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The smartest thing I read about the question "What does it mean to be a good man?" was that the question was wrong - it should simply be "What does it mean to b
by PlunderBunny 3y ago
The smartest thing I read about the question "What does it mean to be a good man?" was that the question was wrong - it should simply be "What does it mean to be a good human being?" In my opinion, it's a much easier question to answer.
- yetihehe 3y ago"What does it mean to be a good human being" is more general, so a probably a little less easy to answer. With "How to be a good man" you can cater to a smaller group. Women and men have different needs.
- nicbou 3y agoIt seems to be less about the needs of each gender and more about the social expectations for each gender. I take the question as "what should a good man be doing", not "what does one need to be a good man".
- marliechiller 3y agoSomething being more or less generalised doesnt necessarily mean more or less easy to answer. In this instance, its much easier to give axioms to being a good person than it is to being a good man. Especially in this day and age where the very notion of being a man (or woman) is being brought into question.
- yetihehe 3y ago> Especially in this day and age where the very notion of being a man (or woman) is being brought into question. Some problems are specific to men or women exactly because our society has different expectations for men and women, so general advice good for one gender is not always good for the other. Example: Q: How to be more appealing to the other sex? A: Wear some light makeup and a nice dress.
- amanaplanacanal 3y agoThat question and answer both hurt my brain. What to do to be more appealing depends more on the individual person you are trying to appeal to than on what gender they are. Individuals are not fungible.
- taway1237 3y agoIs that how native speakers understand this proverb? I always assumed "a good man" here is synonymous with "a good human", because that's how if goes in my language, and because it's the only way this makes sense.
- HL33tibCe7 3y agoI’m a native speaker and interpret “man” in this context as definitely male, and I’d be very surprised if any other native speakers disagreed with that. I think it’s because “a good man” is quantified by the indefinite article “a”. Whereas “man” in a sentence without that qualification, e.g. “one small step for man” I would not interpret the same way. So, “a man” = a male human, “man” = maybe a male human, maybe any human.
- louistsi 3y agoI definitely disagree given that Marcus Aurelius was writing in an era where "man" in the written word was synonymous with "human", in any context. If you or I said "man" in this time period, certainly we would attribute it as you say.
- hydrok9 3y agoI think he meant man as in male, given that women were a very distant 2nd class of citizen.
- seanhunter 3y agoMarcus Aurelius wrote something like "Waste no time worrying about what it means to be a good man. Be one."
- TheCoelacanth 3y agoDoesn't seem like he took his own advice, though.
- Pigalowda 3y agoYea Marcus Aurelius, what a loser Emperor. I assume you’re talking about Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
- seanhunter 3y agoI am yes. "Alone of the emperors, he gave proof of his learning not by mere words or knowledge of philosophical doctrines but by his blameless character and temperate way of life" -Herodian about Marcus Aurelius.
- Pigalowda 3y agoI was responding to the other guy. I knew you were talking about him. Maybe the coelacanth was talking about Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Elagabalus
- TheCoelacanth 3y agoI don't mean that he was a loser, just that he obviously spent a ton of time worrying about what it means to be a good man.
- Pigalowda 3y agoOf course he did. His “Meditations” are his personal journal - he’s giving himself advice. Sort of like telling yourself to be a good person and not just think about being one
- oldpersonintx 3y agoStripping men of their unique identity does not help...this is known as "leveling"
- marginalia_nu 3y agoI think that misses the point a bit. It's an easier question, but it's also a different question. It's often easier to answer a question that glosses over the situational nuances. Whatever your circumstances, whether you're a man, woman, something else; some of that is a given. It's not just who you are or who you chose to be, but the expectations and opportunities made available to us based on who we appear to be. It is a relevant question to ask what is the best way of playing the hand you were dealt by circumstance.