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Herman Tønnessen, so you're a professor in philosophy.
Yes.
But you've been working abroad.
Yes, primarily in California and Canada.
But now you've been a professor in philosophy for 25 years, and now you've recently retired, and come back to old Norway.
In one of your many publications, in one of your books, you have instead of a preface chosen a Bible quote.
But you're not especially religious are you?
No, I don't think so, others have accused me of it, but I don't consider myself religious in any way.
But that quote is something you stand for then. Even if its from the Bible. The quote is «The one who increases knowledge increases suffering»
Yes.
But as a professor in philosophy for many years and university lecturer you must have increased a lot of suffering then?
Well, that I actually don't think I have done. Because, what I've been primarily occupied with is logic, scientific theory and things like that.
There are a lot of information you can have, or insights you can have, that don't touch upon the essential problem with the situation of humanity.
The human condition on earth. The whole situation of the world, if you will.
So its information about the human situation that is a source of suffering, in your view?
Exactly. On that plane its its best to have as little insight as possible if you have happiness as your highest goal.
So, the less you know, the better?
Absolutely. The less you know the better.
The only way to lifelong happiness is to be kicked in the head by a horse before having the duty of going to school as kid. Then you can be happy.
So, lucky are the subconscious ones then?
Oh yes, as subconscious as possible you have to be.
So, you've also said several times that you have as a leading point in your life to choose the truth. How can you know that you have found the truth?
No, that's a bit misguiding. I'm not saying that I've found the truth.
To choose the truth is also sort of misguiding one some sense..
But what I'm actually saying is that I will spend my time to guard myself as good as I possibly can against my own tendency to self-delusion.
At the same time, paradoxically, I don't want to, I don't like, you know, the angst, bleakness and the horror of existence.
and I also want to be as most people, happy and so on.
You can't choose both the truth and at the same time luck and happiness?
No, the way I see it that's impossible.
I know though that there exists happy creatures.
Like dolphins. It has always seemed to me like they have to have it incredibly fun.
And I remember thinking when I moved to America by boat, and the dolphins flew and played in front of the boat.
I thought, oh the one who could be a dolphin.
But I can't be both a myself and a dolphin at the same time.
You have also chosen another preface quote by the author Gabriel Scott.
«Our poor old life from this mother earth is nothing but a big old lie.»
Yes yes, but thats nice southlandish old Scott who says this. That all to nice of him, because life isn't EVEN a lie.
If life could have been a lie then it could have been a possibility for any truth. Or at least, that there existed any hope of a meaning of any sort.
and that is, the way I see it at least, a logical impossibility.
It doesn't suit to talk about lies when you talk about meaning of existence. Its not possible to talk about anything like that.
You have to be what one calls a pessimist?
Oh yes, that I think most people would say.
Can you understand that some people can be optimistic, light-minded and happy?
Oh yes, that I can understand. If I can understand dolphins then I can understand people who are light-minded. But then..
Then they have to be, well, either they have to fantastically good, better than I have even been, to delude myself.
Or there has to be something.. to the result of being kicked in the head or something like that.
Okay, lets now meet a person like that.
A person like that?