Tag Archives: Philosophy

Yearning for Roses: Dostoevsky, Miller, and Hope in the Despair

This article compares Dostoevsky’s reverent depiction of the human yearning for belief with Henry Miller’s scathing rejection of it. While Miller sees the search for meaning as self-deceiving, Dostoevsky honours it as a vital and dignified part of being human. The piece argues that, despite the pull of nihilism, the refusal to stop seeking meaning reveals something essential about the human spirit.

Continue reading

Rethinking Maslow: Robert Pirsig, Foucault, and the Japanese Concept of Ikigai

This article revisits Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, exploring its foundational principles and questioning its relevance in capturing the complexity of human motivation. Drawing on Robert Pirsig’s critique in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila: An Enquiry into Morals, Michel Foucault’s insights into societal structures, and the Japanese concept of Ikigai, it challenges the rigidity of Maslow’s model. Pirsig’s Metaphysics of Quality offers a dynamic alternative, emphasising fluidity, interconnectedness, and the pursuit of quality as central to human fulfilment.

Continue reading