18th December 2006

Reflections on our presentation...

I thought it went well; It was a real relief to get it over with early! As an after thought, Becky felt it was a little fragmented, which was inevitable considering we were such a large group with a variety of ideas for directions we could take. I think; by our presentation being fragmented we were able to provide brief insights into the different ways the 'Virtues of Idleness' could be interpreted. Because its such a broad subject I think we did right in covering lots of small areas, at the price of it being fragmented, because it seemed like a first introduction to our topic and it offered the audience a chance to pick up and follow the subject without being affected by too much bias. As a result our weblogs seem 'fractured' too.

As we were such a large group it would have been difficult to collectively research, examine and pen a script. I think, if we'd written the script collectively we wouldn't have had time to work on other aspects like the handout and visuals. We did cram as much information into the presentation as possible. I noticed we quoted many more philosophers than other groups/topics, so our presentation may have sounded quite academic.

The other presentations were done really well. However the second religious cults topic, on heavens gate; wasn't as visually interesting as the previous one. They also had a few obvious computer glitches. Thankfully ours weren't as obvious! I found the presentaion on War and Violence by Antony et al, particularly moving because the images on the projecter were quite brutal. There weren't many philosophers being quoted; though i suspect poets would be more effective at describing the human aspects of the subject anyway.

Overall; i really enjoyed the module. I think being able to log our progress and reflect on work through this blog helped to bind our collective reasearch and gave us an opportunity to interact outside of meetings . In the later lectures we focused solely on group work; which i wouldn't have minded spending learning about more philosophers and theories. I really agreed with Baudrillards hyper reality', which i had to cut out of my presentation speech because it was too long. Though I didn't agree with his theories on the non-existance of opposites because i think that is how the entire world is judged and categorised.

Finally; I just want to say our group worked well together and we produced some good starting points for others to follow up. Oh, Thanks again to Katherine, for tutoring me in public speaking, hopefully it has paid off. I hope everyone enjoys their break; I think we deserve it.

Evaluation

Sorry couldn't post earlier but was getting error messages :S
Okay, my take on the presentation. Firstly, wanted to say it's been a pleasure to be part of such a motivated group. I think Robin's powerpoint was very impressive, well done that man!

I think our presentation went well, but after finishing, I felt a little disappointed...don't really know why. In hindsight I think practising in the actual room would have been beneficial, our practice runs in the study rooms didn't take the glaring projector light into consideration! Hence our actual positioning being unexpected. I think everyone presented well and especially Jenny who I expected to struggle (well done!). I think we made the points we wanted to make well.

I watched many of the following presentations and I was most impressed by the first one about Jonestown. Having not studied this topic, I still found the content easily digested and presented professionally and very interesting too. It was such a shame they didn't get to finish, it was dissapointing as an audience member as their presentation for me, was SO good. I think the war and violence presentation (not the very first one but the ones with poems) was good, but I really didn't like the fast chaning and horrfic photos. They detracted from the spoken presentation and for me, were far too graphic and upsetting.

Wow it's all over!!

Now I can put my feet up- and have a cup of tea and five minutes' peace!

The presentation went very well I thought, apart from we were all squished up one corner, we didn't plan for that, we should have done a dry run in the actual room I guess, to make it flow a bit smoother. Other than that we did good (Jennifer if you're reading this, WELL BLOODY DONE YOU!!! You did so well!)

I feel so weird. I can never normally stand up in front of people never mind have answered all those questions instead of cowering at the back. Hopefully I did ok and nobody suspected I was posessed or something.

The other group seemed well presented and obviously knew their stuff but I thought their Powerpoint was too complicated- I was too busy watching all those rapidly changing images that flickered quickly instead of paying attention to what was being said, whereas our was simple but did the job without stealing the show. (Well done Robin, you star!)

As well as that their content was.. erm.. biased? It felt at the end like they were saying 'yeah well the IRA blew stuff up, and the Palestinians are blowing themselves as well as buildings up, but that's ok because they're Palestinians. Not Irish people.' It felt too much like they approved Palestinian action and hated the big bad Jews and so terrorism's okay if you're a Muslim.

It's not okay no matter what the circumstances, and I'm very strongly biased myself being Jewish Irish descent (yeah I know, check that out! LOL) but if you're gonna do a 'good guy terrorist' and a 'bad guy terrorist' then at least the IRA had the decency to make the phone call before they let rip. The b*stards who did 7/7 never did so some lives could have been saved, so therefore their actions have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with killing as many people as possible. You can make a statement with explosives and have the minimum amount of casulaties possible.

(Yes, yes, I KNOW it's Morton's fork, but there's keeping your honour, and there's taking five minutes to have a bit of human decency. Plus I have a weird take on the whole IRA thing because I've an Irish Catholic Father and an English Protestant Mom, and one of the first things I ever had to learn was which side of the pavement to walk on in Belfast and how to duck when the locals of whichever area I happened to be visiting found out what my parents were.)

I'll stop now because I'm biased and off topic but they'd have been better off doing a presentation that says 'terrorist type a does this, this and this. terrorist b does this this and that' instead of making a moral judgement and trying to sway the audience. They didn't really go into the causes of the Israel/ Palestine conflict anyway, they only did the most obvious causes instead of the real issues that are beneath the surface (i.e, it's all about religion- the Muslims and the Jews have hated each other for a thousand years now to the point of wanting to exterminate the other... I'm not pointing fingers just stating a fact... and neither will give way. Ever.)

I'm not going to just slag off their presentation though. It looked very professional and they'd put a lot of work into it and I was very impressed, actually a little intimidated, by the competition when we went up to talk...

It was very mean of our lecturers to NOT tell us they were going to film us though! It's awful enough having to stand up but that camera was truly evil. I shall have to dispatch my trusty ninja troops to raid Mark's office if he doesn't destroy that tape LOL

Right, we did the work and did our best. I'm satisfied, and signing off now. To the whole group if you're reading this, I loved doing this module with you and Happy Chrimbo to you all!

Katherine

final post on presentation

I thought our presentation did go well, I have to admit (rather shamefully) that when the previous group got lost in there powerpoint and the slides started whipping backwards and forwards while they found out where they were I had to stop myself from laughing. However having nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to keep control of what was coming up, and then at the end when the computer was meant to self time - and then did bugger all for a while (I blame windows update or satanic intervention) I felt slightly bad for my prior calousness. I want to give a big up to Katherine for dealing with the questions somewhat brilliantly (It was a bit of a fluke that we were asked a question that she had a quote for in her hands - I like flukes). Anyway overall I thought it was a good effort, I'm glad we didn't fall into the trap that the previous group did - and make an opinion (or at least an unsubstantiated one). I'd like to thank Mark and George in advance for the A14 that they will award us - you're quite simply too kind! (but don't let that stop you from giving us over-infated grades)

I've included below the text of our last group e-mail which explains a lot of what might be termed the 'creative decisions' regarding the delivery of the presentation.

We've been deviant fiends - and you've been beautiful!

Robin

Hi guys

Attached should be the PowerPoint. I appologise in advance for any mistakes omissions that exist on the PP in advance. I’m not precious over my work, don’t be afraid to say if you think something doesn’t work well or needs tweeking – I’d rather have a good grade! If anyone is at all embarrassed by what gets said here, it’s nothing personal, but this stuff is being spoken about and needs to be addressed

In no particular order heres a list of what we discussed this morning
Initially we talked about having an idle quote perhaps on the bottom of every page, having now done the power point it could turn out to look rather messy and cluttered and a bit of a distraction – more on this below
We decided to opt for really simple animation that will hopefully be effective via understatement – lets be honest the PP is only a support tool for what we’re saying. The words wot come from our mouths should be the focus. Having said that if anyone having seen the changes thinks it’s too understated let me know!
In the beginning we spoke about the possibility of music, my only suggestion was that song from a few summers ago – I’ll try and bring it tomorrow, but if anyone has any of their own ideas then pipe up. Regardless of the song, we still need to discuss whether or not music is the way to go
I checked with the guys that met this morning that everyone has Powerpoint at home (or somewhere equally convenient) so you can look at what I’ve done tonight
Since the conclusion is simply a summary of what has been said in the presentation, and the bullet points throughout the presentation are summaries themselves, I found it difficult to summarise the summaries in the conclusion onto the powerpoint – I hope to god that makes sense. My solution to this would be have the quotes on screen at this point, slowly fading in and out as I talk, not too obtrusive and gently calming perhaps.
We spoke before about putting the money chart from Jenny’s section on the PP, but we thought today that maybe it would be a bit more appropriate to have that in the handouts – maybe. It just seemed like something that would take up a lot of space on screen when the essential information from it is being spoken about anyway.
Just to see how it sounded I read out the introduction written by Becky. It actually ran well over 3 minutes, closer to 4 I think. Becky – you mentioned that you speak quickly and can read it out in 3 minutes – to be honest to speak any quicker than I did when I read your section there will be people that will not understand what you’re saying. Also it reads wonderfully on the page, but out loud it sounds quite convoluted, we felt that the language could be simplified somehow.
Katherine, to be blunt, the first two paragraphs of your part of the presentation (or at least the version that I have in front of me) can be completely excised – I can tell you have a passion for the Wilde man, but unfortunately none of that information is relevant, I hope that even though you may not necessarily agree with this, it is the group consensus and we all need to be comfortable with what will lead to our group marks. Also if the remainder can be nipped and tucked to allow other examples of productive idlers (Archimedes, Newton, etc) that would be marvelous.
This point is coming directly from me as I’ve been thinking about the presentation, it seems that one page of A4 typed at size 12 seems to be a reasonable gauge for hitting the three minute mark.
Joanna is combining hers and Miles’ efforts towards social expectations into one large section which they shall share.
I’m gonna tidy up my conclusion, I wasn’t sure how to round off the conclusion, however after discussing it this morning we decided that the assignment asks us to discuss the topic, therefore we thought we would leave it open ended – literally asking the audience to make their own conclusions.
I’ve e-mailed Meena, asking do we need to produce enough copies of the handouts for every person in the room, or just two or three for the markers?
Currently the running order stands as:
1. Becky – intro
2. Joanna + Miles – social expectations
3. Jenny – Idleness and class
4. Katherine – idleness as creative lubricant
5. Me – conclusion

· Check out the end of my conclusion – does everyone hate it? I may have been channelling spinal tap

Robin

Final Blog

I think it all went well; we covered the topic well also I think. Everyone performed well; Robin especially for the PowerPoint and Katherine for answering the questions so efficiently. Have not got much to say other than I'm glad it’s all over. I only managed to see one other group's presentation on war and terror, the topic was well researched and presented, although the presentation did come across as being slightly biased in favour of the Palestinians. My personal opinion is that there could never be any justification for killing innocent people and this is what happens between the Israelis and the Palestinians

My Final Thoughts on the Presentations

On completion of the group’s performance earlier, these are my views on the success of the presentation.

I felt that on the whole the presentation was a success. I feel that we clearly explored the virtues of idleness by clearly showing examples of idleness in contemporary celebrities and philosophers from throughout history. I feel that the group also expressed the choices that an individual has when deciding if they are going to make a cultural or economic contribution to society or whether or not they are simply going to choose to not contribute at all by not working.

I considered the power-point presentation to be clear and accurate whilst it visually assisted the group. The relevant quotes and the pictures that we used were useful in keeping the attention of the audience throughout the speech.

I truly enjoyed the performance of the first group of the day (the group prior to our group.) I thought that their presentation was extremely clear and well organised and gave an in depth examination of the different forms of terrorism. In particular I found their focus on the motivations behind acts of Palestinian terrorism stimulating. It was evident that the group had put in a lot of research into their presentation and had practiced their performance thoroughly.

Final introduction

Argh! Panic. LOL! This is my final draft of the introduction, hopefully it'll be something like this when we do it! Good luck to everyone today, fingers crossed.

Baudrillard suggests that instead of a relationship between a word and an object or concept it denotes, we interpret the signifier in terms of it’s relationships with other signifiers. To quote “signs are exchanged against each other rather than against the real“. (Baudrillard, p7) So, instead of associating virtues or idleness with the quality or act, we define them by their exchange with other terms. This could mean that (with OED guidance), we exchange idleness with inactivity or abstinence from work - which may then be exchanged with laziness or apathy. Exchanging terms, in Baudrillard’s opinion leads to indeterminacy. If we agree with Baudrillard, perhaps we may not use the terms virtue or idleness to accurately denote a quality or behaviour at all. Baudrillard suggests that binary opposition does not exist. There is no ‘real’ distinction between, say, good and bad. If this was acceptable, virtues and their binary opposite of vices or sin would not be distinguishable either. If we use the traditional definition or the symbolic exchange theory, it seems that virtues constitute morals or acceptability.

If virtues are a component of morals or vice versa, we may argue, as Nietzsche does, that morals are almost arbitrary tools for controlling a person's will. Morals and virtues are therefore inflicted from external sources (notably religion) as a way of preventing people from choosing the way they live. If this is the case, then idleness could be construed as a way of merely exercising the right to choice and actual free will rather than subscribing to the notion that free will is ours even though we do what is expected of us. Idleness may be consisdered as an escape from the repressive froms of behaviour we are encouraged to undertake.

Why is idleness deviant?Most of us are governed by the influence of society, rather than the influence of self. Nietzsche for one indicated that any freedom we have is imagined, and he could be right! We adhere to norms and conventions because it is the acceptable thing to do. It is dangerous to be different. If a person does not conform, they are labelled as different. The generally acceptable mode of behaviour is to work (loosely translated as economic contribution to society, not to self)

Managing Idleness

I have to come out of the closet

I used to be a McDonalds manager

There, said it - phew! I realise now that when I managed an area there I was indeed idle. If I was running the kitchen say, I would plonk myself next to the transfer bin (the thing that the food slid down) and instruct others to cook. Now I know that I wasn't lazy, I had to communicate with virtually everyone that was serving to find out what they needed, keep an eye on what was kept ready, work out what was needed, and communicate with my kitchen staff doing the cooking. On top of that I needed to keep eyes in the back of my head to ensure that food safety and quality wasn't suffering at the hands of a just out of school moron. However when you perform that job well you make it look easy, you have to think about everything, but that doesn't show to a normal staff member. The fact of the matter is that I was percieved as idle because I could do my job with my hands in my pockets - that doesn't necessarily mean that it was easy. This leads us back to our professional idlers - those that are furtunate enough to find a vocation that stimulates them should do it, it's simple advice that any one of us would give to a friend 'Go for it'. But what upsets the apple cart is when a great deal of that work involves idling.

Hmm, interesting must think on on this subject

Robin

13th December 2006

I don't have any more theories or philospohers to add or discuss, I think we have enough academia in our presentation and its probably too late to change things around now anyway.
I just wanted to say good luck to everyone for tomorrow.

Idle Theory

Idle Theory offers a simple explanation for human kindness and cruelty. The theory expresses that it is the people who are the most idle who have the spare time to exercise kindness and consideration. It also implies that it is the people who are busy most of the time who are less likely to be kind and considerate. If an individual has a stressful job they are more likely to be more uptight and in theory would become angry far easier than an individual who does not have a stressful job. Busy people have not the time for such consideration or judgment. They must often make hasty decisions that produce fast results.

Handout revision

Okay, I've done what I can with the handout for class, Katherine's and my references are on there (may need tweaking) and the page is full so we may need to leave out the table for you to put your other refernces in...let me know!

PH2004 It Shouldn’t Be Allowed - The Virtues of Idleness
0479808 Rebecca Coward 0524225 Robin Conroy 0616252 Katherine Roberts0523029 Jennifer Newell 0472092 Miles Johnson 0523839 Joanna Snow

Aims
Examine the quality of virtues and what they mean from philosophical perspective.Define societal expectations of an individual and how they must contribute to society and the impact of not conforming to expectationsTo define idleness, and laziness, and define how society perceives them, as well as the individual.To present perspectives of idleness- the positive and the negative impacts on society and the individualUse multimedia and written sources to illustrate these viewpointsGive examples of individuals- does circumstance surrounding the individual alter our judgement of them? Is it ever permissible to be idle?

Quotations
“If we are to have virtues we shall presumably have only such virtues as we have learned to get along with our most secret and heartfelt inclinations.” (Nietzsche, p47)

“Genius is born--not paid.” Oscar Wilde

“Only when you abandon everything without hesitation and turn to the Way will your mind and body, unhindered and unagitated, enjoy lasting peace.” Kenko

“Even the liberation of the oppressed has usually been inaugurated from above. Without the leisure class, mankind would never have emerged from barbarism.” Bertrand Russell

“Idleness is not just a psychological necessity….By allowing us time to figure out who we are, and what we believe; by allowing us time to consider what is unjust, and what we might do about it. By giving the inner life….its due. Which is precisely what makes idle­ness dangerous.” Mark Slouka

“ Signs are exchanged against each other rather than against the real.” (Baudrillard, p7)



Bibliography
Baudrillard, J. (2004) Symbolic Exchange and death. Sage: London.
Kenko, Y. (1998) Essays in Idleness. Wordsworth: Hertfordshire, Nietzsche, F. (1990) Beyond good and evil. Penguin: London
Russell, Bertrand, In Praise of Idleness (originally published in the Financial Times) at http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
Robins, S. (2000) The Importance of Being Idle... a little book of Lazy Inspiration; Prion Books Limited: London.
Wilde, O. (2000)The Works of Oscar Wilde. Parragon: London
Slouka, Mark; Quitting the Paint Factory (originally published in Harper’s Magazine, Nov 2004) at http://adamantine.wordpress.com/stuff/quitting-the-paint-factory-by-mark-slouka/
http://www.direct.gov.uk/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/BeginnersGuideToTax/BeginnersGuideToTaxArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4015566&chk=U5MTGt

Sorry I posted it so late but the damn blog was not working last night. It kept saying 'gateway timed out' or 'error'. Miles i have sent this to your uni email address, anyway have a look at it and if you think it needs editing then do so. I didnt really change anything except reorder the paragraghs. Didnt erase anything either.

Miles-red
Joanna-blue
Members within a society share a set of common goals, values and beliefs. In western societies there is the general belief that work is essential to life in order to provide for oneself and be a productive member of society.

An individual is expected to conform to certain expectations with norms of required behaviours attached, which are usually set by members within that society. For example: here in Britain, after finishing high school, a young person is expected to either seek further education or enter into employment. Those who do not do so are negatively labelled.

The individual must then ask themselves the question ‘What is expected of me by society?’ To answer this question they must consider what it is they are supposed to contribute to society in order to help the system to work.

David Riesman (1961) a sociologist, claims that these norms have been instilled into us from an early age and reinforced throughout our lives by community members. These then govern the choices we make in life. Even as adults we are influenced by the expectancies of our peers with rewards for conformity and some form of punishment for non-conformity through feelings of guilt or shame. The bad opinion of an individual by close community members will ensure conformity to a fixed social order.

Many of us have been asked that question ’What do you want to be when you get older?’ when you were younger. It is expected that we should all have some level of ambition. You are made to feel as though you are free to choose any profession you like; aim as high as you like. Work hard at school and anything is possible. Baudrillard claims that this is all an illusion: we are not as free to choose as we are led to believe. Firstly our aspirations are a function of social inheritance. Our ambitions are usually on a similar level to those within our community. We all hope to achieve our goals because we know we can hope, but truly our levels of aspiration are a compromise between reality and ideology.

There are three general choices that one has when it comes to contributing to society. Firstly, they can make an economical contribution. This basically means that the individual chooses to work. If they choose to work then they spend their life performing a service to society and contributing to the nation’s economy. They also pay a certain sum of tax money from their wage back to the government, who in theory go on to use the money to enhance society in various ways. Making an economical contribution is generally what is expected in society with the vast majority of the population in Britain making this choice.

The second option that the individual has is to make a cultural contribution to society. Many people will argue giving a cultural contribution is just as important as giving an economic one. A cultural contribution could be anything from producing a piece of art, music or even an idea. Many artists, musicians and philosophers do not believe in conforming to what is expected of them by society. They argue that if you are working full time you can not wholly devote your time to an idea.

French philosopher Jean Baudrillard states ‘We live in a culture which strides to return to each of us full responsibility for his own life.’ Baudrillard’s views reflect the theory that each individual will get from their lives exactly what they put into it. If an individual works hard and conforms economically then they will have a life that is more comfortable than those who do not contribute to society. If that individual should choose to make a cultural contribution then there is a small chance that they will live as comfortably as someone who conforms economically but there is also a chance that they will make a considerable amount of money and live a substantially comfortable life.

The final choice that the individual has is to not contribute to society whatsoever. This means a person chooses not to work but also chooses not to make a cultural contribution and therefore an individual who does not contribute to society lives on an allowance of funding from the government which comes out of the tax money of those who are working.

Nietzsche states “Make friends with only the industrious as the idle man is a danger to his friends.” He claims that the idle man will concern himself with other people’s affairs as he himself does not have enough to do, eventually making a nuisance of himself.

Individuals who choose not contribute to society by not working will have funding from the Government for things such as accommodation, child support and food but the money they are given will rarely stretch far enough to purchase luxury items. The minority that does not contribute to society by working are far more likely to commit crimes such as robbery in order to allow themselves to afford the luxury items they desire.

But not all share this belief on idleness. Tom Hodgkin’s who wrote How to be idle points out that it is the richest countries in the world that work the hardest and with all the technology we have would it not mean less work for us. He also states because of overwork our creativity (which is increased through idleness) is being "squeezed at both ends". People simply do not have the time to be creative any more. He also claims that spending a good portion of the day being idle is very good for a person’s mental and physical health.

Clive Jenkins and Barry Sherman are two trade unionists who argue that he need for work is an ingrained attitude of mind and to work is not necessary to human survival. They also claim that the education system, which maintains the idea of work as its main objective has failed to teach us about leisure and how to use it. We are all led to believe that if we are out of work we will become bored and useless, so we do.

Fools Rush In

Okay we've been chatting about the vitues (or not) of idleness, but what about the non-virtues of activity. Well, the title of the blog came to mind - fools do rush in!

To apply this to myself I do find that a bit of quiet contemplation does me a lot of good when working towards assignments, y'know the usual, get out the module guide, hunt around on wolf for anything of use. And of course it is the case that the more contemplation/preparation that I do stands in good stead to get decent grades.

Something else popped into mind when researching archimedes for the presentation, he was killed when a foolish Roman soldier stabbed him in a battle/invasion - despite direct instruction to all of the troops not to harm the old coot. Presumably the soldier didn't realise who he was, or was on a bit of a kill frenzy and wasn't thinking straight. either way it proves that a bit of ponderation may have been a bit of a groovy idea prior to dispaching one of the greatest minds of his own time.

oh yeah jblackw00d is me (joanna snow) thats my married name.

A few idle quotations

Found a few quotes on idleness for anyone to use if they wish:

It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all.
James Thurber
1894-1961, American Humorist, Illustrator

The exquisite art of idleness, one of the most important things that any University can teach.
Oscar Wilde

He who eats in idleness that which he himself has not earned, steals it; and a capitalist whom the state pays for doing nothing differs little in my eyes from a brigand, who lives at the expense of passers-by. - Jean Jacques Rousseau

We have come to think of all idleness as hoggish, not as creative and radiant. Ueland, Brenda

Yes it is in our idleness, in our dreams that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top. - Virginia Woolf

Idleness is the parent of all psychology. - Friedrich Nietzsche

The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest, for he has not earned it. ~John Lubbock

Shun idleness. It is a rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals. ~Voltaire

If you rest, you rust - Hayes, Helen

Idleness is the beginning of all vice, the crown of all virtues -Kafka, Franz

mindless meandering

I think Robin has hit the nail on the head to be honest- his point about it being from the point of the viewer as well as the do-er... it's the point we're all aiming at in some way. See, I told you that book would do you wonders, Robin!!

Isn't it a bit like how we see fat people in the negative because being fat comes with unconscious labels like lazy, stupid, etc etc? I can't remember the programme I watched on this but it was exploring how we are programmed to see things . For example we are negative towards lazy people because lazy is defined as a Bad Thing when we are children. We use the word in negative connotations all our lives, in fact we regard being called lazy an insult or a label of our being somehow less worthy at a deep point in our psyche. So unless we start swapping words around we'll never see lazy as a positive thing; such as we now say 'wicked' to mean something is good. The problem is even if we say someone is lazy and mean it as a complement it'll never be more than an act of repackaging a concept... like in week 7 we were talking about signifiers etc, there being the book, the word book, and a symbol for book, the concept? The behaviour behind the signifier 'lazy' will still be seen as a negative thing, we will just give it another name.

My head hurts now....




I'm as frustrated as heck over this Oscar Wilde thing. I'm told that whole biography bit isn't what's wanted but can't get to deleting it from my speech because it's his background I need to prove that he isn't another Paris Hilton. Major wrinkles need ironing out...

To idle or not to idle - that is the question!

Over the past few weeks we've been pondering over the virtues of idleness and we've distinguished between idleness and laziness and the similar.

I'm gonna be annoying now and ask the question, is there truthfully a difference between rolling over in bed mid-morning to watch Trisha and Rolling over mid-morning to engage in what some might consider to be naval-gazing? I suppose at this point it's relevant to mention Baudrillard who of course would tell us that it is the percieved Binary Opposition of trisha-watching/naval-gazing that is false, and that neither truly exists and that such perceptions cloud the way we see reality. But the thing is the two opposites aren't really opposites, they're infact quite similar to me. In my younger days in school holidays I'm sure that I was convinced that I was pondering the inponderables and at least putting the world to rights, however I was actually watching Ricki Lake (showing my age). I suppose it is not only the perception of viewer but also the perception of the do-er. I suppose this leads only to the 'results', by showing what has actually been born of the idle/laziness can the worth of the work be quantified.

I think I've hurt my brain, must go rest now

Robin

Bertrand Russell

Whilst attempting to explore the virtues of idleness I have come across the work of British author, mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970). Russell was considered by many to be the most prolific and hard working thinker of the 20th century. Whilst reading up on Russell I have encountered some of his particularly surprising thoughts on the subject of idleness.

Russell was passionately opposed to work ethic and in 1932 he wrote an essay entitled ‘In Praise of Idleness.’ In this essay Russell investigated the idle paradox and argued for a four hour day. In the essay Russell admits to being an applicant of idleness complaining that “being a virtuous child, I believed all that I was told and acquired a conscience which has kept me working hard down to the present moment. But although my conscience has controlled my actions, my opinions have undergone a revolution.”

I just thought that I would add this as I find it intriguing that such an intelligent and hard working individual could not just condone idleness but feel so strongly in favour of it.

Quotes to display on powerpoint

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
- Bertrand Russell
Found this quote on http://www.motivational-messages.com/quotes2.html
I think this could be displayed the on the powerpoint for Miles and my section of the presentation. Also Nietzsche's quote:
"Do I work in order to live? No, I live in order to work"
The first half of my speech is about being expected to work, this quote will go well with it I think. The second half is about being idle - to work is not really necessary to live, where I think the Bertrand Russell quote could be displayed.
I know we talked about that Nietzsche quote and thought that it could not be used unless it had an explanation, even so I think it would be ok because of the part of the my that I am displaying it with,( also, I cant find anything else more relevant!)

Also, as Miles and I have the same topic to and his speech is similar to mine; I was thinking that maybe we could take turns to to say each section of our speech or else one speech is going to sound like a repeat of the other if it is done separately. Is this a stupid idea? Let me know what you think!

economic and cultural contributions

For the presentation I was asked to talk about the societal expectations of an individual and also look into the difference between an economic and cultural contribution to society. The last topic came up in one of our group meetings when it was mentioned that Oscar Wilde never expected payment for his works. My thoughts were whether he expected payment or not, he still made money. The moment a person becomes famous they will make money in other ways, if not for the reason they became famous in the first place. Therefore, in my opinion, there is no real difference between the two types of contribution when it comes to earning money.

virtues of idleness?

My first thoughts on the 'Virtues of Idleness' were, there are no virtues in it! This is England! You need to work and earn money in order to survive, it is also a very materialistic society and a person may feel pressured by others to maintain a certain lifestyle. In other countries/societies there is not so much emphasis on having to work. These are usually more rural or third world countries. Choosing not to work in this country, a person will eventually resort to some form of criminal behaviour in order to maintain a certain standard of living and may also do so occupy their time.

Tom Hodgkins who wrote How to be idle points out that it is the richest countries in the world that work the hardest and with all the technology we have would it not mean less work for us. He also states because of overwork our creativity (which increases through idleness) is being "squeezed at both ends".
In reality, for an individual's creativity to increase, all their financial needs need to be met, or else their creative skills will applied to deviant ways of making money to live on.

My Group Presentation Extract!

Group Presentation


At some point in life every individual must ask themselves the question ‘What is expected of me by society?’ To answer this question they must consider what it is they are supposed to contribute to society in order to help the system to work.

There are three general choices that one has when it comes to contributing to society. Firstly, they can make an economical contribution. This basically means that the individual chooses to work. If they choose to work then they spend their life performing a service to society and contributing to the nation’s economy. They also pay a certain sum of tax money from their wage back to the government, who in theory go on to use the money to enhance society in various ways. Making an economical contribution is generally what is expected in society with the vast majority of the population in Britain making this choice.

The second option that the individual has is to make a cultural contribution to society. Many people will argue giving a cultural contribution is just as important as giving an economic one. A cultural contribution could be anything from producing a piece of art, music or even an idea. Many artists, musicians and philosophers do not believe in conforming to what is expected of them by society. They argue that if you are working full time you can not wholly devote your time to an idea.

The final choice that the individual has is to not contribute to society whatsoever. This means a person chooses not to work but also chooses not to make a cultural contribution and therefore an individual who does not contribute to society lives on an allowance of funding from the government which comes out of the tax money of those who are working.

French philosopher Jean Baudrillard states ‘We live in a culture which strides to return to each of us full responsibility for his own life.’ Baudrillard’s views reflect the theory that each individual will get from their lives exactly what they put into it. If an individual works hard and conforms economically then they will have a life that is more comfortable than those who do not contribute to society. If that individual should choose to make a cultural contribution then there is a small chance that they will live as comfortably as someone who conforms economically but there is also a chance that they will make a considerable amount of money and live a substantially comfortable life.

6th December 2006

I think the presentation seems to be winding up well, we could have perhaps presented this week because we are almost finished. I think we should have a complete rehearsal next time we meet, if everyone can make it, to see how long it takes and also using the PowerPoint if it is finished.

I was thinking some more about the handout, I think it could contain a little more information on the points we want to make; not necessarily with our names next to them, but making them a little more academic so people go away with something useful like a lecture handout. A few visuals might make it a more interesting read; the images that come to mind are the celebrity ones which people are more familiar with. We could use the handout as an extra note to accompany the presentation by putting in relevant things that do not fit into the presentation.
That’s, of course, if we have enough room to fit everything on the handout. I assume we will be putting some quotes from Robin’s book on the handout too.

Finally, I don’t suppose I am the only one but I am a little worried about conducting the presentation because its such a large room. I hope there’s an echo, because I don’t think I can project my voice all the way to the back!

panicking

Erm, this "you have to post at least 5 to get an A" rule.....
does that mean each of us have to post 5 or are we all right because we've loads of posts now as a group?

Since I'm stuck at the hospital Tuesday, email me your cunning plan Robin? I'm all curious!

Handout done, please add to it Tuesday people!!

As promised - tick sheet, and some thoughts

1. Style

• visual aids - I reckon that in terms of visual aids PowerPoint and the handout will be sufficient, unless anyone else has any suggestions!
• clear delivery - I have no doubt that the moms in the group can project their voices, but I think it would be benficial that in the next meeting we see how we speak in front of others, because if anyone suffers from shyness we'll need to fix that sharpish.
• appropriate address to audience - Not sure exactly what this one is driving at, can anyone help?
• eye contact - Obvious, but so easy to get wrong, again we should work on this at the same time as clear delivery
• appropriate length - Again practice is vital so that we keep our timings right - and also we need to make smooth handovers from one speaker to the next.

2. Substance

• relevant material - I think as we do tend to have quite in-depth discussions regarding this topic we should do well on this section, but we all need to bear all of this in mind to make sure we don't do sumthin stoopid.
• good discussion of topic
• full coverage
• breadth of research
• detailed analytical and discursive content
• appropriate terminology
• bibliography

3. Structure

• introduction
• conclusion
• Order your findings are presented - same as comment for previous section

4. Group Management

• appearance - this one is intriging, I'm sure we don't all have to turn up wearing suits or anything, but should we have a 'dress code' or something?
• introduction of members
• group co-ordination
• distribution of tasks
• evidence of rehearsal - hopefully we'll have lots
• inviting and responding to questions - I have a cunning plan, I'll share it when we next meet

Religion, sloth and the truth

Having thumbed my way through The importance of being Idle (BTW quite possibly the most amazing piece of literature to have happened) I've come across a very important point with reference to the Christian 'Deadly Sins'.

We all know that 'Sloth' is one of them - or so we're led to believe. I'll quickly outline what the book says

1. The 'seven Deadly sins' were compiled by Pope Gregory the Great (I love alliterative titles - don't you?). GG (as he shall henseforth be known) lived from 540 to 604 AD, and was Pope from 590 until death.
2. Obviously GG didn't speak english (why would you when there are all of those dead languages just wanting to be learnt ;) ). From his list the sin that was identified as 'Sloth' was the Latin word 'Accidia' (Derived from the Greek 'Acedia')
3. This is where it gets interesting, y'know how every so often someone realises that the bible (and other peripheral biblical texts) has been mistranslated over the years (Moses crossed the Reed sea rather than the Red one, Christ was born about 4 or 5 BC, 666 is not the number of the beast but 616, etc.), well it turns out that 'acedia' actually means 'anguish or neglect' (greek lexicon by Liddle and Scott).
4. Additionally John Cassian, a scholar of monastisism, describing 'acedia' in terms of hermits and monks in 435 says it was similiar to 'an intermittant fever' coupled with feelings of 'dislike of the place, disgust with the room, and distain and contempt of the monks' which cause them to be 'lazy and sluggish'.
5. Basically the 'sin' of sloth is actually the result of the 'true' sin of depression or melancholy or similar.

Thus the lesson endeth

Robin

1st December 2006

I thought i'd post my draft part of the presentation so anyone reading can tell me if there are bits i've missed or the language is too academic (again) or anything else, so ...

My Presentation
Different social standings can influence perception and consequences of idleness, These social class distinctions between virtues of idleness cover social and economic costs and can be split into good and bad points.

The lower classes have different virtues of idleness to the upper classes.
Good points can include
idleness as part of working class subculture can help members of societies socialise which enhances the illusion of social cohesion and community.
We also usually associate idleness with not earning money from paid work. The British benefits system offers monetary incentives to those unable or unwilling to work. Equally, the Tax system claims money from those who work harder, through taxes. For example tax on the employed, bonuses and savings. As the income tax table shows…the higher wage you earn, or the harder you work.. the more tax you have to pay. Students, as an example, have to struggle against the lures of slipping into an idle rut where money is handed to you, and work their way into a working culture, where the more you earn; the more money is taken away. So there is a definite financial incentive to be idle.
Income Tax rates 2006-2007 by tax band and type of income
Income Tax band
Income Tax rate on earned income (see note)
Income Tax rate on savings
(Here I can show the income tax tablke from the govefrnment website.)
However there are bad social and economic implications for not working,
Members of society can become restricted and penalised for using the benefits system. Negative social labels can be applied to some people causing them to become isolated from subcultures.
Also, having a culture entirely made from idle working classes, then no work will be done and the economy will fail.
Unemployed Lizzie Bardsley, star of reality TV show, Wife Swap is an icon for working class idleness. The Bardsley family received £37,500 a year in government benefits compared to the other couple involved in the swap, who, both working , earned £10,000 a year less. Though recently, the Bardsleys have been the subject of negative media focus, from court appearances, fines, community services and a divorce.

The Upper Classes, in particular the heirs of wealth or celebrities, have a different concept of idleness and its consequences. Some of the good points could be
the fact that they aid society financially. Icons like Paris Hilton are allowed to be idle, because they have the means to pay for the consequences.
She benefits society economically by paying tax on her inheritance and also by employing people to maintain her idle lifestyle.
However, negatively, The media attention endorses an idle lifestyle and as the public buy into this, perhaps even mimic them, they fund their work-free activity. Marx would suggest that this idle ideology portrayed in the media is a conscious effort from the upper classes to subdue a revolution or liberation of the working classes, So by copying an engineered ideology you are repressing yourself.

My sources would be the government website and perhaps marx; though I didn't consult any of his books. Please let me know if i'm on the right track, Thanks.

Meeting round up

After our two successful meetings this week, I want to just clarify some of our main points into something a bit more cohesive. Consider this a summary of our discussions and add anything you think I've missed. (Hopefully you'll be able to pick out the bits most relevant to your research area but if not, contact me or another group member!)

• The question of virtue

1. What is a virtue and how do we judge them? (Referring to Nietzsche's critique of morality where he examines morals as a product of their sources. Examining them not as intrinsic elements of human make up, but as a more arbitrary collection of culturally inflicted values.) I'd like to examine virtues from a similar standpoint. Why should we accept them as a given? If we still decide to define them traditionally and present on this basis, I think it's still a valid point to show we have explored other definitions
2. Baudrillard's Symbolic Exchange theory and Binary opposition. If virtues and the traditional opposite of vices/sins aren't actually oppositions at all (as Baudrillard suggests). Then virtues essentially do not exist at all, even if idleness is one of them!
3. Referring to Baudrillard's simulacrum: if everything is an illusion with nothing of substance behind it, why discuss it at all? (NB, for expansion!)

• Perspectives of idleness

1. Following on from the last point, we can examine virtues from a religious perspective as discussed. We can introduce the Christian virtues versus the vices/sins. Maybe how religion uses these to control? How is idleness perceived from a religious perspective eg, proverb ' the devil makes work for idle hands'.
2. There are lots of sources on Katherine's blog where we can find other perspectives on idleness, from a negative and positive view.
3. Acceptability of idleness from a social class / financial perspective.

• Societal Expectations

1. What we are expected to do in a society, our role as an individual and as a member of society. Reference to Nietzsche's 'Higher man' discussion we had.
2. Economic contribution and/ or cultural contribution (possibly more TBC) Baudrillard perspective on control of self or control by others.
3. The compromisation of one element in favour of another.

• Case studies of Idleness in action

1. Following on from last point: Dependant or independant idlers?
2. Paris Hilton
3. Lizzie Bardsley of wife swap
4. Oscar Wilde
5. Possible other references TBC (Keith Miller anyone?!) Possibly artists???

• Constructive or destructive?

1. Idleness as a method (non-conforming) way of producing something.
2. Illustrations of Newton and Archimedes, possible referring again to our other sources of idleness in action.

I'm sure there's some missing parts so add them in when you think of things. We discussed today about making the distinction between:

• Idleness and laziness
• Idleness and apathy
• Physical and mental idleness

In addition, any quotes/ sources/ pictures you want going on to the powerpoint bring them to Tuesday's meeting for Robin to look at.

first blog

Whilst I doubt that anyone will read this before tomorrow I thought I'd put the link up for the article that we spoke about on tuesday for anyone that hadn't seen it.

http://adamantine.wordpress.com/stuff/quitting-the-paint-factory-by-mark-slouka/

having furtled round the t'internet the main difference between virtuous and non-virtuous idleness is whether the idleness is causing a 'drag-factor' on society. it seems that the theory of economics created by Thomas Nash (the mad bloke from 'A beautiful mind') fits quite well. I'll have a go at explaining the film here (If i do a bad job - though, go to blockbusters), if the individuals of different sections of society all compare notes and then create a common plan to achieve their goals, more will be achieved rather than aiming for ones own goal at the expense of anothers. This principle seems to underpin the western economic doctrine, where we all attempt to contribute more to society (econimically or socially) than we recieve. Ultimately we should at least keep up with the team or surpass it to be 'socially conscious'.

For someone to be idle but be in a position where they can support their idleness (i.e. rich) then that is acceptable. it seems that the (percieved) wisdom of society is that one should not hinder others in their own lives, and in western culture we are expected to 'help' others if they are unable to support themselves, consequentially those that are able but idle and don't help themselves are considered a hindrance - because we are dragging them along with us - sometimes whether we like it or not!

All of what I've just said also leads back to money being the root of all evil (that means I'm a saint - I'm skint!), it seems inescapable that to live we must eat, to eat we must buy and cook. our society is a intertangled support-network where we may never stop being reliant on others. Even if we look at 'The good life' (I know it isn't real, but I don't know any real life examples) they are still required to 'trade' with the outside world, and they had to til and toil to get what little they had, and I'm pretty certain that Tom and Barbara didn't have enough time to indulge in philosophical meanderings.

Rant over

Robin

29th November 2006

Ok, After the meeting on Tuesday; I thought I’d post some of the major points for the presentation just to clarify that I’m researching into the right areas. I’ve also tried to arrange the content into a vague order under subheadings so we can play around with it. I’ll leave the visuals for now. I’ve also tried to tone down the language of my logs as they are quite academic.

This is a DRAFT order of content. I added some points from my first log, which can be taken out if required.

What is idleness? The difference between Laziness and Idleness.
Bad points of Idleness;
Effects on the state economy
Derogatory/negative definitions from the OED, ‘Devil makes work for idle hands’
Supporting Philosophers/Theories;
Virtues of Idleness; (which will take up the majority of the presentation.)
Productivity: Idle Inventors., expansion of psyche, shifting the job to a better able person=a better result.
Financial: Benefit System. The harder you work the more you are taxed. Students struggle against government offers to live off benefits and are forced to pay to study/work.
Celebrity: Wife Swap Lady, Paris Hilton. Briefly, the difference between social classes.
Supporting Philosophers/Theories.
Is Idleness worth it?

This can be rearranged and any extra points or visuals can be added.

just a little extra..

You'll all be happy to know that you can DOWNLOAD a copy of Essays in Idleness here:

http://djm.cc/library/The_Miscellany_of_a_Japanese_Priest_Gusa_Porter.pdf

(copy, then post the above linky in the address window in your browser, then click 'save a copy'.)

....and now I really should do something constructive toward this project instead of just wandering aimlessly but delightedly around in book-land like the librarian I am.

Okay, now for some work toward the project....

Hooray, people posted! I'm not all adrift, alone and idle anymore!

My research of the bookish kind has turned up the following, so far:

Jerome K Jerome, that sterling citizen of Walsall, was a fan of idleness and even wrote a book about it:

The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; Snowbooks (20 Sep 2004);

ISBN: 1905005040 (first published 1886 so obviously a fellow idler of the Oscar Wilde variety)

...he liked it so much he wrote a second one:

The Second Thoughts Of An Idle Fellow; Kessinger Publishing Co (17 Jun 2004);

ISBN: 1419181882

and a more modern author who adores laziness to the point of doing some work around it, is Mr Tom Hodgkinson, who has a magazine devoted to the subject (http://www.idler.co.uk/) More to the point, he's written a few books, the most relevant being..

How to Be Idle; Hamish Hamilton Ltd (26 Aug 2004)

ISBN: 0241142512

and

How to Be Free; Hamish Hamilton Ltd (5 Oct 2006)

ISBN: 0241143217

If you want something professionally idle, let us turn to the French. The true masters of the art. (Take a close look at the constitution of the republic to see how really professional they are at this science. You'll see my point.)

Maier, Corinne. Hello Laziness!: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay

Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ) (16 Jun 2005)

ISBN: 0752871862

And on a more scholarly tone, you can read Bertrand Russell's In Praise of Idleness here:

http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html

in fact z-pub is a good website for looking at lots of things. But other Russell material they have squirrelled away can be found here:

http://www.zpub.com/notes/br.html

The last worthy title I will mention is from a wonderful Japanese scholar and unique individual, Yoshida Kenko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshida_Kenko). The book, Essays in Idleness, can be found in excerpt form here:

http://www.geocities.com/lesliebarclay/EssaysInIdleness.html

Happy Reading!

As a last point in this post I'd love to thank the organisers of this module for letting us do these blogs. It's so nice to be able to post work while doing other things at the same time- watching a dvd, listening to music or just trawling the net for stuff to read. An idler's paradise.

Idleness

Okay guys...while tortuously picking away at our chosen topic: 'The Virtues of Idleness' (V.o.I. from here on in), I had few ideas and found myself aimlessly reading irrelevant material (and secretly wishing we could experiment the subject by doing nothing at all!) I didn't manage much.
I spent the rest of the evening playing mindless rubbish (the best kind) on the Xbox. And then, after anesthetising myself with games, I had a cup of tea. Then, I started thinking of the old proverb "The devil makes work for idle hands".

This implies that if we are physically idle, we're pretty much up the creek. We'll end up doing something heinous and be frowned upon for all eternity. Or we might just end up discovering something fantastic which just may change the world.

Think Isaac Newton. You need know nothing about the laws of physics to have heard the apple story. Picture it, Newton: Lazing around in the sunshine in his country garden. Apple: drops somewhere in the vicinity and Hey presto! Newton's Law of Gravitation. (Brackenbridge: 1995, p5) For me, this is an ideal demonstration of the virtues of idleness. But wait, there's more...
Archimedes was purported to have been enjoying a soak in the bath when he found the solution to a problem he'd been battling with for months!!! (If you want to more go to Trumble: 2003, p30) So, off the top of my head these spring to mind but there must be tons of real examples which demonstrate that idleness is merely a road to creativity, not an obstruction.

I'd really like to bring this in to our presentation as I think it's a valid point if expanded.

Book Refs:
Brackenbridge, J.B. (1995) The key to Newton's Dynamics. University California Press: California.
Trumble, K. (2003) The Library of Alexandria. Clarion Books : New York.

24th November 2006

I hope I’m in the right place, only Katherine seems to have posted something…

For our presentation on the virtues of idleness, there are several aspects of the topic we could cover, for example, social class implications of idleness, (perhaps with role play).
We could also mention the down sides, for which I found many, i.e. on the OED; I found some more definitions, none of which were particularly positive, ‘worthlessness; triviality; ineptitude, futility’.
There are many philosophers who describe the disadvantages or down sides to idleness.
Baudrillard’s ‘hyper reality’ theory attacks the media portrayal of idleness. If the consumer accepts these celebrity images as ‘real-life’ and as a mass practice them, they ignore the consequences and other possible allusions of this media vision. Also, to contrast Baudrillard, Nietzsche and Marx’s suggestions of oppression negatively describe the outcomes of idleness. Though these are not virtues we could mention them as a contrast or as another side of the debate.

The following could be classed as positive virtues of idleness.
If we apply Katherine’s definition of idleness as selectively conserving energy to apply to key interests, as opposed to plain laziness, the virtues of idleness cannot be shown by simply sitting slumped on a chair for the twenty minutes (nice idea, though). However, it could be representative if some form of mental productivity were shown. Idleness can be seen as a productive, emotional requirement to pause and expand psychologically. Though this is more an excuse for idleness, it could be virtuous in that people become better off psychologically. We could probably hold a debate on whether idleness is productive or counter productive.

If we look at idleness from different social angles then virtues differ, i.e. some rich celebrities endorse a work-free image which the public buy into, thus funding their work-free lifestyle. Equally some of the less economically well off are allocated monetary benefits used to stay at home, (I do not say that these are the majority though). So this country does, to a large extent, encourage idleness through financial conditioning. The higher wage you earn... (the harder you work…) the more tax you have to pay, The nicer your house…the more tax you pay…and so on. There is a definite incentive to be idle.

If we include another concept from Baudrillard ‘depending on someone else is better than depending on yourself alone'; this could also be classed as a virtue, by shifting certain responsibilities onto better able, more experienced or qualified people, a better outcome is served overall.
Finally, I think it may also be interesting to compare other cultures with British work ethic and discuss positive political and social implications.

Weeks 8&9

No comments as yet about Baudrillard. How deviant of the group to not comment!

My excuse for not posting last week was because I wasn't well. But I am firmly denouncing my Bad Conscience. I shouldn't be guilty about taking a few days off just so I can obey the rule beaten into me since I was a child: "Even if you do nothing else, you MUST do your schoolwork!" Instead I'm going to feel not guilty, and rejoice in the opportunity I had to indulge in some cultivated idleness. Which rather cleverly, should tell you readers out there that not only have I actually READ the course readings (while ill too... I demand extra credits, dammit!) but also neatly brings us to the presentation. Or the topic thereof.

Our topic is "The Virtues of Idleness". (Reports will be made as soon as progress allows... it's a wonderful chance to preach the sensibleness of being idle to the masses.) Which is a good thing, because I'm quite an expert at it. Loafing isn't the easy sport it's quite cracked up to be, dear readers. It's an art. One learned and refined be reading lots of Oscar Wilde as a child, and also gleaning a gradual definition or two on the subject from the OED and hours of virtuous idle reflection:

Laziness, folks, is the non productive and quite useless means of doing nothing. Or rather, getting others to do things for you, and not bothering one way or another if you can't even manage that much.

Idleness, on the other hand, means that while you selectively conserve your energy for the key things in life that really matter ( and I'm talking about reading, the arts, music , etc, here, not just confining your activities to walking down to the Job Centre every week and collecting your Giro), you are actually doing something. Maybe not much, just refining a thought, reading a book, or dreamily listening to a piece of Wagner while plotting to exterminate a whole race (Yes, even Hitler could idle.) You spend quite a bit of energy planning exactly HOW to achieve the most possible with the least effort. It's a cerebral existence. And the trick to the whole thing is to make it look elegantly easy. You may not be moving, you may not be changing the world. But that doesn't mean you're lazy. It just means you're smart enough to realize the value of your efforts, and prioritize them accordingly.

Which of these is deviant, dear reader? This is your homework.

Personally, I feel that laziness is deviant in the negative sense. It's simply wasting time and nothing comes out of it. Idleness, on the other hand, is producing something while doing nothing. Those of you with a strong Protestant work ethic are probably ready to march on my house with nooses and torches for such a theory, but what is wrong with getting the most out of the minumum effort? That's all a capitalist economy is, after all.

The idler's idol: probably Buddha. He invented an entire religion that doesn't really require much effort at all. Or at least, not physical effort. And your daily meditation regimen means that not only do you get hours and hours to reflect and appreciate your state of idleness, you can also sneak in a quick nap, if you're careful and don't have a Zen Master who is overzealous with the keisaku. (or kyo saku, if you're picky about your Japanese. I can't put the kanji in here because Blogger won't let me. Blogger-san wa hidoi desu.)

Don't you think it's weird how a country reputed for being the most efficient, fast paced and hardworking has it's roots in a culture of slow purposeful cultivated idleness? I love Japan. Particularly the notion of wabi sabi: "This moment is beautiful because it will pass and never be as beautiful again." (me.) Even the language is idle in it's simplicity in expressing large and complex concepts.

(interested? see here: http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=359&pID=352

or, for a better idea: http://www.maximumbliss.com/ .... check out the Zen Dictionary.)

By writing any more for this post I may come close to actually doing some work, which might ruin the whole point of the exercise. So I will point you in the direction of a very handy tome, full of quotations from wise people down the ages who were all very much in favour of cultivating idleness. It's not even a mighty epic, just a slim and elegant paperback very suitable for reading in the deckchair one summer afternoon.

Enjoy, my friends. I'll be back to talk about Judith Butler as soon as I can convince my brain to pay attention. She's definitely an author who is no friend to idleness or ease.

The Importance of Being Idle... a little book of Lazy Inspiration

Stephen Robins

Prion Books Limited, London, 2000.

ISBN 1853754382

(.....of course, if you're too idle to actually search for and buy this, it's in the University Library.)

Week 7

Okay so I‘ll start the ball rolling… I claim any bonus marks for unstinting courage and heroism in the name of, erm, our group.

We haven’t got a presentation title yet so I’ll have to write about Baudrillard, and maybe Nietzsche if he applies. Hopefully the rest of the group will seize my comments and pick as many holes in them as possible; argument is conductive to group harmony, even if you don’t get the average philosopher to admit it.

To be honest, I’m not terribly impressed with Baudrillard so far. Nietzsche was a bit difficult to read because he never organised his ideas in his books- it’s a bit patchwork and all over the place. But at least Nietzsche bothered to ‘put the bare minimum in’…. He not only tells the reader what’s wrong with the world but how to solve the things he thought wrong. He argued his case. He tried to get the world to see his point of view without making his readers into sheep that had merely found a new master to follow. Baudrillard doesn’t bother to argue a case, he merely tells the reader ‘this is so’. This means I’ve more or less wasted a lot of time puzzling out what he is trying to say… telling me ‘this is so’ but not telling me whether it’s a good or bad thing or making any kind of conclusion doesn’t help me. I am not a sheep and I will not take as fact or truth anything that I don’t personally logically agree with, in the way Nietzsche tried to point to, but at least if a philosopher tries to put forward a theory on how to improve the world or my existence, like Nietzsche’s theory of the ideal superman, I have something solid to either agree with or disagree with, or even evolve further as a concept. How am I to use my own mind (if this is Baudrillard’s intention by being mute and non confrontational), when I am given nothing to evaluate?

For example, the simulacrum idea is not new. The hyperreality concept is one I’ve been aware of for years and is at the back of everyone’s mind I believe, to some extent. I’ve not learned anything I couldn’t realise myself, and I merely nod and say ‘okay, what of it?’
(I apologise for my lazy mind. It needs to be poked with a stick into outrage or impatience to spur it into action.)

Under Symbolic Exchange we are told there is “no autonomy, no binary oppositions, no separations..” (handout week 7). I think a lot of the problems of humanity result from the solitary mental existence we are born into as a human being, as opposed to a collective intelligence like an ant colony, but doesn’t this solitary existence prove that there is autonomy? We are part of a community all the time but at the same time our minds are separate, so this can’t be true.

If there are no binary oppositions, what about good and evil? I know we often say that love and hate are different sides of the same coin and therefore not a binary opposition, but this merely means that if hate is not logically love’s opposite, then indifference is. That’s a poor example, I know.

At least Baudrillard had the good grace to admit in one of his works that “ I do not claim to be tremendously serious”. Mind you, if everything is an illusion, why bother sticking to ‘the rules’? So I shall deviantly stop commenting now, if laziness is only an illusion and therefore not morally reprehensible…

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Welcome to our blog, this blog will be added to by Miles, Joanna, Robin, Jennifer and Katherine and Rebecca. We've yet to decide our presentation topic so watch this space!