Contrary to the usual philosophy articles, resembling dusty old academic theses in public libraries[efn_note]Attempting to incorporate jokes into the blog. The One With Ross’ Library Book. (n.d.). Friends. Season 7. Episode 7[/efn_note], here a hint of practical self-help[efn_note] I am the biggest critic of the self-help industry, hence the keyword “practical”. Something similar to Mark Manson’s works.[/efn_note] will be exhibited. Also can’t overlook the influence of my new writing philosophy – Documenting profusely. Let’s start with the Übermensch[efn_note]Due to his short career, and descent into madness, there isn’t a clear description of the Übermensch in Nietzsche’s work. This is my reconstruction of the concept, on the basis of his body of works and hints left along the way. After God’s Death. Niranjan Krishna. (2022, September 20). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://niranjankrishna.in/2022/09/19/after-gods-death/[/efn_note]
Übermensch: An Individual who has maximized their virtues, moral and personal, in all dimensions possible. A Beautiful being with limitless potential, invigorating one with excitement, affirming life
After God’s Death, Niranjan Krishna
Pretentious self-promotion aside, the Meaning of life i.e. the answer to the question “Why live?” exists above. To those concerned with the unobtainable nature of the ideal, refer to the Argument from Essence[efn_note] I just made up the name. Although not explicitly mentioned by said title, the argument can be found in these two articles. The Theory of True Worlds. Niranjan Krishna. (2022, November 29). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://niranjankrishna.in/2022/11/29/the-theory-of-true-worlds/. Teleological Foundations of Goals. Niranjan Krishna. (2022, December 18). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://niranjankrishna.in/2022/12/18/teleological-foundations-of-goals/[/efn_note]. To substantiate further, here lay the new grounds.
Argument from the Fallacy of Tabula Rasa[efn_note]Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, February 19). Tabula Rasa. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa[/efn_note]
John Locke’s seminal work, An essay concerning human understanding[efn_note]Locke, J., & Calkins, M. W. (1962). An essay concerning human understanding. Open Court Publ. Co.[/efn_note], resides the most fitting modern account of the blank slate[efn_note]English translation of Tabula Rasa[/efn_note] view. The correspondent dispute in Psychology exists in the Nature vs Nurture debate, with said idea representing a complete advocacy for Nurture[efn_note]Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, March 2). Nature versus Nurture. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture[/efn_note].
P1. Human beings act in a rational manner – under contextual axioms
One obvious criticism is examples of irrational action from the part of humans. While that remains true relative to the general context, for the specific scenario, under the given assumptions – albeit the wrong assumptions, the individual acts rationally.
Let’s imagine somebody believing in Astrology. Here the grounds of belief often point to the anecdotal experience of astrological efficacy, especially amongst friends and family. With respect to the general context of rationality, it remains absurd – due to both the unfounded grounds of astrology and the fallacy of assuming truth on the basis of anecdotes.
However, in the specific context, the fundamental assumption is as follows: Anecdotal evidence of friends and family is indicative of the truth. Under this presupposition, believing astrology becomes rational. Thus, the difference between general and specific contexts.
P2. Rationality, by itself, isn’t sufficient for action
Reason Is and Ought Only to Be the Slave of the Passions, thus spoke the Enlightened Scotsman[efn_note]David Hume [/efn_note]. Extrapolating the quote, the general principle reveals itself – Reason constitutes the means, and ergo requires ends, axioms, and goals for it to act.
One could use GPS, a byproduct of logic, to find the nearest ice cream store. However, the decision to get ice cream or a sandwich originates from feelings, the source of ends here. The optimal way to get from point A to point B, reason guides us through that. But selecting point A and point B? The duty of emotions and virtues, at least in Ethics.
P3. For acting in new, unfamiliar contexts, one requires innate ideas
The rebuttal of attaching said ideas to previous experience fails, with the introduction of the initial, fundamental experience of all – Childbirth. For the unacquainted child, even the act of crying must rely on innate biological desires.
Conclusion: Tabula Rasa cannot exist for beings with rational nature[efn_note]Just to be clear, my theory is that innate ideas are partially non-physical. As opposed to human nature in a physicalist world, slaves to biology and the evolutionary paradigm. Be that as it may, for this argument the character of nature isn’t relevant[/efn_note]
Meta-Goals vs Goals
As the existence of human nature has been established, the meaning of goals and meta-goals must be discerned.
Meta-Goal: Any goal concerned with the maximization of a specific virtue, a virtue composing an individual’s fundamental nature[efn_note]Although not explicitly mentioned and not strictly necessary for the argument, the context assumes a non-physicalist metaphysical worldview.[/efn_note]
The set of Meta-Goals, for each virtue, compose the meaning of life i.e. the Übermensch. This brings out great insights on setting other goals. Such examination leads to contrasting ideas about life, compared with the usual social context.
In the ingrained capitalistic framework of society, an entrepreneur’s success is determined by an economic marker for capital[efn_note]Net worth, Proft, etc.[/efn_note]. This contagious idea spreads down to the individual level, where founders of companies equate their personal success with the financial metrics of the business. The true metric is the maximization of the virtue of Entrepreneurship[efn_note]The set of all virtues that entrepreneurship constitutes [/efn_note]
When comparing faux self-made millionaires, the Kylie Jenner’s of the world, and actual self-made businessmen worth six figures[efn_note]For an average person to be rich, relative to the general populace, it is next to impossible. Factors influencing money are environment, birth country, luck, and if there’s anything left hard work. Unless you’re supremely talented like LeBron James. Consistently demonstrated by the works of Thomas Piketty. Another good reference is The Tyranny of Merit by Micheal Sandel.[/efn_note], the better entrepreneur is the latter. For they have developed the virtue further, owing to greater challenges and failures faced in the journey.
Meticulous observation may help the reader find similar patterns.