The story of Vital and Materialistic Philosophy

Joel Jair Contreras Garca National Autonomous University of Mexico Mexico ABSTRACT This presentation set forth, basically, materialist tradition of Philosophy as an alternative of vital knowledge able to resist and confront social, political and emotional effects that based on the subjugation and servitude. This alternative is characterized to being based on kind of naturalism, assessment of emotional life, atomism, eagerness liberator and conception of divine as perfect and all constitute meditation on life. In such a way, I propose important reinvindication about this tradition which has been relegated in History of Philosophy and we make it as story, in analogy with Literature and once way to doing community history.

KEY WORDS: a) Materialist Philosophy b) Vitalism c) History of Philosophy d) Politic of passions e) affections.

In Philosophy happens like in Literature and History. That would be like community, a lot of stories that step by step is weaving each other, and through time these stories have been counted from generation to generation like a model and ancestral thing; and sometimes as something wonderful that is closer to mythical than us. And so, as fabulous and elemental as a myth which talk about what has been Philosophy.

So we can consider beautiful stories about Pre-Socratic for example: Empedocles and Ethna, Democritus and his lost sight I in the way to take essential knowledge, Heraclitus and dropsy. Deaths and exemplary stories about live for Socrates, Epicurus and Seneca. So as well as fabulous and delicious moments that we know about Cynics and Stoics. And actually, this story continues like Kants rides in Knigsberg or Nietzsche's mental collapse in Turin. 1

I agree with Nietzsche when he warns us that there is secret point that is the same story of life that aphorism of thought,1 in stories with symbols and signs with strict philosophical meaning. This interpretation is in the same way that someday was the old wisdom, which its objective was, mainly, teaches us: to live. We must remember what The Delphis Oracle Know thyself, which Socrates started everything. In the origins of ancient Philosophy, it was about: The life.2 That is the raison that old masters lives was real example life, because their lives was in the same way that their doctrines.

So, we should reassess the importance of the story into the Philosophy, it is as elementary part of its history, like irreplaceable resource from its rhetoric teaching. What philosophers have taught us with their lives and what they tell us with their lineages? Since in Philosophy there are deeds, heroes, victories, rebellions, defeats...

As well as in a community that tell us its stories, just because there is a popular story in the community, it doesnt lose its different versions of the same story, even rather stories dont popular: hidden, outlaws, secrets, initiation, and sometimes that variety make spiritual life in the community in all its meanings. In The Philosophy and in its stories, which are its History,
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Nietzsche has a method of his own invention: it isnt enough biography neither do bibliography we must take secret point where is the same thing a life story and aphorism of thought. It's like the sense that in one side, is attributed to states of life and in the other side, insists on propositions of thought. There are dimensions, times, places, glacial areas or torrid areas, where never have been moderated, all any exotic Geography that is characterizes a way of thinking, and also lifestyle. Perhaps Diogenes Laertius, in his best pages sensed thought of this method: find vital Aphorisms which were also Anecdotes of thought ... "Gilles Deleuze. Logic of Sense. Paids. Spain. 1989. pp. 139 and 140.
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Ancient philosophy is distinguished from all that followed it, in that it proposes spiritual exercises in order to make transformation in the Nature of the subject who practices it ... We wont tell the name of contemporaries to whom wisdom is anachronistic concern and they have made The Philosophy a simple game that allows who rejoice in it practice self-satisfaction in his private preserve. "Michel Onfray. Cynicism. Portrait of philosophers called dogs. Paids. Buenos Aires. 2002. p. 15.

happen something like it, story seeks to impose as narrative which is about what have happened in the community: how it originated, where it comes from, why it happened, what it has had to overcome, who it have defeated, who it have been by whom has been subjugate. However, also inside Philosophy have gestated and experienced many hidden stories, outlaws, and perhaps some of them have been forgotten. That is, exuberance in Philosophy has been too much like it has in the community life, perhaps as much as Nature.

However, also in Philosophy has been transmitted a single version of what it has been and there are since unique and naive versions that try to see History of Philosophy like fable whose moral is progress. The History of Philosophy would explain everything in terms of a moment which we need to arrive or moment which we must to reproduce. 3 So like that, The Philosophy has been conceived like cult about Platonic idealism or development of idea through inside Philosophy. That is, Philosophy is conceived as a synonym of old or actual Idealism, even as crisis and collapse of the real idea in Postmodernism. And with that not only it denies arbitrary and awkwardly other philosophical traditions, it denies right mind set it denies right to think, because it try to impose like only possibility of philosophical exercise, repeat and understand the truths of authentic philosophy that has been.

Philosophers are like community and they are like crowd that tell us different stories and it vindicate as Gods daughter. One of these stories, perhaps, one of the most beautiful is a school of thought, a sort of underground river characterized by Vitalism and different moments of Materialism, which includes some of the pre-Socratic philosophers (Heraclitus, Leucippus and Democritus ), cynics, Stoics, Epicurus, Lucretius, Spinoza, Marx, Nietzsche ... Story and dynasty that have survived the centuries, sometimes proudly in public life of agora, markets,
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It is illustrative of this absolutism of Platonic idealism, as a model of Philosophy imperative that marks with little ironic and urgency Foucault: "... you will dream with general History of Philosophy, that it would be a ghostly Platonic and not a systems architecture ... "Michel Foucault. Theatrum philosophicum. Anagrama. 2 ed. Barcelona. 1999. p. 9. 3

fields and temples, and others, in the pockets of schools and cultural resistance almost sectarian groups which their opposition with official story were denied, censored and frequency persecuted in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, we must remember ad nominen arguments harmful and deleteriously which they were defamed, Epicurus and Lucretius4 during the scholastic or since graphical representation from and sects expression of Epicuruss5 piglets, or disdain which Cynics6 and Stoics have been treated as thinkers of decay or decline of ancient Greek culture.

Just as there are characteristic notes, foundational moments and "heroes" of official story of philosophers, "other stories" also have common features, continuity of his lineage and his heroes. The main features that we can identified in this Vital and Materialist tradition that we talking about are:

When we refer to his death we confront with story that rolls for ever as an big legend since St. Jerome, in a little note, had claimed that the poet had been poisoned with love filter and he was mad, but he could write his poem (later pick Cicero) some moments with lucidity before committing suicide ... Anyway, the story want to be part of memory of the centuries. Flies or challenging any judgment that made counter to poet. Renaissance editors with horror lucky take all to make their "Lives" of Lucretius, collect him and amplify him ... In all stories we can detect an intention to discredit Lucretius. The pretended madness nullify each line of the poem (because the author doesnt know what it says), while final act, suicide, refutes by practical way message of a doctrine that is proclaimed joyful but doesnt know keep someone who teach in minimum happiness to be alive. "Lucretius. Nature. Editorial Gredos. Madrid. 2003. pp. 10-12.
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Finally, Horace writes that many Romans think so low: the disciples of philosopher of Garden look like pigs. In a silver cup founded in Boscoreal, near Naples, at the foot of Vesuvius, the animal which is incriminated examines with its nose a nightstand who chattering Epicurus skeletons and acolyte, probably Zeno of Sidon. Another bronze pig lies on the archaeological discoveries by Herculaneum, always near volcano, in the papyri house, next to Philodemus of Gadara manuscripts, the beginner of Horace in Epicureanism modalities. The animal quickly adjusted to reputation of individuals who call the Epicurean philosophy ... "Michel Onfray. Love body theory. For erotic site. PRE-TEXTOS. Spain. 2002. p. 135.
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Mania that qualifier turned Cynicism in a precursor of Stoicism. The constellation of young Socratics had given origin to lineage that through Zeno of Citium, would have led to first Stoicism. Diogenes will became an epiphenomenon annoying that they had to reduce until destroy it: and that was that was done in begin in the name of morality, and then of science and philosophical seriousness. On one hand, rivals of Victor Cousin, and on the other way rivals of Hegel. Michel Onfray. Cynicism. Portrait of philosophers called dogs. p. 28. 4

1. Naturalism. It becomes in its center of its point of views: The Nature (physis-nature). As happen in Epicurus current of thought, Cynics, Stoics or Lucretius with his De rerum natura. As well with Spinozist substance and its Deus sive natura: God is The Nature. 2. Priority assessments of emotional aspect of man in order to Philosophy determine it and work it with knowledge and ethical practice. In concepts like: Epicurean ataraxia (imperturbability), Socratic Kalokagatha (well manhood) or tranquility of the Lucretiuss soul. Just as Spinoza Leatitia (joy), or Nietzschean known gay.

3. Atomism that if we consider the interaction of bodies consists of common elements that exchange each other, it passes to cosmogony consideration and knowledge of reality, The Nature. Through concepts such as: the ghost in Epicurus, simulacrum of Lucretius or Cynics and Stoics mixes. We must remember the words of Diogenes, The Cynic: "Meat, for example, is in the bread, and the bread in herbs, and like that in other bodies, which particles penetrate into their pores, evaporate and bind7

4. Liberating Eagerness or critique to tyrannical powers dependent on knowledge of The Nature and Ethical knowledge in order to critique and emancipation of thought and social tyrannical structures (religions and rulers) as well as thoughts which support and legitimize. We must remember ridicule and criticism from Cynics to Plato, Epicurus distance of religions, and in general, critique of all these philosophers to the power institutions, as well as superstition and fear that they engender us. 5. Conception of divine like perfect, because this lacks nothing so this is to divinity it is unalterable, imperturbable, and therefore indifferent to everything human. So, Divine becomes a model for the wise and certainly that neither educated nor punishments have relation with divine neither impact on life.

Laercio Digenes. Lives of eminent philosophers. Books IV a VII. 2 ed. Espasa-Calpe Argentina S. A. Buenos Aires. 1950. p. 86. 5

6. Meditation on life that includes most of thoughts and actions of a man, so like this conjures fear of death and works with the conquest of positive emotional life. Since the Epicurean tetrapharmacn which therapeutic remedy to achieve ataraxia held like one of its four elements, that "there is no death because when we are it is not, and when it comes here, we are no longer" Socratess death which this philosopher confirms his victory over fear of death, or the affirmation which Spinoza say: free man thinks anything except death, and his wisdom is not meditation about death but of life. 8

In the same way, Vitalist and Materialist Philosophy are concrete because they are intellectual exercise that seek to lead to a political ethically and political practice to release the fullness of living. And while actually servitude and dogmatism dont have same names, they are being under political dynamics of modern democracies, markets and cultural alienation that through their mechanisms promote suffering of man by man like economy that makes unhappiness, frustration and impotence (illness and death) of men in the gain (economic, political, emotional, sexual) of others.

Now we must think about this with philosophy point of view, in the same way of identity and culture of philosopher community. What kind of story we have of Philosophy and what are its consequences? And as well we must think about what kind of allergies it gives us or what kind of sorrows generates, and so, what philosophy or philosophies are ready to conceive, feel and experience, but above all, what kind of philosophy is necessary at this time in relation to our lives and life of humanity.

Baruch de Spinoza. Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order. FCE. Mexico. 2002. (IV, Prp. XLVII) p. 227. 6