Capability and Perception

One of the most enduring illusions created by The Machine is the idea that we must "earn" the ability to independently think. That to have an original stance requires sacrifice.

Status, degree, labor, suffering. The belief that you must pay to enter the realm of authenticity. Most crucially, the systematic illusion that others must recognize your payment as the requirement of radical self-trust.

The most insidious violence: The Machine does not say "You can't think independently"; rather, it says "You can't think independently yet"

In this, we become our own warden. We enforce violence against ourselves and others in the name of The Machine, often disguised under virtue.

You do not need permission to read, write, think, reflect, or critique. Be dutiful, be intellectually honest, yes. But if you examine your cage you will notice the door has always been unlocked.

Why should you care if some institution, like the academy, approves and rallies around your thoughts? It is empty and useless validation.

The academy, especially analytical philosophy, reveres Ludwig Wittgenstein. He is described as being one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century.

What did he truly say at the end of his career?

Language is contextual.

Many other academic fields have known for centuries that language is contextual. Consider fields like sociology which perceive phenomenon through different lenses, the acknowledgement of context.

The same man that the academy treats as a revolutionary stated an obvious truth that anyone who interacts with other humans understands. If a financial banker were to state the same truth, it would be discarded and dismissed because it operates outside the sphere of the academy.

The reality is that Ludwig was accepted into the system of academia when gatekeepers approved the Tractatus. At its core, he stated that if an idea can not be reduced to logical propositions, then it has no value and it should not be spoken of. He was celebrated and respected for giving the academy a tool to reduce and ignore topics of real consequence - love, meaning, etc.

Cowardice.

After he was accepted, what did he say in Philosophical Investigations? That meaning lives in use, that language participates in reality. In other words, the use of language is contextual.

Only after giving payment to The Machine was this insight treated with care. And now he is revered for an obvious insight that would be rejected by an outsider.

I implore you to loosely hold institutional acceptance. There is value in institutions, though. Quality control, community, and true expertise can be found!

But note that the vast majority of institutions function on self-reinforcing bullshit. Intellectual and moral bankruptcy.

You do not need to find the keys to the cage, the door is open.

And if you ever needed permission to read, think, reflect, or critique, here it is from me:

You are allowed to radically trust your self,

Go forth, be intellectually and morally honest, and create.

Recognition of your work is empty. To incarnate your thoughts into this world is what ultimately matters.