Mental Models from Western Philosophers

Philosophy can help our mind to open up to new forms of thought. Philosophy provides arguments on different topics and mentions with reasoning and evidence why the mentioned arguments are the best ones.

Which philosophy is better and which is not is up to the individual. Yet everyone has their own philosophy upon every aspect of life.

Below are some of the mental models that I believe are useful and have absorbed from the works of the different Western Philosophers.

Georges Bataille, The Accursed Share, French Philosopher

Bataille believed that there was an abundance of what he called biochemical energy. He argued it was the excess energy which provided the growth & reproduction in the world. He was talking about solar energy and how the sun is the source of energy. His argument is that being prodigal is what the sun and the gods do.

They give receiving nothing in return.

If we zoom out and see a city at night, it looks like a human cell. Energy is the source of everything and is in everything. For example, when he talked about the economy, he viewed it as a movement of energy.

His principal argument was that there is an excess of energy than we need. This excess energy needs to be channeled well.

Now, he was a man interested in the broad sense of the economy and related the concept of excess energy to it.

Bataille talked about the excess of resources that is present in the world. He was talking with Western Countries such as France & US and how the excess wealth that they have created may be a curse, which he calls The Accursed Share.

Bataille’s concern was that this excess of energy could be used in negative things that could actually be destructive.

And, as predicted, that happened in the ensuing years with countries competing in building nuclear weapons. Today, the world is in such a state that it can commit world suicide through their own creations.

The world of capitalism is that glory is seen in energy acquisition but not energy expenditure. Yet, energy expenditure is an integral that cannot be ignored.

I had to inquire to our professor multiple times in order to really understand what Bataille was saying. But, once I got it, I could see its presence in all parts of the human condition.

We humans actually have an excess of energy contrary to what we try to convince ourselves. Where you spend that excess energy is up to you.

This is a mental model that has stuck with me as I always ask what is the best way to use the excess of energy that I have?

This excess energy can be channeled to more productive things in life which should be the central question to constantly ask yourself.

Bataille is also a constant reminder to always think in terms of energy and how there is an excess in us.

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, German Philosopher

No, the book is not about homosexuality. The direct translation is actually The Joyful Wisdom.

He was a famous atheist, the work of Darwin heavily influenced his writings.

Nietzsche is popular for using the term “God is Dead”. It is a really controversial statement yet there is a lot of truth to it.

He argues that the Old Gods are dead. Look at the world today.

The new religion is capitalism.

The new god is consumerism.

The new rituals are shopping and partying.

Selling is the new dharma.

Marketers are the new priests.

Brands have become the new gods.

Celebrities have become our source of inspiration.

Does the usual university even teach about religion? Very few.

This, Nietzsche argues, is why God is Dead at least in the minds of many people.

The world is becoming less religious. Is that good or bad, that is an individual opinion.

To understand the world you’re living in, understand who are the gods that most people believe in.

If you do not believe in those gods, you may feel that you do not fit in society.

Maybe you are a believer in the old gods. They may well be omnipresent but just not in the minds of the majority.

Understanding the gods people worship today is the key to understanding the current society we live in.

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, American Political Philosopher

Rawls is arguably among the most important political philosophers in America for the 20th century.

He was a man interested in justice. He imagined of creating an equal and just society. But, how?

Rawls developed a fair procedure which he argued could lead to justice. He created a thought experiment which would lead to rules, laws, & principles that are just.

For this to happen, Rawls argued that those law-makers have to be in a Veil of Ignorance.

This means to imagine being in a situation where you do not know who you are going to be.

Let me clarify.

Imagine you have been living in heaven, everything is perfect. But nothing is permanent. You get a notice that you’ll be going to a place called earth being a species called humans.

You have been assigned to create laws and principles to live there.

The catch is that you do not know who you are going to be. You might be born white, black, differently able, poor, fat, or anyone else among the long list of members in society.

Now, if you’re going to a place called Earth and can be anyone in society, you are definitely come up with the laws and rules that are in the best interest of everyone.

Being in such a position is what Rawls referred to as the Original Position.

Besides this, there should be two principles which are followed:
1. There must be most freedom possible that is compatible with other’s freedom
2. If there is inequality of power/economics, that inequality has to benefit everyone

This is a great procedure which, if implemented as per his directions, can help to create the laws and principles of a just society.

Rawls opened my eyes to the possibilities that thought experiments can open you up to. It enables you to think in absolute new, or even better ways to think.

Therefore, constantly trying out new thought experiments can add significant value to your life.

One question I have been asking myself recently as a thought experiment is “What am I unequal at?”. It’s a reflective process that can yield great ideas and decisions.

Epictetus, Handbook of Epictetus, Greek Stoic Philosopher

Epictetus was the Stoic who taught the art of not letting external things dictate your life.

His writings clear out the things that you can control in life, which are your thoughts, desires, actions, and motivations.

Equally important is about the things that are not in your control such as other people’s actions & behaviors, economic downturns, natural disasters, and many many more.

Yet, for most of us, it is exactly these external things that take a toll in our mind, leading to worry and despair constantly throughout life.

The Stoics will claim that the universe is perfect. Everything in it has a place in its overall design and so nothing can exist or occur that is bad in its relation to that overall design.

And so, it is not that bad things are happening to you, but how you react is what makes them so.

There is nothing bad. It is solely based on your judgement.

Epictetus promoted the quality of the mind through the acceptance of the external situations in life.

Three Quotes directly from Epictetus help to understand this:

“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.”

“There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

As the popular saying goes in the West, It is What It is, was a pioneering thought straight out of Epictetus.

Suffering emerges from our own judgements and so whenever we are upset or distressed, our own judgements are to blame.

Epictetus gives the analogy of how you should behave as you do in a banquet.

If something is passed around and comes to you, then reach your hand politely and take some. If it goes by, do not hold it back. It hasn’t arrived yet; do not stretch your desire out towards it, but wait until it comes to you.

Also, treat things in life like a Travel Inn. Treat it well while it lasts but with no fret when you have to leave it.

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, German Sociologist

Max Weber is considered being among the most important theorists for the development of modern Western society. Among his most renowned works is about the Protestant Ethic.

Protestantism is a form of Christianity that originated during the Reformation, which was a movement against what the followers believed to have errors within the Catholic Church back in the 16th century.

Weber makes the argument that capitalism in Northern Europe came from the seed of the Protestant ethic. Modern Capitalism as a result originated because of the Protestant work ethic.

The Protestant work ethic established the belief among the people to work, develop their own enterprises, and engage in trade. It emphasized on the accumulation of wealth for the sake of investment.

It is because of the Protestant ethic that resulted in what Weber refers to as the spirit of capitalism. This is a set of values that emphasizes hard work, progress, diligence, and discipline.

The reason this thought process would resonate with people is that they believed that even the most mundane of professions done with dignity add to the common good and thus have been blessed by God as with any other sacred calling.

People would believe in the notion that God will be good if we are productive.

“The more there is of it, the more it produces every turning, so that the profits rise quicker and quicker. He that kills a breeding-sow, destroys all her offspring to the thousandth generation. He that murders a crown, destroys all that it might have produced, even scores of pounds.”

The concept of parsimony, which is of saving and investing and then re-investing, has made the Western world so rich.

The same view can be taken at an individual level too.

Western Thought on why there is suffering even if there is God

There is a constant debate regarding God and suffering in this world.

The argument is that if God is the creator of everything and God is the source of all that is good, why is there so much suffering in this world?

If God is good, where does evil come from?

For this, among the Western ideas includes the thought that God gives us suffering in order to make us better. We are given problems in order to find better solutions.

Enlightenment is thus about changing yourself by doing difficult things. It is only outside of your comfort zone that growth occurs.

God makes it tough to make you tough.