Philosophy
Had my 20 year high school reunion last weekend. I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with wonderful, smart, spirited people. Catching up brought a flood of emotions. For the most part, people I had lost touch with, but thought about often, ended up on paths no one could have predicted, living interesting fulfilling lives.
Of course, then there was Narcissus. He was a star athlete, extremely popular, you know the type. Used his social power to make sure that others, hypothetically, let's say the more nerdy set, knew they were below him. Arrogant jerk does not even begin to describe him. It turns out that his "adult" life is...well, mundane would be kind. While those of us who were taunted came back to compare lives of enrichment with interesting jobs and wonderful families, his glory days were half his lifetime ago. In the room, the old lines delineating the various cliques were still there, but the old power structure among them was no longer in effect. Looking at Narcissus across the room, a very deep sense of schadenfreude came over me -- even more so when I realized I could tell him that to his face and he would remain powerless (mostly because he couldn't pronounce "schadenfreude").
Ever since, I've been feeling a bit guilty about it and it's given rise to three questions:
(1) Is the feeling of schadenfreude a positive emotion in that it celebrates a sense of retributive justice or is it a negative emotion in that it is immature, petty, and vindictive? Should I feel bad for feeling superior and wanting to dance about singing "nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah"?
(2) Does it even make sense to judge emotions in the same way we judge the morality of actions since I didn't choose to feel this way? Emotions just happen. Can't we only judge that which is freely chosen? Is this a category mistake?
(3) When I go into the restaurant that he manages, should I make him call me Doctor Gimbel or Professor Gimbel?
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- Me And My Uncle: Justice, Irony, And Schadenfreude
One of the pieces in The Grateful Dead and Philosophy that I really love is the one written by own playground playpal Hanno. It's called "Me and My Uncle...and Thomas Hobbes" and examines a question that arises out of the Dead's most performed...
- Those Pesky "moral Dilemmas"
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Philosophy
Am I Being Petty, Immature, and Nasty Here?
Had my 20 year high school reunion last weekend. I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with wonderful, smart, spirited people. Catching up brought a flood of emotions. For the most part, people I had lost touch with, but thought about often, ended up on paths no one could have predicted, living interesting fulfilling lives.
Of course, then there was Narcissus. He was a star athlete, extremely popular, you know the type. Used his social power to make sure that others, hypothetically, let's say the more nerdy set, knew they were below him. Arrogant jerk does not even begin to describe him. It turns out that his "adult" life is...well, mundane would be kind. While those of us who were taunted came back to compare lives of enrichment with interesting jobs and wonderful families, his glory days were half his lifetime ago. In the room, the old lines delineating the various cliques were still there, but the old power structure among them was no longer in effect. Looking at Narcissus across the room, a very deep sense of schadenfreude came over me -- even more so when I realized I could tell him that to his face and he would remain powerless (mostly because he couldn't pronounce "schadenfreude").
Ever since, I've been feeling a bit guilty about it and it's given rise to three questions:
(1) Is the feeling of schadenfreude a positive emotion in that it celebrates a sense of retributive justice or is it a negative emotion in that it is immature, petty, and vindictive? Should I feel bad for feeling superior and wanting to dance about singing "nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah"?
(2) Does it even make sense to judge emotions in the same way we judge the morality of actions since I didn't choose to feel this way? Emotions just happen. Can't we only judge that which is freely chosen? Is this a category mistake?
(3) When I go into the restaurant that he manages, should I make him call me Doctor Gimbel or Professor Gimbel?
- What Is Love?
To recognize its 50th anniversary last week and Valentine's Day today, at noon by the mayor's proclamation, everyone in San Francisco will sing along with Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." A fitting tribute from the city that...
- Passions And Avocations
Weekends are busy. The less short of the shorties has an acting class and the shorter of the shorties is taking a clinic teaching the basic skills of playing catcher. It was exciting watching both of them find their thing, something that was not only...
- The Teacher-former Student Relationship
Having lunch today with some former students who were back for Homecoming Weekend. Good, smart, funny alums who always seem to need recommendations for amazing things they are going on to do. The student-teacher relationship is itself a complex one. How...
- Me And My Uncle: Justice, Irony, And Schadenfreude
One of the pieces in The Grateful Dead and Philosophy that I really love is the one written by own playground playpal Hanno. It's called "Me and My Uncle...and Thomas Hobbes" and examines a question that arises out of the Dead's most performed...
- Those Pesky "moral Dilemmas"
"Are we more -- or less -- moral than we think?" February 22nd, 2011 PhysOrg.com If asked whether we'd steal, most of us would say no. Would we try to save a drowning person? That depends—perhaps on our fear of big waves. Much research has explored...