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
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