Literary works often stimulate philosophical reflection. Such is the case with the Biblical account of the life of Joseph as related in the final chapters of Genesis followed by a poignant postscript that opens Exodus. The tale has inspired numerous artistic treatments, ranging from the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Thomas Mann’s monumental novel Joseph and His Brothers. My focus, however, is the story’s embodiment of three principles essential to understanding the human condition: I refer to them as turnabouts, trade-offs, and transience.
The narrative begins when Jacob (or Israel) gives to his best-loved son, Joseph, an ornamental tunic. As a result, Joseph’s brothers, seeing that Jacob loves Joseph best, conspire to kill him by casting him into a pit in the wilderness.
Joseph is then sold to a caravan of Ishmaelites who transport him to Egypt, where he is bought by a courtier of Pharaoh named Potiphar, who takes a liking to him. Potiphar’s wife, though, urges Joseph to have sexual relations with her, and when he refuses, accuses him of attacking her. As a result, Potiphar has Joseph imprisoned.
There he correctly explains other prisoners’ dreams, and when Pharaoh learns of Joseph’s ability, Pharaoh sends for Joseph, who interprets Pharaoh’s own dreams to mean that the next seven years in Egypt will be a time of abundance, to be followed by seven years of famine. Pleased with Joseph’s plan to gather food during the first seven years, then keep it as a reserve for use during the years of famine, Pharaoh places Joseph in charge of Egypt.
In time Joseph brings his entire family there and provides them with holdings in the choicest part of the country. His descendants multiply, but eventually Joseph dies. Then, at the opening of Exodus, we read the ominous words, “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” This ruler, finding the numerous Israelites to be a threat, enslaves them, but they eventually achieve deliverance under the leadership of Moses.
Thus the story begins positively, turns negative, then positive, then negative, then positive, then negative, and so on. Each good or bad turn leads to the reverse.
The sequence suggests that good times contain the seeds of bad times, and bad times of good. In other words, a seemingly positive development is likely to carry within it negative potential, while a seemingly negative development is apt to harbor positive possibilities. Thus few situations are as troubled or untroubled as they may at first appear.
Even expressions of love, such as Jacob’s gift of a coat, may unintentionally lead to harm for the one cherished. On the other hand, sufferings, such as those inflicted on Joseph by his brothers, may result in enhanced resilience and future success.
For that reason we are well-advised to avoid overconfidence in the midst of favorable situations, while resisting hopelessness when circumstances bring us low. In short, goods and evils are rarely unmitigated.
A second principle is that when we face choices in our lives, each option is potentially favorable in certain respects but unfavorable in others.
When Joseph rejects advances from Potiphar’s wife, he acts morally but is victimized by her slander. When he brings his family to Egypt, he delivers them from famine but places them in a position where they are dependent on him for their safety. In both cases he faces trade-offs, and each possible decision offers both advantages and disadvantages.
The same is typically true in our own lives. You may prefer to reside in the tranquility of a rural environment or in the bustle of urban life, but either location offers advantages and disadvantages. You may pursue an undergraduate degree at a large university with its myriad academic and extracurricular options, or you may enroll at a liberal arts college which offers fewer programs but smaller classes and more personal attention. Similarly, you may choose a high-pressure job that requires long hours but offers a high salary, or you may pursue a career that provides more leisure time but less financial compensation.
In other words, alternative courses of action should be assessed as better or worse, not as all-good or all-bad. Indeed, if you think that a choice involves no trade-offs, you probably have a surprise coming.
A third principle is that fame is ephemeral. So long as Joseph is alive, his family is protected. Once he dies, however, his influence evaporates. Nevertheless, Joseph lives long enough to delight in his great grandchildren.
We, too, should seek satisfaction independent of power or reputation, for these depend on the judgments of others and are likely to fade over time. Contentment, however, depends only on an individual’s own outlook, not on anyone else’s opinion, and can be found even in such everyday activities as listening to music, gardening, or spending time with family or friends.
In sum, the story of Joseph suggests that turnabouts, trade-offs, and transience are features of the human condition. At times the thought of them may be distressing, but on occasions it may bring peace of mind. Such is life.
A version of this article will appear in Think, a journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy.
Steven M. Cahn
Steven M Cahn is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Among the recent books he has authored are Teaching Philosophy: A Guide (Routledge, 2018); Inside Academia: Professors, Politics, and Policies (Rutgers, 2019); Navigating Academic Life: How the System Works (Routledge, 2021); Professors as Teachers (Wipf and Stock, 2022), and, most recently, From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor, Second Edition (Wipf and Stock, 2024).
