The joy of knowing fish

Author: Zi Fei Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This is a luxurious read. To call it luxurious is because it is entirely unlike the current fast-food culture—it neither offers temporary pleasure nor provides practical benefits. Instead, it may leave you with some profound sorrow and unnecessarily consume your mental energy. Therefore, this book is reserved for spiritual aristocrats. By "spiritual aristocrats," I mean those who seek culture not just for low-level needs like entertainment or survival, but are interested in pursuing higher questions that transcend real-life existence or dominate it. It's like a wealthy individual who is no longer willing to toil for a meal, but instead has the leisure to admire the brilliance of jade and diamonds. However, to be fair, if everyone were to labor only for warmth and sustenance, like animals that never seek extra luxury, then the doubts and worries I raise in this book would likely not exist. The problem, rather, stems from humanity's insatiable nature, or our relentless drive for self-improvement. Strictly speaking, this cannot be entirely blamed on human greed, as it seems there is some mysterious force, both internal and external, compelling us to be this way. Since everyone is compelled to plunge the world into luxury, spending a bit more effort to explore the origins and destinies of such nature might not be considered cultural orientation. To avoid overwhelming the reader's thoughts, this book only collects some light and leisurely essays and casual discussions. Though they are casual, they are still related to a profound philosophical system. Therefore, it is recommended that readers browse them in the order of the table of contents to avoid suddenly falling into a dark maze and losing their way. Of course, it is not enough to reveal all the answers to the problems, but if it can raise a cloud of doubt in your heart, it might just create a beautiful sunset scene. If it happens to bring you a spiritual rainstorm, then you might as well use it to wash away the dust accumulated on the "truth" you once stored there. Perhaps, after the rain and clouds clear, the world you are lost in will become clearer.
Table of Contents:
Preface Natural Weakness / Weakness Returns to Humanity
1. Useless Philosophy
2. Inaction and Action
3. The Regret of Pursuing Perfection
4. The Greatness of the Ordinary
5. The Root of Human Nature: Greed, Annoyance, Fear
6. Solving the "Happiness Formula"
7. Seeking Existence and Flexibility
8. Another Take on "The World's Most pitiful Parents"
9. Boundless Suffering, No Turning Back
10. Copernicus and the Vertebrate Semicircular Canal
Spiritual Pursuit / Knowledge Returns to Sensitivity
11. Listening to Mosquitoes: Worry of the Wise
12. Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream and Descartes' Doubt
13. I Know That I Know Nothing
14. "Truth" as False and False as Truth
15. The Imperfection and Brilliance of "Good"
16. "Beauty" as an Imperfect Measure
17. Zi Fei Yu Doesn't Know the Joy of Fish
18. No Leap in Nature
19. Hegel: The Trap of Dialectical Logic
20. On Rational Logical Methods
21. Popper's Dilemma: The True Face of Science
22. Logic is More Real Than Facts
Social Prosperity / Prosperity Returns to Fluctuation
23. Monkeys and Humans: Points of Divergence
24. The Free Path of Natural Evolution
25. Prometheus' Curse
26. Social Specimen: The Story of the Hymenoptera Kingdom
27. The Explanation of Fate: Coincidence and Choice
28. Love's Little Tricks and the Bigger Picture
29. The Rich Man's Ill: Malthus's Mistake
30. Humanity's Place in Nature
Epilogue