Last class we talked about how we would round the bases on days we did not get into groups. Dr Oliver mentioned "someone is bound to post something and you can just comment on that!"
Well, it's Wednesday night and that hasn't really happened yet.
I don't speak very much in class. I tend to keep my opinions to myself because let's face it, my opinions are just that: opinions and during a class such as ours, opinions sometimes get confused as someone thinking they're spouting "truth" or whatnot, and that opens the door for veering WAYYYY off topic.
So here is your chance to state how you feel about the topic at hand. How do you think experience contributes to our happiness? Do you feel as if we can be "happy" about certain things without ever really experiencing them?
What about perspective? Have you had an instance where your perspective has given you a different emotion towards a situation than someone else? Ever had that thought "how can they find this a good thing?" Or "why don't they see this as a happy thing?"
To answer your question, "Have you had an instance where your perspective has given you a different emotion towards a situation than someone else?"
ReplyDeleteI certainly have, and feel this is quite common unless one lives in a mental sphere of complete objectivity and finds a way to rationalize everything catering to everyone's point of view.
Factual Question- What three sorts of goods were specified by Aristotle about contributing to happiness?
Answer- Goods of the soul, bodily goods, and external goods.
As for a discussion question for Bok's next chapter, do you in any way agree with Artistotle's that a complete life is needed for judging a person's happiness? What is a complete life to you- length of years alive? number of novel experiences cultivated?
In class we were discussing the bliss experience chamber, and whether one would do it or not- to express my opinion- if this chamber adapts as we adapt circumstantially to fulfill it's promise of incessant bliss, we would certainly experience a very broad range of positive phenomena. The number of different phenomena would be contingent upon how quickly you adapt and get used to some form of bliss or comfort, among other variables, and could possibly provide one with a feeling that they have lived a full life at the end of it. I myself cherish even the negative end of the spectrum of emotion and can in fact enjoy being sad or melancholic at times. My mood fluxuates rather quickly, so giving up negative emotions and experience would be, in my case, ridding myself of something that makes my unique beingness, not so human. And there is plenty of room for philosophical debate about whether or not what's experienced in the machine is considered "real" or not. Do you think it should be considered real?
Here is a link that contains some rather useful tips for your day and life- not that you have to or should follow any of them- but some are rather helpful for me. This article is titled 50 Life Secrets and Tips.
http://www.highexistence.com/life-secrets-and-tips/
I know that my perspective on life/how I feel has been shaped enormously by my experiences/circumstances (of which I have had plenty of both good and bad). I feel -lucky- to have had all of those experiences and to have been shaped by them in such a way that I feel somewhat good about the person I am--although I am definitely still and perhaps forever figuring that out. I think that this echoes back to what we discussed in class about the experience machine and this idea that perpetual bliss (with no negative experiences) is not appealing to everyone. So the question becomes, what is valuable about negative experiences? I think the obvious answer to that question is the perspective which those experiences offer us. It is important to be mindful that those perspectives come as a result of those experiences, perhaps not visible until years later. It is true that while going through the negative stuff of life we may not be "happy", but (hopefully) it is during these times that our perspective/attitude is being changed--we are provided with a chance to grow, and discover something meaningful about ourselves and the world around us. I say "hopefully" because although I believe strongly that we may choose how to respond to the circumstances of our life, I also think that there are times/situations when it can be incredibly difficult/perhaps impossible to make choices which help us find the meaning in our sorrow. Dean talked about this in his post bringing up the question about people who suffer great injustice/oppression and how the idea of "having a choice" probably rings hollow for them. I think that this is probably true for a lot of people throughout their lives. Sorry if this is skewed, but here's a quote that I really like from a recent movie called Cloud Atlas (based on the novel by David Mitchell): "Freedom. The fatuous jingle of our civilization. But only those deprived of it have the barest inkling of what it really is."
ReplyDeleteI know that there are plenty of people in the world whose sufferings have been far worse than mine. I know that there have been people who, unlike me, had no hope to overcome those situations and "be free". But, I can say that in my own -experience-, my worst suffering is something I value (now that I am able to look back on it) because going through those negative experiences gave me a thirst, a will to get through them. It made me realize that life is given to us, and we must take what we are given and do something with it, and what we do with it is, for the most part, our choice. "To whom much is given, much is required."
Our suffering only becomes valuable at the point in which we can find some kind of meaning in it (Man's Search for Meaning-Frankl). We do, I believe, have a choice to find that meaning and live for it, but that doesn't mean that we will make that choice, and I would say for some, unfortunately that choice never appears or comes too late.
When you are able to find the meaning in your suffering/negative experiences are you happy? Maybe not...all the time. But, you are aided with a shield against those "buffeting forces of life" that Bok talks about, which, I think gives you a -wider perspective- and a better chance at the very least finding peace and content.
Other formalities:
ReplyDeleteFactual question: Who said, "Happiness . . . consists in having many passions and many means of satisfying them." ? Answer: Charles Fourier
Discussion question: What do you think about Fourier's quote and how it relates to the university? Do you get the idea that the people around you are unhappy? I mean, you have all these 20-somethings walking around, trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their life. It's my opinion that the university does not offer or perhaps encourage enough opportunity/time/freedom to young people to discover their many passions and means of satisfying them. Instead, I feel students often get trapped into narrow degree paths, under the belief that the degree is what they need to get the job they want... I've had discussions with one of my professors who served as the faculty senate president last year about the direction that American universities are heading in as "job training" and viewing Liberal Arts programs/degrees as a "waste of time/money". What do you think about all this and how it relates to happiness?
This is kind of what I'm getting at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-j-ray/the-value-of-a-liberal-arts-education_b_3647765.html
Not to be the druggie guy, but I feel as though dissociatives really could teach some alot in this case, as far as opening ones mind up to intricacies of emotion, and exposing the details behind "euphoria" and "happiness."
ReplyDeleteAtleast in my experiences, these drugs tend to give off a sense of "contentness" for lack of a better word, that I've only experienced elsewhere during a rather long meditation set.
It's a sort that doesn't make you giggley or "happy" like THC or Alcohol, but makes you deeply introspective, and if you are in the right conditions, vastly appreciative of the world around you THE WAY IT IS. While you can hallucinate, hallucinations have always been within the realm of "reality" or whats already inside of you, none of the famed psychedelic rainbows and unicorns of LSD. For the record, I've never met anyone whose done LSD see those rainbows either.
In anycase, the only point I'm trying to make here is that bliss is PURELY chemical, so is "content", "happiness", and any other convoluted emotion, which means that whatever form of "happiness" you were looking for could be found from an external source (bliss machine, drugs, a pharma drug that didn't make you kill yourself.)
Dissociatives are your Salvias, DMTs, DXMs, and PCP like drugs BTW.
DON'T DO DRUGS.
Drugs and happiness are a pretty controversial subject, but I definitely agree with the feelings they can bring and how they can influence your feelings of happiness. Unfortunately, there is so no way of knowing that you're not going to have a really bad time instead, so I would never encourage it either. Also, I haven't heard of anyone whose done LSD describe the stereotypical rainbows and unicorns either!
DeleteFactual question:
ReplyDelete"What is SWB?"
Factual question: Finish the quotation by Stanley Cavell: "The achievement of human happiness requires not the perennial and fuller satisfaction of all needs as they stand but the __________ and ____________ of these needs" (Answer: examination and transformation)
ReplyDeleteDiscussion question: What are some of your own definitions of happiness? Why did you define the term as such?
John--I completely agree with you and your stance on the Experience Machine thought experiment, and I'm sure that Nozick would give you a thumbs-up as well. The point of the experiment is to get us to evaluate what we think truly brings happiness to our lives and to establish whether or not negative experience is necessary for "the happy life." I, too, find that the full range of emotions, especially during introspection/reflection, provide a much broader scope for happiness rather than a continuous stream of positive events that don't provide situations through which we can compare/contrast differing emotional outputs. While I cannot say whether the happiness felt in the chamber would be "real" happiness or ficticious, I can say that I enjoy the feeling of overcoming obstacles far more than simply never running into any. Ironically, it's when I haven't struggled that I start to question whether or not I'm truly happy.
Rebecca--Cloud Atlas was an incredible movie! Thanks for that quote. I really like that you brought up perspectives and the CREATION of them throughout our lives. It's important to point out that growth occurs in-hand with struggle and disappointment. How would we evaluate acceptance in that machine? What would we be forced to accept? Would there EVER be an instance wherein we would be pushed outside of our comfort zone, and simultaneously, forced to look inside ourselves and wonder what caused the boundaries of that comfort zone to form in the first place? What are the boundaries? How were they stressed? etc.
It is during these moments of contemplation that we do, as you've mentioned, broaden rather than narrow our perspectives :)
And a link to Mark Manson's article on being happy:
http://markmanson.net/happiness
Mark Manson is a wonderful read for anyone who wants a no-nonsense point of view. He's very personable, and practically all of his articles are worth a glance. I suggest that when you finish the article (or if you don't even want to read it), at least peruse through his other pieces.
(And also, thank you for posting this, Megan!)
ReplyDeleteFor factual clarification...(because I condone the use)
ReplyDeleteDMT is actually a alkaloid tryptamine like Psilocybin (mushrooms) that falls under the category of psychedelic, not dissociative although I could understand how one would confuse the two. From personal experience, I promise there is a distinct difference between the effects of DMT and Ketamine and it is a severe injustice to associate a drug sometimes called the spirit molecule with the likes of PCP...but maybe I'm an elitist psychonaut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4FaDMak-TQ
ReplyDeleteDMT: The Spirit Molecule
Featuring Joe Rogan
"Fear was never a factor, Joe Rogan...I smoke rocks."
Tyrone Biggums
(Maia Lewis)
ReplyDelete" Do you feel as if we can be "happy" about certain things without ever really experiencing them?"
People are frequently happy about experiences that aren't "real". For instance, you could have a delightful, satisfying dream that makes no sense whatsoever, but you would wake up, remember part (if not all) of the dream, and start your day in a good mood. Another example is hallucinating via drug use. Many people have deep, meaningful, life altering experiences while on drugs that never technically happened. I suppose it boils down to how one would define "real."
Factual question: What does "eudaimonia" translate to in English? (having a good guardian spirit)
Discussion question for chapter 3:
If we were to make a list of criteria for a happiness evaluation, what would you put on the list?
Here's a fun little happiness test for anyone interested: http://www.psychologies.co.uk/tests/do-you-know-how-to-be-happy.html
Thanks Megan! I also tend to keep my opinions to myself just in case they are misinterpreted. My factual question about the chapter Discordant Definitions is what are three questions Bok focuses on that have been debated by philosophers throughout time?
ReplyDeleteMy discussion question is whether or not you think that others would be better at judging your happiness than you? Do you feel like you are open enough with others about your life and your feelings for anyone else to have a validated opinion?
I really want to check out the book, "Plato and a Platypus Walked into a Bar." Has anyone ever read or heard anything about this humorous take on philosophy?
ReplyDeleteI feel like, if I understand the question correctly, that experiences tie in almost hand in hand with our happiness and what develops what makes us happy. All my life, I have grown up playing tennis therefore nowadays, tennis makes me happy. Some people dislike tennis, so for them it does not make them happy. But I do understand why this does not make people happy. Also, I dislike baseball, yet some people love and makes them happy. Personally I don't see whats so great about it but I can understand their feelings.
ReplyDelete