Sadness and tears are not weakness. This is the noblest and most beautiful confession that there is a precious person who is indispensable in my life.
Five complete deep essays
Martha Nussbaum's Upheavals of Thought, published in 2001, is a modern classic that completely changed the horizon of emotional philosophy in the 21st century. Surprisingly, this massive book of over 800 pages begins with the philosopher's own devastating personal tragedy.
Nussbaum, who was on a plane to give an academic lecture, received news that her mother was in critical condition. She ran from the airport in tears and arrived at the hospital, but her mother was already a cold body. As she was weeping and clutching the body, her soul experienced a huge earthquake.
'What is this tearing sadness I felt in the face of my mother's death? Is this just a physical spasm or an irrational impulse? no. This is the soul's most intelligent evaluation that proves with all its being 'how decisive and precious my mother was in my life!'
Nussbaum continues the ancient Stoic theory in a modern way, but comprehensively criticizes their ruthless asceticism.
As the Stoic philosophers said, emotions are not simply animal reactions but ‘cognitive judgments.’ However, the Stoics taught that 'everything in the outside world is fleeting, so do not place value on it.' Even if you lose a parent, child, or lover, he said, 'Don't be sad because it's something you can't control.'
� Nussbaum retorts angrily. How can you not grieve the loss of a parent? Is someone who does not feel that sadness truly human? Evaluating emotions means, on the other hand, acknowledging the stark fact that 'some external entity beyond my control holds true value for the prosperity and happiness of my life.'
The key word in Nussbaum's philosophy is 'Vulnerability'. In Greek it means vulnerable.
There is only one way in the world to not get hurt at all. Love no one, cherish nothing, and go into a cave wearing thick iron armor. However, the insensitivity obtained in this way is not a living life, but only a ‘living corpse’.
The moment we begin to love, we inevitably become vulnerable. When that person hurts, I also hurt, and when that person leaves, my world falls apart. However, Nussbaum says that this vulnerability is the most sacred soil that makes humans human and gives birth to art, poetry, and beautiful morality.
Nussbaum goes beyond individual emotional understanding and explores how emotions become the foundation for social justice and democracy. The core emotion is ‘Compassion.’
Nussbaum's three conditions for true compassion:
1. The magnitude of the pain: Acknowledging that the pain the other person is experiencing is not a trivial complaint but a truly serious tragedy.
2. No-fault: Understanding that the suffering is not entirely the other person’s laziness or self-inflictment.
3. Common Vulnerability (Eudaimonistic Judgment): A sense of solidarity as an equal human being, 'I am also an imperfect human being, so I may one day find myself in the same situation as that person.'
A ruthless society that points the finger at the socially underprivileged and disadvantaged neighbors and says, ‘It’s good to be self-employed,’ eventually collapses into dictatorship and hatred. When the capacity for compassion to share in the pain of others is alive and breathing, just and warm welfare and democracy will finally blossom.
Martha Nussbaum extends a deep and kind hand to modern people who live by pretending to be cool and locking the door to their hearts out of fear of being hurt.
Don't be shy in the face of sadness and fear. Don't hide your tears. When you feel sad and hurt, it is a badge of your soul that you still care about someone and truly value this life.
Embrace your fragile vulnerability. And with that tender heart, please hold the hands of other vulnerable people around you. Then we will finally be not alone, but a forest of friendly humans.