Contemplative Practices and Teaching Scitovsky’s The Joyless Economy
The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
Nov 30, 2015
Pages:
51 - 66
Sources ID:
82521
Collection:
Contemplative Pedagogy in Higher Education
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
In order to make choices that lead to our well-being, we need discernment andunderstanding to determine the conditions that bring about positive outcomes and
the awareness to recognize them in order to act in ways that are congruent with our
well-being. This is a paper exploring the context of teaching undergraduates to understand the expression of their own desires in markets. In this paper, I will describe an
exercise that illustrates the concepts of Tibor Scitovsky’s work on well-being. Students
experience the concepts outlined by Scitovsky and come to understand them more
deeply through engaging with practices that allow them to directly experience the
embedded ideas. In addition, once they see the benefits from closely watching their
experience, they become more curious about cultivating attention and begin to inquire
more deeply into the nature of their desires and actions.