are pragmatism and perfectionism inherently conflicting life philosophies?
no, because you can be pragmatic in reaching perfectionism
:)
a perfectly aestetic persoanlity is probably more of a negation of all that does not serve you than some combination of good attributes.
how can you get rid of negative attributes?
heighten your awareness and they will fall away on your own. and your actions will be beautiful
"awareness, in and of itself is transformative" - some guy
how can you get rid of negative attributes?
heighten your awareness and they will fall away on your own. and your actions will be beautiful
"awareness, in and of itself is transformative" - some guy
so my answer would be... pragmatism is a tool and perfectionism is a goal
pragmatism can be used in the moment and perfectionism is a developemental process
pragmatism can be used in the moment and perfectionism is a developemental process
my thoughts exactly :)
i find perfectionism somewhat problematic as a goal. it sound to me too much like miss america wishing for world peace or some other equally unattainable goal. either you are or you are not perfect. you don't suddenly overcome your fear of spiders (or something else) and become perfect. likewise either you always were or you never will be perfect.
it seems to me that our desire for perfection is a latent symptom of the western christian paradigm. the common phrase "nobody is perfect" is always followed in the good christian's mind by "except jc". as far as i am concerned, if nobody on earth is perfect then perfection (with respect to human beings) looses its meaning.
besides if we are making arguments why humans aren't perfect, we could make just as strong arguments why we are. every atom, every mote that has ever existed has conspired to construct the universe as we know it. we are pieces in a massive and unimaginably vast puzzle called existence. how could we not be perfect?
finally there is an unspecified purpose that is implied in the striving for perfectionism. when someone hands you a wrench and if it is the exact size you might call it "perfect". if someone makes food and you taste it and you realize that it will exactly satisfy you hunger, you may call it "perfect". if we are running around pursuing something called perfection, i just wonder what purpose are we trying to be the exact response for?
it seems to me that our desire for perfection is a latent symptom of the western christian paradigm. the common phrase "nobody is perfect" is always followed in the good christian's mind by "except jc". as far as i am concerned, if nobody on earth is perfect then perfection (with respect to human beings) looses its meaning.
besides if we are making arguments why humans aren't perfect, we could make just as strong arguments why we are. every atom, every mote that has ever existed has conspired to construct the universe as we know it. we are pieces in a massive and unimaginably vast puzzle called existence. how could we not be perfect?
finally there is an unspecified purpose that is implied in the striving for perfectionism. when someone hands you a wrench and if it is the exact size you might call it "perfect". if someone makes food and you taste it and you realize that it will exactly satisfy you hunger, you may call it "perfect". if we are running around pursuing something called perfection, i just wonder what purpose are we trying to be the exact response for?
> as far as i am concerned, if nobody on earth is perfect then perfection (with respect to human beings) looses its meaning.
why?
> we are pieces in a massive and unimaginably vast puzzle called existence. how could we not be perfect?
i think is very true if you assume a deterministic view. but i feel that if you allow for free will, then our wills are part of the picture, and they may or may not be perfect.
maybe jesus christ was perfect because he didn't have free will.
> if we are running around pursuing something called perfection, i just wonder what purpose are we trying to be the exact response for?
in the same way, nietzsche hates it when people attain knowledge for the sake of attaining knowledge. i think, instead, we can strive for perfection in our creations; we can strive for knowledge to help us create.
why?
> we are pieces in a massive and unimaginably vast puzzle called existence. how could we not be perfect?
i think is very true if you assume a deterministic view. but i feel that if you allow for free will, then our wills are part of the picture, and they may or may not be perfect.
maybe jesus christ was perfect because he didn't have free will.
> if we are running around pursuing something called perfection, i just wonder what purpose are we trying to be the exact response for?
in the same way, nietzsche hates it when people attain knowledge for the sake of attaining knowledge. i think, instead, we can strive for perfection in our creations; we can strive for knowledge to help us create.
at another angle, experiencing fear of spiders is perfection embodied in a different way. maybe you aren't considering yourself perfect because you have this 'imperfect' attribute. also being fearful of spiders is a pragmatic behavior. there are other options that may be more ideal in that you aren't so embarrassed in front of other people at times of your fear of spiders.
just expanding on that example
just expanding on that example
i had a lengthy reply but lost connection and didn't duplicate :(
>maybe jesus christ was perfect because he didn't have free will.<
to be aestetically perfect in our actions we have to give up free will... over to whatever muse it is that artists or dancers call upon to orcastrate their actions... billions of years of built up instinct, god, the source, creation, the void, whatever. we are just filters for perfection, step out the way and your actions become perfect
to be aestetically perfect in our actions we have to give up free will... over to whatever muse it is that artists or dancers call upon to orcastrate their actions... billions of years of built up instinct, god, the source, creation, the void, whatever. we are just filters for perfection, step out the way and your actions become perfect
a pragmatic response to that would be: that sounds nice, but how can i begin the process of doing that? and the answer would be, whatever it takes to heighten awareness. so setting aside 10 minutes a day to doing so would be a very pragmatic step toward perfection