All posts tagged: Moral Philosophy

Week 47 Questions for Know Thyself 2019: Elitism

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“Elitism” is a term that gets used a lot in news media as an accusation towards academics, politicians, and wealthy entrepreneurs.  It is also sometimes used by social activists who believe that a privileged group is out of touch with the lifestyles, desires, values, and struggles of a disadvantaged group. 

There are various genres of elitism, but they all have on thing in common. Elitism is the view that a select group of people have the authority to dictate what is valuable, important, or worthwhile. This select group is known as the “elite”.  They hold authority because they have a special quality: class, intelligence, skills, wealth, or experience.  Other people don’t have this special quality, and therefore are deemed unworthy to dictate what is valuable, important, and worthwhile.

But wait – isn’t everyone equal?  Doesn’t equality mean that everyone’s opinions count equally?  On the other hand, aren’t some people actually more qualified than others? Is elitism a good or bad thing?  This week’s topic is Pleasure Elitism.

Week 45 Questions for Know Thyself 2019: Habit vs. Addiction

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Do you know the difference between good habits, bad habits, and addictions?  It’s easy to tell the difference between good habits and addictions, but not so easy to distinguish between good habits and bad habits.  Nor is it easy to draw the line between bad habits and addictions.  Also, why is it that one person’s good habit is another person’s bad habit?  How is it that some people become addicted to anything (the so-called “addictive personality”), while other people could drop a sugar habit, or even a cocaine habit, almost one day to the next? 

We can’t sort out all these questions in one blog post, but we can learn enough to start to evaluate our own habits.  By doing so, we make a conscious effort to improve our unconscious behaviors!