I like reading Aristotle but do find the translations a bit tough to read usually. I don’t consider myself any sort of real philosopher, just your average over thinker I suppose. I do find a bit of irony in readings works thousands of years old on topics that have formed an entire self-help industry. For starters, this is interesting:

The first condition for the highest form Aristotelian love is that a man loves himself. Without an egoistic basis, he cannot extend sympathy and affection to others (NE, IX.8).

I’d definitely consider myself less emotional and more turned off in years past. Since then I’ve definitely grown out more, been more social and as trying as it is at times, put myself in more uncomfortable situations and come through them satisfactorily. Despite all the turmoil of this winter, I still feel in a more sane and confident position than times ago.

I have this idea in my head that personal growth is like climbing a mountain such that some periods are easier than others and there are times when we reach plateaus where the next course is so daunting that we’re often apt to wallow in our prior accomplishments rather than risk the failure of the future. I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten anyone to agree with me on this, but screw them, I’m pretty sure I’m right. Alright, maybe my metaphors are a little lackluster.

Anyways, this quote got me poking through the Nicomachean Ethics a bit, and I’m taking pause here to try to transliterate and perhaps not re-read paragraphs more than a half dozen times.

… for it is the mark of an educated man to look for precision in each class of things just so far as the nature of the subject admits; it is evidently equally foolish to accept probable reasoning from a mathematician and to demand from a rhetorician scientific proofs.

I often find it hard to put reason to social matters. Over time I’ve been more willing to chalk peoples anger, passive-aggressiveness and other such bullshit to matters of ego whereas in the past I wouldn’t even have taken the opportunity to label it as much. I would have said it was out of people being complex enough to make evaluation far more expensive than the return would justify. Maybe these days I look back feeling like I’ve known more people of value than I did when I was younger.

Now each man judges well the things he knows, and of these he is a good judge. And so the man who has been educated in a subject is a good judge of that subject, and the man who has received an all-round education is a good judge in general. Hence a young man is not a proper hearer of lectures on political science; for he is inexperienced in the actions that occur in life, but its discussions start from these and are about these; and, further, since he tends to follow his passions, his study will be vain and unprofitable, because the end aimed at is not knowledge but action. And it makes no difference whether he is young in years or youthful in character; the defect does not depend on time, but on his living, and pursuing each successive object, as passion directs. For to such persons, as to the incontinent, knowledge brings no profit; but to those who desire and act in accordance with a rational principle knowledge about such matters will be of great benefit.

Why do I feel like I’m writing a paper for highschool all of a sudden? I’ve talked more than once recently about the frustrations with dealing with inexperienced people in trades, mostly technical ones, and never had the vocabulary with which to speak of what I though was driving them.

I have many more Microsoft certifications than open source ones, probably higher level ones as well. However, I’d say I know much more about open source software than Microsoft software, having built and maintained networks utilizing both. Sometimes on IRC when venting with my pals about how much time I had to spend beating my head against the wall with some Microsoft software due to some level of “you know it or you don’t” obfuscation, I get a “You should replace those windows servers with linux servers” from some kid. I’ll avoid the rant on why this is absurd, but on it’s face, it’s not a reasonable suggestion. If you care why you’re welcome to ask me anytime. Now I’m generally reluctant to write it off as “some kid”, having been some kid once in my life and had as many people hinder me as help me in those times. Good thing when crazy old men threatened to report me to the FBI my mother was always intelligent enough to question them and call their faceless bluff. Anyhow, I’ve talked to some chaps about this as it’s interesting to me, and I do think at the moment this quote sort of hits the nail on the head. Very rarely when I’m like “damn this shit” do the less experienced ask my why I say that, where on average the more experienced will. The end of the quote I identify with as well, as all of this has more to do with peoples motives combined with their experience, than their age.

Far best is he who knows all things himself;
Good, he that hearkens when men counsel right;
But he who neither knows, nor lays to heart
Another’s wisdom, is a useless wight.

This translates to me as it’s best to know, but when you don’t, it’s best to listen to those that do. Otherwise you’re not going anywhere.

Distractions abound though, I’m trying to get some actual personal work done for a change so this will wait for later.