Reply
Sat 17 Dec, 2005 07:34 am
Dis'ed
From what I read it seems to be common knowledge that there are three dimensions of being human - reason, desire and thymos. Thymos is a Greek word meaning spiritedness, the demand for respect and recognition.
"Thymos or the desire for recognition is thus the seat of what social scientists call "values"."
"The desire for recognition is also the psychological seat of two extremely powerful passions?-religion and nationalismÂ…the rootedness of these passions in thymos is what gives them their great power."
I first heard the expression "He dis'ed me" many years ago when a Negro teenager explained why he had shot his victim. Dis'ed I later learned meant ?'he disrespected me'. Following that incident I often heard that same expression by Negro teens.
I remember in the movie "Being There" that the Peter Sellers character failed to show to the President of the United States the respect the President thought proper and the expression on the presidents face made it clear that the Pres felt he had been ?'dis'ed'.
I think that it might be argued that the reason a person places value in the human being is because of thymos. We grant other humans this value because we wish it for ourselves.
?'Dis'ed' seems to be such an awkward word I wonder why we do not have a very common word for this need if it is so important to humans.
Hmm... I cannot say that I agree with your classification of the human mental facilities.The demand for respect and recognition is a result of achievement. To excersise this demand is an attempt to raise yourself above those around you. It is not a good quality as I see it.
Even though the president of the united states thinks that his achievement is due some acknowledgement, others may disagree. Some might see him as the biggest bully in a long time.
To be honest I believe the exact word is not 'Dis'ed' but 'Dissed' or 'Dissing'. It's a common word mostly used by rappers. However, it does have the same meaning as your 'Dis'ed'.
Tho I like your theory I do have to agree with Cyracuz. The only question it makes me have is the following;
What is it that makes us try to raise ourselves above those around us?
I mean; what makes us do it? what makes us want do do it?
List
I think that vanity is what drives us to try so hard to find things about the human species that are so different from the other animals on the earth. We try desperately to show that we are separate from the other animals not just in degree but that we are different in kind. We are as different from the other animals as a rock is different from a tree.
We are as different from the animals because we have a mind that transcends matter. We are, we claim loudly, comprised partly of spirit of which no other animal has. Just as we try to be better than our neighbor we try to be better than any other species. We are #1.
who says we are? we are the ONLY species on this world destroying its own habitat. and that would make us
the worst species to live on this world, always longing for more, while we ad enough.
List
I was not speaking for myself but for what I consider our culture to be. I am in agreement with you. I suspect that if the human species were suddenly to disappear the whole world would take the year off and celebrate.
well, then we both agree to the fact that the human is NOT the best living creature (on this earth) :wink:
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace