Honest Work: Chapter 3 Good Life Cont.

1. The Good Life HW Chapter 3: pp. 104-114

2. From last class…. • The good life should be planned (Solomon) • The plan should involve developing a skill for goodness (Aristotle) • Goodness is relative to one’s career: one should know whether they want to make their career meaningful (Bee not Grasshopper). (Ciulla) • The good life must include developing one’s intellect. (Epicurus) • The good life is affected by one’s environment, namely that it allow for inventiveness and charity (Carnegie) • Greed is not a characteristic of a good life (Shimmel)

3. …to this class • Leisure is complex, but necessary for a good life. (Ciulla) • Integrity is complex, but necessary for a good life. (McFall) • Being indifferent provides bonus power for a good soul. (Russell)

5. Joanne Ciulla: Leisure and Consumption Historically, “work” = “not leisure” (activities not freely chosen or intrinsically good). Hence, work was seen as secondary to leisure. Three Varieties of “not work” (Chesterton) • Doing something (e.g. novel reading) • Doing anything (e.g. walking in the park) • Doing Nothing (e.g. laying in one’s bed)

6. Joanne Ciulla: Leisure and Consumption Historically, “work” is “not leisure” (activities not freely chosen or intrinsically good). Hence, work was seen as secondary to leisure. Three Varieties (Chesterton) • Doing something (e.g. novel reading—amusements) • Doing anything (e.g. walking in the park—de Grazia’s ‘state of being’) • Doing Nothing (e.g. laying in one’s bed—Protestant ‘laziness’) What is the ‘best’ kind of leisure???

7. Joanne Ciulla: Leisure and Consumption • Different kinds of “best:” • Amazing! [Consuming Entertainment] (Capitalism) • Efficient/Inefficient (Henry Ford/Protestant) [Ciulla believes this is illegitimate.] • Existential Meaningfulness (de Grazia)

8. Joanne Ciulla: Leisure and Consumption What is the ‘best’ kind of leisure??? Question 1: What would you want to do if you could do anything? (Capitalist Question  Amusement Answer) Question 2: What would you want to be the thing that you would want to do if you could do anything? (Existentialist Question  Meaningfulness Answer)

10. Lynne McFall: Integrity Varieties of Integrity: • Belief: One’s beliefs fit like a puzzle • “I believe it is wrong for anyone to lie but me” • Actions: One consistently applies their behavior to their beliefs. • Lying is bad = I do not Lie • If one notices a hypocritical tendency, then they change either their behavior or belief • Intentions: The reason for why one acts is consistent with their behavior and belief. • I do not lie because I believe that lying is bad and I intend to act on that belief.

11. Lynne McFall: Integrity Varieties of Incoherence (no integrity): • NO Principled Belief: “Physical pleasure is the greatest good.” • NO Principled Actions: “Every action should result in maximum approval.” • NO Principled Intentions: “Every action is based on maximizing my benefit.”

12. Lynne McFall: Integrity Integrity = Commitment to an Intrinsic Value Intrinsic value means that you would want it even if you could not have it. What’s YOUR intrinsic value? Whatever you would die for. (If there is nothing you would die for, perhaps you are not a person that is a good candidate for having integrity.)

14. Bertrand Russell: Impersonal Interests Expanding the horizon of possibility is necessary to being good at one focal point on that same horizon. “The [person] capable of greatness of soul will open wide the windows of his mind, letting the winds blow freely upon it from every portion of the universe. He will see himself and life and the world as truly as our human limitations will permit; realizing the brevity and minuteness of human life. (114)”

15. Bertrand Russell: Impersonal Interests • If one’s interests are narrow, then their life is narrow. • A narrow life is “petty, self-seeking, troubled…, dreading.” • Hence, if one’s interests are narrow, then their life is “petty, self-seeking, troubled…, dreading.” The cure is impersonal interests that expand the horizon of the mind.

16. Smallness of Soul • A small soul: • Regards only, “instinctive wishes.” • Aims are, “narrow and personal.” • Life is, “feverish and confined.” • World is, “means to its own ends.” • Attitude of, “arrogant dogmatism.” • Worldview is, “definite, finite, obvious.” • New things are, “contemptuously rejected.” • Conforms to, “tyranny of custom.”

17. Greatness of Soul • A great soul: • Regards only, “all things as possible.” • Aims are, “wide and impersonal.” • Life is, “calm and free.” • World is, “the non-self-its own end.” • Attitude of, “liberating doubt.” • Worldview is, “indefinite, infinite, uncertain.” • New things are, “considered possiblities.” • Conforms to, “the universe-the non-self.”

18. Greatness of Soul and Good Life Which words are more synonymous with the Good Life? • A great soul: • Regards only, “all things as possible.” • Aims are, “wide and impersonal.” • Life is, “calm and free.” • World is, “the non-self-its own end.” • Attitude of, “liberating doubt.” • Worldview is, “indefinite, infinite, uncertain.” • New things are, “considered possibilities.” • Conforms to, “the universe-the non-self.” • A small soul: • Regards only, “instinctive wishes.” • Aims are, “narrow and personal.” • Life is, “feverish and confined.” • World is, “means to its own ends.” • Attitude of, “arrogant dogmatism.” • Worldview is, “definite, finite, obvious.” • New things are, “contemptuously rejected.” • Conforms to, “tyranny of custom.”

19. Bertrand Russell: Impersonal Interests What are examples of “horizon” expanding impersonal interests? • TV • Vacation • Amusements • ….

20. Bertrand Russell: Impersonal Interests What are examples of “horizon” expanding impersonal interests? • TV • Vacation • Amusements • …. For Russell, only ACTIVE interests merit expansion. (e.g. “education”)

21. Bertrand Russell: Impersonal Interests What are examples of “horizon” expanding interests? • Real adventure • Engaging different Cultures • Leisurely pursuits • ….Your education (only if actively engaged)