A THEORY OF THE APHORISM

An engaging look at the aphorism, the shortest literary form, across time, languages, and culturesAphorisms?or philosophical short s ayings?appear everywhere, from Confucius to Twitter, the Buddha to the Bible, Heraclitus to Nietzsche. Yet despite this ubiquity, th e aphorism is the least studied literary form. What are its origins? How did it develop? How do religious or philosophical movements arise from the enigmatic sayings of charismatic leaders? And why do some of our most celebrated modern philosophers use aphoristic fragments...[Read more]