Psyche | on the human condition
WEBFor Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path. Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge? by Sam Woodward. Psyche is a digital magazine from Aeon Media that illuminates the human condition through psychology, philosophy and the arts.
For Nietzsche, nihilism goes deeper than ‘life is pointless’ - Psyche
WEBApr 5, 2023 · For Friedrich Nietzsche, nihilism is a terrible psychological problem – a coping mechanism with deadly consequences. Friedrich Nietzsche’s well-known reputation as a philosophical provocateur is partly the result of his commitment to disabusing his readers of a variety of beliefs: their beliefs in a higher purpose, in an afterlife, in disinterested …
How to know what you really want | Psyche Guides
WEBDec 15, 2021 · Desire is a social process – it’s mimetic. As the social theorist René Girard observed, our desires don’t come from within; rather, we mimic what other people want. Identify the people or ‘models’ influencing what you want. To better control your desires, the first step is to identify the people influencing you.
The virtue of honesty requires more than just telling the truth
WEBDec 13, 2021 · There is little controversy that honesty is a virtue. It is an excellence of character. It also promotes trust, fosters healthy relationships, strengthens organisations and societies, and prevents harm. Sadly, though, honesty has gone missing in recent decades. It is largely absent from academic research.
How to make a difficult decision | Psyche Guides
WEBJan 5, 2022 · Be clear on which parts of you want what, and try to find a compromise between them. Create distance from the decision. Imagine advising a friend making the same decision or exploring how you would feel 10 days / 10 months / 10 years after making (or avoiding) a decision. Think outside the box.
When a tricky task makes your brain hurt, here’s what to do
WEBNov 9, 2021 · Running a marathon is unpleasant, racking your brain to find the perfect chess move could also be aversive, but in both cases the potential benefits of the effort could outweigh its costs. Thus, our decisions to do mental work appear to include a comparison of the costs of an action against the potential benefits resulting from it.
How to motivate yourself to change | Psyche Guides
WEBJan 21, 2024 · Use ‘evocation’ exercises to prioritise your concerns and reflect on how the changes you hope to make will help you live according to your values. Build confidence. Identify your strengths, past successes, and sources of hope and inspiration that might help you make the changes you seek to make. Make a plan.
How to stop overthinking | Psyche Guides
WEBMay 31, 2023 · After the 10 seconds is up, switch your focus to another of your chosen sounds. After two minutes, repeat the exercise, but switching more quickly between the sounds – now focusing on each one for just two to four seconds each. The aim of the exercise is to become familiar with, and adept at, shifting your attention.
How to cope with shame | Psyche Guides
WEBSep 7, 2022 · Need to know. Shame is a painful and complex emotional experience, and one that most human beings have endured at some point in their lives. Along with the mental distress it entails, the experience of shame often involves the presence of unpleasant feelings in our bodies (such as a knot in the throat or chest, or hollowness in …
It’s not always good to let it all out: the perils of over-sighing
WEBFeb 8, 2021 · Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, Men were deceivers ever, One foot in sea, and one on shore, To one thing constant never. Then sigh not so, but let them go, And be you blithe and bonny, Converting all your sounds of woe. Into hey nonny nonny. William Shakespeare wrote this just before 1600, but his conceptualisation closely matches …