Naess Arne: Životna filozofija: osobni osvrt na razum i osjećaje

Arne Næss: Life philosophy: a personal review of reason and feelings

The book Life philosophy: a personal review of reason and feelings is the work of the Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss, in which the author reflects on the role of feelings during the process of growing up and aging. Written when the author was already at the advanced age of 90, the work was not intended as "professional reading for philosophers", but addressed to everyone who at some point thought about growing up, aging and death. The author approaches these questions as a philosopher who devoted most of his professional work to the reflection of human rationality, starting from the insight that the philosophical task of reflection on life is greatly curtailed if it is limited only to the glorification of thought and science, and ignores the significant role of feelings in the course of life. Therefore, through eight chapters, the thesis on the inseparability of reason and feelings is developed from the first stimulus to reflection, which Aristotle defined as "surprise". Depending on our emotional relationship towards ourselves, others and the environment, our rational attitudes are formed, and their change is possible only by in-depth reexamination of our value and emotional attitudes. The author thereby opposes what he calls the "fine analysis" of science, that is, a reductive approach to the surrounding world that excludes the observer from the whole of things. For this reason, the author advocates "dealing with small things in a big way", that is, he points to the need to approach everyday situations, other people and living beings, and our own interests more closely, because in this way we develop emotionally and, in the end, think differently about things. Written partly as a philosophical essay and partly as an autobiographical essay, Life Philosophy is a manifesto of a significant philosopher at the end of his life's journey and an exceptional example of combining scientific interests and personal experience to offer a unique philosophical work in the full sense of the word.

Arne Næss (1912 - 2009) is one of the most important Norwegian philosophers. He studied philosophy, astronomy and mathematics at the University of Oslo, where he defended his doctorate in 1939. During his career, he dealt with problems of logical semantics, philosophy of science and theory of argumentation, but he wrote the most notable works on the topic of ecology. His work in this field had an exceptional impact on the environmental movements of the 20th century, and he is considered the creator of the term "deep ecology". He is among the first authors who reflected on the philosophical assumptions of ecology and tried to give it ethical and political guidelines. In Norway, he is recognized as one of the most important Norwegian intellectuals of the 20th century.