World riddle

World riddle

:" For the musical term, see: World Riddle theme".

The term "world riddle" or "world-riddle" has been associated, for over 100 years, with Friedrich Nietzsche (who mentioned "World Riddle" in his 1885 book "Also sprach Zarathustra": "Thus Spoke Zarathustra")and with the biologist-philosopher Ernst Haeckel, who as a professor of zoology at the University of Jena, "Biography of Ernst Heinrich Haeckel, 1834–1919" (article), Missouri Association for Creation, Inc., based on 1911 Britannica, webpage: [http://www.gennet.org/facts/haeckel.html Gennet-Haeckel] : life, career & beliefs.] wrote the book "Die Welträthsel" in 1895–1899, in modern spelling "Die Welträtsel", (German "The World-riddles"), with the English version published under the title "The Riddle of the Universe", 1901.

The term "world riddle" concerns the nature of the universe and the meaning of life.

The question and answer of the World Riddle has also been examined as an inspiration or allegorical meaning within some musical compositions, such as the unresolved harmonic progression at the end of "Also sprach Zarathustra" (1896) by composer Richard Strauss (made famous in the film ). [ "Colorado Symphony Orchestra - Richard Strauss (1864–1949): "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (program notes), Charley Samson, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, 2004, webpage: [http://www.coloradosymphony.org/default.asp CSO-AlsoSprach] .] [ "Classic Records Catalog / LSC-1806: Liner Notes" (description), Chicago Symphony Orchestra, R. D. Darrell, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), 1960, webpage: [http://www.coloradosymphony.org/default.asp CSO-AlsoSprach] .]

View of Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche referred to the "World Riddle" in his "Also sprach Zarathustra" ("Thus Spoke Zarathustra") written during 1883–1885; however, his direct influence was limited to a few years, by his failing health. Although Nietzsche had become a professor at age twenty-five, he left due to illness at age thirty-four with a pension in 1879, became an independent philosopher for only ten years, and then spent his final eleven years as an invalid in the care of first his mother (until her death) and then his sister.

View of Haeckel

Ernst Haeckel viewed the World Riddle as a dual-question of the form, "What is the nature of the physical universe and what is the nature of human thinking?" which he explained would have a single answer since humans and the universe were contained within one system, a mono-system, as Haeckel wrote in 1895: [ "KELVIN SMITH LIBRARY" (about Haeckel book on Monism), Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, 2004, webpage: [http://library.case.edu/ksl/ecoll/books/haemon00/haemon00.html CaseEdu-HaeMon00] : notes Monism book as dated 1895.] "7mono10 txt" (description of Ernst Haeckel's book "Monism as Connecting Religion and Science"), Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, Gutenberg.org webpage: [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/7mono10.txt GutenbergOrg-7mono10] : book "translated from German by J. Gilchrist, M.A., B.Sc., PH.D."] .] :: [From "Monism as Connecting Religion and Science" by Ernst Haeckel (translated):] :: "The following lecture on Monism is an informal address delivered extemporaneously on October 9, 1892, at Altenburg, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the "Naturforschende Gesellschaft des Osterlandes." ... The "exacting" Berlin physiologist shut this knowledge out from his mind, and, with a short-sightedness almost inconceivable, placed this special neurological question alongside of the one great "world-riddle," the fundamental question of substance, the general question of the connection between matter and energy. As I long ago pointed out, these two great questions are not two separate "world-riddles." The neurological problem of consciousness is only a special case of the all-comprehending cosmological problem, the question of substance. "If we understood the nature of matter and energy, we should also understand how the substance underlying them can under certain conditions feel, desire, and think." Consciousness, like feeling and willing, among the higher animals is a mechanical work of the ganglion-cells, and as such must be carried back to chemical and physical events in the plasma of these. -Ernst Haeckel, 1895

Haeckel had written that human behavior and feeling could be explained, within the laws of the physical universe, as "mechanical work of the ganglion-cells" as stated.

View of William James

The philosopher William James in his book "Pragmatism" (1907) wrote about the world-riddle, as follows:

:: [From "Pragmatism" (Lecture VII) by William James:] :: "All the great single-word answers to the world's riddle, such as God, the One, Reason, Law, Spirit, Matter, Nature, Polarity, the Dialectic Process, the Idea, the Self, the Oversoul, draw the admiration that men have lavished on them from this oracular role. By amateurs in philosophy and professionals alike, the universe is represented as a queer sort of petrified sphinx whose appeal to man consists in a monotonous challenge to his divining powers. THE Truth: what a perfect idol of the rationalistic mind!":::::::::::: --William James, "Pragmatism", 1907. "The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pragmatism, by William James" (text), Project Gutenberg, 2002, Gutenberg.org webpage: [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/prgmt10.txt Gutenberg-Pragmatism] .]

William James has questioned the attitude of thinking that a single answer applies to everything or everyone. In the passage, the capitalized "THE" signifies the viewpoint meaning "the one and only" absolute truth.

See also

*epistemology - study of the nature of knowledge.
*existentialism - philosophy of life.

Notes

References

* Ernst Haeckel, "The Riddle of the Universe" ("Die Welträthsel" or "Die Weltraetsel", 1895–1899), Publisher: Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY, 1992, reprint edition, paperback, 405 pages, illustrated, ISBN 0-87975-746-9.
* Ernst Haeckel, "Monism as Connecting Religion and Science" ("translated from German by J. Gilchrist, M.A., B.Sc., PH.D."), Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, Gutenberg.org webpage: [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/7mono10.txt GutenbergOrg-7mono10] (for free download).


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Riddle (disambiguation) — Riddle may refer to: *Riddle, a form of a word puzzle **The World riddle of Friedrich Nietzsche, the meaning of life **Riddle of the Sphinx **The Riddle SongPeople*Almeda Riddle (1898 1986), American folk singer *George R. Riddle (1817 1867),… …   Wikipedia

  • Riddle Box — Riddle Box …   Википедия

  • Riddle — A riddle is a statement or question having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas , which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity… …   Wikipedia

  • Riddle, Nelson — (1921–1985)    Grammy and Oscar winning composer Nelson Riddle, who wrote and conducted the score for LOLITA (1961), was perhaps most famous for his lush, orchestral background music for pop singers, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Nat “King” Cole… …   The Encyclopedia of Stanley Kubrick

  • Riddle Box — Infobox Album | Name = Riddle Box Type = Album Artist = Insane Clown Posse Released = October 10, 1995 Recorded = 1994 – 1995 Genre = Horrorcore, Midwest hip hop Length = 70:40 Label = Battery/Psychopathic Producer = Mike E. Clark ICP Reviews… …   Wikipedia

  • riddle, puzzle, enigma — A riddle is a puzzling question or problem; a conundrum. The term is most often used in connection with problems expressed in words, obscure matters that can be clarified only by a guess: Plutarch wrote that Homer died of worry and chagrin… …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • World's Edge Mountains (Warhammer) — The World s Edge Mountains are a significant geographic location in the fictional setting of the game of Warhammer Fantasy.To the east of the Old World lies the ancient and impossibly high World s Edge Mountains. This snow capped mountain range… …   Wikipedia

  • World (Five for Fighting song) — Infobox Single Name = World Caption = Artist = Five for Fighting from Album = Two Lights A side = B side = Released = 2006 Format = Standard Recorded = 2006 Genre = Pop/Rock Length = 3:52 Label = Aware/Columbia Writer = John Ondrasik Producer =… …   Wikipedia

  • Chase Riddle — Charles Ludy Chase Riddle (September 17, 1925 – June 12, 2011) was an American baseball player, coach, manager and scout. Riddle made his mark in both professional baseball, where he had a 36 year career (1943 78), mostly with the St. Louis… …   Wikipedia

  • Nosferatu (World of Darkness) — World of Darkness Vampire series Vampire Settings World of Darkness Clans World of Darkness Concepts Old World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade Clans Bloodlines Masquerade Society Cainite History Vampire Lore Genealogy New World of Darkness… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”