distraction study guide

two kinds of gratitude

An undistracted life requires gratitude Charis This form of gratitude is a source of relief and kindness we feel for a benefactor Gratitude of slaves These are people who lived without liberty Anonymous gratitude Gratitude towards existence itself, not a benefactor We cannot choose our birth or the hardships out of our control, but we can still be grateful foro existing in the first place Instead of distracting ourselves, we can smile at the opportunity to live This leads to pain, loss, and sacrifice, and compromise But it also leads to play and free time which is necessary for freedom To seek emancipation from distraction is to accept this form of liberty as a thank you for your existence

why was necessity powerful to the greeks

Ananke was a goddess called the dark mother of the fates She had no temples since no prayers could change necessity We all must confront necessity In aristotles time, the slaves had to confront her The well off people had a life of liberty while the slaves cooked and cleaned daily

why is tech the ultimate distraction but crucial for everyday life

Any escape for technology would be counterproductive to the progress we have made We just need to form a relationship with technology to promote our liberty instead of weakening it

how do we narrow our gaze with art

Art can enrich and clarify our lives as an antidote to distraction But its easy to restrict our imagination and narrow our perception so we don't get the full effect of art

matisse says art is the path to what

Art is the path to self-possession It liberates us from life's commonplace distractions, like the feeling of needing to do a career because your parents want us to

eliot

Artists must live an ordinary life to be productive He seems to be the perfect model of this as a young married man and devoted christian The epitome of a bank employee In reality, his life was pretty exceptional His marriage was awful and they butted heads alot He made himself extremely busy through his writings and bank clerk job Poverty and illness motivated him to work hard Felt guilt about not living up to his fathers expectations so he worked to make himself feel useful He was also motivated by his want of order in the world Felt like most of life was just "play" and meaningless, and work gave him clarity and discipline His hard work paid off as he became famous for his work done

spinoza on freedom as a life without distraction

Avoid distractions and be able to perceptively attend what is worthwhile Not easy to do, which is why he underwent "waged liberty" where he kept his job to pay the bills but it gave him free time to seek freedom

foucault the care of self

Being free means to not be a slave to oneself Seen as a political statement Allows for a life of self direction and self sufficiency

bildung is a theory of

Bildung is a theory of community Community was a free and enlightened engagement with the past and present culture

how is distraction used as a common political tool

Bushes top gun stunt Distracted ppl from the hardships of the iraq war by making him seem like a war hero and that we were winning Political figures are also just a distraction and a way for you to vote the most sellable person

value and its relation to distraction

By being distracted, we are taking our attention away from something that we should value more

harmony of art and life

Can be seen within henry jame's epiphany and transformation He sought art and life and no longer used art to escape from his life struggles He linked his instinct for intimacy with his creative impulse which led to him being less distracted, more conscious and allowed him to step out of his own world and into the world of others and also intertwine it with his art "Life without art is a poor affair" Theres a constant struggle between solitude and isolation and living amongst others and forming relationships

dewey on acceleration of life

Dewey says that the acceleration of life is dangerous and contrary to our nature to work hard and fast for little award Acceleration is a barrier to productive work Conflict begins when the business emphasizes tomorrow's profit over today's professional satisfaction Makes the workplace a site of enhanced acceleration and enhanced profit Leads to employees cutting corners and doing half ass jobs Makes people see work as no longer enriching and just a way to pay the bills

dewey on experiences

Each little part of the word is experience These experiences have their own rhythms with a beginning, middle, and end Can be seen in daily tasks like writing or driving All experiences come to a fruition, like parking your car in the garage or finishing the pasta And we genuinely enjoy these climaxes Our joy is bound up in this experiences

both eliot and marx believe:

Employment can be boring and unenjoyable, but it brings us closer to what we want out of life and lets us reflect on ourselves Both led lives of drudgery but used their hard work to lead them to achievements and honors

hellenic philosophy of judiasm into christianity and necessity

God was a lawgiver even though it was built on foundations of love and grace God was the ultimate necessity of all things

what was true art to heidigger

Greek architecture Was true art, or the art that speaks of being Shows the differences in things that made them what they were and reveals the need of play Gave art a grand mission of connecting it to being

why did he leave the roman empire

Had a consistent realism and wasnt a victim of egosm He said that if you only had a short time to your life, its pointless to waste time on dead ends The roman empire was draining his hours and endangering his family, so he wanted to avoid those distractions Was not advocating for a retreat from society or to disobey politics as a way to embrace your freedom like bakunin

difference between foucault and senece

He did not retreat from politics like seneca did He was involved in political parties and publicly spoke about his thoughts Like seneca, he was resistant to battleground politics and the negativity it breeds

proust relaiton to ruination of art

He was a sickly man who traveled to balbec with the hopes of being blown away by the town, only to be let down and it wasnt up to his expectations Finally learned to appreciate from a painter who taught him to see it through philosophy and imagination

how was mill not like bakunin

He was level headed, diligent and logical unlike bakunin

how does musils novel relate to heidigger and neitschze

Heidigger says that distractions help relieve anxieties of life We are afraid of our own consciousness and aware if we are too alone and quiet and distractions can silence and suppress those thoughts Nietzsche says that we take refuge in distractions as well Takes our mind off the burdens of life, but this makes what is valuable to us hard to identify and ultimately diminishes our liberty

bakunins downfall

His lifelong inability to focus and concentrate on his overall goal is his downfall He acted on impulse and really would jump on any organization or idea he came across. He just moved from disaster to disaster He was too focused on his dreams of liberty that he never focused on himself, like foucalts ideas He lacked the qualities that would have truly freed him so he never embodied the freedom he was searching for

eliots point against marx

His point was that there is a large middle ground as to why people work vs marx's extremes of creative labor and basic desire of want Says that work takes up our time and energy, but we utilize work to redempt us from things like loneliness and guilt and work is a crucible for our passions and how they can be turned into tangible awards Says work is not a distraction from our finest aspirations to a good life, its a way to strengthen and deepen our chance of achieving these aspirations

henry james life

James had a luxurious life and found a distractive sanctuary through literature He had a friend miss woolson who was also a great writer but was often depressed They had a very close friendship, and he told woolson that he would come to her in italy, but she committed suicide before he came delayed his arrival due to being distracted by his work This is commonly seen in modern day, where we allow work to distract us from more important things like the people closest to us, or we seek refuge in our work from hardships in life especially if our work is rewarding By the end of his life, he was the same man but with different priorities He was warmer and openly affectionate as he wrote love letters to men He finally allowed life to touch him instead of having to retreat to his writing His transformation shows a modern example as to how sexual attraction, gender roles, and power are relevant today as a way to seek a fulfilled life He ended up embracing love and life instead of using art as a distraction Nowadays, if we are feeling a lack of closeness to others, perhaps this example can be an insight to our struggles

art and the emancipation from distractions of ordinary life

Kazantzakis Old age was bad for him and he was very ill He never lost his aesthetic bravery as he kept writing He loved art in every aspect Can be used a a good distraction

how was bakunin like seneca

Like seneca, bakunin agreed with the personal withdrawal of politics and going towards retreating and also wanted to destroy the government

similarity of foucault and seneca

Like seneca, he sought freedom in the creation on ones character

matisse life

Matisse was a lawyer but hated it. He had a severe hernia and was bedridden, and his mother gave him a painting set to distract him, but he fell in love with art These tools werent supposed to be taken seriously, but it led to matisse ending his law career and becoming an artist Initial distraction became the overall goal Found true happiness in art instead of law and therefore found freedom in art More of a psychological payoff than a stable job

digital distractions

Modern day is very jamesian in nature In a world filled with so much communication from tech distracting us, this can give us even more reason to want to be alone We can see instant relaxation from tech like online browsing, text messages while doing everyday duties These modes of online communication are less draining then face to face communication James would say that this form of self isolation through technology should not dwindled intimacy with others in order for us to live fulfilled lives

between two extremes of drugery and psych fullfilment, there are other motivations to work

Motivated through anxieties and fears May feel guilty about not living up to our parents expectations May desire peer recognition As parents, you may want to escape the chaotic house of children and partners to go to a quieter office Work can be a place to transform passions into something productive Leads to you using work in a creative way

heidigger on narrowing our gaze

Narrowing our gaze is dangerous especially when we use art as an asylum We can sometimes lack the ability to shake our prejudice and our encounters become restricted as be become numb to novelty and diversity

judeo chrstian civilixzation and necessity

Necessity inspired fear and obedience Jehovah was a wrathful god who sent commands out of necessity Jonah MUST build the arc

why is necessity dangerous to greeks

Necessity is dangerous to independence as it threatens to encroach upon our liberty

bildung needs what

Needs culture to exist and succeed Big part of culture is language as they tightly interweave a culture's thoughts, emotions, and perceptions To speak german was to take on a different world than a frenchman

reasoning behind the man without qualities

Overall, he shifts from one distraction to another within his careers and can never truly reclaim the promises of his talents he possesses Ulrich knows what he values, but he never chases the most valuable thing: himself He is just a handful of abilities and talents but he has lost his freedom and liberty to distraction Lacks a strong character

what is the best way to make the most of your life by senenca

Philosophy was the best way to make use of your life Believed professional life and politics were dangerous as it distracted men from philosophy and robbed them of a fulfilled life His work was ways to reclaim individuality by refusing the tyranny of fickle men like nero

purpose of bildung

Purpose of bildung was the perfection of character, not glory or happiness Our duty is to be free, not happy Free meaning to perfect our individuality by creating ourselves wih the aid of our cultural inheritance

how does mill relate to seneca

Says liberty is an ongoing cultural achievement instead of a simple matter of egotism Relates to seneca and the idea that freedom can be sought in character and also humboldt with the idea that culture is involved

kazantzaki

Says technology is a way to better ourselves as it increases the strength and reach of the human spirit, but eventually, the horse mounts the rider and thats when you get miserable workers

Senecas philosophy

Seneca's main necessity was free time and that you must not waste it All a happy life needed was clarity and diligence in order to know what you want and to be diligent in getting it and free time allowed for this self determination A wise man calmly follows his goals and dismisses the distractions around him, unlike bakunin

what did bakunin think of states

States are a blend of nature and culture but they were aggressive to the system and citizens Their existence was founded on deceit and violence and that is the only way to maintain them States put citizens to work and war and bakunin wanted to liberate them

marcuse on technology

Technological oppression was not accidental and was actually needed for modern society Tech is progressive for many as its insight and innovation leads to our comfort and leisure Machines are neutral No vested interests or psychological weakness but it is still destructive as it organizes society Tech is the basic logic of necessity that marks the modern era Necessity transforms our consciousness as technology organizes us as a society Makes us unable to resist or invent new possibilities for our identity and beliefs This diminishes our freedom as tech becomes second nature to us

aristotle and necessity

Technology is necessary for freedom In order to reach the basics of life like food and shelter, we must use tools to provide them Slaves were just tools that provided the basics of life He said one day slaves would be replaced by machines

what idea did seneca and foucaoult have but not bakunin

The creation of clarity, honesty, and strength is an alternative to political distractions not bakunin bc Genuine freedom requires a struggle against authority AND a more enhanced engagement with oneself

dewey on joy being squashed in the work place

The narrow goal of productivity standardizes rhythms and leads to a working life where the present enjoyment is sacrificed for more productivity You just become a slave to keeping machines running at high paces

foucaults governmentality

The rights and liberties of a democracy are deceiving, they may give freedom but it goes hand in hand with control We are rendered to be obedient to things such as school, church, medicine, ect. We are shaped to be loyal workers and consumers

weber and aristocracy of salvation

There is a division between the people who are damned and the people who will spend eternal life in heaven This is chosen by god and you have no control of the outcome, so this leads people to practice their faith by working to show that you were useful to god and to prove they had a good soul

william james on freedom and distraciton

This is the brother of henry james He suggested that his brother battled very common anxieties and longings and that desires for distractions from intimacy are normal The biggest urge of all is to love (alongside fear and play) As a scientist, james couldnt totally speak on freedom as it couldn't be dwindled down to atoms and molecules, but he did say that we gain freedom the moment we regain our self-possession If were deprived of liberty, we act in good faith but then we often retreat into ourselves

neitzsche's parable of the three metamorphoses of the spirit

This parable defines the dilemma of modern work The camel bears the burden of life Suffers, endures, and struggles while being a slave to a master Eventually grows tired of bearing the master's burdens and ventures into the desert to carry its own burdens The camel become a lion The lion has the ferocity and strength to say no to the master and demand its own freedom It can fight for freedom, but cant create its own values Lion becomes a child Only the child in play can discover what is the highest and most joyous about ourselves

bourdieu finds social reality behind art as its just a battleground for class and status

This pure taste for art is just due to climbing the social ladder Those on the bottom are closed off from the art world all together as they don't have enough money to enter Have basic life necessities to fill before art Mid class also sees art as a non necessity and beyond their every day cares High class lack the drudgery of these two other tiers, and so they don't have basic life necessities to worry about, and therefore can dive into the art world bc they have money

dewey on time

Time is also contaminated in the process Professional time is serious and important, and free time is for play and refuelling If time is money we should evaluate what we do with both and make sure to use our money to secure free time which is a way to cultivate liberty

how is this parable related to the challenges in the modern workplace

To endure busy work and its distractions To say no to subjugation To claim the freedom of a child

musil's the man without qualtities

Ulrich is the epitome of a modern gentleman and enjoys the fine things in life and is very intelligent As a young man, he was convinced he was destined for greatness and joined the cavalry to try and become a general like napoleon to conquer the world Didnt work out as he was distracted by women, which put him on the bad side of senior officers So he quits the military and takes up engineering He doesn't like that its not perfect enough, so he leaves and goes to mathematics While being a mathematician, he thinks one day he'll be claimed a genius but it never happens, so he goes on to live a bachelor life

values represent what

Values represent our choices on what is important to us, so if we give something value, we are saying " I only have so much time and energy, so this is what is best"

bakunin story

Was an anarchist who didn't want any rulers or kings Anarchism is self governance and true liberty with the state interfering Still doesnt mean rejecting the society or community States are a blend of nature and culture but they were aggressive to the system and citizens Their existence was founded on deceit and violence and that is the only way to maintain them States put citizens to work and war and bakunin wanted to liberate them

impulses and balancing them

We are always mediating between two impulses (schiller) Sensuous impulse and formal impulse Sensuous impulse is material, tangible, and webbed into the muck of everyday life that becomes heightened by the culture to become sensitive and open feeling / seeks life Formal impulse is intangible, ideal, and perfect and gives clarity to ones life / seeks living shape When these two are opposed, they run rampant When they are balanced, there is a perfect unity of impulses as "play" and allows for creativity So, by uniting these two impulses leads to art cultivating humanity

heidiggers call of conscience

We have the awareness to be something rather than nothing Reminds us of our existential responsibilities We can flee this by distracting ourselves, but in order to escape distractions we have to be decisive about what we value since we must be the ones to live and die (machines cant do that) Unlike cyborgs or machines, we have the weight of liberty and the opportunity to craft our lives We need to reaffirm our own existence to overcome distractions We can enforce tech's limits even if we cant fully escape it You don't have to answer the phone while on a hike

how do we banish distraction

We must form a life of freedom and to do that we must possess liberty by seeking what is worthwhile and not allowing other things to pull you away from thi

what is best regarding values

Whatever gives you power = the best life for ourselves that gives us independence and enhances our liberties Gives us the freedom to develop a good character

overall concept of the text

When we are distracted, we are pulled away from things that are worthwhile

spinoza's life

Worked outside academics as a lens grinder He was given a job offer at a university but turned it down because free time and philosophy was more valuable than fame and fortune He viewed academia as a distraction to his work

why is distraction the opposite of freedom

You fail to see what is valuable or worthwhile in your life

youngs comments on heidigger

Young says connecting art to being is dangerous as this can lead to stifling creativity and open-mindedness Very dangerous when art is seen as a sanctuary Art can lead to fantasies and distract you from hardships in life, but when our intellect wanes and our horizons narrow then we begin to only seek things that confirm our prejudices and quickly alters our mood If you see a photo that has a crane in it, you can say that its ugly due to your own prejudice, but if you have a sense of openness, something heidegger lacked since he only allowed art to be connected to being, then art just becomes a distraction from unwelcome thoughts and emotions We need a more courageous gaze to fix this narrowness to face unknown possibilities

youngs critique of plato

Young says plato exemplifies distraction as his whole philosophy is a distraction from real life's sacrifices and compromises Plato seeks solace in an imaginary perfection and looks to the next life, while young wants us to focus on the life we have now Distraction at the very core is the inability to confront situations of humanity The reason for the significance of values since we must seek the right decisions in our waking hours The reason for values isn't found in plato's philosophy, but you find it in the real world instead as they inform our judgement on what will bring us the most insight and happiness

youngs final recommendations for living life of liberty

Young states that distraction's opposite is a life full of liberty We develop wrong values and this is the ongoing struggle of life Diminishes our well being Distraction is a retreat from ourselves and from the world we mistakenly embraced We shouldn't seek refuge from ourselves and the world but we instead should take up the challenge on existing or "being" during the time we have As heidigger said, we are dying already, so we only have a little time to live We must have an honest recognition of what is life affirming or inspiring and to not be distracted by corruption or misunderstanding This takes a lot of what the philosophers mention and also plato's imagination

the intellectual history of necessity

aristotle and slaves, greeks and ananke, jehovah, and christianity

whats another way to view the two sides of marx

between the idea of work being a drudgery to pay the bills and work being psychologically fullfulling Work can be fulfilling, creative, enriching and a means to cultivate our character

where is the only place creative labor can work

can only work in a socialist society where the citizens run the industries and government We must overthrow the government in order to obtain this

how is james relevant to today

commonly seen in modern day, where we allow work to distract us from more important things like the people closest to us, or we seek refuge in our work from hardships in life especially if our work is rewarding His transformation shows a modern example as to how sexual attraction, gender roles, and power are relevant today as a way to seek a fulfilled life He ended up embracing love and life instead of using art as a distraction Nowadays, if we are feeling a lack of closeness to others, perhaps this example can be an insight to our struggles

marx's two-sidedness of work

creative labor and the basic animalistic desire of want. If we view work as a way to gain psychological fulfillment, then we no longer will view it as drudgery to just pay the bills. Workers can be viewed as isolated individuals that undergo the basis of all work which is to live, destroy, create, and transform like animals since we are a part of our natural environment

eliot is an example of what

example of usefulness of work

how did spinoza define freedom

he defined freedom in his work We are free when we are authoritatively being ourselves and not controlled by the demands or expectations of someone else We can be free and gain liberty until we form an "I" that resists the demands of others Freedom is a life without distraction

how was he different than the others

he was hesitant with the state, but not against it like the others He had a political career that was ennobled by the confident cultivation of liberty and used his free time to better his character

feelings of being disapointed by art is due to what

is a conflict with status and class Higher class may enjoy life but are put off by the mess of everyday life Lower class may view galleries as arty farty and snobby Mid class has a middle ground to these views

bakunin was an example of

misguided freedom

developed nations are driven on what

on the need for technology like factories, transport, and innovation But this type of necessity for tech can diminish our freedom The more mechanicalized our lives, the more we fall into line Technological necessity runs our lives Life runs smoothly with technology, but we are not in control

seneca story

patience diligence and dignity amid the insane roman government Was the tutor of the roman ruler nero and eventually became the chief minister of rome Nero was very cruel so he gave up his riches and retired to the country This made nero mad as he felt like seneca was casting a shadow onto himself, so he wanted him dead Seneca killed himself due to this

what does modern politics diminish

self governing and autonomy Takes away your freedom instead of giving you it in democracies

bildung meaning

self realization, self development, and self culture

spinoza's life shows us

that we can turn everyday work into something more ambitious by giving ourselves free time that helps us create true liberty

why does young refer to robert musil

to explain how distractions can become part of your identity

with tech advancements, what do we get closer to

to the mind of god. Therefore, machines are taking the place of nature and this allows us not to worry about relentless necessity Machines act as our slaves 24/7

what was matisse's art a tool for

tool of self expression to show his "world" and to express himself as he transcended the ordinary The distraction of painting became a personal liberation Art didnt replace true reality, it just became its own reality: pure freedom

what is the heart of modern poltiics

war -he worst thing for a ruler to do is be distracted from war by "pleasures". The enemy wants you distracted when they strike, so distraction is a favored tool for an enemy War is just an overall common distraction tool

how are we different from animals in regard to work

we are free to do creative work. An animal only produces what it needs, a human can produce free from any physical need and allows us to reflect on our own condition, which is crucial for psyche

when did we domesticate necessity

with math and then to scientific law