The Origins of Human Morality

 

YouTube video: 95% of your behavior is primate behavior | Frans de Waal - from The Well

Article

The following article is an article authored by Professor Michael Tomasello in Scientific America.  Michael Tomasello is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and emeritus director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

The Origins of Human Morality

See Also

Book

A Natural History of Human Morality - by Michael Tomasello

 

YouTube Playlist 

YouTube playlist - Philosophy - Origin of Morality - Sam Au

Websites 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/morality

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality

Is beauty good?

 

TEDx Talks - Own your face | Robert Hoge | TEDxSouthBank

In the article "Nietzsche - Your conscience is no saint", Nietzsche states that "Earlier societies (he is rather unspecific about which exactly) did not see things this way; for them, it was the successful, beautiful, powerful aristocratic people who were valued as good, while the rest were bad, in the sense of weak, deficient, or just not up to much."

The YouTube video above clearly illustrates that non-beauty does not equate to bad.  Conversely, beauty can be superficial, manipulative and does not equate good.  

However, there seems to be a natural desire in us to love cute and beautiful things, animals and people, and repulse against the opposites.  People want to be liked, accepted and the pursuit of beauty seems natural too.  

How do we reconcile our rational analysis that beauty does not equate to goodness and our natural desire for beautiful things? 

What do philosophers say about beauty?

The following Wikipedia page discusses the topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty

A pdf file of the Wikipedia article (8/8/23) is here.

See Also

Radio Podcast 

Philosopher Zone - Beauty: aesthetic or moral ideal?   Guest: Heather Widdows, Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick UK

ABC RN Sunday Extra - 

• 01 | Face Value — Beauty boom in the age of Zoom
• 02 | Face Value — Ethnic ambiguity and the Kardashian effect
• 03 | Face Value — Killer curves and harsh realities
• 04 | Face Value Empowerment or exploitation? 

Websites

 #EverydayLookism - https://www.everydaylookism.com/

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Beauty: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/beauty/ 

YouTube videos

TED - Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model. | Cameron Russell

Epicurus and Epictetus

 

By William Sonmans - Public Domain, Wikisource

Engraved frontispiece of Edward Ivie’s Latin translation of Epictetus’ Enchiridon, printed in Oxford in 1715.

Notes on Epicurus and Epictetus

Please find pdf file on Epicurus and Epictetus here. 

Some resources on Epicurus and Epictetus

• Epicurus - Wikipedia
• Epictetus - Wikipedia

Some YouTube videos on Epicurus

PHILOSOPHY - Epicurus – The School of Life

The Philosopher of Pleasure | EPICURUS – Einzelgänger

Epicurus and the Good Life – Academy of Ideas

PHILOSOPHY - History: Epicurus’ Cure for Unhappiness [HD] – Wireless Philosophy

Some YouTube videos on Epictetus 

The Discourses of Epictetus (Animated Book Summary)  – Eudaimonia

 Epictetus - How To Be A Stoic (Stoicism)  – Philosophies for Life

Epictetus and Stoicism: The Wisdom of the Slave Philosopher - Academy of Ideas

Stoicism

The following are some references on Stoicism:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Stoicis

Here are some Stoicism videos on YouTube:

• The philosophy of Stoicism - Massimo Pigliucci - TED Ed
• Introduction to Stoicism - Academy of Ideas
  
• Stoicism: Meditations and the Wisdom of Marcus Aurelius - Academy of Ideas
• What is Stoicism? - Let's Talk Religion

Dance me to the end of love — Leonard Cohen (Sam's contribution)

 

Lyrics

[Instrumental Intro]

 

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

 

Oh, let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Oh, dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, oh, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

 
[Instrumental]
 

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand, touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

 

Background

"Dance Me to the End of Love" is a 1984 song by Leonard Cohen and first recorded by him for his 1984 album Various Positions. [1]

Although structured as a love song, "Dance Me to the End Of Love" was in fact inspired by the Holocaust. In a 1995 radio interview, Cohen said of the song:

It's curious how songs begin because the origin of the song, every song, has a kind of grain or seed that somebody hands you or the world hands you and that's why the process is so mysterious about writing a song. But that came from just hearing or reading or knowing that in the death camps, beside the crematoria, in certain of the death camps, a string quartet was pressed into performance while this horror was going on, those were the people whose fate was this horror also. And they would be playing classical music while their fellow prisoners were being killed and burnt. So, that music, "Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin," meaning the beauty thereof being the consummation of life, the end of this existence and of the passionate element in that consummation. But, it is the same language that we use for surrender to the beloved, so that the song — it’s not important that anybody knows the genesis of it, because if the language comes from that passionate resource, it will be able to embrace all passionate activity.

 

Meaning 

The song may be about the Holocaust, or may be about love between lovers, but I would like to interpret the song to be about love in the broadest sense, or as Cohen puts it, about embracing all passionate activity.

All lives come to an end and many experience great difficulties; but there can be beauty in life even in difficult circumstances, thus "dance me to your beauty with a burning violin" and "dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in".

In the second verse, "witnesses" may be present in court, at a wedding or a crime scene; we can see the beauty in things without others being present.  "Babylon" refers to a supposed place of evil as depicted in the Bible [2].  "Limits" refers to rules and restrictions.

In the third verse, the "wedding" does not have to be limited to traditional weddings; It may be about friendship, a hobby, a love of life, or love of one's belief.  "Beneath and above our love" refers to the ways people conduct themselves, possibly fraudulently (beneath our love) and possibly idealistically (above our love).

The fourth verse appears to be talking about people in refugee camps.  The "touch me with your glove" in the fifth verse may refer to people in hospital in their final days.

Notes:

1. Wikipedia — Dance me to the end of love  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance Me to the End of Love
2. Wikipedia — Whore of Babylon.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whore of Babylon

Who by Fire — Leonard Cohen (Sam's contribution)

 

Lyrics

And who by fire, who by water

Who in the sunshine, who in the night time

Who by high ordeal, who by common trial

Who in your merry merry month of May

Who by very slow decay

And who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate

Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt

Who by avalanche, who by powder

Who for his greed, who for his hunger

And who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave assent, who by accident

Who in solitude, who in this mirror

Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand

Who in mortal chains, who in power

And who shall I say is calling?

 

Meaning

The song is inspired by a piyyut or a Jewish liturgical poem called Untanneh Tokef ("Let us speak of the awesomeness "), that has been a part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy in some traditions of rabbinical Judaism for centuries. [1]

A section from Untanneh Tokef is as follows: "On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed – how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die after a long life and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by upheaval and who by plague, who by strangling and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted. But Repentance, Prayer, and Charity mitigate the severity of the Decree." [1]

A song of Death, a song of Life

“Who By Fire” is a song of death, but each death has its life.  So more importantly, it's a song of life as well.

"Who by fire" and "who by water" may be references to the ancient judicial practices of trial by fire and trial by water, or alternatively to natural disasters.   

“Who by high ordeal” clearly refers to a form of trial in the medieval period such as trial by combat; which contrasts with "who by common trial".

The "merry merry month of May" refers to May day, the European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

In the next stanza, Cohen switched to modern parlance: 

“Who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate?” are likely references to Marilyn Monroe.

"Who by avalanche, who by powder" could refer to people who do mountain climbing and other adventures.  Powder possibly refer to gunpowder.  "Brave assent" refers to people who volunteer to fight for their causes.  

"Who in this mirror" probably refers to people who copy others.  "Who in mortal chains, who in power" refers to people enslaved by power, ambitions or other illusions.

Blending these methods indicates the timelessness and ubiquity of death throughout history.

The line “Who shall I say is calling?” punctuates each verse as if the messenger is asking who they should say is deciding the way people would die. 

This song was officially released on 11 August 1974. The year prior, Cohen spent some time in Israel, experiencing war first hand, which could be one of the inspirations behind this track. [2]

Furthermore, there is a book about that entire experience which is named after this song, i.e. Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai (2022) by Matti Friedman.[3][4]

Note: 

1. Unetanneh Tokef, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unetanneh_Tokef
   
2. Song meaning+facts/Leonard Cohen: https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/leonard-cohens-who-by-fire-lyrics-meaning/
3. City Journal: https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-dark-night-of-leonard-cohen
4. Matti Friedman: https://mattifriedman.com/who-by-fire/

Daodejing - Chapter Thirty

 

道德經  - 第三十章

以道佐人主者，不以兵強天下。

其事好還。

師之所處，荊棘生焉。

大軍之後，必有凶年。

善有果而已，不敢以取強。

果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而勿驕。

果而不得已，果而勿強。

物壯則老，是謂不道，不道早已。

Daodejing - Chapter Thirty

Whoever relies on the Dao in governing men, doesn't try to force issues, or defeat enemies by force of arms.  

For every force there is a counter-force.

Violence even well-intentioned always rebounds upon oneself.

The master does his job and then stops.

He understands that the universe is forever out of control.

And that trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Dao.

Because he believes in himself he doesn't try to convince others.

Because he is content with himself he doesn't need others approval.

Because he accepts himself the whole world accepts him.

References

1. The above translation is based on the translation by poet, translator, scholar and anthologist, Stephen Mitchell.  His reading of the work can be found on the following YouTube video: Tao Te Ching, The Book Of The Way by Lao Tzu: https://youtu.be/t109UFLSQhk?t=2691
2. This chapter on the above video starts at 44.50 and ends at 46.10..
3. You can find the complete 81 chapters of Daodejing in Chinese and English (James Legge version) in the ctext.org website: https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing

Ethics by Peter Singer / Epicurus / Epictetus

 

Wikipedia - by Mal Vickers - Own work

Please find pdf file of Ethics by Peter Singer.

Some YouTube videos of Peter Singer on ethics

3 ethical catastrophes you can help stop, right now | Peter Singer | Big Think – Big Think

Peter Singer's Ethics – Eidos84

Peter Singer - The Genius of Darwin: The Uncut Interviews - Richard Dawkins – Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science

Is it okay to eat meat? Peter Singer tackles the best objections against vegetarianism – Practical Ethics Channel

Some YouTube videos on Epicurus

PHILOSOPHY - Epicurus – The School of Life

The Philosopher of Pleasure | EPICURUS – Einzelgänger

Epicurus and the Good Life – Academy of Ideas

PHILOSOPHY - History: Epicurus’ Cure for Unhappiness [HD] – Wireless Philosophy

Some YouTube videos on Epictetus 

The Discourses of Epictetus (Animated Book Summary)  – Eudaimonia

 Epictetus - How To Be A Stoic (Stoicism)  – Philosophies for Life