“Happiness is thought to involve leisure,” Aristotle tells us, “for we engage in business in order that we may have leisure, and we engage in war in order that we may have peace.”
A life spent at work is like a country in a perennial state of war. Many people believe that One of the things that makes life worth living is the time we spend away from work doing the things we enjoy, gaining new experiences and pursuing our interests. In the abstract, these activities will look much the same for us all—we cook, eat, drink, exercise, care for others, spectate, play, and travel—but the manner in which we perform these activities and the significance we attribute to them will be unique to each individual, family, or culture.
The Blog of the APA is launching a new series entitled Everyday Lifestyle. The purpose of this series is to gain some philosophical perspective on the everyday activities that style our lives, which we share in common but perform in different ways and for different reasons. Some of the topics that the series hopes to discuss include Food & Drink, Fashion & Fitness, Relationships, Hobbies, and Vacation & Travel. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it meant to narrowly limit the scope of the series. As a new series, the floor is open for contributors to apply the conceptual frameworks and tools of analysis that are characteristic of the practice of philosophy to the grounded and routine subjects that occupy us on a day-to-day basis.
What is the need, one might wonder, for such a series? What can be gained by examining these topics through a philosophical lens? This question is natural given the longstanding caricature of the philosopher as a head-in-the-clouds intellectual, concerned more with speculative metaphysics than the ins and outs of daily life. Indeed, Thales, whom many consider to be the first philosopher, is said to have been so distracted one day while gazing at the stars that he fell into a well. Seeking knowledge of the heavens, he missed what was under his feet.
This series is motivated by the belief that philosophy does, contrary to this picture, have a lot to offer when it comes to reflecting on the subject of daily life. It aims in part at demonstrating the relevance of philosophical thinking to the issues that confront us in our day-to-day lives, so that we don’t end up, like Thales, stuck in a well.
The Everyday Lifestyle Series of the APA Blog is designed to explore the ways in which philosophy can shed light upon the basic activities and interests that style our lives. Philosophers of all persuasions are invited to submit posts regarding issues of concern to them. Please contact Series Editor, Dr. Adam Woodcox at adam.woodcox@gmail.com or Editor of the Philosophy Beat, Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall via sabrinamisirhiralall@apaonline.org with potential submissions.
Adam Woodcox
Adam Woodcox is an Instructor in Communications and Liberal Arts Studies at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He received his PhD from the University of Western Ontario. His research focuses on ancient Greek philosophy.
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