Why Science is no help in quest for the "good life".

Another article I feel represents my interests in the search for the "good life" is provided for your reading and your comments. ks

Science No Help in the Search for the Good Life

By Kenneth Spoto, Ph.D.

   Living the “good life” is basically to pursue it - not necessarily to make it big as a millionaire or celebrity but as an avatar of good character, change, and/or leadership.

   According to Peter J. Gomes, in his book entitled The Good Life (2002), virtues are the important things in life and people do not (and more than likely will not be) need to be reminded of this by the physical sciences. Although we may know them as character, the virtues of life (and we often violate them) are what matter in the human condition. This condition may be said to be the social, cultural, and personal make up of humanity that is present in each of us, regardless of race, sex, class, etc. Basically stated, it includes the human search for purpose, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, and the fear of death. In comparing the human condition to science and technology Gomes says, “…the truly unimportant things hardly seem worth the trouble and are left to discovery by large industry and abysmal (scientific) knowledge.”

   So why can’t large industry with the aid of science and an unlimited amount of accumulated knowledge help the human condition? An answer may be in the definition of science. The term “science” has evolved over history to specifically mean, more or less, the quest to harness and manipulate the laws of the “physical” world. Science, by this definition, has enabled man to develop machines that can be used to macro-explore the solar system and micro-explore particles of the atom. There are no machines that can be used to explore the human condition; therefore man is left to his own, non-science devices.

   Indeed, scientific study on the human condition would be very difficult to conduct because there are so many variables that affect humans. Identification of which variables caused an effect would be suspect. Once again, the physical sciences have machines to explore many causal events in the physical world; the human condition has none. If social and other scientists delve too deeply and closely to causal events in the human condition, “their fingers get in the way and thus observations are clouded”.       

   When seeking the good life, Gomes offers many considerations, some of which are the following: happiness can be more correctly defined as a “flourishing” or “wellbeing,” rather than just pleasure or contentment; we do not do virtuous things in order to be happy - rather, we are happy because we do virtuous things; discipline and freedom are “means to an end” of living a good life; prudence is the practice of always choosing the good, even if it does not always stand on the side of the status quo; fortitude enables us with all necessary strength to contend against that which threatens our perseverance in the good; reputation is what the world knows of you, but character is what God knows of you; faith, hope, and love are the content and expression of the good life.

   The author of The Good Life was not a philosopher or a scientist; he was one of the official interfaith chaplains of a great American university noted for its high quality of students. His desire in writing this book was to equip those students for the realities of the human condition in their personal quests for the good life. Read the book, and I trust it will equip you.

     

     Living the good life is basically to pursue it - not necessarily to make it big as a millionaire or celebrity but as an avatar of good character, change, and/or leadership.

     With this opportunity in blogger.com to express my inner most feelings and thoughts on character, change, and leadership, I rely on a lifetime (though a relatively short one) of experience in growing up in a people-related family business, a (ongoing) wonderful 31 year marriage, and as a father of three beautiful (now) young men. Experience in careers in the U.S. Army and a county-level youth development program round out this reliance.

     If I may be allowed to boldly do so, my first blog is an article (see below) on change. Comments on this article are encouraged.

Become an Avatar of Change

By Kenneth Spoto, Ph.D.

    “I want my child to be a thermostat, not a thermometer.” Desiring that his child develops into one who will effect needed change instead of only reflecting it, author James C. Hunter makes this statement in his book, The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle (2004). This desire for effecting change could also be hoped for a community of people.  And, if we look all around us, there are many people in today’s world that are avatars of change and, undoubtedly, leadership.

       Effecting change as an avatar does not require a movable three-dimensional image used to represent oneself. An avatar can also be a real person, one who expresses a particular idea, principle or concept.  And, we can become avatars of change by volunteering for worthy causes or developing personal leadership abilities; both paths can lead to change, and both contribute to our sense of ownership of our communities and our personal sense of well-being. 

      According to psychologists, our most fundamental sense of well-being crucially depends on our having the ability to exert control over our environment and recognize we do. However, studies show we can learn that we don’t have control, resulting in learned helplessness; this condition can affect future motivation, suppress the body’s immune system, and lead to clinical depression. It is not improbable that communities that feel they don’t have control (what I call ownership) may also suffer from learned helplessness.

     So, what do we do to keep ourselves healthy, motivated individuals and to keep our communities in a similar condition? We get involved! We become Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or 4-H leaders. We become volunteer firefighters or emergency personnel that respond to natural and man-made catastrophes.  We volunteer with the local food bank and civic organizations such as Keep American Beautiful, Rotary and Lions Clubs or an animal welfare society.  We tutor kids during after school programs. We learn more about our local governing bodies by attending police jury, town hall, and school board meetings. And we express our concerns to our local, state, and national representatives. For some of the most adventuresome, the political waters can be tested and candidacies for public office (and leadership) developed.  It is truly exciting to think how getting involved can simultaneously and positively effect change in us and in our communities.

     While we reflect on how we can effect change in our local communities, let us consider our country was built by volunteers, avatars of a variety of needs and situations presenting themselves throughout our nation’s history. And, so it goes, the history of volunteerism, itself, is one of change. Every act of volunteering is and has been a testament to our and our local community’s autonomy and sense of self-determination; ultimately, every act is a testament to our sense of well-being and freedom.