Touch Points

1.
In Rousseau - Reveries of a Solitary Walker

Rousseau states "My enterprise is like Montaigne's, but my motive is entirely different, for he wrote his essays only for others to read, whereas I am writing down my reveries for myself alone." (p. 33-34)
"(...) wandering in Dante's dark wood as he reached the middles of his life." (p. 17)

I thought this was reminiscent of Descartes:

a. "But though my body is idle, my mind remains active and continues to produce feelings and thoughts (...)." (Rousseau, p. 33)

b. "My body is now no more an obstacle and hindrance to me, and I do all I can to sever my ties with it in advance" (Rousseau, p. 33)

2.
In Montaigne's "Apology for Raymond Sebond" he quotes Lucretius and influenced Descartes

Man was seen to have within himself thew potential for happiness, to be manifested through reason. Impetus for new form of reasoning comes from Bacon and Descartes

3.
Lysistrata
In Commentary Section
tragedy like Shakespeare (p.114)
comic poetry like Jonathan Swift (p.115)
In commentary (p 104) discussion of
Sappho (p. 104)
Plato's symposium (p. 104)

Just as I thought!  it did seem odd,  in Lysistrata,  the power of sex in ancient relationships , "But is it merely part of the plays general absurdity that the men lust after their wives so much that they change their politics?" (Aristophanes, p. 104)

4.
Descartes in King Lear
scepticism
Cartesian thought
doubt

5.
Nothing comes From Nothing
Lucretius (p. 10)
King Lear

6.
Fortune
The Prince, by Machiavelli
Wollstonecraft
to be continued

7.
Virtue
The Prince, by Machiavelli
to be continued

8.
Mencius
believes man can attain oneness with universe by perfecting his own moral nature, but has absolute faith in the moral purpose of the universe. (p. 46)

Abraham in Genesis has absolute faith in god
Lucretius " (...) the atomic basis for all matter, but they also have a moral dimension." (p. xx)

9.
persuade others of truth = Epicurean thought
Descartes reveals method to proving truth

10.
Stoic - apatheia; not feeling
Epicurean - ataraxia; not being disturbed

11.
Lucretius - can not command a person into a feeling
Descartes chooses not to teach but to reveal
Mencius " heaven does not speak but reveals itself through its acts and deeds" (p. 143)

12.
Mencius " If one wishes to be a ruler, one must fulfil the duties proper to a ruler; if one wishes to be a subject, one must fulfil the duties of a subject. (...) Not to serve ones prince in the way Shun served Yao is not to respect one's prince; not to govern in the way Yao governed his is to harm one's people. Confucius said, "There are two ways and  two only; benevolence and cruelty." (p. 118)

In Short Account of the Destruction of The Indies, by Las Casas
CRUELTY CHOSEN METHOD OF RULE

The Prince, by Machiavelli
"a natural prince is more loved since he has less reason and less need to offend" (p. 39)

Travel Letters ,by Mary Wollstonecraft
"In short, everything seems to announce that the prince really cherishes the laudable ambition of fulfilling the duties of his station." (p. 45)


13.
Mencius
"In other words, look into yourself whenever you fail to achieve your purpose." (p. 119).
Rousseau goes and takes a walk
Marcus Aurelias


14.
Sensation
Lucretius - firm faith in sensation. (p. 15)
Rumi - "worlds within worlds" (p. 09)
Roussea
Wollstonecraft

15.
Persian
Rumi
to be continued

16.
Exile - very trendy!
Medea
Rousseau
Sappho
Genesis
King Lear

17.
Descartes claims God to be perfect
Rumi viewed as perfect
Like Descartes; Rumi has knowledge of whole and the parts
Rumi says"(...) after seeing the face of one's Lord, the "whole earthly realm is fraud and fantasy" (p. 09)

17.a
Rumi experienced  solitude like Rousseau
Rumi experienced separation like Sappho

18.
LOVE
Rumi and Sappho