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Toni Wolff: the only purpose in people’s attitude is to recognize

Zarathustra Seminars

Miss Wolff: In a measure, the only purpose in people’s attitude is to recognize, to reach the meaning. Then that is a purpose of life.

Prof Jung: Well, I would say that either awareness, or sense, or mind, or intellect, or spirit in a metaphysical sense-always try to persuade us that, by their results or their statements, the ultimate truth could be established-and that that would be the meaning of life altogether.

For instance, the scientific intellect makes it a purpose of its existence to establish a truth, as if that were the real goal of life; and as mentality could be made the goal of life, so another function can make another goal, create another meaning of life, and try to persuade us that that is the only thing.

You see, when functions are differentiated in a one-sided way, when you are always living on one function, then that function gets the better of you and insists that the whole meaning of life is nothing but that.

But if you know that you are not identical with a function-if you are the subject of your functions, not the object-then you can say, my goal is so and so, and the function is subservient.

That is what Nietzsche wants to bring about.

Naturally, if you are identical with one function, that function tries to persuade you that its data, its realities, are the meaning of your life.

Therefore, you should see that you are the master of your functions, that you are the subject of your functions, and not the object.  ~Zarathustra Seminar, 386-387