Unthinkable: Why ‘great man theory’ is a bad idea – even for men
Tiberius, a professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota, analyses the subject with cheerful informality and wit. Hers must be the only work of philosophy that quotes not only Immanuel Kant but also Popeye the Sailor Man. Her basic theory is that people are “goal-seekers” and that this creates internal tension, as our goals conflict with one another. The solution is to focus on higher goals, or what she calls values.
Valerie Tiberius: “I don’t think there’s a separate theory of wellbeing and meaning for men and one for women. I think at a certain level of generality it’s the same for all of us ... but I do think, what you say about ‘the great man theory’, there certainly have been some women who that tradition resonates with.
“The other thing is, for a lot of people trying to accomplish these goals, there is a struggle because the world is not helping you.” “Some people find it quite disappointing because I often get this response: people say, ‘If value fulfilment is the ultimate goal, shouldn’t we just pick the values that are easiest to get, and to deal with conflict, just cut out all the others?’ And I want to say: that just misses the point.
“Also, I should say in lots of my previous work I talk about the importance of not being too reflective. It’s not a good thing to constantly second-guess yourself all the time and ask ‘How are my values now?’ or ‘How am I doing?’ because that can become pathological, and prevent you from actually doing the things it takes to fulfil the values to get any joy from them.”
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