Tram

Every day I catch the tram to and from work. I pass the same houses and buildings. Yesterday, in a moment of spontaneity, I got off the tram halfway home. It was like stepping into a television.

Multiplicity

...who are we, who is each one of us, if not a combinatoria of experiences, information, books we have read, things imagined? Each life is an encyclopedia, a library, an inventory of objects, a series of styles, and everything can be constantly shuffled and reordered in every way conceivable...

Italo Calvino

Each of us is a kind of crossroads where things happen. The crossroads is purely passive; something happens there. A different thing, equally valid, happens elsewhere. There is no choice, it is just a matter of chance.

Claude Lévi-Strauss

Primary school too vague?

Federal education minister Brendan Nelson is backing a report by education consultant Kevin Donnelly, which suggests primary school curriculum is "vague" and lacks "rigour". Nelson claims that any parent who loves their child must be concerned about this "lack of rigour". The argument stems from a wider debate over teaching methodology. Nelson and cohorts want a return to good old fashioned teaching, of drumming facts into young minds until they stick, whilst the modern system promotes looking more at the outcomes rather than the input.

Victorian Education Minister Lynne Kosky said a national syllabus was "a stupid idea". "If achieving results which are good outcomes for children is new wave, then I'm happy to be new wave," she said. "The rote learning and set curriculum was part of a past era … where students either kept up or they left."

And while we're here; Fiona Wood, Australian of the Year, has spoken out against teaching intelligent deisgn (which Brendan Nelson is a proponent of);

"From an educational point of view, we need to embrace difference . . . and to teach religious education I think has to be broad spectrum and multicultural," said Dr Wood, who heads the Royal Perth Hospital burns unit. "I think to teach evolution as science is appropriate and I think if we can increase the passion for science and increase the excitement of science and increase the debate, then you can teach it wherever you like."

VCE subject choices

A report by the Australian Council for Educational Research highlights the importance of choosing the right VCE subjects.

Some subject choices appeared to be "dead ends" for many students, the study found. "Students who choose subjects at year 12 level without some thought as to the ramifications of such choices may find themselves unable to participate in further education and in a very vulnerable position in the labour force," [the report] stated.

When I was in year 10, I had no idea about what sort of career I wanted. I think it's even harder for kids today. The world gets increasingly confusing, and the structure of the labour market follows suit. In fact, I blame my indecision in late high school for my current situation; 32 years old and still trying to find my feet.

Publicly funded, privately managed

Barry McGaw, head of the OECD's education directorate, proposes that public schools need to change their management structure in order to compete with private schools;

Government schools would remain publicly funded and could not charge fees. But they would be more accountable, and distinguished "not by their resources but by their pedagogy and value systems". Instead of indulging in "the politics of envy" - where public school advocates resented the resources of some private schools - they should emulate the management style of their competitors.

Tonik

Dinner at Tonik in Kensignton last night. Some old friends had called a mid-week catchup to take advantage of Tonik's $10 "Steak & Stella" deal. The steak was, despite being a bargain, a pretty poor cut of sirloin - too sinewy and tough, and they didn't even provide steak-knives. PH's pumpkin gnocci was a mystery dish, as though they'd thrown all the kitchen scraps in there. What's annoying about this, is that the prices have no correlation with quality. If all mains hover around $20, you'd expect the meals to be fairly decent. Give me the $10 "Parma & pot" deal at Brunswick's East Hotel any day.

Accountability data

Jenny Allum, head of Darlinghurst independent school SCEGGS, responds to Brendan Nelson's proposed accountability requirements for private schools. She claims that a school's worth runs deeper than a bunch of data;

Do the students look happy and "at home" within the school environment? Does the principal have a clearly articulated philosophy of education? Is he or she respected within the school community? Does the school have a good, broad and deep range of activities in sport, music and other areas? Do the students look good in their school uniform, as though they enjoy being part of the school community and wear its uniform with pride? Does the school atmosphere seem purposeful, caring and dynamic?

School hours

A Swinburne University study finds that school hours are inappropriate for the shifting bodyclocks of teenagers. The Herald Sun article on the subject opens in true Herald Sun style: "School should start later to give moody teens a sleep-in". I love it. A spokesman for education minister Lynne Kosky says "It's a wacky idea and perhaps a better suggestion is to teach students how to use alarm clocks".

Thaila Thai & Chillipadi

I submitted a couple more reviews to Food God; the overrated Thaila Thai, and the swank Chillipadi. Thaila Thai;

Whilst waiting at Thaila Thai for my takeaway order (a process that took an hour on this particular Sunday evening), I overheard a fellow takeaway customer say to his companion "It's a long wait for the best Thai food in Melbourne". Judging by the crowds who compress themselves into the tiny shopfront to wait for takeaway, and the bustling tables which are rarely unoccupied, it seems that many Brunswick locals would agree. And yet the more I eat at Thaila Thai, the more boring it becomes. The food is fresh and the servings are generous, but for my money, it lacks the richness and complexity of its neighbouring Thai restaurants, such as Thai Nee Cafe further north. Although the table service is fast and efficient, the atmosphere is unpleasantly frantic, with the bright lights and close confines ruining any chance of an relaxed, intimate dinner.

Chillipadi;

Chillipadi is a sprawling establishment oozing out of Melbourne Central. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed, whilst the staff are friendly and efficient. We ordered the "finger cocktail bar" for entree, which consisted of spring rolls, dumplings, samosas and other treats, all of which were crunchy and delicious. For mains, I ordered the chicken curry with roti chanai, which was served in a small dish, the perfect size for a quick dinner. The chicken was tender and the sauce was, for me, of an ideal richness and spiciness. On this visit we were pressed for time, and upon mentioning this to the waiter, our meal was served quickly. The menu is slightly illogical, resembling a Marie Claire cookbook more than an easily navigable menu. The restaurant also offers a larder where customers can purchase soup stocks, curry pastes, and wine.

City Library

Melbourne's City Library is in sponsorship talks with Crown Casino, as reported in The Age. Dubiousness aside, Stephen Jolly throws in some great fallacies. First up, slippery slope; "What's going to be next — pokies in libraries?", and then, false analogy; "It's the same as when slave traders in the 19th century were asked to sponsor libraries and public buildings in the UK".

Postmodern assessment

At Online Opinion, Dr Kevin Donnnelly argues that formative assessment is postmodern, politically correct, new age bunkum;

The [Australian Council of Deans of Education] argue that there are no absolutes, as knowledge is always tentative and shifting and, as a result, there are no right or wrong answers. Pass-fail and traditional approaches to learning are considered obsolete: "The essence of the old basics was encapsulated simply in the subject areas of the three Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic - it was a kind of shopping list of things-to-be-known - through drilling the times tables, memorising spelling lists, learning the parts of speech and correct grammar. ... In the real world there are right and wrong answers and consequences for failure. The next time you fly, pray that the pilot knows the correct way to take off and land. While there is some truth in the proposition that learners construct their own understanding of the world, there are also objective facts related to the established disciplines of knowledge that teachers need to teach and students need to learn. The next time you drive across a bridge, hope that the engineers knew and respected the laws of physics and that their understanding was not at the "beginning" or "emerging" stage.

He concludes with;

The benefit of the more traditional federally inspired approach is that parents will be given a succinct and easy-to-understand measure of student performance. Better still, where individual students are ranked against classmates, parents will be in a position to more realistically judge their child's ability and, if needed, to help improve performance.

The Bad Book

This has been brewing for a few days now; The Bad Book, by children's author Andy Griffiths, has been attacked by the South Australian Liberal Party. State education Spokeswoman Vickie Chapman labeled the book "cruel, violent and disgusting".

Melbourne-based author Griffiths blames the controversy on "a new conservatism that seems to be creeping in". ... He said Ms Chapman's assertions were "essentially a misreading of the book", which shows "people doing bad things and suffering as a result". He said younger children "all pick up on the spirit of fun that's being created". "That's who I write for - I don't spend too much time explaining things to adults who try to judge absurd humour on the basis of logic," Griffiths said.

George Pell on Year 12 English

Entering the ring; Catholic archbishop George Pell. Critical literacy, an offspring of that great philosophical evil, relativism, is sweeping through our schools. By questioning the literary canon, by analysing the meanings embedded in the world's 'great texts', we're opening up young minds to the evils of the "dictatorship of relativism". This evil has already fostered the decaying of society over the last 50 year. We've seen it in ridiculous notions such as gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia, and stem-cell research. Young people are doing crazy things, like questioning the constructs of masculinity, femininity, the nuclear family, sexuality. Oops, did I say 'constructs'? Pell claims that students are awash in narratives "about sad and dysfunctional individuals and shattered families", and that we should return to the classic narratives about stable people and relationships... like, umm... Cain and Abel! Oedipus! Macbeth!

Australia's most influential Catholic railed against the threat of a "dictatorship of relativism", which he explained as a "self-obsessed, overly materialist, ethics-lite minority" that had not only led to the decline in the study of history and English literature but the devaluation of heterosexual marriage.

Greg Houghton, president of the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English, responds;

"It is irritating to hear that kids aren't learning the classics at school when you know they are," he said. "The reality is blogs, websites and text messaging are part of kids' world today and will be part of their working lives so it is important that we teach them about those too."

Google Earth reveals hidden Roman villa

I'm living in hope that Google Earth will one day be available for Macintosh (they're apparently working on it). In the meantime, Google Maps has to suffice. Italian programmer Luca Mori was browsing Google Earth when he discovered an ancient Roman villa buried near his home town.

The satellite images threw up a dark oval shape more than 500m (1,640ft) long, as well as shaded rectangular shapes nearby. ... "At first they thought the site might be Bronze Age but a closer inspection turned up ceramic and stone pieces that showed it was a Roman villa built some time just before the birth of Christ," he was quoted as saying in the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Some favourite Google Maps spin-offs; Google Sightseeing, Google Maps Mania, and Placeopedia - a mix of Google Maps with one of my other favourite sites, Wikipedia.

VCE Lite again

Sunshine Secondary College teacher Chris Wheat argues that "the anxiety about the reduction of reading requirements at year 12 appears to be an argument about appearance, not substance";

The new English design strikes me as a serious attempt to think about the needs of this generation. It's a design that recognises that the ancient chorus of concern about the state of their written English will not be addressed by increasing the number of books they read, but by engaging them more closely with the language and that should be done by moving the course onto their own turf. It seems to recognise that the young are immersed in a world that absorbs them far more than the one we think they should appreciate.

Open Classroom agrees;

Commentators are fond of saying the world is different now. And in many ways I am glad that it is. But students need something different from teachers now too. And what we teach our students must recognise this as well. The draft study design is an attempt to cater for this realisation. The two main areas of concern are the reduced number of literary texts, and the inclusion of a new area of study called Creating and Responding. In this space there is the opportunity to make better connections with our students

Tandoori Nights

Finally finished Chapter 14 ("Realist Road to Security Through Alliances, Balance of Power, and Arms Control") of Kegley & Wittkopf, and made headway into Chapter 15 ("The Liberal Institutional Paths to Peace"). Already I'm slipping behind, and need to spend some solid hours reading over the next few days. Dinner at Tandoori Nights last night. Nice. We shared chicken & mushroom tandoori, and chickpea masala.

Decrease in Asian language students

The number of students enrolling in Asian languages has been decreasing.

"The Federal Government needs to give encouragement to language training, either to ensure the costs of courses are subsidised so students have an incentive to do an Asian language, or that the costs of staff are subsidised," he said. While the internet has been a boon to English-speaking countries, it has not done away with the need to learn Asian languages, [former DFAT secretary Philip Flood] said. "Our children are going to live in a world in which China is a massively greater influence than it is now - commercially, politically and culturally - so Australia needs a lot more people with good skills in Chinese language and we just don't have it."

HSC Turntablism

Two Sydney students have taken advantage of the Board Of Studies' approval of turntables as legitimate music instruments for HSC music exams.

"They select their records and music samples and whatever other sounds they want," [Cranbrook director of music Francis Louran] said. "They arrange the music into a live performance. What is particularly important is to confirm the boys are in full control of the machinery and that the technology is not arranging the music for them. ... Mr Louran, a music teacher for 18 years, said he was not surprised the Board of Studies allowed the students to use the turntables in their exams: "It's a logical progression. It's an accurate reaction to what's happening in society. These boys may not have taken music if the course was exclusively geared towards the classical scene."

Television

I didn't get much reading done last night, due to, I'm ashamed to say, the television. But it was good television; the shooting of Jim Hallinan on Australian Story, a report on the homeless and mentally ill on Four Corners, and the Mark Latham interview on Enough Rope (didn't see the Lateline interview though). Don't know why we're watching Queer As Folk at the moment; Series 4 is the lowest point the show reached - everything's a bit too "swell" (except the laboured [excuse the pun] point about Lindsay's fight with Melanie), and Brian Kinney so out of character it's painful. The good news is that Series 5 begins next Monday.

Za'atar

I finished my essay yesterday afternoon - sans introduction, which I usually sleep on. Walked up to Miramar Nut Shop, bought Turkish delights and a box of za'atar. Last night I made za'atar pizza for dinner; drizzled olive oil on pita bread, sprinkled generous amount of za'atar, squeezed on lemon juice, sliced mushrooms, green olives, a little chili, parmesan cheese. Sensational. Watched Little Oberon - terrible - a hopeless stew of The Wickerman, Crossing Over, and A Country Practice, and to make matters worse, it starred Sigrid Thornton. By the way, I love The Wickerman.

Bokchoy Tang

I spent yesterday morning working on my PHI110 essay. I caught the tram into the city at around 3pm. Dropped into Reader’s Feast; noticed there’s a nice new line of Penguins out, called Great Ideas, they’re lush little books, with rough-stock covers and bold embossed designs. They feel nice. I would like to buy a couple before they’re out of print. Ended up purchasing the 70th anniversary Pocket Penguin edition of Jorge Luis Borges’ The Mirror Of Ink. I especially like this quote from Penguin founder Sir Allen Lane;

We decided it was time to end the almost customary half-hearted manner in which cheap editions were produced – as though the only people who could possibly want cheap editions must belong to a lower order of intelligence. We, however, believed in the existence in this country of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it

I met up with a friend for coffee at Jungle Juice, then to the State Library for a couple of hours reading. Found Avram Koel’s Atoms, Pleasure, Virtue: The Philosophy of Epicurus quite useful. On Epicurus;

I have argued that Epicurus has a total vision, articulated in considerable detail as a conscious philosophical response to the positions of his predecessors, in particular Aristotle; and that despite the eclectic nature of his thought, or even because of it, his vision achieves an uncontested clartity and an unprecedented urgency in the context of ancient philosophy.

And further, on the Hellenistic concept of the noble sage;

Who is such a sage? What exactly has he accomplished? Armed with his inquiry into the nature of the world and of reality, he is fearless with respect to the gods and death; trained in the calculus of his desires which shows forth their limits, he pursues a steady course of action with unique singularity of purpose, steering clear of both frustration and indulgence.

Later, I met up with PH and my parents for a drink at Movida, before moving on to Bokchoy Tang for the third of my birthday dinners. For entrée; cabbage rolls, duck strip salad, Jiao Zi dumpling. For mains, I had lamb medallions with Szechwan pepper chilli sauce; It was all beautiful. After dinner, coffee and cakes at Brunetti’s. I received a couple more birthday gifts; a bottle of Bombay Sapphire from by absent brother, and from my parents, The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, which I’d been eyeing off in the bookshop for months. The entry on backgammon;

Board game for two players, renowned among philosophers as one of Hume’s methods of recovery from philosophical melancholy and scepticism. “I dine, I play a game of backgammon, I converse and am merry with my friends; and when after three or four hour’s amusement, I wou’d return to these speculations, they appears so cold, and strain’d, and ridiculous, that I cannot find in my heart to enter into them any farther” (A Treatise on Human Nature, I. iv. 7). If we may follow Adam Smith’s account of Hume in later life, however, the philosopher’s favourite game was actually whist.

More VCE Lite

The Australian reports that a survey of Australian Defense Force Academy students has found "intelligent students are graduating from high school and entering university with writing skills that are so poor they are unable to structure a sentence". Almost half the students stated that they were more confident with oral communication than they were with grammar. This could also mean that most students were more comfortable with grammar than they were with oral skills. I know that I'd rather write an essay than give an oral presentation. Of course, these results have been compared with the proposed VCE English changes. Victorian Opposition Education spokesman Victor Perton greases up the slippery slope;

"I don't believe there's any other country in the world that would allow its final-year native language course to have such a low threshhold of achievement - they only have to read one book and they can spend the rest of their time watching The Simpsons. "The next stage of this farce is that the students will probably be assessed on the quality of their SMS messaging or their creative graffiti."

An editorial in The Australian describes "a mish-mash of trendy postmodern theories sailing under the banner of "critical literacy" [that] has infiltrated our schools" and contends that "by denying serious books to students in the advanced years of secondary school, our education bureaucracies are quite simply denying them the key to the gates of Western culture". The piece concludes with;

For over a century, following the lead of the great English critic Matthew Arnold, it was understood that serious works of literature had an important role in creating an inclusive society by giving everybody access to a core set of highly valued texts, and to all the advanced skills in reading, writing and understanding that come along with them. All this got thrown into reverse in the 1980s when various forms of scepticism regarding Western culture, many of them rearguard versions of Marxism, took hold in the universities. Now it has filtered down to our schools, where instead of being given basic skills of cultural and written literacy, our students are thrown a couple of ephemeral books to read and presented with a few glib tidbits of "theory"

And also - Lynne Kosky, contrary to Andrew Bolt's accusations, claims she is still unconvinced by the proposed changes to VCE English.


Re-reading Epicurus

Last night I re-read Epicurus' "Letter To Menoeceus" and "Leading Doctrines"; two of the only surviving documents from the Dictator of Pleasure. Over the weekend I'll be writing a short essay, which should be fairly straightforward.

VCE Lite roundup

Conservative Melbourne columnist Andrew Bolt on proposed VCE English changes;

First, [Lynn Kosky's] draft course ignores the fact that English is not just a technical talent, but a culture. English literature is one of the great glories of civilisation, and children who know nothing of it have been robbed of joy, and part of their heritage and identity.

Robert Valk, whose Bolt-Hole blog is dedicated to countering Bolt's arguments, repsonds;

The twentieth century has seen an explosion in the diversity of human communication. A modern English course must deal not only with the great literary works of yore, but with cinema, radio, email, SMS, and hypertext among others. To ignore these new modes of communication would be like teaching physics and stopping at Aristotle. The loss of culture is perhaps more concerning. We run the risk of producing a generation with unprecedented power to communicate, yet has nothing to say. We need our links with the past, or we have no direction for the future. But our culture also needs to evolve. At some point Jazz stopped being black-mans's rebel music, and became part of the fabric of 'respectable' culture. If 'Great Expectations' gets replaced by 'The Alchemist' or 'Blade Runner', is that truly such a loss? As long as the new content provides a point for debate and analysis, then why should it not replace older works? If a kid studies electronic communication formally, they might realise that the rules of polite and effective communication do not change just because the format does.

An editorial from The Age;

We have no argument with broadening and enriching the teaching of English in all its forms; critical, informed and imaginative thinking depends on it. But literature is still the basis of literacy - the words' origins attest to the primacy of lettered learning. ... The difficulties of achieving literacy in all students should not be underestimated, but basic English competency needs to be established long before years 11 and 12. The VCE study design should not make it easier, in any way, to neglect reading and writing as the indispensable foundations of English.

And a few days ago, an opinion piece by Peter Guest;

What a course such as VCE English should do is equip students with the necessary skills, abilities and experience to allow them to play a role in society that is purposeful, meaningful and worthwhile for them both personally and for the community as whole.

Dangerous Curves responds;

A good English program is one which will inspire students regardless of where they live or how recently the began to call Australia home. It will put an end to ineffective communications, like text messages which read 'R U redi 4 da party, dont B L8!!!!!' It will stop retailers from using terms such as 'drive thru', 'lite', 'kwik' and every other possible molestation of our language. It will not be so contrived that it is relevant only to those living somewhere between Sandringham and Elwood. It will not be so common as to not challenge students to develop their skills.

Birthday gifts

I received for my birthday; a Moleskine diary, a print of Hokusai's The Great Wave, and a nice Routledge edition of Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. The chapter on The Epicureans should be useful for the essay I have on the subject, due Monday. I especially like this passage on Epicurus;

Although his mature philosophy owes more to Democritus than to any other philosopher, he never expressed anything but contempt for Nausiphanes, whom he alluded to as 'The Mollusc'.

My task now is to decide which of my antagonists I'd like to refer to as 'The Mollusc'. I spent some time last night reading through Chapter 14 of Kegley & Wittkopf's Global Politics: Trends & Transformations. I find the writing style lacks the lubrication of imagination, and its dryness is making for a slow, painful journey through its pages. It's a pity the whole subject (PLT120) is based on this single text.

Mecca

I had the most amazing dinner at Mecca; a Middle-Eastern restaurant in Southgate. For entree - North African spiced olives and labne balls, and for mains - I had za'atar coated grilled lamb loins with eggplant and tahini salad. It was absolutely amazing, with Turkish delight being the perfect ending to a sublime dining experience. And a glass of Twin Islands pinot noir - sensational.

Cicero

It was my birthday yesterday, so I took the day off work. I read the excerpt from Henry Miller's The Colossus of Marousi over my birthday breakfast at Cafe Ballino in Brunswick; Eggs Montreal (poached eggs - perfect runniness, smoked salmon, hollandaise sauce). I wandered up to A Minor Place for another coffee, then dropped into the Miramar Nut Shop on the way home, picking up an assortment of Middle Eastern treats. I arrived home before noon, and contemplated my productive morning, preemptively priding myself on how much I would achieve that day. And then I hit the Cicero Wall - a series of badly translated passages from On Goals. Oh how I struggled. When I checked in on the PHI110 discussion group, I discovered that other students were also struggling through this translation. By the end of the day, I managed to collate my interpretations and post them to the group;

Animals are born with innate, instinctual drives, which are rooted in self-preservation. Thus, when a baby is born, it begins to breathe immediately. The breathing has nothing to do with seeking pleasure or avoiding pain, it's simply a survival mechanism. These instincts are natural, they occur without forethought; our bodies are programmed to to act in such ways. Cicero believed that whilst these instincts were natural, and therefore 'good', there was a higher calling for humans. Through reasoning, humans achieve wisdom, which brings the realisation of what is 'honourable'. A virtuous lifestyle doesn't necessarily involve achieving the honourable, but does involves the pursuit of the honourable. In other words; it is more important to strive to do the right thing than it is to actually do the right thing. As we grow wiser, our ability to discern between 'right' and 'wrong' is refined, and we grow less dependent on those base instincts which once governed our lives. But Cicero sees a connection between the refined wisdom and the base instincts; the instincts facilitate our journey to wisdom - just as a person might introduce two people at a party, instincts act as a connection between a person and wisdom.

I also managed to squeeze in a chicken panini and Moroccan mint tea at Sugardough for lunch.

Changes in education

Ross Farrelly writes about the shortfall in young people aspiring to be teachers, claiming there are more lucrative attractions in IT and finance. To counter this, Farrelly proposes that schools need to be profit driven, instead of being seen as altruistic establishments.

Imagine a system in which the teacher who needed to earn more went away and prepared his lesson better, marked his essay more diligently, studied each child in his class, analysed their needs and examined every possible avenue he could to help that child learn - and was then financially rewarded for their improved performance.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority has proposed changes to the structure of VCE English; with a shift away from literature and towards oral presentations. Is it reflective of a post-literate age, or a ‘dumbing down’ of education?

The Consolations of Philosophy

My reading over the past week has been fairly fragmented. Bits here and there on the tram or over lunch. But I've finally made it through Alain De Botton's chapter on Epicurus from Consolations of Philosophy, which was a pleasant read. De Botton first outlines Epicurus' ideas on pleasure and desire, then measures it up against today's consumer society. Some thoughts parallel my own, which I tried to articulate in my post to the PHI110 discussion group. In particular, the tactic of selling goods by aligning them with psychological needs;

...expensive objects can feel like plausible solutions to needs we don't understand. Objects mimic in a material dimension what we require in a psychological one.

And further;

The prevalence of idle opinion is no coincidence. It is in the interests of commercial enterpirses to skew the heirarchy of our needs, to promote a material vision of the good and downplay an unsaleable one.

Tonight I need to catch up on Epicurus' "Letter To Menoceus" and "Leading Doctrines", and then I can move onto Week 2.

 

MY2K

Dinner at MY2K last night, to celebrate my fiancée's father's birthday. It's a baffling name for an Indian restaurant; I've been told it's a pun on the Y2K scare of 1999. I had an entree of onion bhaji, followed by lamb madras. Very nice. We're somewhat regulars at this restaurant.

Thoughts on Epicurus

My post to the PHI110 discussion board; thoughts on Epicurus, happiness, pleasure et al.

I think that today, especially is a First World, Western country, our happiness is heavily mediated by consumer pressure. We're bombarded with the message that we need 'things' in order to be happy; an iPod, a flat-screen TV, the Crazy Frog ringtone... all these pointless things that will supposedly make us happy. And so we immerse ourselves in a lifestyle where work takes precedence, and other pleasures are slotted into the gaps between work shifts - all so we can afford these 'things' which bring us happiness. I'm reminded of the current situation in New Orleans. The media is quick to differentiate between looting and scrounging for food. We see people running through the streets with armfuls of designer t-shirts, and we shake our heads and scowl. But I think it's symptomatic of this consumer pressure, the way happiness is sold to us, and the blurring of the lines between necessary and unnecessary desires. I don't think people would have been under such pressure during Epicurus' time, although that's not to say there wasn't social pressure for wealth and prestige. Epicurus may have been the original 'drop out' hippy, shunning a life governed by money and consumerism to live 'the good life'; but I wonder if such a lifestyle would have been easier in Epicurus' time. To 'drop out' Epicurus-style today would involve paying taxes, land rates, purchasing land, it would probably require petrol, machinery, basic telecommunications (at least for emergencies), etc. As for today's definition of pleasure; I think that although it's different from Epicurus' definition, there are still connections. Today, pleasure is about escaping the drudgery of daily life; it can be a sleep-in or a walk by the river, or an high-class hotel room or tropical island holiday. In essence, it's about escaping the mental and physical anxieties of work. As an aside, one ad currently running on TV that really irks me is the one where a guy signs for his neighbour's new flat-screen TV. So enraptured by the pleasures it brings him, he considers deceiving his neighbour in order to keep the TV. I think this would have horrified Epicurus; seeking unnatural and unnecessary pleasures to such an extend that we're willing to steal from our neighbours. He would have pointed out that this highlights the dangers of seeking such pleasures. Indeed, the ad makes out that this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do - something we can all imagine doing. "Then you ask yourself; 'Did I sign for a package?'".

Responses have been encouraging.

Epicurus lecture notes

The topic for Week 1 of PHI110 is Epicurus. Here are my lecture notes;

Epicurus believed that the key to happiness lies in specific kinds of pleasure, and that the pursuit of these pleasures lead to ‘the good life’. These pleasures are the things we need in order to live free from physical and mental discomfort, such as food, water, warmth, shelter, friendship and peace of mind. Because these pleasures are essential to our comfort, we are biologically programmed to seek them out. Epicurus called these pleasures ‘natural’ and ‘necessary’. Epicurus also identified natural pleasures which were ‘unnecessary’; extravagant add-ons to the necessary pleasures, such as banquets or mansions. There are also ‘unnatural’ pleasures; those arising from social pressures, such as power, fame, and nobility. In addition to these base pleasures, Epicurus also outlined the need for ‘reflection’. Contemplation was required for ‘the good life’, as a means of balancing our needs and desires. The pursuit of knowledge, therefore, was seen as a means to an end, not as a noble pursuit in its own right. It is ‘instrumental’ rather than ‘intrinsic’. Epicurus had a curious conception of justice, believing that we act in accordance with justice not out of a moral concern for others, but from self-interest. By abiding by the laws, we free ourselves from the anxiety of potential punishment.