The Symmetrical House of Form: Happiness and Joy (Part III)

If man were happy, he would be the more so,

the less he was diverted, like the Saints and God.

 – Yes; but is it not to be happy to have a faculty

of being amused by diversion? – No; for that comes

from elsewhere and from without, and thus is dependent,

and therefore subject to be disturbed by a thousand accidents,

which bring inevitable griefs.1

– Pascal

Man’s Existential Predicament

Human existence is irreducible to biology. We do not intuit lived-experience as bodies that merely interact with other bodies in space and time. Man can reflect on the essence of time like no other animal on planet Earth. This is because man organizes experience as an extra-natural being. Man exists among a vast conglomeration of objects and other beings, forcing us to find coherence in human reality as future-oriented persons.

Our capacity for rational thought, self-reflection and self-rule afford us the insight that free will is one of our distinguishing qualities. Though man must respect the limitations imposed upon us by our incarnate existence, we must make choices in order to survive and prosper. Human history has proven to be the struggle to balance our baser animal passions with the capacity for moral choice-making. The differentiation of being, as this is manifested in individual persons, informs human history at every level. Individuals who cultivate moral nobility recognize the hierarchy of values as the driving force of personhood.2

Biological entities, other than man, do not reflect on their nature. Only man reflects on how meaning and purpose mold experience, and what this means for self-reflecting individuals. The profound irony of scientism, which affirms that man is a mere biological entity, is that biological entities – qua-biological – do not reflect on their nature. To do so, biological entities would be required to be other than biological, a condition that would enable them to get outside themselves, as it were. This is why, existentially speaking, man’s existence is a problem for self-reflection. The lived-experience constitutes a philosophical problem for man. Denial of this basic characteristic of human existence trivializes the human condition.

Human inquiry pertains to knowers that are concerned with establishing certainty as the criterion of knowledge, not its negation. Knowledge comes as the result of observation, ingenuity and toil, and is man’s great ally in the struggle for survival. Self-knowledge and the unifying power of wisdom are man’s ultimate antidote against undue human suffering. Knowledge that serves the interest of personhood is spontaneous and does not require a committee of experts to disseminate. Human reality presents man with enough sensual stimulation to force us to self-reflect and seek coherence in the lived-experience. Man’s existential predicament affords man the longing to reflect on meaning and purpose in human existence. This is a pre-condition for happiness and joy.

Biological Reductionism

Western civilization has enjoyed millennia of philosophical and theological reflection, scientific exploration, and healthy respect for transcendence and the sublime. So, what can be the motivation for postmodernism’s infatuation with reductionism? Where does the postmodern fanatical penchant to reduce man to a biological entity originate? Our vociferous quest for reductionism is conspicuously sophomoric. Scientism’s clamor for reductionism is parasitic, for no science can take place without man recognizing that science is the result of observation and curiosity. To negate man’s central role in nature is tantamount to erasing man’s desire to engage in science in the first place. The latter is a logical entailment.

The pursuit of science points to a being that finds thoughtful engagement with physical reality fruitful. The postmodern vogue of reducing man to a natural process originates in resentment for religious belief and sentiment, and man’s natural disposition for metaphysical/existential reflection. These two components of human existence are anathema to what Francois Revel has referred to as the totalitarian impulse.3

If vile reduction of man to the status of animal is the best that positivistic philosophy can offer in postmodernity, then philosophical reflection is in drastic decline. How does this postmodern predicament affect man’s prospect for self-reflection in the future?

Radical Skepticism and Pathological doubt

Self-indulgent skepticism becomes the source of moral/spiritual illness. It is an unfortunate condition of man’s present predicament that radical skepticism reveals more about man’s current mental/spiritual pathology, than it does about physical reality. Doubt is a useful tool that helps deliver man to certainty. Once we attain knowledge, doubt has served its purpose in assuaging our queries. For this reason, doubt cannot exist as an end in itself. Doubt cannot be turned into self-consuming sport. This is why we cannot confuse doubt with radical skepticism. Radical epistemology does not serve man as a tool to attain knowledge, given that it negates the role of knowledge in human life.

Radical skepticism has broad-ranging destructive implications for daily life, for it annihilates man’s capacity for self-reflection. For instance, we can read the imaginative literary works of Edgar Allan Poe and Wilkie Collins, be thrilled by the fear that their stories convey, and go on living normally because we know the difference between appearance and reality. Radical skepticism has tremendous power to destroy man’s ability to decipher what is true and noble, base and nihilistic because it is cynical in its view of personhood and human reality. Radical skepticism has declared war on human reality. Postmodern radical skepticism confuses appearance and reality, making the modern world a Platonic cave that offers few options for escape.

Nihilism, Happiness, and Joy

What are the prospects for happiness and joy in man’s future? This is a valid question given that human existence has an undeniable metaphysical/existential dimension that serves as the ground of freedom. With the destruction of transcendence, contemporary life is trapped in a world that emphasizes becoming, not permanence. Nihilism has made postmodern man ill. Nihilism serves as the source of contemporary man’s existential dread and unhappiness. On the other hand, happiness and contentment affect man’s behavior, aspirations and ability to experience the fullness of being in the lived-existence. Contentment is the wise man’s happiness, which in itself is a form of joy.

Happiness and joy depict a state of being. Because man is a social being, the implications of happiness and joy not only inform our personal quality of life, but also that of others.

Happiness and Joy

Happiness is a peculiar emotion. Many humans spend a vast portion of life engaged in the pursuit of happiness – which is more often than not a fleeting possibility and projection. Many people treat happiness like a commodity that can be attained. Happiness is rarely thought of as a state of being in postmodernity. Without the cultivation of personhood, the lived-interiority that defines us as individuals, happiness remains a sensual pursuit and moving target.

Happiness is fleeting because it cannot be attained self-consciously. To reach happiness man must give up the search altogether. Humans can indeed be happy. Yet we must make a distinction between reaching and attaining happiness. This makes happiness paradoxical.

Like a wild animal, happiness is not easily tamed. This does not mean that we can never reach happiness, only that we must cultivate our moral/spiritual reservoir as persons. When we try to attain happiness, the pursuit itself changes the expectation we have of happiness. This is because the pursuit can become stubborn and capricious, and exhaustive. The latter is an example of trying to attain happiness as a self-conscious act.

This is why we should not think of happiness as an end in itself. Plato conceived happiness as the harmony of the three parts of the soul working in unison. Happiness, and the lack thereof, comes about through an individual’s response to life’s contingencies. The qualitative state of being that we call happiness bespeaks of a condition of being human that is transparent to itself. The more we try to coerce happiness by corralling it, the more elusive it becomes. This approach works to frustrate self-conscious seekers of happiness. On the other hand, we reach happiness when embraced as a state of being.

Every day we find ourselves embroiled in some form of activity, of our choosing or otherwise. The essence of human freedom is that we have to make choices. We can compare human freedom to the first law of thermodynamics: the law of conservation of energy. Choice-making is a universal principle of human reality that allows man to prosper.

Humans have the ability to discriminate between this or that enterprise, for free will is the defining principle of human existence. We cannot help but to judge human reality. This is an essential trait of human freedom. Our interpretation of reality, especially when this is life-affirming, helps determine the degree of happiness we can enjoy.

Free will acts as a regulator of sensual experience. This is why our conception of happiness depends on our choices. Happiness as a state of being is but one response to the lived-experience. What distinguishes sensual reality in humans from sensual stimuli in animals is our ability to reflect on our experiences. Man is able to internalize experience. For instance, this makes it possible for man to talk about personality and character. Without the ability to judge the meaning and purpose of the lived-experience, man becomes susceptible to moral/spiritual confusion.

Our ability to judge human reality differentiates us from animals, for man is capable of a moral/spiritual and existential response to sensual reality. A stunning sunset, a blue umbrella sky, the smell of brick-oven baked pizza and the crack of a bat driving a baseball are sensual experiences. Sensual experience informs human life in myriad ways. Man’s dilemma is that we must reject many of our experiences, for freedom pushes back against becoming objectified by material processes. Human freedom is kept in check by the demands and limitations that we encounter in everyday experience. This enables free will to be exercised with perspicuity and prudence.

Animals also respond to the sensual world, critics will contend.  For instance, the lioness pursues the gazelle, some dogs are afraid of lightning and cats find small birds tantalizing. This claim is misleading, even though, conveniently fashionable among reductionists. Animals respond to sensual stimuli through instinct, not choice. Animals do not possess a reflective-I that makes them free-willing agents capable of experiencing themselves as the object of self-reflection. In humans, this is the basis of free will for most people and a burden for others.

One discernible difference between man and animals is man’s ability to cultivate a rational response to the world, while animals rely solely on instincts. In addition, animals lack the moral/spiritual capacity that enable man to reflect on, and internalize the meaning of our experiences. This makes man an existential being whose suffering transcends physical pain.

Man responds to the demands of experience in many ways: morally, spiritually, aesthetically, rationally and through the imagination. Free will even allow us to turn our back on reason and prudence. For instance, swimmers can enjoy the beauty of a serene lake, but to a prudent person who does not know how to swim, sitting by the shore is enough to quench their curiosity. Surgery is a calculated response to a pressing health concern, one which usually entails tolerating pain or discomfort as a consequence. Both of these experiences require temperance and prudence, two exclusively human virtues.

There is no science of happiness. Man does not possess a manual of how to attain lasting happiness. This is because our ultimate response to happiness is existential. As far as we know, man is the only cosmic entity that concerns itself with the pursuit of happiness, or can reach the state of happiness as a form of being in the world.

Given that happiness and joy both pertain to man’s existential inquietude, it is fruitless to offer a theoretical work on happiness. Happiness and joy are human emotions that have defined man since time immemorial; these emotions are instrumental in man’s behavior and interaction with other people.

In order to understand contemporary society, man must show respect for history and tradition. Without knowledge of history man merely spins aimlessly in place, like a toy top, a hamster on a wheel. This is why it is important to contrast aspects of happiness and joy in contemporary society with the past.

Vital Symmetry and Joy

Lasting happiness requires the cultivation of vital symmetry in a person’s life. Vital symmetry is an existential category that brings to light the essence of the individual as a person. Vital symmetry enables persons to remain focused on lived experience by not scattering vitality frivolously in the sensual world. Vital symmetry, which acts as a reflexive conduit for reflection on the soul, cannot be appropriated by science.

Existentially speaking, we can think of vital symmetry as the reflective ground of personhood. Vital symmetry captures the force of immediate experience by appropriating its meaning and purpose. Vital symmetry embraces the lived-experience as ontological mystery – from the perspective of an ordered soul. For this reason, vital symmetry is the cultivation of interiority. Man’s life is felt and lived as existence, not just biological life. Man is a multidimensional existential being, not an intellectual abstraction. Unwillingness to cultivate our capacity for self-reflection downgrades human existence to brute biological life. This form of reductionism is the staple of philosophical materialism.

Vital symmetry cultivates man’s moral/spiritual dimension. The strength of vital symmetry is its ability to engage a balanced perspective of life that originates in respect for the human person. This is an act of communion with oneself. Socrates referred to this as the examined life. Self-examination enables man to respect the Other in the same manner that we engage our existential longing. To achieve this, man must first embrace our existential predicament in relation to ontological mystery.

Vital symmetry is a moral/spiritual vision of human existence as the ground of personhood. Symmetrical vital existence makes moral and spiritual demands on a person’s responsibility in exercising free will. Free will makes it possible for man to tap into the hierarchy of values. This means having to discriminate between life-affirming and base values. Vital symmetry makes human life – not happiness – an end in itself.

Vitality should be understood as an existential, not a biological category. Vital symmetry broadens our ability to respond to human contingency, for it enlivens our capacity for transcendence. In short, vital symmetry establishes a moral/spiritual vision of personhood as the zenith of human values. For this reason, vital symmetry eschews forms of human existence that are construed and celebrated as biological and mechanical.

Vital symmetry is akin to an actor that steps forward on the stage, away from the backdrop, like a sculpture in high-relief, for vital symmetry showcases the essence of differentiated persons. This creative act entails the duration of a lifetime. As a consequence of embracing human existence as vital symmetry, we become the persons, the essence of which, we recognize as informing the core of our being.

Man’s capacity to reflect on nature allows us to transcend it. Personhood experiences limitation as the driving force of human contingency. This is one explanation of man’s longing for transcendence. While vital symmetry may be an expression of incarnate divinity in persons, it is executed through the will and intuition. This is why vital symmetry can be acknowledged as a form of Grace.

Imagine a person standing in a slightly elevated field glancing down at meerkats sticking their head out and returning to their burrow in the ground. If we keep our sight on one animal, we may have to wait some time for that animal to resurface. But if we sweep over the entire field, like a camera panning through a panoramic shot, the degree of movement and activity that the animals make appear greater. From a distance, it is difficult to follow the trajectory of any individual meerkat. Vital symmetry in human life is akin to a broad view of existence that respects the plight of individual persons.

Happiness, Joy and Popular Culture

There is much empty chatter about happiness in the contemporary world. “Being happy” is the rallying cry of popular culture. Many people today think of happiness as a right. Happiness is fashionable. This may explain why happiness is equated with the attainment of pleasure. When we scratch the surface of our milieu’s superficial preoccupation with happiness, we do not find happiness, rather carnal pleasure.

Happiness and joy are responses to human reality, especially through a person’s ability to grasp immediate experience. Of the two, only joy is permanent. Joy is rarely spoken of in Western culture any longer. To use Russell Kirk’s phrase, joy comes about through the embrace of the permanent things.

The intersection of happiness and joy is one of degree, which cannot easily be quantified. Popular culture measures happiness by the extent that we become steeped in and consumed by sensual reality – the here and now. Popular culture, which regulates all aspects of life in the postmodern world, rewards forms of life that glorify temporal existence. This helps to explain the pervasiveness of nihilism and hedonism in postmodern social, cultural and political reality.

While happiness can be thought of as a moment of levity in life’s contingencies, joy is like private laughter. Happiness is often attained from outside ourselves; joy takes the form of inner peace. Like fuel that animates an engine, joy propels us through the world of other people, things and events without calling attention to itself.

Man can cherish the state of being happy while respecting its limitations. Yet, more often than not, happiness that is attained from outward stimuli is only noticed when it is lacking in our lives. This is when we realize how fleeting this form of happiness can be. Self-consciousness is a deep well of unhappiness for postmodern man.

Postmodern society embraces many forms of philosophical materialism. Philosophical materialism withers away man’s sense of self through moral/spiritual attrition. The appeal of philosophical materialism is its ability to turn the hierarchy of values into horizontal relative values. Relativism, nihilism and other forms of philosophical materialism encourage man to customize values on demand. Because joy resists objectification of the person by the world, vital symmetry safeguards the human person from the influence of philosophical materialism. Blaise Pascal articulates this best in his Pensées: “Man is full of wants: he loves only those who can satisfy all.”⁴

Discussion of happiness ad nauseam does not make people happy. Empty talk of happiness distracts us from reaching the state of happiness. Happy people are fulfilled by essences that speak to the nature of the human person. Joy embraces the limitations of the human person. This signals noble wisdom that is not conditioned by the here-and-now. While the search for happiness is never in short supply, happiness remains elusive for people who seek it self-consciously. This is the perennial paradox of human happiness that vital symmetry avoids.

Notes

^1. Blaise Pascal, Pensées. (New York: The Modern Library, 1941), 60.

2. Eric Voegelin, Plato and Aristotle. Volume Three. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964), 301.

3. Jean-Francois Revel, How Democracies Perish. (New York: HarperCollins, 1985).

 ^4. Blaise Pascal, 14.

Also see “The Symmetrical House of Form“; “The Symmetrical House of Form: The Economics of Being and The Struggle for Existence in Prehistory“; “The Symmetrical House of Form: Aesthetics of the Lived-Experience.”

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