Thursday, September 19, 2019
Philip Slaterââ¬â¢s The Pursuit of Loneliness :: Philip Slater Pursuit Loneliness Essays
Philip Slaterââ¬â¢s The Pursuit of Loneliness The purpose of Philip Slaterââ¬â¢s book The Pursuit of Loneliness is to ââ¬Å"reach some understanding of the forces which are unraveling our societyâ⬠for his readers (xxii). It is a common conception that America is the best country, an idea which is substantiated by economic figures. However, Americans are not happy. According to Slater, ââ¬Å"all societies frustrate certain human needs and satiate others (because) humanity and any particular societyââ¬â¢s idea of what humanity should be is never very exactâ⬠(2). In America, the gap between reality and perception is growing farther and farther apart, at human expense. Americans work their entire lives for the future, in the pursuit of economic security, which ultimately leads to continued unhappiness in the present. American culture ââ¬Å"struggles more and more violently to maintain itself, (but) is less and less able to hide its fundamental antipathy towards human life and human satisfactionâ⬠(122). Sla terââ¬â¢s book teaches people about the existence of the ââ¬Å"wide gap between the fantasies Americans live by and the realities they live in,â⬠in the hopes that this will inspire people to react in positive ways (xxiii). Cooperation played a major role in the development of homo sapiens as the dominant species on earth. Americans do not understand its importance. It is understandable to place an extremely high level of importance upon self reliance in a dog eat dog society, but individualism has become fear and loathing of others. This motivates people to develop ways they can spend less time with each other. The ultimate expression of individualism, driving a car, illustrates the problem of denying ââ¬Å"the reality of human interdependenceâ⬠(30). ââ¬Å"Some people canââ¬â¢t afford to heat their homes because we all want to ride expensive vehicles on crowded roads at high speeds, killing one another and polluting the atmosphereâ⬠(2). This situation cannot be repaired until we accept the inherent power in cooperation. ââ¬Å"The more we try to solve our problems by increasing personal autonomy, the more we find ourselves at the mercy of these mysterious, impersonal, and remote mechan isms that we have ourselves createdâ⬠(48). A large part of this problem is that many Americans buy into the ploys of capitalism, sacrificing happiness for material gain. ââ¬Å"Americans have voluntarily created, and voluntarily maintained, a society which increasingly frustrates and aggravatesâ⬠them (8). Societyââ¬â¢s uncontrolled development results in an artificial sense of scarcity which ensures ââ¬Å"a steady flow of outputâ⬠(78). Philip Slaterââ¬â¢s The Pursuit of Loneliness :: Philip Slater Pursuit Loneliness Essays Philip Slaterââ¬â¢s The Pursuit of Loneliness The purpose of Philip Slaterââ¬â¢s book The Pursuit of Loneliness is to ââ¬Å"reach some understanding of the forces which are unraveling our societyâ⬠for his readers (xxii). It is a common conception that America is the best country, an idea which is substantiated by economic figures. However, Americans are not happy. According to Slater, ââ¬Å"all societies frustrate certain human needs and satiate others (because) humanity and any particular societyââ¬â¢s idea of what humanity should be is never very exactâ⬠(2). In America, the gap between reality and perception is growing farther and farther apart, at human expense. Americans work their entire lives for the future, in the pursuit of economic security, which ultimately leads to continued unhappiness in the present. American culture ââ¬Å"struggles more and more violently to maintain itself, (but) is less and less able to hide its fundamental antipathy towards human life and human satisfactionâ⬠(122). Sla terââ¬â¢s book teaches people about the existence of the ââ¬Å"wide gap between the fantasies Americans live by and the realities they live in,â⬠in the hopes that this will inspire people to react in positive ways (xxiii). Cooperation played a major role in the development of homo sapiens as the dominant species on earth. Americans do not understand its importance. It is understandable to place an extremely high level of importance upon self reliance in a dog eat dog society, but individualism has become fear and loathing of others. This motivates people to develop ways they can spend less time with each other. The ultimate expression of individualism, driving a car, illustrates the problem of denying ââ¬Å"the reality of human interdependenceâ⬠(30). ââ¬Å"Some people canââ¬â¢t afford to heat their homes because we all want to ride expensive vehicles on crowded roads at high speeds, killing one another and polluting the atmosphereâ⬠(2). This situation cannot be repaired until we accept the inherent power in cooperation. ââ¬Å"The more we try to solve our problems by increasing personal autonomy, the more we find ourselves at the mercy of these mysterious, impersonal, and remote mechan isms that we have ourselves createdâ⬠(48). A large part of this problem is that many Americans buy into the ploys of capitalism, sacrificing happiness for material gain. ââ¬Å"Americans have voluntarily created, and voluntarily maintained, a society which increasingly frustrates and aggravatesâ⬠them (8). Societyââ¬â¢s uncontrolled development results in an artificial sense of scarcity which ensures ââ¬Å"a steady flow of outputâ⬠(78).
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