Aphorisms

On Differential Unity, Multi-Dialectic-Integrationism, Happiness -- and Evolution

Happiness often lies in integrating differences - in 'negotiating the gaps' between different personal perspectives, philosophies, and lifestyles, between subjective and objective reality, between narcissism and altruism, between assertiveness and social sensitivity, between self and self-possibilities. That is one main reason I call my philosophy-psychology - DGB (Dialectical Gap-Bridging) Philosophy-Psychology. (The other is that it just happens to be the initials of my name.)

In my post-Spinozian, post-Hegelian, post-Nietzschean, post-Freudian, post-Gestalt brand of philosophy-psychology, I use a lot of hypenated names - names that negotiate and integrate the differences between the unique polar differences of the two hyphenated words that are joined together in 'differential unity'. Call that the most important aim of my particular brand of philosophy-psychology - a search and striving for differential unity and harmony in a way that negotiates and integrates much of the work of many of the famous philosophers and psychologists before me.

Most of my ideas are not brand spanking new but simply reformulated and reintegrated to blend the worlds of different academics together as well as the world of academia and the world of common sense pragmatism -- again in differential unity and harmony. Call this 'Multi-Dialectical-Evolution' -- another re-statement and reformulation of what my philosophy-psychology attempts to do. Am I biting off more than I can chew? Am I being too idealistic? Read my work and make your own judgments and -- if there are ideas and/or practicalities that you like --- make your own 'multi-dialectical integrations'. - dgb, Jan. 12th, 2008

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Man sometimes finds himself on the plank between the dread of a meaningless existence and the fear of failing and/or looking foolish. These are the twin abysses of man's existence looming precariously below him on both sides of his bold or petrified, progressive or regressive, 'going-across' of the proverbial Nietzschean tightrope - the tightrope from being to becoming. Have courage my friend, have courage. Don't look back and don't look down.

- dgb, September 13th, 2007.

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Ethical Idealism, Realism, and Multi-Dialectic Evolution

Ethical idealism should be part of a cyclical pattern
of: 1. reason - a combination of sensory experience
and sound interpretive logic; 2. humanism - self and
social compassion; 3. existentialism - self and
social responsibility/accountability; 4. realism - a
combination of what really exists and what is
practical to implement, always with an eye towards self and social evolution in its most positive sense; and 5. action - meaning
action taken aimed at dialectically bridging the gap between
your own brand of personal ethical idealism, the idealism of others, and the world as it stands right now. This is what I call: ''DGB Multi-Dialectic Ethical Idealism -- as modified by such factors as: social sensitivity, common sense, realism and pragmatism'. It involves combining your own 'Will to Power and/or Self-Empowerment' with the needs and democratic assertions of those around you, uncorrupted by personal and/or group pathological narcissism.

Unbrideled human narcissism, righteousness, and alienation - or any combination of the three- are the greatest enemies of multi-dialectic ethical idealism. One can also distinguish the difference - although perhaps not in the results and consequences - between the narcissism of 'pathological deficiency' - such as desperate insecurity, poverty, and/or an attempt to survive; vs. the narcissism of 'the predatory socio-pathic personality'' - arrogance, egotism, greed, power, control, pleasure, sex, and/or revenge. The second may sometimes be a compensation for the first. And nothing in the land of dialectics - or life in general - is strictly black and white. All different types, extremes, and variations on a theme exist to leave both lay person and philosopher alike to scratch their collective heads and look for new forms and perspectives of understanding. Call this 'multi-dialectic evolution'.

dgb, Sept. 24th, 2007, updated Dec. 15th, 2007.

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