Monday, September 19, 2016

On procrastination and Gnosticism

PHILOSOPHY: Why Do Anything? A Meditation on Procrastination (Costica Bradatan). The New York Times has published an Opinion piece on ancient Gnostic theology and its modern philosophical heirs.
Gnostic thinking takes us to a privileged ontological realm: the state of perfection that precedes actualization. That which is yet to be born — be it the world, a person, a piece of furniture or a piece of writing like this one — may be nothing, but at this stage it is at its utmost. Its nothingness is fuller and richer than any ordinary existence. To fall into existence is to enter time, and with time comes decay, aging and death.
Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch. Some past posts on ancient Gnosticism and modern popular culture and philosopy are here, here, here, here, here and here and links.