Transcript Chapter 7

Romanticism
Arises in the mid-1700’s with the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Reaction against Enlightenment emphasis on rationality and Empiricist, Sensationalist,
and Rationalist philosophies
Argued that human emotion, instinct, intuition, and subjective experience were as
important or even more important to both understanding human nature and to living
the good life.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1788): held a generally
positive view of human nature, but argued that our natural
social tendencies are perverted by social conventions. Free
of social constraints human were ‘noble savages’ whose
feelings of empathy, community, and social concern would
guide us to moral behavior
General will vs. individual will: Humans are
naturally social animals and possess both a desire to
live in harmony with others (GW) and a selfish
concern for well-being (IW). The critical role of
education and socialization was to expand the GW
and minimize the IW. Too often, civilized life does
the opposite.
Connection to
Humanistic Psychology
(Carl Rogers) which
emphasized our natural
tendency toward
positive growth, given
the ‘right’ social context
Romanticism
• Wolfgang von Goethe 17491832: Human existence consists
of oppositional experiences and
forces (health/illness;
elation/misery; love/hate,
success/failure, etc.).
Passionately embracing both
oppositional poles leads to
growth.
Arthur Schopenhauer 1788-1860.
Accepted Kantian distinction of
noumenal (external) vs.
phenomenal (experienced)
worlds. Noumenal cannot be fully
known, but is manifest in our
experience as ‘will to survive,’
which leads to endless cycles of
needs – satisfaction seeking –
transient pleasure – need again.
This is suffering (influence of
Argued for Phenomenological
Eastern Philosophies) and greater
approach to studying human
intelligence and self-awareness
experience, meaning the “whole”
subjective experience had to be
means only greater suffering. Best
studied, do not reduce to
option: sublimation – redirection
individual elements. Did studies in Anticipated Freudian psychoanalysis
of desires to non-survival pursuits
perception (contrast effects, color with emphasis on repression of survival
(art, intellectual, music, Platonic
urges to unconscious mind to break
perception), argued for
love, etc.).
evolutionary view of humans, pre- cycle of suffering through more
Darwin.
constructive expressions of urges.
Existentialism
• Emphasized human freedom to chose meaningful paths in life
• As with Romantics, viewed subjective experience and feeling as central to moral behavior.
• Encouraged the critical examination of subject experience in order gain insight into one’s
personality, purpose in life, and morality.
Soren Kierkegaard 18131855. Truth is experience,
cannot be achieved through
reason. Institutional dogma
inhibits the personal
experience necessary for
true knowledge, thus
knowing God (and
therefore what is True and
Moral) must be derived
through a relationship with
God, not through following
Church dogma.
Stages of personal freedom. (1)
Aesthetic: behavior driven by
hedonism, seeking pleasure,
avoiding pain, desiring
excitement, not boredom, not
real freedom. infantile stage. (2)
Ethical: Following social or
institutional norms, rules of
conduct, choosing to be good
based on external guidelines. (3)
Religious: requires ‘leap of faith’
in God and divine morality. Freely
choosing to following divine
morality despite desire (1) or
social convention (2).
Existentialism
Convictions: belief that one has found
truth. Societies and conventional
moralities provide these to individuals.
Source of social conflict. Meaning
requires rejecting institutional
convictions (such as those from religion).
Truth comes from within (connection to
Cynics)
Superman: when one
achieves mastery over self
(directs passions in most
effective way, skills,
discipline, grit), one
becomes SM, controls own
destiny, is beyond
conventional morality. A
Rugged, competent,
unafraid individualism.
• Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900. Argued for
hyper-individualism. Personal meaning in
life central task for all. Cannot come from
religion, science, or even philosophy. Can
only come from individual striving for
mastery over his condition so as to achieve
his/her full potential – the will to power.
Duality of human nature:
Apollonian vs. Dionysian. A is
ordered, rational, tranquil. D is
erotic, chaotic, irrational. It is
Dionysian passion that drives
the will to power, but without
some reasonable control it run
off recklessly, unfocussed.
Reason gives passion goals
and direction, leads to
actualization of full potential