ILIA GALAN DIEZ | Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (original) (raw)

Papers by ILIA GALAN DIEZ

The best and the worst in the world comes from humans. We need to defend ourselves from others, s... more The best and the worst in the world comes from humans. We need to defend ourselves from others, such as enemies (pre-Hobbes). It is best for the strong and the weak to be united, and much better under the king. In a controlled power, modesty is best, but arrogance and pride destroys it. To have order, we need the law and the king a united power.

Virtuous people are stronger than those who are disloyal and their actions are more profound. Jus... more Virtuous people are stronger than those who are disloyal and their actions are more profound. Justice, Truth, and Peace maintain societies (Plato relationship). Shepherds are for cattle and cattle are not for shepherds, and judges must not be corrupt and must not care about wealth or values other than the law. Greed destroys justice in judges.

The Birth of Thought in the Spanish Language, 2017

Everyone is morally miserable, we are never supermen and we cannot be gods with accumulation. No-... more Everyone is morally miserable, we are never supermen and we cannot be gods with accumulation. No-one is born to get all his desires. Those who give goods to others receive goodness, and vice versa. It is better to be modest with others, as we cannot live in isolation. "A man who wants peace and not to fear the governor, wishes for his neighbour what he wishes for himself." 1 The fundamental principle of Christianity, in its various versions (love others as you love yourself and do to others what you would like them to do to you, and vice versa 2), or more or less in the Kantian and abstract version of the categorical imperative, in its various formulations, is seen here as the most practical. A person who is loved by his neighbours and friends will be harder to victimise and betray, especially in troubled times or civil wars, where personal vendettas or interests usually lead to slander and false accusations to eliminate those who are a thorn in the side. Goodness is practical and tends to produce happiness and material well-being, and it is also a spiritual attribute, a virtue or moral quality. "Son of man, you complain when what pleases you is not fulfilled, and you rebel against God because He does not do everything you want; well, you are really wrong here. You do not remember that you have been created from base matter, from a dirty, rotten and damaged drop of fluid, but you consider yourself a very bright star. Well, you have walked a wretched path twice, so you are mad to boast. You are very aggrieved, you wonder very much, you consider yourself diminished, because you do not rule in all cities of the kingdom, and your body is not worth more than a mosquito since the spirit that moved it left it. You do not remember your purpose and you amble along, crazily (...)" 3 The urge to be more, the Whole inverted, to which we referred before, is summarized in the satanic words of the serpent to Adam and Eve when they still inhabited Paradise: "ye shall be as gods, knowing

Few are wiser, but many are madmen. We need to work for the best, but nothing is guaranteed. Vari... more Few are wiser, but many are madmen. We need to work for the best, but nothing is guaranteed. Variety is the common law in humankind customs, some we must move on and change. The universe is movement too (Heraclitus’ interpretations). To be still is the worst, we need variety.

In his Proverbs, Santob wanted to leave something after death to humankind with metaphors, which ... more In his Proverbs, Santob wanted to leave something after death to humankind with metaphors, which is in some ways very contemporary, through aphorisms, flexible thinking, and recreating ancient Greek philosophy. Through contrasts, he attempts to get the best, in a world and thinking in movement, and against puritans. His philosophy is a practical development that comes from his experience. There is great confusion in the world, and many masques, but in the end, God’s light can be intuited. Appearance is false, and those who are at the top of our societies are sometimes the worst. He is very critical of power, and sees it as a game of prostitution. The best is hidden. Every good side has a shadow. We are all sinners, and it is impossible to have an ethos of perfection between humans. Mistakes are our foundation, and life is terrible, but there should be great mercy on God’s active power.

The book most frequently ascribed to Santob of Carrion was Proverbs, and this was dedicated to Ki... more The book most frequently ascribed to Santob of Carrion was Proverbs, and this was dedicated to King Pedro I. It seemed to have first been dedicated to Alfonso XI, but he died. When Santob was young, he saw the knights coming home victorious from the wars against the Saracens, many of them rich, and the powerful Knights Templar were dissolved. When Fernando IV died, Alfonso XI was 1 year old and the civil wars started trying to control the preceptor. The Queen Mother lived in Carrion; thus, the city acquired many privileges, although security was a very unstable concept. Pedro I, nicknamed The Cruel or The Lawful, depending on which side of the war one was on, was very unstable and irascible. His government, which was despotic, tortured and killed some of his closest friends, such as the finances minister, the Jew, Samuel Ha Levi of Toledo. When he became very ill, his brothers started to fight for power. Although he was not very moral, he punished clergymen and knights equally by his customs. He made many useful laws for the workers and peasants, and helped the Jewish communities. He did not like to be with his wife and this caused many political problems and rebellions, with the large families of his wives (he married another woman) and lovers. In his fights against his brothers, his mother, his grandfather, using Jewish troops and taking taxes from them, he didn’t get with his immoral life, crimes and robberies, and also against the bishops and the pope. In addition, he killed some of his brothers by treachery, such as the king of Granada, his wife, and many others. Finally, his brother, the bastard, Enrique II, defeated him and killed him with his own hands. At the start, common people and the low nobility were on the side of Pedro I, and high nobility were not. In literature, a myth was created about his life, but it caused political, social, and economic chaos.

Civil wars for one or another king took place in Santob’s Carrion de los Condes, whose childhood ... more Civil wars for one or another king took place in Santob’s Carrion de los Condes, whose childhood was spent at the Court of Castile, where the young prince was educated until his coronation. A Jewish sect, karaites, was developed there in the twelfth century against the Talmud and used reason for interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures. Dissolving the Knights Templar in Carrion was important and St James Way passing through its streets was an influential way of finding new people. When Alfonso I died, some of the major knights of Carrion suffered persecution, their palaces and castles were destroyed, and some of them were killed. Bubonic plague and destroyed wealth were incited a new civil war with Pedro I and his brother.

The Birth of Thought in the Spanish Language, 2017

Absurdity and madness are general. No reasonable action gives the best. Badness and goodness chan... more Absurdity and madness are general. No reasonable action gives the best. Badness and goodness change their positions continually. We need to change as the world changes, only virtue before God remains, but virtue has also its measure. Small things can change big issues.

The Birth of Thought in the Spanish Language, 2017

How do you destroy a society? By giving arms to those who do not defend it; by not listening to t... more How do you destroy a society? By giving arms to those who do not defend it; by not listening to the wiser, and by those who have it not wasting money. It is sad for a noble person to have a villain nearby, for someone just to be ruled by an unjust director, and for a wise man to be ruled by a stupid one. It is a problem to live for those who know and consciously live, but are not living under a threat, like the stupid.

An economic crisis, hunger caused by the wars, and the bubonic plague devastated the region. In s... more An economic crisis, hunger caused by the wars, and the bubonic plague devastated the region. In some parts, 75% of the people died. King Alfonso XI also died of the plague, but they were still building large gothic monuments, such as the cathedral, and the first university was founded in Spain, in Palencia city. Military orders were still alive and strong, as they continue to fight the Muslims in the south. However, the civil wars made Castile an international battle field, where troops from Navarre, France (Bertrand du Guesclin), England (The Black Prince), and the Flemish were also involved. Fortunes were constantly changing; the economy, power, and health were all at risk.

I Congreso: "Enseñar filosofía, 2003

Renovación de la enseñanza de la filosofía retomando modelos libres y abiertos de conocimiento.

The worst for us is into ourselves. Avarice and trend to infinite cannot be stopped in us, but we... more The worst for us is into ourselves. Avarice and trend to infinite cannot be stopped in us, but we must try it. We like all that we have not got. The wiser cut this tendency. To have is unlimited, but it’s better to be profoundly. Great souls destroy their bodies because they want more. Death level off the humans.

Virtue tries to swim between moving waves, somewhere in the middle. Generosity is fine, but too m... more Virtue tries to swim between moving waves, somewhere in the middle. Generosity is fine, but too much destroys everyone. Wisdom is practical, not pure, and it is confused as the world is confusion. Pure reason is not available (Kant’s impossible view), such as non-pure acting. Equality is not possible, as everyone and everything are different. Environment adaptability is most important.

Springer eBooks, 2017

The real badness in the world is ours, is human. The world is united and indifferent and mostly w... more The real badness in the world is ours, is human. The world is united and indifferent and mostly we do not know what it is. Cosmology is outside our reasonable possibilities. "We speak evil of the world, but in it there is no evil but ourselves, nor ghosts, nor monsters, nor other things. The world has no eye, nor does it realize that one man is angry while another is enjoying pleasure. Each man reasons depending on how his personal wealth is going; the world does not have friendships or conflicts with anyone, it does not get overjoyed nor is ruthless towards others, does not love or stop loving, has no skills, does not answer or call. It is one at all times, the same when it is reviled as the day when it is highly praised. A man who enjoys pleasure considers the world as something good, considers it a friend; he criticises the afflicted, considering him an enemy; those who know do not find any change in it: changes depend on the recipients. They are not made by the sphere of the sky, which does not move for love, nor does it get passionate about anything." 1 Evil does not lie in a thing in itself, in the world, but how it affects us, favourably or unfavourably, and hence a good knife for cutting bread is bad when it is stuck into a human being. A thing can be good and bad at the same time, depending on how it is used or relates to us. It is not indifferent as such, it is good because it is something, and bad too, through what it is not or ceases to be vis-à-vis others. Santob says that the world, in general, cannot be considered as bad. Nature is not bad, we are. The real evil, according to the classical tradition of Christian thinkers from Augustine of Hippo, would be of a moral nature and found in man, from whom many disasters arise, since there are many human beings who suffer because of others, often gratuitously, like the case of unscrupulous bosses and workers who survive as slaves in the Third World. Physical harm, the tragedies that are commonly suffered in nature by animals and plants, pain, harm and death, would either be basically caused by original sin and ultimately by human beings, following the theological interpretation, or only as they affect us. In this sense, this would not be evil in itself, but something due to us and in us, in line with the anthropological interpretation of Protagoras whereby man would be the measure of all things. It can also be interpreted

It is imprudent to work for money and a waste of time. The learned does not work in what he does ... more It is imprudent to work for money and a waste of time. The learned does not work in what he does not need. Wealth should be shared and give benefit to others. Good actions are values in themselves. Santob’s hyperbolic language.

Every pleasure has limits, but we continue our research, looking for something new. Humankind nee... more Every pleasure has limits, but we continue our research, looking for something new. Humankind needs new knowledge and new things. The spiritual pleasure is most important and always grows, whereas physical pleasures diminish. Friendship is valuable. It is about the quality and hierarchy of moral values, and how badness and goodness are present in the same human.

Miserable people can be great. It is very important to think before acting. There are dangers in ... more Miserable people can be great. It is very important to think before acting. There are dangers in writing and words, but spoken words can be changed in our memory or by interest. Speaking words are like winds, but writings remain and go to the other part of the world.

Immoral success is defeated at the end. Self-control is necessary. Poverty gives more freedom tha... more Immoral success is defeated at the end. Self-control is necessary. Poverty gives more freedom than wealth does. Nobility in the soul makes be high with the highest, and easy with humiliated, and it doesn’t complain. It is easier to manage crooked people with strong actions. Negativity is stronger. One bad person is worse than ten good people.

The Birth of Thought in the Spanish Language, 2017

I Congreso: "Enseñar filosofía, 2003

Renovación de la enseñanza de la filosofía retomando modelos libres y abiertos de conocimiento.

Springer eBooks, 2017