New Philosopher

Life is long (if you know how to use it)

The majority of mortals complain bitterly of the spitefulness of Nature, because we are born for a brief span of life, because even this space that has been granted to us rushes by so speedily and so swiftly that all save a very few find life at an end just when they are getting ready to live. Nor is it merely the common herd and the unthinking crowd that bemoan what is, as men deem it, a universal ill; the same feeling has called forth complaint also from men who were famous. It was this that made the greatest of physicians exclaim that “life is short, art is long;” it was this that led Aristotle, while expostulating with Nature, to enter an indictment most unbecoming to a wise man – that, in point of age, she has shown such favour to animals that they drag out five or ten lifetimes, but that a much shorter limit is fixed

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from New Philosopher

New Philosopher2 min read
What Makes One Wealthy?
From the late 1940s onwards, the tool most used to measure national wealth has been Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the brainchild of Belarus-born Simon Kuznets. GDP adds up how much we spend on items like cars and couches, and then adds on top how muc
New Philosopher6 min read
Cautionary Tales
Zan Boag: It has been said that you draw inspiration from the Dutch artists Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel. Both had a dark take on humanity’s desires and deepest fears – is that what you’re delving into with your work? Christopher Spencer (Co
New Philosopher1 min read
Online At
In February 2023, Australia’s corporate regulator came under fire for hiring a bunch of robots. You might be envisioning a Robocop-type scenario or an army of droid soldiers right now... Why do we work so much? Why do we even work at all? For a great

Related