Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)Joy cannot be sought and it cannot be conquered. To make joy my intentional goal will not bring it to me any faster. Trying to control my actions in order to reach joy will not succeed, for joy is not something that can be controlled.
I cannot directly choose joy for myself in this moment or in any moment. Joy ignores my intentions just as it ignores any effort to keep it. I cannot choose joy any more than I can refuse it. Joy arrives on its own and when it arrives I must experience it. I get it whether I want it or not, for joy has nothing to do with want.
Joy is not something I do, but it does arise from action. I cannot reach joy by living passively. But not just any action will bring joy, and an action that once brought joy might not bring it again. The action that brought joy yesterday might only bring suffering today. Equally, an action that brought great suffering before might now bring incredible joy.
Poststructuralism as a Regime of Truth: Foucault and the Paradox of Philosophical Authority
Foucault’s critique of power and knowledge shaped poststructuralism, yet its rejection of truth risks becoming its own orthodoxy. To remain...
