Oughtism: The Rigid Moralist
The phrase "a good person in the worst sense of the word," often attributed to Mark Twain, encapsulates the paradox of excessive morality. It describes individuals whose lives are governed entirely by a sense of duty and obligation, with little room for spontaneity, joy, or beauty.
Understanding "Oughtism"
"Oughtism" captures the essence of living life strictly according to what one ought to do, without considering the deeper aspects of love, creativity, and genuine human connection. Such individuals may be:
- Rigid and Unforgiving: Their adherence to rules and norms can make them inflexible, unable to adapt to the complexities and nuances of real-life situations.
- Virtuous yet Insufferable: While their actions might align with societal standards of virtue, their lack of warmth and empathy can make them difficult to be around.
- Ethical but Not Loving: They focus on the letter of the law rather than its spirit, missing the deeper, often messy, reality of what it means to love and be loved.
Whitehead's Perspective on Love and Morality
Alfred North Whitehead, a key figure in process thought, provides a helpful counterbalance to the rigidity of "oughtism." He posits that genuine love transcends mere moral obligation. According to Whitehead, love is an expansive, creative force that sometimes operates "a little oblivious as to morals."
- Creativity and Spontaneity: For Whitehead, the creative advance into novelty is a fundamental aspect of the universe. This creativity should also be reflected in human relationships and ethics.
- Love Beyond Obligation: Love, in its truest form, goes beyond duty and obligation. It is an expression of the interconnectedness of all things, recognizing and embracing the intrinsic value of each moment and relationship.
The Perils of Excessive Morality
When ethics become an end in themselves, disconnected from the relational and experiential aspects of life, they can lead to:
- Moral Legalism: A strict adherence to rules without consideration for context or compassion.
- Emotional Stagnation: An inability to experience the full range of human emotions and relationships, leading to a stunted personal growth.
- Social Alienation: A tendency to judge others harshly, creating barriers rather than bridges in social interactions.
Moving Beyond "Oughtism"
To move beyond "oughtism," it is essential to cultivate a balance between ethical behavior and the spontaneity of love and creativity. Here are some ways to achieve this balance:
- Embrace Ambiguity: Recognize that life is complex and that ethical dilemmas often require more than a rigid application of rules.
- Cultivate Empathy: Develop the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others, which can soften the edges of strict moralism.
- Value Spontaneity: Allow room for joy, creativity, and spontaneity in daily life, recognizing these as essential components of a fulfilling existence.
- Focus on Relationships: Prioritize genuine human connections over abstract principles, understanding that love often requires flexibility and compassion.
"Oughtism" serves as a cautionary concept, warning against the dangers of living a life governed solely by duty and obligation. By integrating the insights of Whitehead and process thought, we can appreciate the importance of creativity, spontaneity, and genuine love in our ethical lives. Moving beyond "oughtism" means embracing a more holistic, compassionate, and dynamic approach to living and loving.
A Little Oblivious as to Morals
Oughtism is the habit of doing things solely because one feels obligated to do them and expecting others to do the same. It often involves telling other people what they should be or think or do, quite apart from their actual needs, and thus approaching them through the framework of moral obligation. It’s more than mere responsibility; it’s an outlook that views life through the lens of moral laws. In this perspective, spontaneity and beauty take a back seat, and everything becomes governed by a sense of “ought" or "should." The frolicking of a colt in a pasture, the laughter of a small infant, the flowing of a stream, or the beauty of music - all are subordinated to "being good."
Impact of Oughtism: Oughtism reduces life to a set of implicit rules, neglecting the richness of experience and the unexpected. It can even extend to our perception of God, turning the divine into a cosmic moralist, as if ethics and ethics alone interest God. In this view, God is indifferent to the frolicking of a colt, the laughter of a small infant, the flowing of a stream, or the beauty of music. God is only about ethics.
Balancing Duty with Engagement: The key is not to eliminate obligation but to balance duty with genuine engagement and spontaneity. Obligations have their place, but they should not overshadow the richness of experience and the joy of spontaneity.
Whitehead's Philosophy as an Antidote: Whitehead’s philosophy offers an antidote to Oughtism by suggesting that each moment of experience has intrinsic value beyond mere duty or rules. Each moment has value for itself and enjoys the richness of experience. Whitehead emphasizes that genuine love includes an appreciation of this spontaneous and beautiful side of life, which is found not only in human beings but in all experiencing entities: dogs, cats, snails, earthworms, and even quantum events in atoms. Thus, Oughtness can impede love.
A Little Oblivious as to Morals: In Process and Reality, Whitehead writes: "Love neither rules, nor is it unmoved; also it is a little oblivious as to morals. It does not look to the future; for it finds its own reward in the immediate present."
He could have as easily said: "Love is more than Rules: The Problem of Oughtness."
Not by Ought Alone
Life cannot be lived by Ought alone
The oughts in life are inescapable and a place where we meet the transcendent. We meet the transcendent in the face, the living presence, of other people who by their very existence create a claim upon us: a claim to be respected as independent of us and valuable to us. The philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) calls this "the face of the Other." Levinas extensively explored this concept, emphasizing the ethical responsibility that arises in encountering another person. He argues that the face-to-face encounter with another human being presents an ethical demand that transcends mere existence and calls for respect and responsibility. This idea is central to his ethical philosophy, which challenges traditional Western notions of autonomy and self-sufficiency by highlighting the primacy of the Other in ethical relations.
A sense of ought has a crucial place in life. It provides a moral compass and a framework for ethical behavior. Oughtness guides us in our responsibilities toward others, helping to maintain social order and mutual respect. It informs our duties and helps us strive for justice, fairness, and compassion in our interactions. Without a sense of ought, our actions could become arbitrary and self-serving, leading to chaos and harm.
And yet, life cannot be lived by oughts alone, and sometimes a preoccupation with ethics and with ethical responsibility gets in the way of healthy and life-giving interactions with other people, the more-than-human world, and ourselves. For example, in relationships, an excessive focus on ethical duties can lead to rigid and strained interactions, where spontaneity and genuine connection are stifled. In our engagement with nature, an overemphasis on ethical considerations might prevent us from simply enjoying and appreciating the beauty of the natural world, or music, or the laughter of an infant. Additionally, a constant preoccupation with our ethical responsibilities can lead to self-neglect, causing burnout and preventing us from nurturing our own well-being. When oughts blind us to the spontaneities and beauties of life, we fall into Oughtism.
Oughtism
I borrow the term oughtism from Bayo Akomolafe, who uses it in the context of a story he tells about his son, expanding its meaning to include a fall into neurotypical thinking, a conscious or unconscious attachment to conventional goals and forms of thinking.
Akomolafe recounts returning home from a celebration in Santa Fe and giving his autistic son Kyah a wooden jigsaw puzzle toy called 'Coogam Wooden Blocks'. Kyah quickly unwrapped it and began arranging the pieces, but soon asked Bayo to discard a blue 'L'-shaped piece. Despite Bayo's attempts to explain the need to use all pieces to complete the puzzle, Kyah insisted on discarding several pieces. Bayo eventually realized that Kyah was organizing the pieces by shape and color rather than following the traditional method of completing the puzzle. This experience led Bayo to recognize his own fixation on societal norms, which he termed "oughtism," and appreciate Kyah's unique approach that challenged conventional expectations. Bayo had fallen into "normopathological repetition."
Akomolafe writes: "In the smiling minutes that followed, I realized that while Kyah 'had' autism, I 'had' oughtism. Oughtism is my name for the ways we are trained, habituated, conditioned, and rewarded to think along dominant lines of production. How we 'ought' to behave. A tendency towards the already known. A regulatory refrain that whispers how bodies ought to look like, ought to behave like. Oughtism is neurotypicality in its production of embodied relations of normopathological repetition; it is the sweeping regime of the obvious, a vocation of lines and their secretions, a rush to solutions."*
Thus, we have several meanings of Oughtism:
* "Oughtism," May 7, 2024: Bayo Akomolafe
The oughts in life are inescapable and a place where we meet the transcendent. We meet the transcendent in the face, the living presence, of other people who by their very existence create a claim upon us: a claim to be respected as independent of us and valuable to us. The philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) calls this "the face of the Other." Levinas extensively explored this concept, emphasizing the ethical responsibility that arises in encountering another person. He argues that the face-to-face encounter with another human being presents an ethical demand that transcends mere existence and calls for respect and responsibility. This idea is central to his ethical philosophy, which challenges traditional Western notions of autonomy and self-sufficiency by highlighting the primacy of the Other in ethical relations.
A sense of ought has a crucial place in life. It provides a moral compass and a framework for ethical behavior. Oughtness guides us in our responsibilities toward others, helping to maintain social order and mutual respect. It informs our duties and helps us strive for justice, fairness, and compassion in our interactions. Without a sense of ought, our actions could become arbitrary and self-serving, leading to chaos and harm.
And yet, life cannot be lived by oughts alone, and sometimes a preoccupation with ethics and with ethical responsibility gets in the way of healthy and life-giving interactions with other people, the more-than-human world, and ourselves. For example, in relationships, an excessive focus on ethical duties can lead to rigid and strained interactions, where spontaneity and genuine connection are stifled. In our engagement with nature, an overemphasis on ethical considerations might prevent us from simply enjoying and appreciating the beauty of the natural world, or music, or the laughter of an infant. Additionally, a constant preoccupation with our ethical responsibilities can lead to self-neglect, causing burnout and preventing us from nurturing our own well-being. When oughts blind us to the spontaneities and beauties of life, we fall into Oughtism.
Oughtism
I borrow the term oughtism from Bayo Akomolafe, who uses it in the context of a story he tells about his son, expanding its meaning to include a fall into neurotypical thinking, a conscious or unconscious attachment to conventional goals and forms of thinking.
Akomolafe recounts returning home from a celebration in Santa Fe and giving his autistic son Kyah a wooden jigsaw puzzle toy called 'Coogam Wooden Blocks'. Kyah quickly unwrapped it and began arranging the pieces, but soon asked Bayo to discard a blue 'L'-shaped piece. Despite Bayo's attempts to explain the need to use all pieces to complete the puzzle, Kyah insisted on discarding several pieces. Bayo eventually realized that Kyah was organizing the pieces by shape and color rather than following the traditional method of completing the puzzle. This experience led Bayo to recognize his own fixation on societal norms, which he termed "oughtism," and appreciate Kyah's unique approach that challenged conventional expectations. Bayo had fallen into "normopathological repetition."
Akomolafe writes: "In the smiling minutes that followed, I realized that while Kyah 'had' autism, I 'had' oughtism. Oughtism is my name for the ways we are trained, habituated, conditioned, and rewarded to think along dominant lines of production. How we 'ought' to behave. A tendency towards the already known. A regulatory refrain that whispers how bodies ought to look like, ought to behave like. Oughtism is neurotypicality in its production of embodied relations of normopathological repetition; it is the sweeping regime of the obvious, a vocation of lines and their secretions, a rush to solutions."*
Thus, we have several meanings of Oughtism:
- Preoccupation with Ethical Responsibilities: A focus on ethical duties and responsibilities to the point where it interferes with spontaneous and genuine interactions with others and the natural world.
- Rigid Adherence to Societal Norms: An attachment to conventional goals and societal expectations, leading to a fixation on how things "ought" to be done.
- Neurotypical Thinking: A tendency to think and behave in ways that conform to neurotypical standards, often at the expense of recognizing and valuing diverse perspectives and approaches.
- Rush to Solutions: A hasty drive to find solutions and outcomes that align with established norms and expectations, rather than exploring creative or unconventional possibilities.
* "Oughtism," May 7, 2024: Bayo Akomolafe
Eight Ideas
Love is a Little Oblivious as to Morals: In process theology, love is considered the highest ideal and a central aspect of the divine nature. This love transcends conventional moral judgments and ethical constraints, focusing instead on the well-being and flourishing of others. By emphasizing love that is "a little oblivious as to morals," individuals are encouraged to act from a place of compassion and care that sometimes goes beyond strict moral codes. This approach allows for more genuine, empathetic interactions and decisions, prioritizing the needs and happiness of others over rigid adherence to moral rules.
Healthy Relationships are More Than Obligatory Connections: Process theology emphasizes the importance of genuine, meaningful relationships that are based on mutual respect, empathy, and understanding. Healthy relationships are seen as dynamic, evolving connections that foster personal growth and mutual enrichment. By valuing the quality of interactions and the emotional bonds formed, individuals can move beyond relationships defined by duty or obligation, embracing connections that are truly life-enhancing and fulfilling. This perspective encourages us to invest in relationships that bring joy and enrichment, rather than simply adhering to social expectations or conventional roles.
Fluidity and Change: Process philosophy views reality as a process of becoming rather than a collection of static entities. This focus on change and evolution encourages individuals to remain open to new experiences and perspectives, rather than rigidly adhering to fixed norms and expectations.
Creativity and Novelty: Process theology celebrates creativity as a fundamental aspect of the divine and the universe. This appreciation for novelty and innovation encourages individuals to explore unconventional approaches and solutions, rather than being constrained by traditional norms and "oughts."
Prioritizing Experience over Doctrine: In process thought, experiences and the feelings they evoke are primary. This focus on lived experience helps individuals to prioritize authentic, immediate responses over abstract ethical principles, allowing for a more flexible and responsive approach to life.
Ambiguity and Complexity: Process philosophy acknowledges the complexity and ambiguity of life. By accepting that not all situations have clear-cut answers or solutions, individuals can avoid the simplistic, black-and-white thinking that characterizes Oughtism and instead embrace a more nuanced understanding of ethical and relational challenges.
Beauty as Richness of Experience: Whitehead places significant importance on beauty, understood as the richness of experience in the immediacy of the moment. By valuing beauty, we can cultivate an appreciation for the present and the diversity of experiences, thus avoiding rigid and predetermined notions of how things ought to be.
Self-Enjoyment in the Immediacy of the Moment: An essential feature of concrescence in process theology is the concept of self-enjoyment. This idea emphasizes that every actual entity, in its process of becoming, seeks its own satisfaction and fulfillment. This self-enjoyment is not selfish but a recognition of the intrinsic value of each moment and the pleasure derived from the act of becoming itself. By focusing on self-enjoyment, individuals can appreciate the present moment's richness and fullness, fostering a sense of fulfillment that transcends mere duty or obligation.