Positive States of mind and being - Part 1 Flashcards
WHat was the one general point of agreement b/w west and east philosophy?
material world unpleasant; to be transcended → to live a more fulfilled and happy life
When is transcendence possible according to western philosophy?
mostly after death → Western thought, could not be achieved in our own lives
• Not many opportunities to get beyond the unpleasantness of the material world while we are still alive
When is transcendence possible according to eastern philosophy?
transcendence possible during life, personal ability to transcend the unpleasant material world while we are here
- Philosophy and religion _____ in West and separate from psychology, _______ in the East
- seperate, intertwined
- Western religion is not about the human mind, it is about :
transcendence from above, and divine gift of salvation
- East says more about _____ than the west
psychology : who we are and what we do
What is hedonia versus eudaimonia
living a life of Pleasure vs. living a life of virtue
What is the ultimate goal according to hedonism?
pleasure, we want to be happy
- Pursue pleasure whenever it shows up
- Present pleasures should not be deferred for the sake of future pleasures
Accoding to hedonism what shouldn’t we be dominated by?
- Not be dominated by our carnal pleasures → controlled or managed
- We should control, not be controlled by our pleasures
What does pleasure include according to hedonism?
mental pleasure, love, friendship, moral contentment
- Sensual pleasures, however, intellectual life, curiosity, wisdom, knowledge, exploration, friendship, moral contentment
Who was associated with hedonism
Aristippus
Was aristotle associated with hedonistic or Eudaimonic philosophies?
- Eudaimonic (living the good life of virtue)
What are the 2 kinds of virtue?
1) Moral virtue: subordinate sensual appetites to reason
• To reason, mentally control urges, suppress and redirect → Freud
• through practice, not human nature → engage in behaviours that control/redirect innate energies = control them, and pleasure in controlling (pride)
• Moderating desires
2) Intellectual Virtue: wisdom, understanding
• Acquired by teaching → began schools in Athens to teach these things
• Self-understanding
• Knowing the world around us and others
what is better hedonistic or Eudaimonic pleasures?
Best to have a mixture of both
Eudaimonic pleasures are primarily associated with
positively associated with positive affect, emotionality and negatively associated with negative affect
Peaople who persue Eudaimonic goals have…
greater sense of self satisfaction, fulfillment, connectedness to the world around them
hedonic pleasures have advantages in the ____ term but eudaimonic have a ____ term advantage
short, long
how old is hinduism?
more than 8000 years ago (route from which Buddhism sprang)
What is the goal of life according to hinduism?
ultimate self-knowledge and self-betterment (becoming more of who you are, a better person, gain wisdom, self-knowledge)
Define the notion of Karma (Hinduism)
during each life we gain partial understanding and don’t get perfect understanding and so are reborn, status of birth depends on how much self-understanding and virtue we gained in previous life, until we have so much self-understanding they we do not need to be reborn
what improves our position when reincarnated
- Partial understanding and good works (?)
how do we lose touch with our real self? (according to hinduism)
due to involvement with our physical self and its search for happiness
- too attached to material world
How are we liberated from unhappiness and reincarnation (hinduism)
- By achieving awareness of our true self and ultimate reality (Brahman)
what is the foundation of Chinese civilization, even modern civilization
Confucianism
What is the focus of confucianism?
Focus on relationships with others and how we fit in to the society
What must we attain according to confucianism?
Must attain virtue and morality
what are the five virtues central to a moral life (confucianism)?
- Humanity (benevolence, charity, love): behaving well towards others
- Propriety (sensitivity to others; etiquette): expect, good manners, awareness of others
- Duty (appropriate treatment of others): behaviour towards others, the Western golden rule, do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself
- Wisdom: understanding how things are, seeing things clearly (no ego defence)
- Honesty: truthfulness
The way to live a good life has never been a secret but we forget, and it can be difficult to do some of these things
Which philosopher was associated with Taoism?
Maslow