Deus ex machina

In Response to Brandon Gaudet (Similar Conclusions)

Not to sound repetitive, but I really enjoyed reading the recent posts by Krystal and Brandon regarding the fact that us philosophers seem to ultimately reach the same conclusions. As Brandon rightly points out, the majorities of students/professors in the philosophy department are in support of veganism, are agnostic, and have an inherent aversion towards capitalism. In addition, this may not be as significant, but I have never met a philosopher that is very conservative in his or her political views. I find this information to be profound because of the fact that many view philosophy as a discipline that asks many questions, but ultimately does not reach many conclusions. I find this statement to be particularly fallacious because philosophy has caused me to question the conclusions I am told by other in a way that no other discipline has.

While perusing through the various blogpost recent published online, another post I particularly found fascinating was Corey’s post regarding the two possible consequences of gaining knowledge. Before I go on, I should elucidate what I mean by consequences. In this case, consequence stands in reference to a optimistic or pessimistic mind state.

So, in Corey’s post, he first mentions the fact that Schopenauer once stated that with the acquisition of knowledge comes further pessimism. While this statement was clearly defined in class, Corey offered another possible consequence of further knowledge: the chance to escape suffering. I was intrigued by this second option because it is something that Schopenauer himself does not explicitly mention. However, it is interesting because it does seem that he did possible support this view as well. Schopenauer of course, was known for his support of eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism; accordingly, he did see a route to escape the endless suffering in life. Taken from this, it could be said that increased knowledge could lead to this realization that the endless suffering could be escaped. Thus, it would almost seem that knowledge would not actually lead to pessimism, alluding to Corey’s second option.

Although this does seem possible, I am not sure whether increased knowledge is what leads an individual towards this state of nirvana. Of course, an individual must obtain the knowledge to begin this process permanent bliss, however, it almost seems like the process itself has nothing to do with the acquisition of knowledge. Instead, it is characterized by the silencing of the mind. In order to end the suffering which is characterized by the endless striving, the philosophies of many eastern religions seemed to advocate for behaviors such as living in the present moment, or focusing on bodily sensations. The goal would be to quiet the mind, not add to it. In this sense it seems that ending the suffering would necessarily be the result of increased knowledge, but rather escape from the process of thinking all together.

In Response to Avery (Inverted Viewpoints)

Subsequent to my reading of Corey and Avery’s blogpost’s regarding pessimism and social class, I immediately wanted to post my own response. First, I found this subject particularly fascinating. In addition, viewed prima facie, based off of my own experiences, I would have to say that I agree with Corey and Avery. It does seem that individuals that represent lower socioeconomic status do seem to be more optimistic. Not to point out the obvious, but the irony in this is fascinating.

The psychologist in me would want to examine the reasons for this relationship. As Avery briefly mentioned, it could be that people from less-prosperous backgrounds need something to give them comfort in the middle of their struggle. Instead of relying on drugs and alcohol, a much better fix would be to have the belief that everything is going to get better; no matter how irrational this belief may be. In contrast the well-off person will not need this mental support system because they will be OK no matter what they believe. This leads into the essential function of an optimistic mind state. While often irrational and misguided, and almost seems better to be optimistic because it allows an individual to function in times of high stress. If an individual decides to adopt a pessimistic mind state, they may not find the mental strength or will to handle many of their future responsibilities.