Nietzsche's Self-Creation, The Science of Creativity, The Bright Side
Existential Espresso vol. 19
What I’ve read:
"Autopoiesis: Self-Creation in Nietzsche" essay by Andrew Crown-Weber
This is another reread, and I actually got back to this essay to check if I would still recommend it to you, since the last time I read it was around 2 years ago.
And, as you see, I still think it’s worth reading.
There is one specific reason why I think this essay can be valuable in your study of Nietzsche: it was written by a student.
The fact is that, to this day, Nietzsche remains one of the most popular and controversial figures in the history of philosophy. This results in there being countless essays and books on Nietzsche being written by scholars whose main motivation behind writing on Nietzsche is to build their own name in the academic world. As someone who has read thousands of pages of secondary literature on Nietzsche in the past couple of years, I can tell you that it is extremely hard to find people who write about him out of a genuine desire to explore his ideas and bring them closer to others.
But this essay was written by someone who, at least at the time of writing it, was just like you and I: a person intrigued by Nietzsche’s ideas and what they could mean for our actual lives, not what they mean as words on paper.
And the specific idea that Andrew Crown-Weber decided to write about is one of mine, and from what I’ve seen, one of your favorites: self-creation.
You can read the essay here. Enjoy.
(It is worth noting that this is, after all, a piece of secondary literature on Nietzsche, written by someone who was fairly new in his studies of this philosophical titan. This essay cannot in any way replace actually reading Nietzsche’s original works and studying him on your own.)
What I’ve been listening to:
"The Science of Creativity & How to Enhance Creative Innovation" - Huberman Lab Podcast
This podcast needs no introduction. Those of you who have been reading Existential Espresso and following my instagram page know how much respect I have for Andrew Huberman. The amount of information that he is sharing for free and the effort he puts into trying to make it as easy to understand as possible are really something to be grateful for.
You can listen to the whole episode here.
What I’ve been thinking about:
The bright side of the online world
People often talk about the toxic side of social media and the online world in general. The internet has created the possibility for two humans from different sides of the planet who don’t know anything about each other to trade the worst insults imaginable simply because they disagree on a certain topic.
And it is true that the internet is filled with hateful comments and interactions.
But we tend to forget that the internet also created the opportunity for humans to support and celebrate each other like they never did before. And lately, I’ve been choosing to focus on that aspect of the online world.
Listen to any podcast that is not made by people who are trying to spread the "us versus them" narrative. In every episode, no matter what the topic of the conversation is, the host(s) and the guest(s) will end up mentioning at the very least one person who is doing some work in the area of life that they are talking about, give them the credit they deserve, and urge people to go check them out. And more often than not, the person they mention is not their friend or business partner, but just someone whose work they respect and believe should reach more people. How cool is that?
Look at the comment section of any YouTube channel or instagram page whose content wasn't created with the intention of creating division between people. You will find at least one comment where two humans, who would otherwise never have had the chance to meet each other, exchange words of support and encouragement. And I am proud to say that my instagram page is one of those places.
My point is that, no matter what we think about it, we and future generations will spend a big part of our lives online. If that’s the case, I believe we should focus on spending most of that time on the bright side of the online world. Because there is a bright side.
Thank you for reading.
Stay strong, love life, and never feel sorry for yourself.
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