Robert Peters responds to Satoshi Akima: >>I fight for the Wagnerian cause for the same reason I recently fought >>for the Schoenbergian cause: because there is too much that is neglected >>and misunderstood. > >This is exactly what is so strange for me about the Wagnerites. Why >do you have to FIGHT for him and why is there a CAUSE? My goodness, >it is music. Let the music speak for itself. I'm not looking for an answer to Robert's question, just using it as a lead-in to get some clarification. I've known for a long time that Wagner's music and social/personal views have been discussed and argued over the decades. However, I was not aware that Wagner is considered by some to possess highly significant philosophical views; Satoshi has given me this awareness. My question has to do with the philosophy of the "denial of the will to live". I've always assumed that humans have a strong will to live, perservere, and survive (survival instinct). This other philosophy sounds like the opposite of what I have assumed. Is there a basis in human behavior for the "denial" philosophy, or is it a thought-process possessed only by individuals who have lost their way? Don Satz [log in to unmask]