2025 Intentions
2025 Intentions
I don’t make New Years Resolutions (a pitiful concept) but I do intend to do certain things going forward. The main one is to go on hating—hating evil, corruption, and stupidity. I invite you to join me. This won’t be easy: I am not by nature a good hater. Hating is unpleasant, it’s work, it’s unpopular. I’d rather have a good time; I’d rather like people and their actions. I easily slip back into it (don’t you?). It’s just so much nicer, easier, happier. But it’s not the right thing to do: we have a duty to hate and I don’t propose to shirk this duty. I will keep on hating hateful things—and that includes people, particular people. Nothing else will stop them, evidently. No hatred, no moral integrity. We must (morally must) despise, detest, revile, and rebuke anything deserving these attitudes. Politicians in particular, but also the miscreants around us. We can practice degrees of hatred, to be sure; we don’t have to hate all bad people and things equally. Let us practice discriminating hate, not blind ignorant hate (those people we especially hate). So, I will persist in my hate, my anger, my revulsion—despite my temperamental tendency to like and approve. I will strive to keep hate alive.
The second thing I intend to do is less moral—in fact, hardly moral at all. I intend to write less. Not go cold turkey, but practice moderation. This one is going to be hard: I am a natural writer, I like writing, I always have. It’s a habit with me. I won’t say I crave it, but I do find it soothing, satisfying. Looking back on the last ten years, I find I have written approximately 1000 papers, all posted on this blog (two a week, year in, year out). That adds up to about 3000 pages (I really don’t know how many). These would make ten books of 300 pages each—a lot of books. It takes time and effort, like anything worthwhile. It distracts me from other things (housework, people). I won’t give up writing completely, but I will make a concerted effort to keep it under control. I am intending to practice writer’s block. Writer’s paralysis would be nice, but I can’t set my non-writing goals too high. Maybe I will start with only one paper a week (already I am sweating at the prospect). Wish me luck on my new voyage of just saying no to writing!
More hating, less writing: yes, that’s my goal for 2025. It’s going to take some serious self-discipline.
Cher M Macginn,
Je viens de découvrir votre blog, je le lis tous les jours depuis quelques semaines et voilà que vous déclarez vouloir arrêter d’écrire !
Quelle misère (pour moi)!
Ce qui me fascine dans vos articles c’est que vous n’êtes jamais où on vous attend.
Bien à vous,
Étienne Berrier
I think I get the gist of this, though English would help. Don’t worry I will keep on writing and there is plenty here to read already!
Merci !
Désolé d’écrire en français, mon téléphone refuse obstinément de former des mots anglais !
Bien à vous, Etienne Berrier
Your phone is very patriotic!
May be my phone is patriotic but i swear i didn’t teach it!
(back home i write on my PC witch is more obliging.
More seriously i was very impressed by your article about pain as a fondamental state!
I think the intuition that pain founds phenomenality in general and thoughs in particular (until maths) is very deep.
waiting the plesure to read you again, sincerly your,
E Berrier, retired head teacher dedicating his time to philosophy of mind (retired people have sometimes strange hobbies) , Vienne, south of France
It’s good to hear from you in English! Yes, the pain hypothesis is highly suggestive and interesting, even if I say so myself. I should think more about it.