scholarly journals John Dewey on Stages of Morality and Self-Realization Confronting Death

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-62
Author(s):  
William O’Meara
Keyword(s):  
John Dewey ◽  
Moral Community ◽  
The Self ◽  
Moral Decision ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Moral Value ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Moral Transformation ◽  
Moral Decisions ◽  
Immortality Of The Soul

Much moral speculation has been devoted to the problem, of equating personal happiness and regard for the general good, note John Dewey and Tufts. If I do what is morally right for justice and benevolence, will I necessarily be happy or rewarded with happiness? In fact, some very bad people are happy, and some very good people suffer terribly. The problem thus put seems insoluble in this life and soluble only in the next life in which the bad will be punished and the good will be rewarded. However, Dewey and Tufts argue: “‘the problem is insoluble because it is artificial.’” The argument of Dewey is not that morality is to be viewed as a means to an external end of happiness whether in this life or in a life after death but that morality involves a profound transformation of the self in an ongoing process that aims to transform the self so that one is a fit member of the developing moral community that all moral agents may seek even if one were to die in being true to the moral transformation of the self and of the community. This paper will support Dewey’s argument by a consideration of the way Socrates confronts his death as interpreted by Plato especially in The Apology which is agnostic about the immortality of the soul rather than in The Phaedo which affirms the immortality of the soul. For the dying of Socrates for the central moral value of his life, the examined way of life, is not unique as a moral decision. On the contrary, it is a moral decision that exemplifies what should be going on in moral decisions all the time, that is, precisely the subordination of earlier felt desires and impulses and social roles from babyhood and childhood to the highest moral ideals of the examined way of life and the life of mutual respect in the virtues which Dewey does not, of course, grasp as eternal Platonic forms of moral values. Socrates has always subordinated his life of sensation and emotion to the more lasting values of morality, and he is more deeply happy in finding his self-realization in striving to realize something greater than himself, the ongoing, social self involved in the moral community of self-examination and of virtue than in merely continuing to live.

Expectations from Chinese Muslim Converts for Islamization of Society in Malaysia: Lessons from Life of the Companions (Angkaan Pengubahsuaian Cina Islam untuk Pengislaman Soci-ety di Malaysia: Pelajaran dari Kehidupan Para Sahabat)

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 278-296
Author(s):  
Mek Wok Mahmud ◽  
Sayed Sikandar Shah Haneef
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The Self ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Chinese Muslims ◽  
Process Studies ◽  
Divine Guidance

Reversion to Islam while opening golden opportunities for a revert in terms of divine guidance and spiritual salvation is coming with somewhat insurmountable challenges in terms of Islamization of the self, family and contributions to the overall development of Malaysia as a multi-religious country. This is especially so when Islam as an official religion has made the issue of Islamization of the Malaysian society and its systems amongst the pivotal national agendas in the country.  As to what is the role of Chinese Muslims (reverts) in the process, studies, among others, have purported to present the statistics about their share in socio-economic development. Similarly, empirical studies point to the odds faced by this community at personal, family and community levels in their path for transition to the full Islamic way of life. To the presenters of this paper, however, the macro dimension of what it means to become a Muslim which is essential for adjustment to the Islamic requirements has not been sufficiently highlighted in discourses in the area. Accordingly, this paper presents the position statements on Islamic expectations from Chinese reverts with the purpose of motivating them to achieve greater things in the area of Islamization of their community and the nation to the effect. Keywords: Chinese converts, Islamization, expectations and challenges. Abstrak kembalinya seseorang kepada agama Islam selain dari membuka peluang keemasan dalam mendapat  petunjuk Ilahi dan pengisian rohani turut disertai dengan cabaran yang amat sukar untuk diatasi termasuklah cabaran Islamisasi diri, keluarga serta sumbangan kepada pembangunan keseluruhan Malaysia sebagai negara berbilang agama. Hal ini menjadi satu keutamaan terutamanya apabila Islam memegang status sebagai agama rasmi persekutuan yang menjadikan isu Islamisasi masyarakat Malaysia sebagai satu agenda nasional. Bagi menjayakan agenda ini, peranan umat Islam dari kalangan masyarakat Cina (cina muslim) juga perlu diambil kira. Statistik menunjukkan cina muslim turut mempunyai bahagian dalam menyumbang terhadap pembangunan sosio-ekonomi negara. Dalam pada masa yang sama, kajian empirikal membuktikan adanya bentuk bentuk cabaran yang dihadapi oleh komuniti ini di peringkat peribadi, keluarga dan komuniti dalam perjalanan mereka untuk kembali kepada cara hidup Islam yang sepenuhnya. Bagi kami pengkaji kertas ini, dimensi makro dalam menjadikan dan mengertikan  seseorang itu Muslim terutamanya dalam menyesuaikan diri dengan ajaran  Islam masih belum cukup diberi  penjelasan dan penerangan yang sewajarnya. Oleh itu, makalah ini cuba menerangkan idea dan cadangan yang berguna kepada cina muslim dengan tujuan memotivasikan  mereka bagi  mencapai kejayaan  yang lebih besar dari aspek Islamisasi di kalangan komuniti mereka seterusnya memberi sumbangan kepada negara. Kata kunci:  Cina Muslim, Islamisasi, harapan dan cabaran.

Drafted into a Foreign War?

Rhizomata ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-217
Author(s):  
Matthew Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Philosophy ◽  
The Self ◽  
Spiritual Practices ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Technologies Of The Self ◽  
Analytic Tradition ◽  
Modern Conception ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rational Inquiry

Abstract This paper examines the central criticisms that come, broadly, from the modern, ‘analytic’ tradition, of Pierre Hadot’s idea of ancient philosophy as a way of life.: Firstly, ancient philosophy just did not or could not have involved anything like the ‘spiritual practices’ or ‘technologies of the self’, aiming at curing subjects’ unnecessary desires or bettering their lives, contra Hadot and Foucault et al. Secondly, any such metaphilosophical account of putative ‘philosophy’ must unacceptably downplay the role of ‘serious philosophical reasoning’ or ‘rigorous argument’ in philosophy. Thirdly, claims that ancient philosophy aimed at securing wisdom by a variety of means including but not restricted to rational inquiry are accordingly false also as historical claims about the ancient philosophers. Fourthly, to the extent that we must (despite (3)) admit that some ancient thinkers did engage in or recommend extra-cognitive forms of transformative practice, these thinkers were not true or ‘mainline’ philosophers. I contend that the historical claims (3) and (4) are highly contestable, risking erroneously projecting a later modern conception of philosophy back onto the past. Of the theoretical or metaphilosophical claims (1) and (2), I argue that the second claim, as framed here, points to real, hard questions that surround the conception(s) of philosophy as a way of life.

scholarly journals Restoring the Self in the Language of Beauty and Balance: Esther Belin’s Of Cartography

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (11) ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
Ewelina Bańka
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Urban Experience ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Visual Artist

The article analyzes the collection of poetry, Of Cartography, by Navajo poet and visual artist Esther G. Belin. In the collection, the poet explores the concepts of home and the self, merging her urban experience with traditional Navajo teachings. Written in a mixture of English and Navajo, the collection abounds in experimental poems with structure directly referring to the Navajo view of the cosmic reality. Grounded both in the Navajo philosophy of Beauty and Balance and modern, urban experience, Belin’s story can be interpreted as a healing rite that aims at restoring hózhǫ́: an ideal Navajo way of life which centers on the spiritual, physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of an individual and his/her community.

scholarly journals Pedagogy as Education to Active Thinking

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. e054009
Author(s):  
Gianluigi Segalerba ◽  
Oleg Yurievich Latyshev-Maysky
Keyword(s):  
Education System ◽  
John Dewey ◽  
Paulo Freire ◽  
Traditional Education ◽  
Common Point ◽  
The Self ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Dominant Class ◽  
Traditional System ◽  
Political Foundations

   In our study, we analyse some reflections contained in the education thought of John Dewey, Paulo Freire and Peter McLaren. The three thinkers, with mutually different methods, have, in our opinion, as common point the intention to show that no education system is neutral in relation to the way in which societies are organised: all systems of education aim at the constitution of a particular kind of society through the formation of a corresponding mentality in the individuals. The ethical and political foundations of a society are mirrored in the education system: any reform of the society should, therefore, begin with the reform of the education system; furthermore, any reform of the society cannot be effective unless it is founded on the reform of education.  As regards Dewey’s observations, we concentrate our attention on his criticism of any education system based on the passivity of pupils and on the massification of students: Dewey steadily pleads for a system of education aiming at the individualisation of pupils. As regards Freire’s meditation, we point out Freire’s uncovering of the oppression exercised against the subaltern classes through the traditional education systems: the constant relegation of pupils of the oppressed classes to a condition of total passivity, which is the aim of the system of education described by Freire as the banking concept of education, destroys any sense and aspiration to autonomy in the pupils themselves. Self-depreciation of pupils is the result of the traditional system of education. McLaren points out that a correct system of education should have as its own aim the self-transformation and the empowerment of the students: educators ought to uncover the relations holding between knowledge, which is always a social construct, and the interests of the dominant class. 

Naked or Clothed? Eschatology and the Doctrine of Creation

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Young
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Eastern Orthodox ◽  
Greek Mythology ◽  
Apocalyptic Literature ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Full Circle ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Doctrine Of Creation ◽  
Immortality Of The Soul

A Paper on life after death in the early church should probably begin with the underworld: Sheol in the Hebrew Bible, Hades, in Greek mythology, with parallels in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia. It should reflect on the universally connected theme of judgment and its importance for theodicy, and address the wide variety of beliefs discernible in the New Testament and its background, especially in the apocalyptic literature. It should consider the so-called intermediate state, and the supposed distinction between the Greek concept of the immortality of the soul and the Hebrew idea of resurrection: which takes us full circle, since the latter notion assumes the picture of shades in the underworld brought back to full-bodied living – as indeed the traditional Anastasis icon of the Eastern Orthodox tradition makes dramatically clear, Christ springing up from the grave and hauling Adam up with one hand and, often though not invariably, Eve with the other.

An Introduction, Review, and Conceptual Analysis of Mattering as an Essential Construct and an Essential Way of Life

2021 ◽  
pp. 073428292110576
Author(s):  
Gordon L. Flett
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Current Article ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sense Of Mattering ◽  
Extended Discussion

While the importance of having self-esteem is widely recognized and has been studied extensively, another core component of the self-concept has been relatively neglected—a sense of mattering to other people. In the current article, it is argued that mattering is an entirely unique and complex psychological construct with great public appeal and applied significance. The various ways of assessing mattering are reviewed and evidence is summarized, indicating that mattering is a vital construct in that deficits in mattering are linked with consequential outcomes at the individual level (i.e., depression and suicidal tendencies), the relationship level (i.e., relationship discord and dissolution), and the societal level (i.e., delinquency and violence). Contemporary research is described which shows that mattering typically predicts unique variance in key outcomes beyond other predictor variables. Mattering is discussed as double-edged in that mattering is highly protective but feelings of not mattering are deleterious, especially among people who have been marginalized and mistreated. The article concludes with an extended discussion of key directions for future research and an overview of the articles in this special issue. It is argued that a complete view of the self and personal identity will only emerge after we significantly expand the scope of inquiry on the psychology of mattering.

Features of social adaptation of ethnic groups in modern conditions

2021 ◽  
pp. 98-102
Author(s):  
N.S. Badalova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
The Self ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Geographical Isolation ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Modern Era

Discussed are actual questions of a sociological analysis of the social adaptation of various ethnic groups, since globalization disrupts the natural course of this process. We consider it important to preserve the ethnic identity of each nation, subject to their active participation in modern general civilizational development, in order to make a worthy contribution. In order to identify the characteristic features of social adaptation of ethnic groups, two were selected: Khinalugs and Talyshs. The method of analyzing the history of the development and formation of these peoples and the modern conditions of their life revealed the characteristic features of social adaptation here. The considered facts and tendencies in the vital activity of the indicated nationalities gave grounds to draw the following conclusions. In the life of the Hinalugians, their geographical isolation from the rest of the world played a decisive role, which helped them to preserve their unique language and way of life. Now, thanks to the expanded possibilities of communication, this village is exposed to the active influence of the outside world, which fundamentally changes the nature and possibilities of social adaptation of each subsequent generation of people. The Talyshs, being a larger ethnic unit, were subjected to assimilation and other influences of the external world more actively. Despite this, they managed for many decades to preserve their originality. In the modern era of globalization, the general social processes actively influence the process of their social adaptation. Thus, the self-consciousness of the ethnos is destroyed, the self-consciousness of the national identity is formed.

Fear Deciding Fate: How Fear Influences Moral Decision-Making

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sophia Strojny
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Moral Decision ◽  
Moral Decision Making ◽  
Moral Choice ◽  
Moral Decisions ◽  
Moral Choices ◽  
The Impact

<p>Moral dilemmas require individuals to make a life-altering choice. Due to the severity of the choice, we argue that there is a degree of fear in moral decision-making. We aimed to see how prevailing fears in each individual predicts moral decision-making habits. We looked into the emotional and physical divisions of fear to deem which dimension of fear is more dominant in each participant. Then analysed these results against reported deontological or utilitarian moral inclinations to see if higher reports of fear impact moral decision-making. Additionally, we included two secondary variables that are most prevalent in fear research (gender and thinking styles) as well as the impact of burden on moral choice. We found that our research was supported; fear tendencies are linked to individual behaviours and burden of moral decisions was influenced by what we fear and affected moral choices.</p>

Christian Materialism and the Prospect of Immortality

2019 ◽  
pp. 148-161
Author(s):  
Michelle Pfeffer
Keyword(s):  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
The Body ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Immortality Of The Soul

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries at least thirty English writers developed a materialist position that they argued was consistent with their Christian faith. While their heterodox ideas were connected with developments in natural philosophy and medicine, what they found more pressing was arriving at a genuinely biblical view of the person. These writers attempted to recover what they saw as ‘true’ Hebraic anthropology, which understood the soul to be mortal and material, and held that the resurrection of the body, rather than the immortality of the soul, provided assurance of life after death. These writers deployed existing exegetical methods and hoped to defend Christianity by reforming corrupt doctrines. Thus, while Christianity provided many in this period with reasons to attack materialism, it also provided many with motives to be materialists.

On What Matters/Not

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Eva Feder Kittay
Keyword(s):  
Personal Narrative ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
The Self ◽  
Philosophical Analysis ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Moral Value ◽  
Adequate Care ◽  
What Matters

Intertwining philosophical analysis with personal narrative on parenting a cognitively disabled child, this chapter provides an argument about the moral value of disabled individuals. Through an intimate case study of the author’s daughter Sesha, it argues that the flourishing of disabled persons should be assessed on the basis of those individuals’ own capacities and joys. It challenges the traditional philosophical emphasis on rationality as the defining faculty of human personhood, and indicates how concepts of justice, humanity, and dignity must be refashioned in light of what disability reveals about dependency, autonomy, and the desire for normalcy. Contra views that posit intrinsic rational capacities as central to personhood, this chapter defends a relational model of the self. From this it argues that cognitively disabled individuals require adequate care and resources to realize their capacities, which demands that communities recognize such individuals as worthy of moral parity.

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