inkbluesky

What’s the difference between envy and jealousy

* Envy is pain at the good fortune of others. (Aristotle, Rhetoric, Bk II, Chapter 10)

* Ordinary language tends to conflate envy and jealousy. The philosophical consensus is that these are distinct emotions.[2] While it is linguistically acceptable to say that one is jealous upon hearing about another’s vacation, say, it has been plausibly argued that one is feeling envy, if either, in such a case. Both envy and jealousy are three-place relations; but this superficial similarity conceals an important difference. Jealousy involves three parties, the subject, the rival, and the beloved; and the jealous person’s real locus of concern is the beloved—the person whose affection he is losing or fears losing—not his rival.

* Whereas envy is a two party relation, with a third relatum that is a good (albeit a good that could be a particular person’s affections); and the envious person’s locus of concern is the rival. Hence, even if the good that the rival has is the affection of another person, there is a difference between envy and jealousy.

Its interesting that the author notes historically some ancient philosophers thought that envy to some degree propelled the desire for the development of formal systems of justice. On a logical level that doesn’t make sense, but on an emotional level, the level on which ancient philosophers premised much of their view of the world, its easy to see. Its that phenomenon that lurks around team oriented business organizations. Everyone suddenly thinks that someone who is especially smart or attractive or whatever is getting special treatment, making mental lists of said special treatment that they themselves have received. Though there is probably more that goes on, but repressed in traditional business and warehouse settings. I wonder too if jealousy isn’t more primitive, part of our evolutionary psychology; of the two the one we’re much more likely to act on. Jealousy also seems more likely to lead to destructive and self destructive behavior. If someone said they envied you, wouldn’t that just seem odd. While if someone expressed real jealousy that would be disturbing.

november mist

It looks at this hour as though Australia’s version of G. W. Bush has been given the boot, Howard ousted as Labor and Rudd sweep to victory. Maybe Mr. Howard can now find something more productive and less destructive to do.

Firms asks women to work in their undies

A Taiwanese lingerie company encouraged all its female office staff to go to work in their undies for the day.

[ ]..And Liao Wenshen, 30, added: “The men were red-faced all day, and were becoming so polite to us. It’s so funny!”

Apparently this is legal in Taiwan as long as the employer doesn’t threaten those who don’t wish to participate.