设万维读者为首页 万维读者网 -- 全球华人的精神家园 广告服务 联系我们 关于万维
 
首  页 新  闻 视  频 博  客 论  坛 分类广告 购  物
搜索>> 发表日志 控制面板 个人相册 给我留言
帮助 退出
 
Tree_LivingWater  
四季树  
网络日志正文
“I Feel; Therefore, I Am”: Reflections on Cultural 2013-01-02 19:16:33

 

转贴, 谢谢彩虹之约mean推荐的文章

 

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2013/01/i-feel-therefore-i-am-reflections-on-cultural-emotivism/

 

“I Feel; Therefore, I Am”: Reflections on Cultural Emotivism


by Paul CopanJanuary 2nd, 2013Comments 1 Comment

We’re familiar with relativism’s slogan, “That’s true for you but not for me.” Well, in the worldview neighborhood, emotivism is just around the corner.  This philosophy of life is centered on feelings or emotions, entirely or partially eclipsing truth from consideration.  In ethics, emotivism stresses that statements like “Murder is wrong” don’t express moral truths; they only express feelings: “I don’t like murder” or “Murder—yuck!”  With its emphasis on feelings, the Romantic movement in art, literature, and philosophy began in the early 1800s in response to the seemingly cold, sterile rationalism of the Enlightenment (1650-1800). And in our day, we are witnessing something of a renewed Romanticism and the widespread flight from reason.

We encounter emotivismin the moral claim “I feel that this is right” or “That makes me feel uncomfortable.”  In their research papers, university students with increasing frequency write “I feel” rather than “I think” to establish their point.  Some might ask, “Well, what’s the difference? Aren’t a person’s feelings and opinions (thinking) pretty much the same thing?”  No, they are not, and we should try to speak with greater precision—beyond the mere expression of feelings—with a view to actually reflecting on and assessing the truth-content of beliefs.[1]

First of all, to say “I think” sounds more argumentative than “I feel.” Also, our culture increasingly takes feelings to be self-justifying—as though no further argument or supporting reasons are necessary.  And how can you disagree with how someone feels?  Think of the person who says, “I like chocolate ice cream.”  That statement reflects a personal preference—someone’s inner state—and there’s no point in disagreeing with it. But what are we to do with it? It sounds authoritative, but are we to adopt chocolate ice cream as our own favorite?

Emotivism doesn’t express moral facts—only moral preferences. The problem, though, is that feelings are often misguided, and we need good thinking to direct our emotions and help bring them under control.  A person may get angry in a particular situation he has misjudged, but his anger may quickly subside when he hears reasons that explain the context.  And don’t we periodically change our moral perspective on certain issues, presumably because we think we have a good reason for doing so? But why should we take a person’s feelings, by themselves, as authoritative? 

Now we do have certain basic moral intuitions that anchored in a God-given conscience that we should never ignore—something C.S. Lewis points out in the appendix to hisAbolition of Man.  Even though the conscience isn’t infallible and needs refining, we can get a lot right by paying attention to our conscience and not stifling it. If our conscience is functioning even half-decently, we can have a good start on recognizing basic moral truths—the wrongness of torturing babies for fun or mocking the mentally retarded.  But when we get into moral discussions about, say, politics, the death penalty, pacifism versus just war, only moral feelings seem to matter—without reasons or evidence to support such feelings.  To say “I feel” says nothing about the rightness or wrongness of war or the death penalty.  By contrast, to say “I think” reflects rationality and intellectual content that can be discussed and debated. When we say, “I think,” we imply reasons for our beliefs. “I feel” does not.

To reinforce the “I feel” over the “I think” message, movies, the internet, and other forms of entertainment diminish our capacity to think hard and to be disciplined in our reasoning.  The pursuit of entertainment leads to a trivialization of culture.  The late Neal Postman pointed out in Amusing Ourselves to Death that, unlike the printed word, the flitting images on the screen keep the eye moving; minimal comprehension skills are necessary; and the overarching goal is emotional gratification. The viewer is inundated with messages that he assimilates rather than logically processes. No prior knowledge is required for watching movies—nor is serious reasoning demanded, perplexity introduced, or elaboration permitted.  If any intellectual demands happen to be placed on the viewer, he will just click the remote control to watch something else.[2]

So it is easy for the uncritical TV or movie watcher to assimilate cultural messages without thinking about them—the “excitement” about an illicit sexual relationship, the “right” to get out of a “boring” marriage, the rationalizing of cutting moral corners since “it’s not hurting anyone.” No wonder people imagine they can simply “feel strongly” about their beliefs without offering supporting arguments!  René Descartes’ familiar dictum “I think; therefore I am” has been replaced by the mantra, “I feel; therefore I am.”

Given the instability and unreliability of emotions, believers should all the more carve out a place for serious thinking about life and to cultivate habits of the mind to do so.  Rather than letting the our culture press us into its mold, we are to reflect on what is our “reasonable [logikos] service” of worship in light of God’s mercies (Rom. 12:1-2, NET).[3]  True disciples of Christ are to be characterized by “discernment,” “wisdom,” and “understanding” (Phil. 1:9Col. 1:9). We are to discipline our minds to take proper action (1 Pet. 1:13)—to think Christianly about our faith and how we are to live out kingdom-centered priorities.

Emotivism can also take the form of anchoring authenticity in feelings. If a person doesn’t feel like doing something, it’s hypocritical to go against his feelings. And why teach children to apologize when they don’t feel like saying they’re sorry?  Of course, the faulty assumption here is that our emotions are the sum total of who we are.  This ignores other features of who we are—our will; our identity; our character and its formation; and our relationships and the promises we make to cultivate and nourish them.  Our emotions are a fragment of who we are, and to become robust human beings, we will deprive ourselves of what may feel good in the moment—that is, postponing gratification—in order to achieve something of greater worth. Seeking our own well-being over against loving God and others will ultimately put true life out of reach (Jn. 12:25). When, by God’s grace, we cultivate habits of obedience and self-denial, we are involving in the process of shaping our character so that doing the right thing—what we were designed for—becomes “second nature” to us.  We train children to cultivate the habit of apologizing after wronging others and expressing thanks for kindnesses shown because it is the right thing to do—even if they don’t feel like doing so. Teaching them these habits is a reminder that their lives should not be driven by the whims of what they feel like doing.  Rather, their lives are to be shaped by concerns for moral and spiritual formation to achieve the goal of our humanity—namely, Christ-likeness.

In our therapeutic age, Westerners commonly view God as a divine therapist rather than as the cosmic Authority who commands our obedience and allegiance.  To those who trust in him, God gives the Holy Spirit, not the Happy Spirit. God is more interested in our doing good rather than feeling good, in character transformation rather than self-authentication. God is not only concerned about sincerity, but that sincere hearts be aligned with the truth; after all, people can be sincerely wrong, as history amply illustrates.  Only by losing our lives for Christ’s sake—by taking up our cross daily—will we actually find what is life indeed.  As we focus on right thinking and the importance of character-formation, we will avoid the pitfalls of emotivism and maintain an appropriate “critical distance” from our culture’s messages and morals.  After all, what is often esteemed by our culture is detestable in God’s sight (Lk. 16:15).

This blog post is adapted from a section in a forthcoming book by Paul Copan and Kenneth D. Litwak, The Gospel for Today’s Athenians:  Paul’s Mars Hill Speech in the Marketplace of Ideas (InterVarsity Press, 2013).


 

[1] Thanks to J.P. Moreland’s Love Your God with All Your Mind (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1997), which first got me thinking about the “I think” vs. “I feel” distinction.

[2] See Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death (2nd ed.; New York: Penguin, 2005).

[3] See N.T. Wright, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters (New York: HarperOne, 2010), 154-59.


浏览(653) (0) 评论(1)
发表评论
文章评论
作者:四季树 留言时间:2013-01-02 19:18:19
我们之所以忍耐,是因为我们信神并等候神的公平,
送交者: 雅1 2013月01月02日13:38:01 于 [彩虹之约] 发送悄悄话
回 答:我快忍出内伤的2012 由 四季树 于2013-01-02 12:32:05
这给我们灵魂以宁静以喜欢;这是由神赋予我们的的忍耐和等候,很自然很心甘情愿。



要是还没有得到那个自然的心甘情愿的忍耐,那么无需行义过分而自取灭亡,无须照着自己没有的给,我们追求的是圣灵,他自然为我们结果,我们追求的不是圣灵的果子不要自己试图结那样的果子。



而圣灵的同在的渠道,是常在他的话里,那么他必然在基督里保守我们的心怀;当我们无法给电话那边以平静耐心的时候,直截了当地说,请你让我经,我现在这个状态帮不了你,我需要神的帮助,你也一样,除非你愿意停止你的BLA我们一起读诗篇读经?



如果对方是你天上的家人,他们会被圣灵带领迟早会理解你的:)
当然,如果对方不是你天上的家人,他们和你,光明和黑暗有什么相交捏。



“凡劳苦担重担的人、可以到我这里来、我就使你们得安息。
我心里柔和谦卑、你们当负我的轭、学我的样式、这样、你们心里就必得享安息。
因为我的轭是容易的、我的担子是轻省的。 ”===这是千真万确地。
回复 | 0
我的名片
四季树
注册日期: 2012-06-21
访问总量: 175,918 次
点击查看我的个人资料
Calendar
我的公告栏
袮必点着我的灯。耶和华我的神必照明我的黑暗。
最新发布
· 主日讲道笔记-从死亡洞穴中升起
· 看视频感动 -- 瞬间的一生之爱
· 诗歌:Forever
· 诗歌:My Confession by Josh Gr
· 主日平安:诗歌 Hold me Jesus
· 主日听到来自波兰的怜悯颂 - Kyr
· 诗歌:How Deep The Father'
友好链接
· 天婴:时间就是爱
· Annay:Annay的博客
分类目录
【Moms in Prayer】
· 妈妈们的祷告(10)-- 放手给主
· 妈妈们的祷告(9)-- 禁食祷告
· 妈妈们的祷告(8)-- 密友
· 妈妈们的祷告(7) -- 炽热不止
· 妈妈们的祷告(6)-- 妈妈们的需
· 妈妈们的祷告(5)-- God is our
· 妈妈们的祷告(4)- Our Sanctif
· 妈妈们的祷告(3)-- The Great
· 妈妈们的祷告 (2)- 上帝的话语
· 妈妈们的祷告8/28(1)-- 感恩、
【祷告】
· 祷告的歌声
· 耶稣会出版社为教宗的祷告
· 天使在祷告
【传统圣诗及诗人介绍】
· 经典圣诗新唱 when I survey the
· 父,我知道我的一生
· 无袮,我就无法想,I Could Not
【圣经学习笔记】
· 等候
· BSF(20)创世记学习笔记-- 信心
【基督徒的情绪世界】
· ZT:Ten Reasons Why Good Christ
· [转载]特蕾莎修女的小诗“AnyWay”
· 转贴:光照我心 ——靠主战胜抑郁
· ZT:赞美的赐福
· “I Feel; Therefore, I Am”: Ref
· ZT: I am NOT a Depressed Perso
【生命之旅】
· 主日讲道笔记-从死亡洞穴中升起
· 看视频感动 -- 瞬间的一生之爱
· "那些需要了解的事-- 给母
· 千里共婵娟 --北京中秋的晚霞和
· 故乡行之中文情结 -- 只愿得一人
· 清晨的日光
· ZT 维他命F
· 看了图片后,我问自己,我可以这
· 补丁的快乐和满足
· 等候
【圣诞诗歌】
· 诗歌:Joy to the World (unspea
· 诗歌:Mary did you know ?
· O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
【信仰感悟】
· 为甚麽研究神学? Why Study The
· ZT 成圣的呼召:与难题共存 by
· “你这睡着的人,当醒过来,从死
· 跟随者还是粉丝?
· 有感基督徒的背十字架
· 读文小结:“Sandy Hook 的枪手是
· 从看小说略微领会上帝救恩之伟大
· 面对未来,(写于2010 年感恩节
【基督徒见证】
· Laura Story姐妹的见证:遇见耶
· ZT : 杨小凯:得到全世界,失去
· 情人节推出的感恩见证,转贴
· 漫长黑夜里的期待-- 贝蒂的故事
【看电影】
· 关于接受、关于爱,关于盼望的缘
· 看电影《Noah》
· 爱情的发生时刻--看电影《The Vo
· 电影《The Rite》( 现代驱魔师)
· 史诗般的经典杰作-宾虚(Ben-Hur)
【中文圣诗欣赏】
· 悠扬动听的赞美诗--耶和华祝福满
· 耶稣,超乎万名之名
· 袮比这一切更美丽
· 诗歌:脚步 by 盛晓玫
· 诗歌:恩典的记号
· 诗歌:因我等候袮 (诗篇143篇)
【喜欢的歌】
· ZT:I look to You by Whitney H
· 喜欢上一首歌:《我的歌声里》ZT
【英文圣诗欣赏】
· 诗歌:Forever
· 诗歌:My Confession by Josh Gr
· 主日平安:诗歌 Hold me Jesus
· 主日听到来自波兰的怜悯颂 - Kyr
· 诗歌:How Deep The Father'
· 诗歌--Sovereign 及一些默想
· 诗歌:Full attention
· 诗歌:Lord,every hour I need y
· 诗歌:Speak O Lord
· 诗歌: Who But Jesus
【儿童查经】
· 舌头的威力-家庭儿童查经班的一
· 推荐一些家庭儿童查经班的教材和
· 动画短片,推荐给儿童查经班的同
存档目录
2016-01-09 - 2016-01-09
2015-05-15 - 2015-05-15
2015-03-13 - 2015-03-23
2015-02-01 - 2015-02-01
2015-01-08 - 2015-01-26
2014-11-03 - 2014-11-18
2014-10-01 - 2014-10-29
2014-09-04 - 2014-09-30
2014-08-02 - 2014-08-23
2014-07-10 - 2014-07-29
2013-10-05 - 2013-10-16
2013-09-23 - 2013-09-24
2013-06-22 - 2013-06-22
2013-05-04 - 2013-05-04
2013-04-01 - 2013-04-29
2013-03-01 - 2013-03-26
2013-02-04 - 2013-02-27
2013-01-01 - 2013-01-30
2012-12-02 - 2012-12-23
2012-11-21 - 2012-11-30
2012-09-06 - 2012-09-18
2012-08-24 - 2012-08-31
 
关于本站 | 广告服务 | 联系我们 | 招聘信息 | 网站导航 | 隐私保护
Copyright (C) 1998-2024. Creaders.NET. All Rights Reserved.