The Enlightenment by Kaunt

Casting "light" or "night"?

In Act 2 of Tristan and Isolde, Tristan explains his previous behavior by contending that 'deceitful day' had blinded him, by appealing to his ambition, desire for glory, etc. Love for Isolde, on the other hand, has made him "night-sighted" -- he sees behind conventional appearances of 'day' and 'appearance/shine' to the truth of 'night.' This truth seems to involve an experience in which various separations and boundaries fall away: between people, between the human being and the world, etc. I asked you to discuss the relative virtues and faults of being 'light- or 'night-sighted', and to write down your thoughts in a sentence or two. Please post your thoughts below in the comments section to this post below.

Looking forward to reading what you have to say...

Art Strum

Chris Porter

After the guardians have first made their domestic cattle dumb and have made sure that these placid creatures will not dare take a single step without the harness of the cart to which they are tethered, the guardians then show them the danger which threatens if they try to go alone. Actually, however, this danger is not so great, for by falling a few times they would finally learn to walk alone. But an example of this failure makes them timid and ordinarily frightens them away from all further trials. -Kant, “What is Enlightenment?”