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Independent philosophy publishing has an unusual search challenge. The ideas are often timeless, but the language is nuanced; a powerful essay may explore courage, uncertainty, humor, self-overcoming, or radical acceptance without using the exact phrase a reader enters into a search box. The work may remain relevant for years while being buried in a growing archive. Self-Inflicted Philosophy is the work of Gary Z McGee, a former Navy Intelligence Specialist turned philosopher

“Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” ~Pablo Picasso Rules are meant to be broken. It’s one of the oldest aphorisms in human history. But there’s a difference between breaking them like a pro and breaking them like an amateur. Amateurs have no discipline. They are all chaos and no direction. They have potential but no potency. Their incompetence is outshone only by their ignorance. They break the rules like a toddler having never understood th

“I would rather be chained to this rock than be the obedient servant of the gods.” ~Prometheus What is promethean audacity? Promethean audacity is deviating from the ordinary to discover the extraordinary. It’s practicing Dionysian disobedience despite Apollonian obsequiousness. The kind of disobedience that courageously balances light and dark, joins summit with abyss, and baptizes one’s badness into one’s best. It’s the realization that true excellence comes from learni

“With great power comes great responsibility.” ~Stan Lee Understanding Wealth in Society As long as poverty exists, the idea of “being rich” is deceptive. Why is this? Because wealth loses its authenticity when it stems from the neglect or exploitation of others. Extreme wealth, found in a society filled with hunger and homelessness, should be viewed as a sign of imbalance rather than a personal triumph. Psychological studies on happiness, such as the Easterlin Paradox, indic

“After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.” ~Italian Proverb In the infinite game of life there are a finite number of games playing themselves out. All of which are trivial, arbitrary, and finite. These finite games range from board games such as chess, Risk, and poker; to broader games such as marriage, paying taxes, and having a career. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, even at the expense of play itself. An infinite game is played for t

“The crisis of modern society is precisely that the youth no longer feel heroic in the plan for action that their culture has set up.” ~Ernest Becker Heroism. Excellence of character. Supererogation. Courage (andreia), as a moral virtue. We all strive for it. We all honor it. We all hope to discover it. But we are surrounded by its lack. We are outflanked by heroisms opposite: comfort, conformity, cynicism, and short-term self-interest over long-term risk and sacrifice. O

“Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation” ~Sir. Issac Newton What exactly is High Humor? High Humor is a mix of nonattached laughter at absurdity and a radical openness to fallibilism while honoring virtue. Where courage frees character, moderation balances character, wisdom guides character, justice stabilizes character, creativity grows character, and honor unifies character, High Humor overcomes character. It’s the only virtue that is transcendent.