Boredom

[tbieter]

In a few days, I'll start reading A Philosophy of Boredom by Lars Svendsen.
http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Boredo ... BTYXP3AGGN

Since every normal person experiences boredom occasionally, why not try your hand at defining the term?

Here is my definition: Boredom is a temporary cessation of one's interest in and relation to things.

Thanks for your contribution.

[David Handeye]

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[tbieter]

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Definition is too difficult for some people.

[David Handeye]

oh sorry , here it was.. Post a reply

Your message contains too few characters.

(My definition is this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoE5yHMrP0A) relax...

[Dubious]

Boredom has a philosophy? The writer must have hit ground zero on boredom then decided to make it interesting enough to sell a lot of books, collect the royalties and head off for a very unboring holiday.

I think a philosophy on bullshit would be much less boring since there is such an endless variety of it, like looking at a runt universe covered in little brown spots.

[ncrbrts]

Boredom occurs when the superfluous intellect no longer feeds the will to survive - it literally has nothing to strive for.

[bergie15]

I agree with that. When you are bored your mind is not really engaged, otherwise you would be active and your mind would be also.

[Skip]

You can be bored in general - that is, apathetic, uninterested, disengaged. Adolescents sometimes cultivate this state deliberately, as a rejection of the world presented to them by their elders. Depressives fall into it, sometimes in spite of every effort. People who do intellectually very challenging work sometimes overload and burn out, which manifests similarly. Babies, invalids and old people may experience boredom because they are helpless to change an environment devoid of stimulants.

Easy cure for 1 and 4: introduce one or more new element(s) into the environment. No easy cure for 2 and 3; usually just have to wait out the regenerative cycle.

Or you can be bored with a particular subject, activity, place or person. Because you've mastered the required skill to the limit of your ability. Because it no longer holds any surprises. Because you've been at it too long and you're tired. Because you're missing some other subject, activity, person or place.

Easy cure: Go do something else for a while.

[duszek]

But can a person be boring ?
Up to a point you can predict a person´s reactions perhaps, but only up to a point, there is always lots of room for surprise.

Every person is a universe full of surprises.

Idle chit chat was criticised by AS. But lots of interesting messages can be expressed by the tone of the voice and the rest of the body language. What we need is patience and a relaxed eye and ear.

[Skip]

It's not a question of whether the person, place, activity or event is intrinsically boring*. Anyone and anything can bore someone at some some time in some situations. Even the most fascinating jigsaw puzzle can pall on even the most avid puzzle-solver, if it's the only thing to do in a waiting room while one's parent is undergoing cardiac surgery. And, of course, very intelligent people are sometimes under-stimulated by the conversation of very stupid ones and hyperkinetic children can't bear to colour pictures for very long.
It's less about the object than the subject's state of mind.








(*yes they can)

[duszek]

But can´t we willfully influence the state of our mind and ask ourselves interesting questions about something not so exciting at first sight ?
Then we can speculate about it and get stimulation from inside.

When I travel in a tram (or streetcar as the Americans call it) I silently comment the people around me, in a humorous way. To put myself in a light and amused mood.
One can do it in serveral languages too.

When an overweight person shows up I often like to say in my mind: zanadto sie jadlo ... (we have eaten too much, haven´t we ?)

Some Italian remarks sound particularly good when you hum the tune "Sono un italiano vero".

Try it !

[tbieter]

In a few days, I'll start reading A Philosophy of Boredom by Lars Svendsen.
http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Boredo ... BTYXP3AGGN

Since every normal person experiences boredom occasionally, why not try your hand at defining the term?

Here is my definition: Boredom is a temporary cessation of one's interest in and relation to things.

Thanks for your contribution.

Here is a book review which I doubt that I will agree with after I have read the book. https://philosophynow.org/issues/89/A_P ... s_Svendsen

[tbieter]

Boredom has a philosophy? The writer must have hit ground zero on boredom then decided to make it interesting enough to sell a lot of books, collect the royalties and head off for a very unboring holiday.

I think a philosophy on bullshit would be much less boring since there is such an endless variety of it, like looking at a runt universe covered in little brown spots.

Criticizing an author's motives and a book that one has not read shows deficiencies in intellect and propriety.

[tbieter]

Boredom occurs when the superfluous intellect no longer feeds the will to survive - it literally has nothing to strive for.

Interesting perspective.

[tbieter]

You can be bored in general - that is, apathetic, uninterested, disengaged. Adolescents sometimes cultivate this state deliberately, as a rejection of the world presented to them by their elders. Depressives fall into it, sometimes in spite of every effort. People who do intellectually very challenging work sometimes overload and burn out, which manifests similarly. Babies, invalids and old people may experience boredom because they are helpless to change an environment devoid of stimulants.

Easy cure for 1 and 4: introduce one or more new element(s) into the environment. No easy cure for 2 and 3; usually just have to wait out the regenerative cycle.

Or you can be bored with a particular subject, activity, place or person. Because you've mastered the required skill to the limit of your ability. Because it no longer holds any surprises. Because you've been at it too long and you're tired. Because you're missing some other subject, activity, person or place.

Easy cure: Go do something else for a while.

Having heard that a friend was divorcing her husband, one day I encountered her in a cafe. I asked her the reason for the divorce. She said: "He's boring." They got divorced. Her 16 year old daughter chose to live with her him, her step-dad.

My friend is was very intelligent; she worked in a Barnes and Noble and knew literature.

I think intelligence has a lot to do with boredom.