. I absolutely love the topic of Parmenides' thought. You did such an excellent job covering this topic. I just got done reading a book about Plotinus and the Presocratics and wanted to share a related take: Plotinus read Parmenides' Being as the Plotinian Nous.
are you asserting that Plotinus did indeed read Parmenides' Being as the Plotinian Nous? or just suggesting that possible interpretation of Parmenides?
@Robb3348 I've taken the concept as described in the book "Plotinus and the Presocratics" by Giannis Stamatellos. Here's an excerpt from which I derived my comment. "In particular, Parmenides’ ontology and terminology are in the background of Plotinus’ metaphysics of Intellect, the Second Hypostasis of Being, and Plotinus acknowledges Parmenides as the Presocratic philosopher who introduced the intelligibility, oneness, unity, indestructibility, uniqueness, impassability, and eternal timelessness of Being. Plotinus is not only aware of and uses Parmenides’ terminology and concepts but also interprets, systematizes, and develops his Eleatic philosophy within the context of his own Neoplatonic system. It is significant that Plotinus de-parts from the traditional philosophical line of Parmenides and the post-Parmenidean thinkers on the priority of Being and the denial of its creation from non-Being. Within Plotinus’ system of the three Hypostases, Being is secondarily produced from the One, which is frequently expressed as non-Being in terms of its supra-transcendence beyond Being and Intelligence"
I've been binging this channel and I love how these videos are so well thought out. Thank you for making content like this readily available and enjoyable!
When I was a teenager and after a profound reality shattering experience - hash oil assisted - I would swear I was channeling the same disorienting message on reality as Parmenides. Deeper and deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole and I couldn't shut up about it. It went on for weeks. My parents were so frightened by this they brought me to the hospital where the friendly psychiatrist sedated and drugged back into correct think. I pretended to cooperate and believe them but there was no going back. I wish I could repeat what I experienced/knew but it was somehow both terrifying and liberating. It also felt obvious. I am sure others know what I am talking about.
I mentioned my experience (one of them anyway) in a separate comment. You might check it out. *No drugs involved in mine tho. Brain injury instead. And mine lasted on and off for over a year.
I've had some similar psychedelic assisted experiences. You really can't explain it sufficiently to most people who haven't felt it. At least I can't. Parmenides did a pretty good job. My life really has never been the same, for the better. Existence means something completely new to me now.
I've had a similar religious experience although it didn't last nearly as long since it was just a light meditative trance and not aided by medication or anything, but watching this video reminded me of that state of thinking and I'm considering learning how to meditate a little bit fuller until mind altering with assistance is more feasible with my situation as I might be prone to full blown psychosis lmao
We have a type of familial TLE epilepsy, and so I have had multiple experiences like this throughout my life - both in provoked and unprovoked trance states as a child, then later with psychoactive assistance during college, and several times after that during OBEs and finally now I can get there with deep meditation. It can absolutely lead to prolonged existential crisis, if one isn't careful or emotionally regulated, but I've learned to be thankful for my rather slippery conscious awareness. Paired with a sharp academic mind/focus and careful attention to maintaining mind/body balance, it can be a wonderful tool for accessing greater meta-physical awareness. People will still look at you crazy if you start trying to explain the toroidal universe, but who cares. 😂❤️
Intriguing. Now smack me on the nose if I'm totally off the beaten path but I smell some of Mishima's musing in this, namely his perception of words being corrosive and truth lying in that liminal space between the self and reality, with death, the only identifiable stasis and unity perceived by us, being the ultimate manifestation of it. I'm still chewing on Sun and Steel but for whatever reason, perhaps just my own misunderstanding, this gives me the same feelings as it does, it strikes the same chord. Really nutty stuff overall, a whole lot to digest and muse on.
Wow, incredible video! Strikingly similar to Advaita Vedanta, I didn't know that anything like that existed in western philosophy that wasn't incredibly obscurantist, or some form of qualified non-duality. Very impressive to see absolute unqualified non-duality so long ago in the western world, with logical deductions to back it up.
Thanks for this episode. I read the Kingsley book you mentioned a few years back and was mostly lost - I will try it again after rewatching your video and reading other stuff on your reading list.
@TheEsotericaChannel I appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos, Justin. They are concise, academic, clear and interesting. In 2011, when I started studying the history of western esotericism out of the blue (I also went to the University of Amsterdam for that), it wasn't easy to find my way around, since there is so much 'background noice', if I may say so. Finding accessible and reliable information was somewhat of a challenge. In that regard, you are making a difference.
The fascination in this kind of logos, that thought is being, and as you mentioned that translating of his work inherently establishes it in a different context. Our languages fundamentally effect how we think, not our thinking ability, but it organizs the way we think which can lead to very specific outcomes unique to different cultures. Like the many ways of translating and interpretting Wang Wei's 'Deer Park' poem. Language contextualizes thought, but in that very process can limit how we can think. Or expand it. Cultures with languages with many unique words for similar shades of what we call the same color, are inherently better at recognizing those various shades and hues compared to those of languages without that benefit. And cultures which think in cardinal directionality rather than relative directionality like the Guuguu Yimithirr people of Australia, have a stronger innate sense of direction, we when indoors.
This video has shaped my worldview and made me be able to believe in meaning that exists outside of human perception of meaning. Can’t thank you enough for this video and all your others.
Interesting lesson. Thanks, Justin. 🌞 All the things on your shelves look interesting. It would be cool if you did some kind of show and tell episode where you show us your cool stuff!! 🤩
This is a great video! I'm afraid I'm too much a lover of process. I jokingly say that philosophy starts with Heraclitus and that Parmenides is when it went wrong
Long time viewer first time commenter.😅 I just finished reading Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, and a lot of the concepts expressed in this video are explored by the characters in that novel (who are otherwise solving a murder in a monetary in the 1300s). Specifically the idea that names and symbols shape our perception of reality, even though the origin of those symbols is arbitrary. There’s also an excellent adaptation starring Sean Connery (which is very difficult to stream legally in 2023, ironic given the story’s themes of lost media…)
This is an extraordinary video, probing grounds in philosophy which the discipline is only grasping around the edges at at the moment. Well done and thank you.
This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my RUclips channel 8 months ago about self development. Now I have 1,220 subs and > 1,000 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I could haven’t learned without getting started in the 1st place. 😊
@@TheEsotericaChannel Whoever you are, I don't know you personally but I can say that you're one of the non-judgmental and open-minded people who is not fixated on tangible or external factors in order to learn from someone like me. Just because someone doesn't have a piece of paper as a credential, doesn't mean that person is not entitled to share personal experiences with the hope & intention to inspire others. Keep up with whatever it is that you're doing to improve mankind or improving your life even to a slight degree each day. This is just one part of a bigger puzzle for creating my RUclips channel about holistic health. I literally could have died back when I was 14 years old due to major depression but here I am right now replying to you, a RUclipsr, who's full of fulfillment and dedication to help others to be a better version of themselves. I ain't better than anyone else but my old self. That's all that really makes this RUclips thing more meaningful and enjoyable. Thanks so much for your support! I am hoping that you can join me with this endless personal development journey! :)
Excellent. Probably the best intro from the reading list is Kingsley’s Reality. He’s a proper classical scholar who wrote a standard academic text on Parmenides with lots of fresh archaeological and linguistic evidence, and then proceeded to actually do the exercises hinted at in the poem and became something of a full on mystic. Very exciting if you like your perennialist western transcendentalism with a good solid foundation in philosophy. I for one think the axial age Greeks were into some seriously mind bending thought, likely with both a decent intercultural exchange (“the Greeks are always children”) and some serious inheritance from the Bronze Age. Both which can be argued with a straight face, even if the academy will look at you askance.
This is one I need to revisit. I'm reminded of how I barely got that philosophy minor, and probably shouldn't have. Education, like any training, requires you to work up to some things. I've skipped Metaphysics Day too often lately. I'm gonna go do some reps of Tao of Pooh.
I love watching yr vids over & over 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Best said :- “Cancelling historical figures (philosophers) just because they don’t agree with our personal beliefs etc. is Self Defeating. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
This is once again fascinating and thought provoking, many thanks. On the other hand, there goes the weekend again as you lead me down the path of research!
Awesome, good job, never heard of this guy, thanks. This guy described meditation it seems. I have only been a practicing meditator for 3 years and he puts to words very well what deep trance appears to be, to me at least.
I love these introductions to foundational individuals/schools of philosophy from the ancient world. Most folks do not realize how much they effect the ways we think and behave to this very day, as the threads run through our cultural and intellectual history. You did a great job with a difficult subject. I’ve read/listened to numerous lectures on Parmenides and I’m not sure I truly understand the argument he is putting forth, but you made it as clear as anyone could. You are truly doing Being’s work, Sir! I’d love to see more like this!
Dude when you said "cool black metal shirt" I was like ha sounded like he said black metal.... wait... WHAT THE FUCK dude that is so sick. Just made me love your channel 10x more
Well, this is just delightful. Good to know that folks have been struggling with the "What am I? The is-ing is." for a long time. Thanks for the perspective.
If you haven't yet read it, Peter Kingsley's book Reality is one of, if not the very best books on Parmenides as well as Empedocles. The man's scholarship is just top notch!
@@TheEsotericaChannel it's such a great read, especially the works dedicated to the enlightenment and sciences. a general overview but also going into all these places that I benefit from studying the history of religion and magical thought.
Marty. Being as self serving. Incredible insight. If only Socrates had thought of that! But you-Sir,, by contrast, are on an incredible journey. Live long and prosper. 🖖
Dr. Sledge. Thank you so much for your learned and (at times) hilarious insight into the complexities of Parmenides' philosophy. The necessary verbal gymnastics alone made me chuckle. Even so, I was most impressed by your encapsulation of the arguments and issues involved.
Thanks for all your great work and dedication, I found your channel a couple of months ago and have seen at least 99 hours of your content since (I really did the math to be sure). I have come to understand a lot of things both past and present thanks to you, I'm really grateful!
Great video, always an interesting metaphysician. I'm wondering if you've read Oscar Hinze's essay on Parmenides in his Tantra Vidya, in which he understands the third part of the doctrinal poem as corresponding to a lower truth analogous to the yogic concept rather than as mere falsehood. I find it to be incredibly insightful and am persuaded that Hinze is best able to account for the idiosyncrasies of the structure and themes of the doctrinal poem best through his interpretation.
🎉🎉🎉Dr Sledge :- “Him being detestable does NOT make him NOT a genius .. 🎖🎖🎖and cancelling historical figures in art & philosophy just because we don’t like them or because they (don’t match) our own personal beliefs .. that strikes me as moronically self defeating” 🏆🏆🏆
I might be a tad late to the conversation, but it is intriguing to me how similar a lot of these points are to Therevaya Buddhist scriptures or Suttra. Except non being is something we should seek to obtain despite being impossible in some sense because of clinging. I know this channel is mostly about western ideals but the spill into other regions makes me think
Fantastic Justin...absolutely appreciate your analysis...really the best....and for the contextualization. Parmenides was my hero from the first time I heard of his teaching. So wonderfully pure. And as Vedantin it was like finding a compatriot in practice of awareness.
On the aletheia/doxa paradox, one simple "solution" would be to realize that logical deduction as such hadn't yet been invented. Parmenides didn't yet feel it to be fully compelling himself. Even Aristotle, 150 years later, still felt the need to "sell" his new method of counjering up truths to his audience.
I love how Parmenides is always overlooked, being something of an underdog, but he’s the first, the most profound mystic of the west, who alone is sufficient. And yet, nobody seems to care! Even I forget about him, because his message is just so clear and simple! Being is, non-being is not!
I think a fun challenge for this channel could be an exploration of precolumbian indigenous American mysticism (North, Central and South). All of the content on this channel, understandably, deals with old-world arcana… but I would love to see how you apply your scholarly training to the new world!
This reminds me of that meme "Source? I made it up." Also, this reminds me of when I watched the movie Inception while I was a little high. It also reminds me of reading about physics on a Wikipedia page when I was like 12.
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10:45 Just like Descartes and his mystical dreams that gave birth to "la raison". Also, the whole ascent/descent and a chariot, does not remind you of Mer................?
Again, cogito ergo sum 13:49, Descartes......so odd, Thinking IS being.
in philosophy grad school i convinced a professor to do a one-on-one reading course with him on Heidegger's Parmenides. im a Heidegger nerd and also a Parmenides and Heraclitus nerd
Nice TIL to consider with PBS Space Time shows like
Is The Wave Function The Building Block of Reality? or The One-Electron Universe | Space Time
Hey, your merch link is broken and has been for as long as I've been following the channel - you might have missed out on quite a sizeable sum because of this. Is the creator-spring Esoterica store yours? Because I'd absolutely be willing to get some of those badass metal looking shirts.
This is definitely one of your more difficult episodes, if not the most difficult one I've watched. I appreciate the effort you put into translating the argument into formal modal logic. I also appreciate the discussion of the issues surrounding existential predication, which definitely requires multiple rewatches. Your channel is on esoteric topics but I don't think anyone on RUclips is really doing philosophy like you do. Thank you!
It's tough but I think the formalization of the argument helps to see it's strengths and weaknesses. FWIW, I don't think it's sound but is valid.
Everything is difficult at first. Russell's 'History of Western Philosophy'' is imperfect in many ways - the chapter on Nietzsche is scandalously bad - BUT it is really useful for getting a sense of ''the big picture''. Even for post-docs its worth re-visiting if you want a quick, fairly clear and (usually) accurate rap-sheet. After dipping into that, the Stanford online Encyclopedia of Philosophy is the next port of call.
@@markdpricemusic1574 Stanford's Encyclopedia is great resource! Philosophy should be proud to have it!
@zacharycurrie3708 Just wait till the Encyclopedia Hermetica comes out.... in 20 to 30 years....
Ever read Plato's Parmenides? It's unusual for having the character Socrates as a learner, & Parmenides in the role Socrates usually plays. I think it's the densest, hardest to read of all Plato's dialogues.
Parminides is BY FAR the most penetrating person of the ancient world. I become almost giddy every time someone discusses him. Because it seems as if no one does. And he embodies, paradoxically, the treatment which the goddess herself endures: Ignorance by “being” ignored. God and Goddess are one. Night and Day are one. The one defines the other, without the other there is nothing to define. As Lao Tzu has said, “Naming is the origin of all particular things.” Excellent, Dr. Sledge. Excellent.
Absolutely ❤
What a beautiful comment. I thank you for writing it so that I shouldn’t have to repeat it in a less eloquent manner.
@@ruthbennett7563
Strictly speaking, if he hadn't written it, you wouldn't be repeating.
I totally don’t get it and very much want to. Is Parmenides right ? Can that be demonstrated?
@@charlesedwards5333 Your desire whether to probe and ask if he was right will carry you a long way. I will try to find an excellent video that may help you.
"The Goddess in the House of Night" would be an excellent title for a prog-rock album, and it would go well with the right kind and quantity of drugs to make Parmenides' revelation make sense.
That was great fun.
Definitely getting prog vibes !
I'm gonna have to review the lyrics of Blue Oyster Cult's "Spy in the House of the Night" to see if Sandy Perlman was referencing Parmenides... I wouldn't put it past him.
@@lavnlvas Haha, i thought just the same.
You don’t need drugs look up Theoria Apophasis metaphysics he explains everything with simplex hyper rationality which is the way it’s supposed to be understood it’s the opposite of complex
First time I'm proud of understanding 10% of a video
Same. I really enjoyed not understanding it.
that means progress!
You had me from “deep introverted meditation.”
Definitely, that hit me hard..
i can not stop rewatching, this was really cool !
I will have to rewatch this
Man, I feel like I just jumped in the deep-end of the pool without understanding anything about swimming, water, or breathing.
Sometimes I dream of works being discovered in places like Herculaneum and we can read lost works of Heraclitus or Parmenades
I just can’t keep up with how good this channel is. Kudos to you Justin
Well thank you Dr. Justin for bending my mind into a pretzel with this one. I've come to expect nothing less from your presentations. That's why I love them so. But this one takes the cake, and it may take weeks to work the kinks out. Or maybe I will just think this is the being and ruminate on the truth of that.
You have my vote and my gratitude.
Sincerely,
An appreciative scholar
What a great episode, food for thoughts galore, thanks Justin
Many thanks, friend!
This is interesting philosophy. The Hindus and Taoists have similarly complicated thoughts about who is thinking the thought? What is feeling the feelings? Are the feelings just feeling and the thoughts just thinking? Wonderful episode! Thanks, Justin.
That's what I was thinking, a lot of these ideas are explored in Taoism, in fact it almost sounds like he is trying to explain the Tao in a sense. However he does mentions in the video that this was the first time these thoughts were explored in the West. Wonderful video though
@@Tolu349 That is because Parmenidean Ontology and Metaphysics is actually an expression of Dialectical Monism, just as Taoist philosophy and Advaita Vedanta are expressions of Dialectical Monism. The main and significant difference between Parmenides and all other philsophers, mystics, and spiritual teachers is that he used Logic and Pure Reason to demonstrate how his conclusions for Dialectical Monism are Logically Irrefutable.
@@thatchinaboi1Yes it is a perennial philosophy/religion found all across the world
Ask a neuroscientist instead sometime.
The Vedanta.
an Awesome discourse Dr. Sledge. Thank you very much for the food for (additional) Thought. Unti next time, Have a Great day
My wife and I love your videos, but this one in particular was our jam!
I always love your videos, but this is by far my new favourite.
"the thinking of Being had become a scandal, an ontological horror" !
I've felt that horror contemplating being and I loved hearing it in your words.
Your prose are unparalleled.
It’s as if consciousness became aware of its own consciousness, or the like 😊
(Please excuse my humor. The impulse couldn’t be helped.)
This is truly one of his best lectures… which is certainly an accomplishment ❤
This is by far my favorite episode. I absolutely love the topic of Parmenides' thought. You did such an excellent job covering this topic.
I just got done reading a book about Plotinus and the Presocratics and wanted to share a related take: Plotinus read Parmenides' Being as the Plotinian Nous.
are you asserting that Plotinus did indeed read Parmenides' Being as the Plotinian Nous? or just suggesting that possible interpretation of Parmenides?
@Robb3348
I've taken the concept as described in the book "Plotinus and the Presocratics" by Giannis Stamatellos. Here's an excerpt from which I derived my comment.
"In particular, Parmenides’ ontology and terminology are in the background of Plotinus’ metaphysics of Intellect, the Second Hypostasis of Being, and Plotinus acknowledges Parmenides as the Presocratic philosopher who introduced the intelligibility, oneness, unity, indestructibility, uniqueness, impassability, and eternal timelessness of Being. Plotinus is not only aware of and uses Parmenides’ terminology and concepts but also interprets, systematizes, and develops his Eleatic philosophy within the context of his own Neoplatonic system. It is significant that Plotinus de-parts from the traditional philosophical line of Parmenides and the post-Parmenidean thinkers on the priority of Being and the denial of its creation from non-Being. Within Plotinus’ system of the three Hypostases, Being is secondarily produced from the One, which is frequently expressed as non-Being in terms of its supra-transcendence beyond Being and Intelligence"
I've been binging this channel and I love how these videos are so well thought out. Thank you for making content like this readily available and enjoyable!
Great episode, as always. And quite a mind-boggler, too. Thank you for that!
mind blowing. The way you narrated this was chilling. Thank you
Excellent episode - very engaging, thank you!
Oh, this one is superb!
Thanks Doc! ❤
Bravo Dr.Sledge, excellent episode!
When I was a teenager and after a profound reality shattering experience - hash oil assisted - I would swear I was channeling the same disorienting message on reality as Parmenides. Deeper and deeper down the proverbial rabbit hole and I couldn't shut up about it. It went on for weeks. My parents were so frightened by this they brought me to the hospital where the friendly psychiatrist sedated and drugged back into correct think. I pretended to cooperate and believe them but there was no going back. I wish I could repeat what I experienced/knew but it was somehow both terrifying and liberating. It also felt obvious. I am sure others know what I am talking about.
Yep. Had a simmilar experience with edibles. Threw me into a deep existential crisis for months.
I mentioned my experience (one of them anyway) in a separate comment. You might check it out. *No drugs involved in mine tho. Brain injury instead. And mine lasted on and off for over a year.
I've had some similar psychedelic assisted experiences. You really can't explain it sufficiently to most people who haven't felt it. At least I can't. Parmenides did a pretty good job. My life really has never been the same, for the better. Existence means something completely new to me now.
I've had a similar religious experience although it didn't last nearly as long since it was just a light meditative trance and not aided by medication or anything, but watching this video reminded me of that state of thinking and I'm considering learning how to meditate a little bit fuller until mind altering with assistance is more feasible with my situation as I might be prone to full blown psychosis lmao
We have a type of familial TLE epilepsy, and so I have had multiple experiences like this throughout my life - both in provoked and unprovoked trance states as a child, then later with psychoactive assistance during college, and several times after that during OBEs and finally now I can get there with deep meditation. It can absolutely lead to prolonged existential crisis, if one isn't careful or emotionally regulated, but I've learned to be thankful for my rather slippery conscious awareness. Paired with a sharp academic mind/focus and careful attention to maintaining mind/body balance, it can be a wonderful tool for accessing greater meta-physical awareness. People will still look at you crazy if you start trying to explain the toroidal universe, but who cares. 😂❤️
The new visuals for the intro look so classy.
I especially enjoy that you use the word "comprise" correctly. I will contribute to your weird channel.
Intriguing. Now smack me on the nose if I'm totally off the beaten path but I smell some of Mishima's musing in this, namely his perception of words being corrosive and truth lying in that liminal space between the self and reality, with death, the only identifiable stasis and unity perceived by us, being the ultimate manifestation of it. I'm still chewing on Sun and Steel but for whatever reason, perhaps just my own misunderstanding, this gives me the same feelings as it does, it strikes the same chord. Really nutty stuff overall, a whole lot to digest and muse on.
Suffice to say, he was wrong. Death is immaterial when all is unity.
Wow, incredible video! Strikingly similar to Advaita Vedanta, I didn't know that anything like that existed in western philosophy that wasn't incredibly obscurantist, or some form of qualified non-duality. Very impressive to see absolute unqualified non-duality so long ago in the western world, with logical deductions to back it up.
Parmenides was a material monist not a non-dualist
Thanks for this episode. I read the Kingsley book you mentioned a few years back and was mostly lost - I will try it again after rewatching your video and reading other stuff on your reading list.
@TheEsotericaChannel
I appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos, Justin. They are concise, academic, clear and interesting. In 2011, when I started studying the history of western esotericism out of the blue (I also went to the University of Amsterdam for that), it wasn't easy to find my way around, since there is so much 'background noice', if I may say so. Finding accessible and reliable information was somewhat of a challenge. In that regard, you are making a difference.
The fascination in this kind of logos, that thought is being, and as you mentioned that translating of his work inherently establishes it in a different context. Our languages fundamentally effect how we think, not our thinking ability, but it organizs the way we think which can lead to very specific outcomes unique to different cultures. Like the many ways of translating and interpretting Wang Wei's 'Deer Park' poem.
Language contextualizes thought, but in that very process can limit how we can think. Or expand it.
Cultures with languages with many unique words for similar shades of what we call the same color, are inherently better at recognizing those various shades and hues compared to those of languages without that benefit.
And cultures which think in cardinal directionality rather than relative directionality like the Guuguu Yimithirr people of Australia, have a stronger innate sense of direction, we when indoors.
This kind of thing really makes me desperately want to learn all the languages. I need to UNDERSTAND lol
My dad used to say this about when he was learning Russian and how difficult it was to think in it.
What you are talking about is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which has been disproven imo
One of your best videos yet ... Thumbs UP !
This video has shaped my worldview and made me be able to believe in meaning that exists outside of human perception of meaning. Can’t thank you enough for this video and all your others.
Thanks! love your stuff. this video is life changing for me. I hope youre doing well
Interesting lesson. Thanks, Justin. 🌞
All the things on your shelves look interesting. It would be cool if you did some kind of show and tell episode where you show us your cool stuff!! 🤩
This is a great video!
I'm afraid I'm too much a lover of process. I jokingly say that philosophy starts with Heraclitus and that Parmenides is when it went wrong
Long time viewer first time commenter.😅 I just finished reading Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, and a lot of the concepts expressed in this video are explored by the characters in that novel (who are otherwise solving a murder in a monetary in the 1300s). Specifically the idea that names and symbols shape our perception of reality, even though the origin of those symbols is arbitrary. There’s also an excellent adaptation starring Sean Connery (which is very difficult to stream legally in 2023, ironic given the story’s themes of lost media…)
This is an extraordinary video, probing grounds in philosophy which the discipline is only grasping around the edges at at the moment. Well done and thank you.
YAY so happy you're doing this
I translated the fragments for an edition some years ago. It was mesmerising.
nice
Congratulations, this is one of your very best!
If I follow this properly, I actually find it quite comforting to know that I am caught into this web of being, and not alone after all.
This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my RUclips channel 8 months ago about self development. Now I have 1,220 subs and > 1,000 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I could haven’t learned without getting started in the 1st place.
😊
Good for you ! We all start at 0 subs, best of luck with your project!
@@TheEsotericaChannel Whoever you are, I don't know you personally but I can say that you're one of the non-judgmental and open-minded people who is not fixated on tangible or external factors in order to learn from someone like me. Just because someone doesn't have a piece of paper as a credential, doesn't mean that person is not entitled to share personal experiences with the hope & intention to inspire others. Keep up with whatever it is that you're doing to improve mankind or improving your life even to a slight degree each day. This is just one part of a bigger puzzle for creating my RUclips channel about holistic health. I literally could have died back when I was 14 years old due to major depression but here I am right now replying to you, a RUclipsr, who's full of fulfillment and dedication to help others to be a better version of themselves. I ain't better than anyone else but my old self. That's all that really makes this RUclips thing more meaningful and enjoyable. Thanks so much for your support! I am hoping that you can join me with this endless personal development journey! :)
Excellent. Probably the best intro from the reading list is Kingsley’s Reality. He’s a proper classical scholar who wrote a standard academic text on Parmenides with lots of fresh archaeological and linguistic evidence, and then proceeded to actually do the exercises hinted at in the poem and became something of a full on mystic. Very exciting if you like your perennialist western transcendentalism with a good solid foundation in philosophy. I for one think the axial age Greeks were into some seriously mind bending thought, likely with both a decent intercultural exchange (“the Greeks are always children”) and some serious inheritance from the Bronze Age. Both which can be argued with a straight face, even if the academy will look at you askance.
Been a minute since I watched one of your videos. Amazing content, my friend.
This is one I need to revisit. I'm reminded of how I barely got that philosophy minor, and probably shouldn't have. Education, like any training, requires you to work up to some things. I've skipped Metaphysics Day too often lately. I'm gonna go do some reps of Tao of Pooh.
One of your best episodes!!
I love watching yr vids over & over 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Best said :-
“Cancelling historical figures (philosophers) just because they don’t agree with our personal beliefs etc.
is
Self
Defeating.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
This is once again fascinating and thought provoking, many thanks. On the other hand, there goes the weekend again as you lead me down the path of research!
im a nerd for Heideggers Parmenides
Awesome, good job, never heard of this guy, thanks. This guy described meditation it seems. I have only been a practicing meditator for 3 years and he puts to words very well what deep trance appears to be, to me at least.
Very interesting concepts and it was explained very clearly. Thank you.
I love these introductions to foundational individuals/schools of philosophy from the ancient world. Most folks do not realize how much they effect the ways we think and behave to this very day, as the threads run through our cultural and intellectual history. You did a great job with a difficult subject. I’ve read/listened to numerous lectures on Parmenides and I’m not sure I truly understand the argument he is putting forth, but you made it as clear as anyone could. You are truly doing Being’s work, Sir! I’d love to see more like this!
Oh, I forgot to mention-formalizing his arguments was a nice touch-above and beyond! Thanks Dr. Sledge!
Thank you for all of your amazing, fascinating content.
Dude when you said "cool black metal shirt" I was like ha sounded like he said black metal.... wait... WHAT THE FUCK dude that is so sick. Just made me love your channel 10x more
This just cracked my dome. 👍
I'm so glad I found this channel
Well, this is just delightful. Good to know that folks have been struggling with the "What am I? The is-ing is." for a long time.
Thanks for the perspective.
Superb treatment of a neglected zone, truly outstanding. Many thanks for this.
Very useful, thank you.
If you haven't yet read it, Peter Kingsley's book Reality is one of, if not the very best books on Parmenides as well as Empedocles. The man's scholarship is just top notch!
He's a wizard, that's a great book. It will take you places
What up brother thanks for all your work and hello from Saint Louis Mo.
This summation was a Masterwork. Insert heartfelt applause.
You are so right by saying that out prejudices are the very hinderance to do the actual philosophical work.
❤ seeing that Thorndike set everytime I watch this chanel... man. the text is open source thanfully
I'd hate to have to read it on screens, though
@@TheEsotericaChannel it's such a great read, especially the works dedicated to the enlightenment and sciences. a general overview but also going into all these places that I benefit from studying the history of religion and magical thought.
Thank you for this insightful video.
Another phenomenal video, I like the ones where are you really push the boat out. This is one of them. Bravo.
Marty. Being as self serving. Incredible insight. If only Socrates had thought of that!
But you-Sir,, by contrast, are on an incredible journey.
Live long and prosper. 🖖
I enjoyed this. Thank you
Dr. Sledge. Thank you so much for your learned and (at times) hilarious insight into the complexities of Parmenides' philosophy. The necessary verbal gymnastics alone made me chuckle. Even so, I was most impressed by your encapsulation of the arguments and issues involved.
Wonderful episode! Perhaps it's time for Heraclitus? 👀
hngggg though as a Heidegger guy i think both Herry and Parry both accept the unity of opposites. i read process metaphysics into it, to be frank
Definitely an episode worthy of hitting repeat. This one is mind bender. Well done! 🌐The spiral cyclical nature of the logic is there.☯️♾️
Thanks for the reading recommendations. I'm not smart enough to understand this stuff but it's good to think about it.
Thanks for all your great work and dedication, I found your channel a couple of months ago and have seen at least 99 hours of your content since (I really did the math to be sure).
I have come to understand a lot of things both past and present thanks to you, I'm really grateful!
this might be one of the most important videos I have ever seen
Great work man.
Thanks!
Wow - many thanks for the generous donation!
Thank you for supporting all of us who take great pleasure in Esoterica and the good Dr. ❤ Your donation makes our world better.
Great video, always an interesting metaphysician. I'm wondering if you've read Oscar Hinze's essay on Parmenides in his Tantra Vidya, in which he understands the third part of the doctrinal poem as corresponding to a lower truth analogous to the yogic concept rather than as mere falsehood. I find it to be incredibly insightful and am persuaded that Hinze is best able to account for the idiosyncrasies of the structure and themes of the doctrinal poem best through his interpretation.
Thank you, this will keep me busy for sure
🎉🎉🎉Dr Sledge :-
“Him being
detestable
does NOT make him
NOT a genius .. 🎖🎖🎖and cancelling historical figures in art & philosophy just because we don’t like them or because they (don’t match)
our own personal beliefs ..
that strikes me as moronically self defeating” 🏆🏆🏆
Thank you Justin! For you've edified my curiosity on this subject and that of Jewish mysticism! Shalom!
I might be a tad late to the conversation, but it is intriguing to me how similar a lot of these points are to Therevaya Buddhist scriptures or Suttra.
Except non being is something we should seek to obtain despite being impossible in some sense because of clinging.
I know this channel is mostly about western ideals but the spill into other regions makes me think
Love the Hilma af Klint reference with the painting
The best channel to fall asleep to.
Finally, my time has come.....😈
Mr. Mysterion... Nice. I'll have to check out your work.
Fantastic Justin...absolutely appreciate your analysis...really the best....and for the contextualization.
Parmenides was my hero from the first time I heard of his teaching. So wonderfully pure. And as Vedantin it was like finding a compatriot in practice of awareness.
This is one im going to need to keep coming back to. 🙃
On the aletheia/doxa paradox, one simple "solution" would be to realize that logical deduction as such hadn't yet been invented. Parmenides didn't yet feel it to be fully compelling himself. Even Aristotle, 150 years later, still felt the need to "sell" his new method of counjering up truths to his audience.
I love how Parmenides is always overlooked, being something of an underdog, but he’s the first, the most profound mystic of the west, who alone is sufficient. And yet, nobody seems to care! Even I forget about him, because his message is just so clear and simple! Being is, non-being is not!
Thanks for the lecture while I work today, doctor!
The black metal shirt. Is 🔥
These words are amazing and hard to follow wow
A lot to think of. Wow. Thanks.
I think a fun challenge for this channel could be an exploration of precolumbian indigenous American mysticism (North, Central and South). All of the content on this channel, understandably, deals with old-world arcana… but I would love to see how you apply your scholarly training to the new world!
great video. would love to hear your thoughts on heraclitus too.
Wonderful!
Super good! Thanks for the bibliography
This reminds me of that meme "Source? I made it up." Also, this reminds me of when I watched the movie Inception while I was a little high. It also reminds me of reading about physics on a Wikipedia page when I was like 12.
Great video. I’ll have to watch again and do some reading but for whatever reason his thought rings true