varanine

What, then, is work for? Aristotle has a striking answer: “we work to have leisure, on which happiness depends.” This may at first seem absurd. How can we be happy just doing nothing, however sweetly (dolce far niente)? Doesn’t idleness lead to boredom, the life-destroying ennui portrayed in so many novels, at least since “Madame Bovary”? Everything depends on how we understand leisure. Is it mere idleness, simply doing nothing? Then a life of leisure is at best boring (a lesson of Voltaire’s “Candide”), and at worst terrifying (leaving us, as Pascal says, with nothing to distract from the thought of death). No, the leisure Aristotle has in mind is productive activity enjoyed for its own sake, while work is done for something else. We can pass by for now the question of just what activities are truly enjoyable for their own sake — perhaps eating and drinking, sports, love, adventure, art, contemplation? The point is that engaging in such activities — and sharing them with others — is what makes a good life. Leisure, not work, should be our primary goal.

What Work Is Really For – The New York Times

(via m1k3y)

1. lunarstill likes this
2. apolonia-dionysia likes this
3. gravity-rainbow reblogged this from wildcat2030
4. thegreatcompromise likes this
5. adialogue likes this
6. moncabinetdecuriosites likes this
7. memeengine reblogged this from wildcat2030
8. superk32 reblogged this from wildcat2030
9. superk32 likes this
10. theyinandyangofmrgo likes this
11. jtrece likes this
12. theburnlab likes this
13. edwardiansnow reblogged this from wildcat2030
14. edwardiansnow likes this
15. gravity-rainbow likes this
16. dreamtigers likes this
17. gizamalukes-grotto likes this
18. towerofsleep likes this
19. mrjmzack likes this
20. imaginaryelliy likes this
21. k0stheree reblogged this from wildcat2030
22. belozi likes this
23. kaptein-droomland likes this
24. asilversixpence likes this
25. showingpeoplethings likes this
26. iamfloryan reblogged this from wildcat2030
27. parergonal likes this
28. cedars reblogged this from m1k3y
29. memeengine likes this
30. atsoukalidis likes this
31. varanine reblogged this from m1k3y
32. naranzarian likes this
33. m1k3y reblogged this from wildcat2030
34. m1k3y likes this
35. quantumscoot reblogged this from wildcat2030
36. chibipickles reblogged this from wildcat2030
37. schnozbrah reblogged this from wildcat2030
38. vanderlylic likes this
39. fleurencefleur likes this
40. conjunctionofthemind reblogged this from wildcat2030
41. meta-matter likes this
42. lefoxie likes this
43. vanillabuds reblogged this from wildcat2030
44. lowkiwi likes this
45. amiquote likes this
46. halfknots likes this
47. k0stheree likes this
48. dom72 reblogged this from wildcat2030
49. xaoss likes this
50. dom72 likes this
51. Show more notesLoading...