Post-Modernism

[BillHopkins]

...sometimes touches on 'perennial' truths. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

David Foster Wallace, author of 'Infinite Jest' which was huge in the 90's and propelled Wallace to literary fame. He hung himself due to clinical depression in 2008. In this clip he gives quite a powerful address to his old univserity about the value of learninig to think out of 'default mode' so as to, basically, quite literally transcend the tedium and boredom of modern life in order to survive. He obviously failed, but the sentiments possess some element of profoundity. This is basically a brand of active nihilism, presented at a graduation speech. They audience sounded a little shocked at points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vET9cvlGJQw

[Dinaric Leather]

He hung himself due to clinical depression in 2008.

Haha he hung himself "due to" clinical depression? It's a METAPHORICAL illness, the way its written makes it sound like he caught the depression virus or something.

[BillHopkins]

If you really need the exact details:

Wallace committed suicide by hanging himself on September 12, 2008.[15] In an interview with The New York Times, Wallace's father reported that Wallace had suffered from depression for more than 20 years and that antidepressant medication had allowed him to be productive.[12] When he experienced severe side effects from the medication, Wallace attempted to wean himself from his primary antidepressant, phenelzine.[13] On his doctor's advice, Wallace stopped taking the medication in June 2007,[12] and the depression returned. Wallace received other treatments, including electroconvulsive therapy. When he returned to phenelzine, he found it had lost its effectiveness.[13] In the months before his death, his depression became severe.[12]

[lafindumonde]

Motherfucker should have found JESUS CHRIST HIS LORD AND SAVIOR.

[WAAAAAAGH!]

Motherfucker should have found JESUS CHRIST HIS LORD AND SAVIOR.

Truth is, he probably could have lived on if he went about every Sunday blabbering in tongues. MESSIAH!

[BillHopkins]

Doesn't anyone have anything interesing to contribute to a brother with a point? Where is the love? These forums are getting boring.

If Conservationsist isn't around and doing his usual 'post 3 lines of polemic stuff  that will at least get some talking going due to the shock value', and if we're not talking about jews or killing people, there really isn't much substance anymore, give or take a few examples.

Mann up!

[BillHopkins]

This is, basically, an arts college commencement speech given in 2005 about the real virtue of a humanities education.

Last effort to bump!

Snippets:

If you really learn how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred. On fire with the same force that lit the stars.

You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship. In the day to day trenches of adult life, there is no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. The only choice we get is what to worship.

The compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of God or spiritual type thing to worship, is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.

The really importance kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day

[lafindumonde]

I found the speech very interesting.

It is unfortunate that someone who can find higher meaning and spiritual value in the most mundane tasks could not rise above clinical depression. I suppose it is a complex issue, and the medication could have even played a role, but I thought finding that spiritual insight would provide some level of peace?

[BillHopkins]

I found the speech very interesting.

It is unfortunate that someone who can find higher meaning and spiritual value in the most mundane tasks could not rise above clinical depression. I suppose it is a complex issue, and the medication could have even played a role, but I thought finding that spiritual insight would provide some level of peace?

There is a chemical component, relating to neurotransmitters and receptors. If your serotonin receptors have shrunk to the size of David Vincent's johnson, then your going to struggle to get a kick out of life no matter what shit your into. You're not completely into the scientology 'psychology is simply psuedo-science' I hope?!

[diesel]

haha, I made a thread about this guy once and the only responses were "he killed himself because liberalism = suicide"

His suicide is pretty fascinating.  Watch some interviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ys3Dd70nXQ

[diesel]

http://www.esquire.com/fiction/fiction/incarnations-burned-children-david-foster-wallace-0900

Probably his best short story. It's really short, but hits you like heroin.

[aquarius]

He's a smart guy that paints a very vivid picture of reality, but it is not the only picture. He also seems to have an underlying cynical/pessimistic worldview and is preoccupied with suicide from a long way back but he's a interesting case nonetheless.

Has anyone read 'Infinite Jest' and is it worth looking into?

[abrartoom]

Шдето я что то подобное уже видел

[BillHopkins]

He's a smart guy that paints a very vivid picture of reality, but it is not the only picture. He also seems to have an underlying cynical/pessimistic worldview and is preoccupied with suicide from a long way back but he's a interesting case nonetheless.

Has anyone read 'Infinite Jest' and is it worth looking into?

I'm reading 'The Pale King' at the moment, my local bookstore didn't have Infinite Jest.