Painless Civilization 1: A Philosophical Critique of Desire

by Masahiro Morioka, Robert Chapeskie (translator), Hiroko Shohoji (Cover photo)

This is the English translation of Chapter One of Mutsu Bunmei Ron , which was published in Japanese in 2003. Since this book’s publication I have received many requests for an English translation from people around the world. I decided to begin by publishing this first chapter under the title Painless Civilization 1 and make it available to readers who have a keen interest in this topic.
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The original text of this chapter was written in 1998, more than twenty years ago, but I believe what I argued there is becoming increasingly important today. Painless civilization is a pathology of contemporary society. We will be pulled much deeper into a painless stream in the future. What is needed is the wisdom to see through the fundamental structure of our painless civilization and its relationship with the meaning of life.
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Modern society seems on the verge of being swallowed up by the pathology of “painless civilization.” I have written this book for people who, in the midst of anxiety studded with pleasure, joyless repetition, and a maze from which they cannot escape no matter how far they walk, nevertheless retain in some corner of their hearts a desire to live life fully and without regrets.
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When we feel a vague anxiety, like being bound in gossamer cords, in the midst of modern society, we are perhaps intuitively sensing the existence of “painless civilization.” This book is an attempt to give words to this feeling that the reader has, I am sure, already experienced at least once in their life.

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Masahiro Morioka (森岡 正博 Morioka Masahiro) is a Japanese philosopher, who has contributed to the fields of philosophy of life, bioethics, gender studies, media theory, and civilization studies. He is a professor of philosophy and ethics at Waseda University, Japan. He coined the term "life studies" for an integrated approach to the issues of life, death, and nature in contemporary society. Since 2006 he has proposed a new philosophical discipline he calls "philosophy of life". He has published numerous academic books and articles, mainly in Japanese, and has regularly contributed commentaries and book reviews to major Japanese newspapers and magazines. His books include Painless Civilization, which criticizes the incessant attempts to escape from pain and suffering in modern civilization, Confessions of a Frigid Man: A Philosopher's Journey into the Hidden Layers of Men's Sexuality, which illuminates some of the darker sides of male sexuality such as the "Lolita complex" and male frigidity, and Lessons in Love for Herbivore Boys, one of the books that helped popularize the term "herbivore men". He is the editor-in-chief of Journal of Philosophy of Life and an associate editor of Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics.

Reviews

[Πε · Rating 5 out of 5]

يشير ماساهيرو موريوكا إلى ان مشكلة الحياة الحديثة ترتبط بمسألة التدجين المفرط لصفات الانسان وتفاعلاته وعوالمه الداخلية ويربط موريوكا بين تشكيل المدن الحديثة وصناعة التدجين الحديث هو تدجين حيواني يصنع حيوانات أليفة بسبب مسار الحياة البشرية الذي يأخذ نواحي حيوانية.

ويشير إلى ان السمة الرئيسية في الحضارة غير المؤلمة هي محاولة السيطرة على الموت ويشمل ذلك القضاء التام على "الموت غير المتوقع" وفكرة حق تقرير المصير فيما يتعلق بالموت.

ويختصر سلوكيات الحضارة غير المؤلمة في الانطواء والتكرار والادمان والتي تعتبر وسائل دفاعية لخلق حياة بدون ألم.

ويربط موريوكا بين مسألة الانطوائية ومحاولة تجاوزها من خلال الارتباط بإله ولكنه إله يناسب الشخصية في الحضارة الخالية من الألم والذي يتم من خلاله تبرير السلوكيات والأفكار الشخصية.

ومسألة التكرار في الحضارة الخالية من الألم  يربطها موريوكا بمسألة الحب والزواج من خلال البحث المتكرر عن الشريك الجديد والبداية الجديدة بسبب تراجح الزواج ما بين اللذة والألم والقلق والذي يشكل عقبة في تحقيق غايات الحضارة الخالية من الألم.

[foxel.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

2. Cildi de okudum fakat burada bulamadım 🥲