musings as the semester comes to an end (i.e. doing something to distract from finals)
i think that one of the major problems with the cynical sort of nature that emanates today's society (or at least one that i've noticed has become popular among my group, and that i've bought into at times) is the thought that we are all victims to some degree or another. now, that doesn't necessarily mean that we are particularly persecuted and that someone special has made it their mission to ruin our lives; i'm talking about a general attitude that things are a certain way, that way is fucked up, and there isn't a thing we can do about it except sit there and take it. it's the idea behind social and personality theories like freud and skinner and watson: that we are products of forces beyond our control, be it societal or internal, and that we're just along for the ride. another example that i've been struggling with in a philosophy class is the idea of free will, in that if we are physical beings governed by similar laws that falling rocks and protons adhere to, we have about as much say in what we do as they do.
now why i see that as a problem is that it encourages a lackadaisical sort of attitude where one becomes a passive spectator in their own life, and when things go wrong they take to blaming their parents or whatever new mental disorder is chic. it discourages people from taking responsibility for their actions and the repercussions therein, and more importantly, it discourages people from taking control. i mean taking an active role in their own lives and determining their own goals, in shaping themselves as a person and doing things that they know mentally, morally, and personally are right.
if you're a law and order fan like myself, you may see things like this from time to time; a person clearly is guilty of a crime but is not convicted and held accountable because he or she is deemed a "product of society". as a psychology major, i know as well as anyone that situational factors can have a great impact on thoughts and behavior. but i think the problem involved in this is that people get caught up in this way of thinking. such cases where this holds true are extreme and rare; not every suburban kid is a product of bad parenting and should get a free ride for the rest of his or her life, just as every urban minority child can be expected to live the American dream. there are extreme cases of success just as there are extreme cases where situational factors are insurmountable; the middle ground is just that, it's what you make of it.
the opposite view is as one would expect: it is the view that a person is an active agent in his or her life, able to create goals and standards by which to live and adhere to them as much or as little as he or she chooses. it is an optimistic (and therefore, in my opinion, healthier) view that there are multiple realizations to being happy or satisfied in life, and it is up to us to pursue them. now, whether we succeed or fail could depend on things that happen along the way, things beyond our control. but it is in trying that one can hope to succeed, and it is really in hoping that one can get anywhere in the first place. to put it in a somewhat searle-ian way, it is not answering the question of whether we have free will or not, but rather operating under the assumption of free will.
what makes me optimisitic in this view is that most fields that i have studied have more recently taken to this vein of thought: philosophy, personality psychology, and so on. but just as a thought for the upcoming month or so, just think about what you're doing to make your own life and the lives of those around you better.
now why i see that as a problem is that it encourages a lackadaisical sort of attitude where one becomes a passive spectator in their own life, and when things go wrong they take to blaming their parents or whatever new mental disorder is chic. it discourages people from taking responsibility for their actions and the repercussions therein, and more importantly, it discourages people from taking control. i mean taking an active role in their own lives and determining their own goals, in shaping themselves as a person and doing things that they know mentally, morally, and personally are right.
if you're a law and order fan like myself, you may see things like this from time to time; a person clearly is guilty of a crime but is not convicted and held accountable because he or she is deemed a "product of society". as a psychology major, i know as well as anyone that situational factors can have a great impact on thoughts and behavior. but i think the problem involved in this is that people get caught up in this way of thinking. such cases where this holds true are extreme and rare; not every suburban kid is a product of bad parenting and should get a free ride for the rest of his or her life, just as every urban minority child can be expected to live the American dream. there are extreme cases of success just as there are extreme cases where situational factors are insurmountable; the middle ground is just that, it's what you make of it.
the opposite view is as one would expect: it is the view that a person is an active agent in his or her life, able to create goals and standards by which to live and adhere to them as much or as little as he or she chooses. it is an optimistic (and therefore, in my opinion, healthier) view that there are multiple realizations to being happy or satisfied in life, and it is up to us to pursue them. now, whether we succeed or fail could depend on things that happen along the way, things beyond our control. but it is in trying that one can hope to succeed, and it is really in hoping that one can get anywhere in the first place. to put it in a somewhat searle-ian way, it is not answering the question of whether we have free will or not, but rather operating under the assumption of free will.
what makes me optimisitic in this view is that most fields that i have studied have more recently taken to this vein of thought: philosophy, personality psychology, and so on. but just as a thought for the upcoming month or so, just think about what you're doing to make your own life and the lives of those around you better.