The following is my first guest post, by Syl, a self-described “witness to the Internet.” Her article was inspired by my recent post On Taking Offense. Syl left a comment there on the concept of pride, and offline the two of us discussed the topic in more detail.
Syl: "A church without mercy, forgiveness, or grace. ... a Christianity without Christ."
Amen to that -- so to speak. A great deal of cretinous claptrap, of mendacious mummery in much of Christianity, in organized religion in general. But also, at least for Christianity, some brilliant insights. There is much in the Bible, in particular, that is "profound psychology and exquisite logic", as Philip Wylie -- author of Generation of Vipers -- once put it.
But some interesting and illuminating perspectives on the theme, the "sin" of pride. Moot exactly how one might reasonably define the term, but, as I think you've suggested or asserted, there's some reason to argue that there are pathological and non-pathological variations thereof. Moot also the dividing line between the two, but the former might be characterized by the adjective "overweening", by the phrase "crossing the Rubicon".
Bit of a puzzle as to which step is the "fatal" one, the first one over the edge, but, offhand, solipsism, "the self alone" -- subjectivity writ large -- seems a solid candidate. Maybe a bit of an article of faith to assert otherwise, but the contrary seems a case of "that way madness lies". Paraphrasing Hamlet somewhat:
Hamlet: "... there is nothing either good or bad -- neither heaven nor hell --but thinking makes it so."
Relative to which, and to your closing somewhat cryptic "a word for a word leaves the whole world speechless", I'm reminded of a rather brilliant essay on "The Tyranny of the Subjective" by UK/US philosopher Elizabeth Finne on Quillette some 5 years ago:
Finne: "The primacy of subjectivity is by no means limited to politics. It now permeates the framework through which we have traditionally mediated our competing narratives. Journalism, academia, science, and law are all affected. In short, any institution that exists to accommodate competing perspectives is being undermined by a new paradigm that privileges the subjective ‘lived experience.’ And, in the process, the meta-values which have traditionally enabled us to transcend our differing subjective experiences suffer. Foundational principles such as 'audi alteram partem' (listen to the other side), the presumption of innocence, proportionality, empiricism, and even the rule of law now must bow before the sovereignty of the subjective."
If one doesn't even admit that there IS another side, if one only listens to oneself or to what one hears in one's echo chamber -- often out of pigheaded and poisonous pride -- then of course it is impossible to listen to that other side. "That way madness lies", indeed. Arguably, much of the current "zeitgeist".
Syl: "A church without mercy, forgiveness, or grace. ... a Christianity without Christ."
Amen to that -- so to speak. A great deal of cretinous claptrap, of mendacious mummery in much of Christianity, in organized religion in general. But also, at least for Christianity, some brilliant insights. There is much in the Bible, in particular, that is "profound psychology and exquisite logic", as Philip Wylie -- author of Generation of Vipers -- once put it.
But some interesting and illuminating perspectives on the theme, the "sin" of pride. Moot exactly how one might reasonably define the term, but, as I think you've suggested or asserted, there's some reason to argue that there are pathological and non-pathological variations thereof. Moot also the dividing line between the two, but the former might be characterized by the adjective "overweening", by the phrase "crossing the Rubicon".
Bit of a puzzle as to which step is the "fatal" one, the first one over the edge, but, offhand, solipsism, "the self alone" -- subjectivity writ large -- seems a solid candidate. Maybe a bit of an article of faith to assert otherwise, but the contrary seems a case of "that way madness lies". Paraphrasing Hamlet somewhat:
Hamlet: "... there is nothing either good or bad -- neither heaven nor hell --but thinking makes it so."
https://www.litcharts.com/shakescleare/shakespeare-translations/hamlet/act-2-scene-2
Relative to which, and to your closing somewhat cryptic "a word for a word leaves the whole world speechless", I'm reminded of a rather brilliant essay on "The Tyranny of the Subjective" by UK/US philosopher Elizabeth Finne on Quillette some 5 years ago:
Finne: "The primacy of subjectivity is by no means limited to politics. It now permeates the framework through which we have traditionally mediated our competing narratives. Journalism, academia, science, and law are all affected. In short, any institution that exists to accommodate competing perspectives is being undermined by a new paradigm that privileges the subjective ‘lived experience.’ And, in the process, the meta-values which have traditionally enabled us to transcend our differing subjective experiences suffer. Foundational principles such as 'audi alteram partem' (listen to the other side), the presumption of innocence, proportionality, empiricism, and even the rule of law now must bow before the sovereignty of the subjective."
https://archive.ph/3sdwg
https://quillette.com/2018/03/19/the-tyranny-of-the-subjective/
If one doesn't even admit that there IS another side, if one only listens to oneself or to what one hears in one's echo chamber -- often out of pigheaded and poisonous pride -- then of course it is impossible to listen to that other side. "That way madness lies", indeed. Arguably, much of the current "zeitgeist".
Very nicely written, Syl. Put words to a lot of what I'm sure myself and others are feeling about all this.
Thank you!