| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Meno by Plato: meaning of them, an explanation of the nature and origin of knowledge, will
always continue to be one of the first problems of philosophy.
Plato also left behind him a most potent instrument, the forms of logic--
arms ready for use, but not yet taken out of their armoury. They were the
late birth of the early Greek philosophy, and were the only part of it
which has had an uninterrupted hold on the mind of Europe. Philosophies
come and go; but the detection of fallacies, the framing of definitions,
the invention of methods still continue to be the main elements of the
reasoning process.
Modern philosophy, like ancient, begins with very simple conceptions. It
is almost wholly a reflection on self. It might be described as a
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: subdue the rebellious population of Kiangnan, Kao Keng
recommended Wen Ti of the Sui dynasty to make periodical raids
and burn their stores of grain, a policy which in the long run
proved entirely successful.]
the third is to burn baggage trains;
[An example given is the destruction of Yuan Shao`s wagons
and impedimenta by Ts`ao Ts`ao in 200 A.D.]
the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines;
[Tu Mu says that the things contained in "arsenals" and
"magazines" are the same. He specifies weapons and other
implements, bullion and clothing. Cf. VII. ss. 11.]
The Art of War |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: above, within, beside, now at some distance off, and now hard by,
and now midway between."
The couching hare[17] constructs her form for the most part in
sheltered spots during cold weather and in shady thickets during the
hot season, but in spring and autumn on ground exposed to the sun. Not
so the running[18] animal, for the simple reason that she is scared
out of her wits by the hounds.[19]
[17] "The form-frequenting hare."
[18] "Her roving congener," i.e. the hunted hare that squats. The
distinction drawn is between the form chosen by the hare for her
own comfort, and her squatting-place to escape the hounds when
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