5 philosophers on anger - Delaney Thull

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Strahinja Tomic

Anger is a complicated emotion.

Bes je komplikovano osećanje.

It can feel reasonable and righteous or impulsive and uncontrollable.

Može da se čini razumnim i pravednim ili impulsivnim i nekontrolisanim.

But is it ever morally right to be angry? And if so, when?

Međutim, da li je ikad moralno ispravno osećat bes? I, ako jeste, kada?

One of the most foundational understandings of anger

Jedno od najosnovnijih razumevanja besa

comes from the Greek philosopher Aristotle

potiče od grčkog filozofa Aristotela

who proposed an idea called “the doctrine of the mean.”

koji je predložio ideju nazvanu „načelo umerenosti”.

In this model, there’s a sweet spot for our actions and emotional reactions,

Prema ovom modelu, postoji zlatna sredina za naše postupke i emocionalne reakcije,

and it's up to you to develop practical wisdom about when you should feel what

a na nama je da razvijemo praktičnu mudrost o tome kada i šta,

and how strongly to feel it.

kao i koliko snažno treba da osećamo.

For example, let’s say you’re going to sleep early

Na primer, recimo da ste krenuli u krevet ranije

because you have an important meeting tomorrow

jer sutra imate važan sastanak,

and your neighbor just started blasting music.

a vaš komšija je upravo pojačao muziku do daske.

If you can’t sleep, you might botch your meeting,

Ako ne možete da spavate, možda ćete uprskati vaš sastanak,

so feeling angry is definitely understandable.

pa je osećaj besa definitivno razumljiv.

But how much anger should you feel? And what actions, if any, should you take?

Koliko pak besni bi trebalo da budete? I šta, ako išta, bi trebalo da preduzmete?

To answer these questions, Aristotle would need to know more details.

Da bi odgovorio na ova pitanja, Aristotelu je potrebno više pojedinosti.

Have you previously talked to your neighbor about this issue?

Da li ste već razgovarali sa vašim komšijom o ovom problemu?

Is it a reasonable time to be playing music?

Da li je razumno vreme za puštanje muzike?

Is your neighbor trying to antagonize you, or are they just enjoying their evening?

Da li vaš komšija pokušava da vas naljuti ili prosto uživa u večeri?

Relying on practical wisdom in Aristotle’s case-by-case approach

Oslanjanje na praktičnu mudrost u Aristotelovom individualnom pristupu

makes a lot of sense for navigating interpersonal conflicts.

ima smisla kada se snalazite u konfliktima među pojedincima.

But what about when there’s no one to blame for your anger?

Međutim, šta ako nemate koga da krivite za svoj bes?

Imagine a tornado completely destroys your house

Zamislite da vam tornado u potpunosti uništi kuću

while your neighbor’s home is untouched.

dok komšijin dom ostane netaknut.

No amount of anger can undo the disaster,

Nema tog besa koji može da nadoknadi štetu,

and there isn’t really a suitable target for your frustration.

i uistinu ne postoji odgovarajuća meta za vaše frustracije.

Yet for the ancient Stoics,

Pa ipak, za drevne stoike,

the tornado and the noisy neighbor are basically identical.

tornado i bučni komšija su u suštini identični.

The Stoics believed life is like an uncontrollable cart we’re all tied to,

Stoici su verovali da je život poput neobuzdanih kola za koja smo svi vezani,

and we can either learn to go with the flow

i možemo da naučimo da se prepustimo struji

or hurt ourselves fighting its momentum.

ili da se povredimo boreći se protiv nje.

In their logic, we all live at the whims of fate,

Prema njihovoj logici, svi smo prepušteni hirovima sudbine

and our actions can never actually change things—

i naši postupci nikada uistinu ne menjaju stvari -

whether it's a natural disaster or how others act towards us.

bilo da se radi o prirodnoj katastrofi ili postupcima drugih prema nama.

So Stoics believe anger is always wrong,

Stoga su stoici verovali da bes nikad nije ispravan

since it causes pain and is ultimately futile.

jer uzrokuje bol i u konačnici je uzaludan.

The 8th century Indian Buddhist philosopher Śāntideva

I indijski budistički filozof iz osmog veka Šantideva

also questioned our free will and the value of anger,

je preispitivao našu slobodnu volju i značaj besa,

arguing that because people often lack rational control over their emotions,

tvrdeći da pošto ljudima često nedostaje racionalna kontrola nad emocijama,

we should endeavor not to let their anger and cruelty spread to us.

ne bi trebalo da dozvolimo njihovom besu i okrutnosti da pređu na nas.

But even if it’s hard for us to control our anger,

Međutim, čak i ako nam je teško da kontrolišemo bes,

there might be something we can learn from it.

možda postoji nešto što možemo da naučimo iz njega.

Philosopher PF Strawson’s theory of reactive attitudes

Teorija reaktivnih stavova filozofa Pitera Stravsona

suggests that experiencing anger is a natural part of human psychology

predlaže da je iskustvo besa prirodan deo ljudske psihologije

that helps us communicate blame and hold each other accountable.

koji nam pomaže da izrazimo optužbu i držimo jedni druge odgovornim.

In this model, anger can be an important part

Prema ovom modelu, bes može da igra važnu ulogu

of letting us know when something immoral is happening,

u signaliziranju kada je nešto što se dešava nemoralno,

so removing it would impair our social lives and moral communities.

te bi njegovim uklanjanjem narušili naše društvene živote i moralne zajednice.

But finding the right response to those psychological alarm bells can be tricky.

Međutim, otkrivanje odgovarajućih odgovora na psihološka zvona za uzbunu nije lako.

For instance, if you were supervising cruel, disrespectful young children,

Primera radi, ako nadgledate okrutnu, neposlušnu dečicu,

it might be natural to feel anger,

prirodno je da osećate bes,

but it would be wrong to treat their moral mistakes

ali bi bilo pogrešno tretirati njihove moralne greške

like those of fully formed adults.

kao da se radi o odraslim osobama.

So when should you act on anger?

Dakle, kada bi trebalo da reagujete u skladu sa besom?

And can it ever help change things for the better?

I da li bes ikada može da promeni stvari nabolje?

Let's imagine your community is experiencing serious health issues

Zamislimo da vaša zajednica ima ozbiljne zdravstvene probleme

because a nearby factory is illegally polluting the water supply.

jer obližnja fabrika nelegalno zagađuje izvor vode.

A long tradition in political philosophy argues that the righteous anger

Duga tradicija političke filozofije tvrdi da pravednički bes,

often invoked by witnessing this kind of injustice

izazvan doživljajem ovakvog vida nepravde,

can be invaluable for fueling change and motivating community action.

može biti neprocenjiv u pokretanju promene i pokretanju zajednice na delovanje.

In unjust situations like this,

U nepravednim situacijama poput ove

it could be a moral mistake to suppress your anger,

bila bi moralna pogreška potiskivati bes

instead of channeling it into positive action.

i ne kanalisati ga u pozitivno delovanje.

But other philosophers argue that anger has an inherent negative element

Međutim, drugi filozofi tvrde da bes ima prirođeno negativnu stranu

that limits its transformative power.

koja ograničava njegovu moć transformacije.

Philosopher Martha Nussbaum pointed out that famous civil rights activists

Filozofkinja Marta Nusbaum je istakla da su čuveni aktivisti za ljudska prava

such as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr

poput Gandija, Nelsona Mandele i Martina Lutera Kinga mlađeg

warned that giving yourself over to even the most righteous anger

upozoravali da predavanje čak i najpravednijem besu

can lead one to become bitter, vengeful, or hateful of others.

može dovesti do ozlojeđenosti, osvetoljubivosti i mržnje prema drugima.

They cautioned that we should carefully calibrate our emotional responses

Upozoravali su da bi trebalo oprezno da odmeravamo naše emotivne odgovore

to ensure that we see others not as enemies

kako bismo na druge gledali ne kao na neprijatelje,

but as community members with whom we must learn to coexist,

nego kao članove zajednice sa kojima moramo naučiti da živimo,

regardless of our ever-changing emotions.

bez obzira na naša osećanja koja se stalno menjaju.