Hello Philosophy Society!
Discussion 1: Richard Rorty Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature
Our first discussion was a basic summary of the book by an American philosopher.
In Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, Rorty discusses how we cannot conceptualize knowledge as a ‘mirror’ to nature. Knowledge is not a direct identity relationship to nature but it can be a representation of it.
In the second chapter of the book, Rorty discusses an analogy of a species of intelligent beings called the ‘antipodeans,’ who instead of initially developing mathematics, physics and chemistry, first they developed psychology and the philosophy of mind. The antipodeans talk about our experiences like sadness and joy neurologically so if someone was sad, they would say ‘C-Fiber 345’ is firing. Rorty was illuminating the difference between how we communicate our internal psychological states as qualia like experiences whereas in the thought experiment of the antipodeans, they had definitive and operationalized terms for each of these states.
Discussion 2: Sexual Objectification
Attraction is natural. It usually becomes a problem when men only see women as a sexual object; as in the workplace, or they dehumanize them and don't see them as people with feelings. In intimate relationships objectifying each other is part of sexuality. There is a healthy balance in the dichotomy of subjectivity and objectivity of our human nature. It's not wrong to have sexual feelings. Attraction is a good thing if it is from a healthy perspective.
Discussion 3: Feelings and Relationships
It is important to not blindly follow our feelings or lack of feelings but to understand them. Learning the awareness and control to know what the things are that produce the feelings we have is essential for a healthy life and relationships. If you take away some of those properties in our everyday lives and connections with others, the feelings will change. Reflect and understand your feelings so that you can create the exact kind of life that you want.
In relationships, it is important to have the ability to communicate and be receptive to the perceptions of others so that we can maintain the positive context with those we are involved with. Relationships fail because people are unaware of how they are interacting. These interactions with others affect them and only through communicating can we understand how our actions make others feel.
We can take control and explain to others what is going on so they can adapt. That is a necessary skill in any truly successful relationship. Otherwise we are letting chance determine the fate of our interactions. People have felt things in the beginning of their marriages and those they date but then the course of the relationship leads to its end. If we develop an understanding that we have an effect on each other, we can control the course of our relationships.
People can build successful relationships with awareness, communication, understanding and acceptance because they are in control of it. We can make things work because we empathize, communicate and understand. Let the initial connection be the ignition for the course of the relationship but there needs to be some navigational conduct to maintain a healthy course for an extended period of time. For example, children need their parents to be stable and healthy for the optimal social environment for their development.
If the initial feelings were all that mattered then why did all those previous relationships fail? They were based on initial feelings. It's because feelings change based on different factors. If you are able to be aware of those factors, communicate them, and change your behavior, the feelings will follow.
What does it mean to have a healthy relationship? If you expect things to just fit and work out your wrong. If we learn to talk about our feelings, we can guide our relationship in the way that is best for all the people involved. To expect feelings to happen automatically is not realistic hence why so many people are unhappy in their relationship or they get divorced/ break up.
Sometimes we can become perfectionistic and expect everything to just fit but that's not how the universe works. Maybe we have to take things that are almost there and give them a little push. We have to create the 'perfect' world we want for ourselves. Don't rely on a whimsical 'things will just work out attitude.' Humans have agency. That defines them from everything else in the cosmos. We have the power right now to have something wonderful.
The first relationship begins with yourself. This is the meaning of becoming an adult: you have learned to meet your basic needs and manage your emotions. You have learned to take feedback from others and understand perspectives aside from just your own. Once you have developed this style of living, then you will be in a position to entertain a healthy relationship with another.
Discussion 4: Philosophy of Mental Health
Our minds are governed by laws of nature. One of these laws is the process and mechanism of socialization. Socialization is a force that drives us towards things in our experience that we value. We are constantly being socialized by others in our experiences but are predominantly developed into our values as children. Some values and habits that we have acquired at a very young age are not conducive to our mental health and living a good life. If we are able to create a social context where the habits and principles that are in line with a healthy mind, then we will have two outcomes
First, we can retroactively treat existing mental health issues. This is what psychotherapy and rehabilitation clinics are for: to teach people how to interpret and interact in their experiences such that it is a more healthy lifestyle. Secondly, learning the avenues of a healthy mind, we can proactively prevent mental health issues from occurring. If one learns how to develop and filter thoughts, they can avoid the creation of negative thinking patterns which will prevent issues like depression. If one learns mindfulness meditation at an early age, they will have the tools to deal with symptoms of anxiety or obsessive compulsions.
The implementation of the socialization process can be done most effectively in certain contexts. The first context is a role model centered around communal living for normal functioning individuals. This context is for individuals who have the agency to listen to feedback from others and actively work on themselves. A trained role model would be present in the community as a guide through situational issues.
The second context is for those who do not have agency due to personality disorders, neurological problems, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, etc. These individuals cannot actively engage in self-control or self-awareness and need a higher level of support in the form of medical professionals in a living context. A psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, nurses, and different instructors for activities would be needed to guide specific kinds of groups based on their disorders in living the healthiest lives they can.
It is important to separate regular agents from non-agents in the socialization community style programs because the non-agents will deteriorate the health and community of the agents. For example, someone suffering from alcoholism can and most likely will create serious problems for individuals who do not suffer from the same condition. Putting the alcoholic into the agent normalized community setting will drastically reduce the overall efficacy of the groups health.
It is better for social cohesion and socialization effectiveness to separate groups based on agency and condition so that issues of one condition do not create secondary conditional issues for individuals without the condition. For example, a narcissistic tendency to be interpersonally manipulative will dramatically affect a normalized agent group in a very negative way. Ethically, from a utilitarian perspective, the greatest happiness for the greatest number can be achieved by segregating groups based on condition so that the harm from each condition is isolated to those that already have it.
Lastly, the workplace is one of the most important contexts to create a healthy minded socialization community. Here, the role model is contingent on the supervisor or the owner of the company. Some companies may be doomed in some ways if that role model lacks agency due to some pathological condition. Screening workplaces as safe environments based on the agency of the role model would be the first step in establishing a socialization community program.
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