Greetings! My name is Ozymandias
- Ozymandias
- Posts: 108
- Joined: December 5th, 2016, 1:02 am
- Favorite Philosopher: Loren Eiseley
Greetings! My name is Ozymandias
My username is Ozymandias, I'm an artist by occupation, I'd prefer not to share personal information because anonymous conversation promotes impartiality, and my general philosophical standpoint is a combination of individualism, nihilism, and agnostic Christianity. Strange combination, I suppose (?), but I have my foundations for it all. Essentially: I believe that the human condition is an amazing thing, and I take great gratitude in the fact that I have the capability to think and make decisions. I'm a nihilist in the sense that I believe in a lack of objective morality. I used to be a complete nihilist, rejecting morality and belief. But I came to realize that once I had broken down morality and belief to nothing, I then had the euphoric freedom to create my own morals and beliefs (as long as they are in accordance with epistemology and logic), and that has lead me back to theism as well as a general grounding in individualism. I believe philosophy should lie in a healthy balance of empirical thought and of conjecture, as we humans should recognize that we can't observe all the facts in the universe, but we also should adhere to whatever we can observe.
My name is Ozymandias, after the poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. I could copy and paste it but I won't; google it if interested. Essentially, it's about the futility of all power, knowledge, and influence. It describes a scene in the Egyptian desert, where the crumbling remains of a great King lie in ruin. A sign on a pedestal, also crumbling, reads: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!", displaying the irony of Ozymandias's pride in the midst of his ruined, forgotten, irrelevant kingdom. I take the poem to be a reminder to stay humble, because everything I do is not ever permanent or objectively great, and also as a reminder not to fear any people/ things, because no matter how they affect me, the damage will ultimately be irrelevant to the universe.
- Aristocles
- Premium Member
- Posts: 508
- Joined: April 20th, 2015, 8:15 am
Re: Greetings! My name is Ozymandias
2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month
Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023
Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023