Octavio Paz Wrote That "Modern Man Likes to Pretend That

question 22

Essay

Octavio Paz wrote that "modern man likes to pretend that his thinking is wide-awake. But this wide-awake thinking has led us into the mazes of a nightmare in which the torture chambers are endlessly repeated in the mirrors of reason" (p. 342). Do you agree with Paz? What sort of nightmares has modern, Western reason created? Think especially of our attitudes toward time, death, social existence, and our relationship to nature. Could the indigenous philosophies of Latin America and Mexico, Native Americans, and Africa provide perspective on how we live in society and nature? Focus on three of these philosophical perspectives. After briefly explaining them, identify any common themes they share. Then focus on how these philosophies might offer lenses through which we can look at, evaluate, and transform our attitudes toward time, death, society, and nature. Be specific: identify three alternatives ways of being these philosophies might suggest to you.

---

Definitions:

Defensive Self-Esteem

Self-esteem that is fragile and vulnerable, often leading individuals to react negatively to criticism or perceived threats.

Reciprocal Determinism

a concept in psychology that individuals and their behavior are shaped by the interaction between personal factors, their environment, and their behavior.

Defense Mechanisms

Psychological strategies unconsciously used by individuals to protect themselves from anxiety and to manage emotional conflict and internal or external stressors.

Psychosexual Stages

A Freudian theory describing the stages of a child's development, each characterized by the erogenous zone that is the source of the child's psychosexual energy.