I recently dismantled my “anonymous” blog, now over one year stagnant.
While doing so, I came across an entry from December 2006 entitled “Virtue & Vice”. It had been referenced by a now-defunct website in early 2007 and had thus garnered a fair share of traffic in its day. (Ok… by fair share, I mean relatively, and to a tiny niche audience for sure!)
I find it revealing to go over writing from years past: I can see how my thinking has changed, review the lessons I’d already forgotten, pinpoint errors in reasoning, and occasionally even agree with myself!
So I did a re-write of the post today:
Virtue & Vice II
(Incidentally, the Walrus is the only print media I will pay to read, and, in my not-so-humble opinion, also distinctly a cut above any other North American news magazine).
An article entitled “The Virtue in Vice” (by Christine Sismondo) was first published in the December 2006 issue of The Walrus magazine (also available online here). The author was discussing several new books, including
• Pleasure and the Good Life: Concerning the Nature, Varieties, and Plausibility of Hedonism. Fred Feldman.
• Sex, Drugs and DNA: Science's Taboos Confronted. Michael Stebbins.
• The Devil's Picnic: Around the World in Pursuit of Forbidden Fruit. Taras Grescoe.
Sismondo explores the idea that modern society has diverged quite far from Classical views (i.e. Aristotelian definitions) of pleasure and happiness. Instead of incorporating certain activities into our lives in moderation -- such as drinking, recreational drug use, sex, and junk food -- we overindulge. Our society no longer subscribes to the "golden mean"; we are either promiscuous or virgin, "meat-heads" or vegans, addicts or purists. What's more, abstinence has become the new vice (whether from cigarettes, booze, or sex); vice because it can no longer be virtue when adherents spend so much time and energy obsessing over what they have denied themselves.
I'm not sure if I would take this to such an extreme, however I do acknowledge that this very denial tends to produce the exact opposite qualities from the virtuous ones intended. For what then is virtue? If one is to abstain from every bad habit, large or small, out of an obligation to do so in order to then become a virtuous person and live a good life, then is this abstinence not meaningless? Worse, might one's own self-righteousness contribute detrimentally to the well-being of others, or the ability of others to become virtuous? Doing or refraining from doing does not make a person virtuous; virtue is part of one's character and an element of the soul. True virtue makes these kinds of laws and regulations unnecessary; however we might also argue that virtue on that scale has not been seen very often in this world, nor throughout history, with some notable (and famous) exceptions.
I also wish to point out another exception: the "vices" listed may not be vices to all. Many of us genuinely do not enjoy smoking cigarettes... others dislike the taste of alcohol or its effects. For some of us, the risks of physical intimacy may outweigh the benefits; yet others may become quite ill after eating Big Macs! Abstinence in this case is not denial, although quite frustratingly it may be viewed as so by others. Denying oneself pleasure is not intrinsically bad either; it builds self-discipline to use in other pursuits. For example, if I ate chocolate every day I'd be too heavy for a triathlete -- and I love triathlon. Of course, if any activity causes or has the potential to cause harm to others, the urge must be denied.
Whether by necessity, instinct or vanity, we live in a short-sighted view of reality and seek to maximize short-term gain. While admittedly we are mortals and can only plan within our lifetimes, it is also very saddening to look outside today and see the serious harm we are doing to our environment -- to the natural world that will outlive us and our descendants. There must be a balance struck between daily pleasures and long-term happiness.
As an example, Sismondo opines that aging playboy Hugh Heffner does not have the kind of happiness and freedom from pain that most of us truly desire. Finding a sensible mate, getting a good job, eating well and exercising, and making sound investment choices may all be elements of the "good life" in modern society. Why can’t we just “grow out of” the thrill of the taboo, and embrace the simpler and more universal joys that surround us in this still-quite-wonderful world?
