I am intrigued by the qualitative values of Emotion and Superstition. How does Superstition help to create happiness, unless through delusion? Or do we include Religion in that category? I don't reject that at all, it is interesting that something irrational could be more natural and helpful.
I chose "emotion and superstition" as supposedly derogatory terms that are sometimes tossed at people who question our current obsession with number-based rationalism. That said, you bring up an interesting question: Is there a connection between religion/superstition and happiness? Are they delusional pursuits?
My short answer is that we have to remove some of the baggage from those terms and consider them at face value. I believe that superstition shares the same goal as science. It is a sense-making pursuit; a way of using what knowledge you have to explain what you observe and/or to try and exert control over some elements of your existence. It is not difficult to connect those objectives to some level of happiness. Indeed, many philosophers would assert that our belief that science can address all of the complex problems that we have created on our planet is supremely delusional.
The variation of that which we call religion has an even greater purpose. (By "religion", I include the spiritual cultures of indigenous people and our ancestors, going back tens of thousands of years, as well as the organized doctrines of the last few centuries.) A religion is a set of beliefs, values, and practices - a way of communicating a community's value system. Without shared values, a community cannot be happy.
Personally, I have always believed that when we look back on the creation stories told by indigenous people, for example, we often miss the point. To begin with, we have to grasp the difficult distinction between a very useful "belief" and 'rational' or literal truth. I suspect that the 'scientific' knowledge of our ancestors was far more advanced than we could ever know. They communicated this knowledge in stories, not because they didn't know any better, but because stories encapsulate so much more than lists of facts and formulae. They are enjoyed; they will be remembered and retold; they have relevance and context; they allow the learner to place themselves within the narrative; and they bring the knowledge and values alive.
You were interested that something irrational could be more natural and helpful, to which I say love is irrational; self-sacrifice is irrational; so much of what makes us human is ultimately irrational. Ironically, I am trying to present a rational argument for valuing the irrational.
A key is your sentence “Alexander said: “Hang on! The poor rat is alone, bored, and miserable,” and that money can buy happiness. Happiness and its counter, unhappiness, are related to boredom, which is the primary driver of the economy of the West” - middle-class so-called life. With adequate money, you can offset boredom, and the relief from boredom is similar to the opiate addiction, you keep needing more escapes from boredom since the previous one gets boring. Try to think of one aspect of the economy that doesn’t relate back to boredom reduction. And yes, this relates to social stresses, since the government is happily layering on more and more stress on the population.
I am intrigued by the qualitative values of Emotion and Superstition. How does Superstition help to create happiness, unless through delusion? Or do we include Religion in that category? I don't reject that at all, it is interesting that something irrational could be more natural and helpful.
I chose "emotion and superstition" as supposedly derogatory terms that are sometimes tossed at people who question our current obsession with number-based rationalism. That said, you bring up an interesting question: Is there a connection between religion/superstition and happiness? Are they delusional pursuits?
My short answer is that we have to remove some of the baggage from those terms and consider them at face value. I believe that superstition shares the same goal as science. It is a sense-making pursuit; a way of using what knowledge you have to explain what you observe and/or to try and exert control over some elements of your existence. It is not difficult to connect those objectives to some level of happiness. Indeed, many philosophers would assert that our belief that science can address all of the complex problems that we have created on our planet is supremely delusional.
The variation of that which we call religion has an even greater purpose. (By "religion", I include the spiritual cultures of indigenous people and our ancestors, going back tens of thousands of years, as well as the organized doctrines of the last few centuries.) A religion is a set of beliefs, values, and practices - a way of communicating a community's value system. Without shared values, a community cannot be happy.
Personally, I have always believed that when we look back on the creation stories told by indigenous people, for example, we often miss the point. To begin with, we have to grasp the difficult distinction between a very useful "belief" and 'rational' or literal truth. I suspect that the 'scientific' knowledge of our ancestors was far more advanced than we could ever know. They communicated this knowledge in stories, not because they didn't know any better, but because stories encapsulate so much more than lists of facts and formulae. They are enjoyed; they will be remembered and retold; they have relevance and context; they allow the learner to place themselves within the narrative; and they bring the knowledge and values alive.
You were interested that something irrational could be more natural and helpful, to which I say love is irrational; self-sacrifice is irrational; so much of what makes us human is ultimately irrational. Ironically, I am trying to present a rational argument for valuing the irrational.
A key is your sentence “Alexander said: “Hang on! The poor rat is alone, bored, and miserable,” and that money can buy happiness. Happiness and its counter, unhappiness, are related to boredom, which is the primary driver of the economy of the West” - middle-class so-called life. With adequate money, you can offset boredom, and the relief from boredom is similar to the opiate addiction, you keep needing more escapes from boredom since the previous one gets boring. Try to think of one aspect of the economy that doesn’t relate back to boredom reduction. And yes, this relates to social stresses, since the government is happily layering on more and more stress on the population.