Many of Joseph Engineers’ phrases about mediocrity come from his best-known work, “The Mediocre Man. “In this text, this Italian-Argentine thinker reflects a great ethical treatise that still stimulates consciousness today.
José Ingenieros was one of Argentina’s most prominent intellectuals of the early twentieth century, and also one of the most multifaceted. He was a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, criminologist, philosopher and pharmacist.
- In the end.
- This great intellectual was what could be called a true humanist.
- In the broadest sense of the word.
- Joseph Engineers’ statements about mediocrity show his eagerness for perfection in the human being.
- Here some of his most interesting statements.
“Sometimes they dare to call their ideal appetites, as if the desire for immediate satisfaction could be confused with the desire for infinite perfections. Are appetites satisfied; Ideal forever?-José Ingenieros-
Many of Joseph Engineers’ phrases refer to imitation, he regards it as one of the main characteristics of mediocrity in any order in which it appears, in this regard it says: “The mediocre yearns to be confused among those around him; the original tends to differ from them. While one is content to think with the head of the company, the other aspires to think with his.
Engineers speak of imitation as a gesture that expresses the renunciation of being oneself, of thinking for oneself. It emphasizes that behind this attempt to be like the others, there is a fear of reaffirming itself. Also inability to create. Thus, he notes: “The capital function of the mediocre is the imitation of patience; Is it that of man superior to the creative imagination ?.
If José Ingenieros was an intellectual very attached to science, in his exploration of the world he was also motivated by religious concerns; in fact, some of his texts were dedicated to the occult and theosophy, he has always tried to reconcile his scientific training. with religious beliefs.
Therefore, many phrases of José Ingenieros are dedicated to religious manifestations. One of them comments: “The absence of strong beliefs makes the mediocre a fanatic. Is faith confirmed by confronting opposing opinions? In this declaration, the coexistence of a rational and faithful spirit is clearly visible.
The vast majority of Joseph Engineers’ phrases are devoted to the praise of intellect, originality, and the ability to think independently. This statement is very representative of his reflection: “Swallow without digesting, even mentally packaged: they do not know this man does not live from what he swallows, but from what he assimilates. “
It is a call not to “swallow everything”, but to analyze and evaluate the intellectual content that comes to us. This statement, like many others in “The Mediocre Man,” is certainly full of harshness. This thinker was characterized by his sharp scalpel. He deliberately used language that sought, in addition to denunciation, the challenge and, therefore, change.
In several sections of his work José Ingenieros bets on dynamism, passion and vitality, characteristics that he considers typical of sentient beings, which cannot remain indifferent to everything around them.
In this sentence, for example, he states: “A man of good character is capable of showing sublime waves, like the ocean; domesticated temperaments, everything seems shallow. “It is a text that exalts passion and sensitivity. For him, mediocrity leads to the inability to react.
Regarding the routine, José Ingenieros says: “The routine is a fossil skeleton whose pieces resist the weevil of the centuries. She is not the girl of experience; it’s your caricature. One is fertile and generates truth; the other is sterile and kills them?”He argues that routine is the denial of experience, the latter requires a consciousness, contrary to routine, one way or another, routine paralyzes thought according to its appreciation.
Engineers releases several criticisms of the various forms of adaptation, especially those involving self-denial and abandonment of one’s own thoughts to please a group. However, he also makes a statement that proves to be wise and liberating. It states: “The diversified adaptation of each individual to their environment depends on the balance between what they imitate and what they invent”.
These are just some of Joseph Engineers’ wonderful phrases about mediocrity. Reading your texts faces all areas of ourselves where fear dominates. His work, in general, is an invitation to be, to reaffirm himself and to seek originality and perfection above any other. Objective.