It's not often that I read a book (at least a non fiction one) which makes a lasting impression on me. At least not to the degree where it challenges the way I think to any meaningful extent. I can read books which reinforce what I already think or which are of general interest. But to have one's world view challenged by a book feels like a very different thing altogether. I've always thought it sounds a little over zealous when people refer to a book as 'life changing' and so I won't use those words. Even so, Sam Harris' 'The Moral Landscape' has certainly impacted on me to the point of making a lasting impression.
It also feels a bit like I'm about to just write a book review - and if the good people at Transworld are reading this, don't worry, there's no charge ;-) - but people are moved by different things at different points in their lives. The way I see it, all you can really do is process it and then put it in some kind of context within your own life.
I'm not going to waste too much time going into detail on the finer points of Dr Harris' argument - if only because it's complicated and however long it took me to struggle through this book (it's not the easiest of reads) it would take me even longer to try and summarise them in any real detail. The crux of it is that whilst moral relativism has become a popular stance among some people when discussing moral issues, it could be the case that there are in fact objectively 'right' and 'wrong' answers to these issues. These answers can be determined by establishing how certain courses of action can impact the well-being of an individual and the morality of an action and the way we live our lives should be based on this level of well being. In essence, there are some social/religious/cultural practices that are just wrong (or so the argument goes) and the fact that they're time honoured or revered is irrelevant.
Now, when you get right down to it, I'm a bleeding heart liberal. I might make the odd joke in poor taste and yes, I am one of those people who thinks that political correctness is getting a little bit excessive but when all said and done, I'm usually one of the people who argues that morality is too complicated a thing to define to any degree of satisfaction.
From what I understand, Sam Harris is also firmly a part of 'the liberal agenda' and so I'm not accusing him of bigotry or conservatism. However, Dr Harris is also firmly a part of the new wave of atheism which seems to be increasing in popularity along with Richard Dawkins et al and here is where my own delicate sensibilities were in danger of being wounded.
Don't get me wrong, I'm basically an atheist and I agree with most of the arguments put forward for atheism as a concept. However (and yes, I am finally coming to my point) when I read 'The God Delusion' and some of the other arguments against organised religion I experienced a definite feeling of discomfort.
Sure, I don't believe in God, at least not in the Abrahamic sense of the term and so I don't appreciate the idea that morality has to come from a divine source. I also don't appreciate being dictated to about what I should and shouldn't be allowed to do solely because it doesn't correspond with someone else's faith (abortion, sexual conduct etc). But if I'm going to be truly liberal, can I really judge someone else's sense of what is right and wrong? I can disagree, but can I or anyone else, honestly make such a judgement without being a hypocrite? And the answer I would have given up until reading 'The Moral Landscape' would have probably been 'no'.
Does this mean that I'm now going to start strutting around with a holier than thou attitude? I hope not. I start my counselling diploma in September and I can't wait. Having said that, any halfway decent counsellor will stress the importance of maintaining a non-judgemental attitude when working with clients. Indeed, the brief time that I have spent working with young offenders is a constant reminder that whilst morality is arguably very simply on paper, life is too complicated to hold onto a polarised view of good and evil.
However, even bearing all that in mind, if you asked me if there was such thing as a moral absolute, I think I'd be a lot less certain about my answer than I once was. And therein lies the point of this post. I still believe that people can only change when offered a non judgemental environment (in as far as that is possible) to safely explore their feelings. But if morality is more universal than I had previously considered, I worry that being non-judgemental may become that little bit more difficult.
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
And so it begins
Having written my introduction, I half thought of biding my time before writing my next entry, waiting for a truly poignant moment to occur, so that I could start my off my blog on a poetic note. Alas, as poetic as life can be, it's also balanced with a healthy dose of mundaneness (yes, apparently that's really a word. One truly does learn something new every day) and boredom has gotten the better of me.
Also, writing this seemed preferably to watching the recent 'Clash of the Titans' remake which is what I was doing and is shit in that special kind of way that only Hollywood can deliver.
And don't get me wrong, I love a good bit of Hollywood tripe. Even as someone who tries to take in as broad a range of world cinema as possible, I still like to kick back every now and then and indulge in a bit of testosterone fuelled, macho bullshit, high octane action. I mean let's face it, as much as I love a bit of Bergmanesque existentialism or that unique brand of surreal melancholia that only Jim Jarmucsh seems to be able to deliver, it's just not quite the same as watching Schwarzenegger or Stallone blow the shit out of people.
This should be borne in mind when I say that 'Clash of the Titans' is one of those films which was so shit, I couldn't actually finish it. Some might argue that if I'm going to set out to systematically undermine someone else's hard earned attempt at artistic expression, I should really watch it all the way through in order to make a fully informed opinion. And perhaps they're right. But honest to God, I'm just not that masochistic. There is only so much of Sam Worthington barley concealing his Australian accent (in an ancient Greek epic for fuck's sake) that any reasonable man can or should be willing to take. Indeed, we've established that a ridiculous plot isn't necessarily a deal breaker as far as I'm concerned and I sure as hell wasn't expecting an Oscar winning performance, but I'm only human.
On the plus side, this experience has highlighted one of the definite benefits of blogging. As forums for indulging my passive-aggression go, this is actually quite good. I feel nice and safe, sitting here behind my laptop, basking in knowledge that Sam Worthington is fairly unlikely to read this and beat me up. Some might wonder about the mentality of a person who genuinely entertained such a thought, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. With that in mind, I do feel the need to point out that just because an event is highly improbable, that doesn't mean you can't take comfort in reassuring yourself it probably won't happen (and yes, I will be checking under my bed before I go to sleep, just in case Sam Worthington is lurking under there. Deal with it).
*Ahem* Anyway, moving swiftly on, while I'm on the subject of films, I was finally able to catch 'The Dark Knight Rises' the other day (don't worry, no spoilers). As an all round geek/huge Batman fan, I was pretty impressed. It was no where near as good as 'The Dark Knight' but hey, it was never going to be. But Mr Nolan stayed true to form and there now exists a super hero trilogy where the final film isn't a complete let down (although I've still got my fingers crossed for 'Iron Man 3).
We can mock Christian Bale for his cheesy Batman voice (and hate him a little bit for his role in finishing off the ruination of 'The Terminator' series) but he all things considered, he made a pretty good Dark Knight. I also appreciated seeing Catwoman and Bane handled properly - as a femme fatale with a wonky moral compass and an criminally insane but genius turned terrorist respectively. The set pieces are a little OTT but it is based on a comic book and as long as one keeps that in mind, it's a lot of fun.
I guess next on the list of films to flap over with nerdy gusto is 'Skyfall' and even putting my slightly unhealthy man crush on Daniel Craig to one side and looking at it objectively, I think I can safely say that it's going to be pretty good.
So there you have it dear reader (if indeed I have any)! I promised my deepest, darkest and most trivial thoughts for your perusal and I have delivered. What riveting things shall emerge from the deepest recesses of my psyche for my next post? You'll just have to wait and see...
Also, writing this seemed preferably to watching the recent 'Clash of the Titans' remake which is what I was doing and is shit in that special kind of way that only Hollywood can deliver.
And don't get me wrong, I love a good bit of Hollywood tripe. Even as someone who tries to take in as broad a range of world cinema as possible, I still like to kick back every now and then and indulge in a bit of testosterone fuelled, macho bullshit, high octane action. I mean let's face it, as much as I love a bit of Bergmanesque existentialism or that unique brand of surreal melancholia that only Jim Jarmucsh seems to be able to deliver, it's just not quite the same as watching Schwarzenegger or Stallone blow the shit out of people.
This should be borne in mind when I say that 'Clash of the Titans' is one of those films which was so shit, I couldn't actually finish it. Some might argue that if I'm going to set out to systematically undermine someone else's hard earned attempt at artistic expression, I should really watch it all the way through in order to make a fully informed opinion. And perhaps they're right. But honest to God, I'm just not that masochistic. There is only so much of Sam Worthington barley concealing his Australian accent (in an ancient Greek epic for fuck's sake) that any reasonable man can or should be willing to take. Indeed, we've established that a ridiculous plot isn't necessarily a deal breaker as far as I'm concerned and I sure as hell wasn't expecting an Oscar winning performance, but I'm only human.
On the plus side, this experience has highlighted one of the definite benefits of blogging. As forums for indulging my passive-aggression go, this is actually quite good. I feel nice and safe, sitting here behind my laptop, basking in knowledge that Sam Worthington is fairly unlikely to read this and beat me up. Some might wonder about the mentality of a person who genuinely entertained such a thought, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. With that in mind, I do feel the need to point out that just because an event is highly improbable, that doesn't mean you can't take comfort in reassuring yourself it probably won't happen (and yes, I will be checking under my bed before I go to sleep, just in case Sam Worthington is lurking under there. Deal with it).
*Ahem* Anyway, moving swiftly on, while I'm on the subject of films, I was finally able to catch 'The Dark Knight Rises' the other day (don't worry, no spoilers). As an all round geek/huge Batman fan, I was pretty impressed. It was no where near as good as 'The Dark Knight' but hey, it was never going to be. But Mr Nolan stayed true to form and there now exists a super hero trilogy where the final film isn't a complete let down (although I've still got my fingers crossed for 'Iron Man 3).
We can mock Christian Bale for his cheesy Batman voice (and hate him a little bit for his role in finishing off the ruination of 'The Terminator' series) but he all things considered, he made a pretty good Dark Knight. I also appreciated seeing Catwoman and Bane handled properly - as a femme fatale with a wonky moral compass and an criminally insane but genius turned terrorist respectively. The set pieces are a little OTT but it is based on a comic book and as long as one keeps that in mind, it's a lot of fun.
I guess next on the list of films to flap over with nerdy gusto is 'Skyfall' and even putting my slightly unhealthy man crush on Daniel Craig to one side and looking at it objectively, I think I can safely say that it's going to be pretty good.
So there you have it dear reader (if indeed I have any)! I promised my deepest, darkest and most trivial thoughts for your perusal and I have delivered. What riveting things shall emerge from the deepest recesses of my psyche for my next post? You'll just have to wait and see...
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