An excellent essay, I agree with every word. In french there is a difference between jealousy and envy. Jealousy is minor and friendly ie "I'm so jealous of your jacket! Where did you get it?"
Envy is being so jealous of the jacket you slit it with a razor blade.
Envy is life's greatest destroyer. And it can be tribal as we see today.
Hmmm, not entirely human. Felines can be jealous. The death of one of ours, the group peacemaker, allowed the jealousy of the others to expand. Affecting equally the sexes, but not in expression.
I liked the essay, but partisan discussions applying solely to the human species loses its generality: many mammalian species, birds too, are within its ambit.
The expression of jealousy in human experience has produced a rich literature (including in music and in graphic art) but, inconveniently from my viewpoint, treats of symptoms and of consequences, without reflection of its role in the wider sentient kingdom. What is the Useful Function of jealousy? For example: in children, jealousy is a utilitarian marker for imbalances in parenting.
Everything can be considered in the cost-benefit range, sometimes good and sometimes bad.
Afterthought is that in a selfish society such as that of the Anglo-Norman ("collective West") or Christian demographic jealousy, LIKE MANY OTHER INTERACTIONS, can become obsessive, pathological. Maybe we could look at it from this place, too.
An excellent essay, I agree with every word. In french there is a difference between jealousy and envy. Jealousy is minor and friendly ie "I'm so jealous of your jacket! Where did you get it?"
Envy is being so jealous of the jacket you slit it with a razor blade.
Envy is life's greatest destroyer. And it can be tribal as we see today.
Regarding the masculine, the emotion of jealousy is there to ensure paternity.
On point! People don’t admit that they are jealous, even denying it strongly. Despite their jealousy sticking out like dogs testicles…
Hmmm, not entirely human. Felines can be jealous. The death of one of ours, the group peacemaker, allowed the jealousy of the others to expand. Affecting equally the sexes, but not in expression.
I liked the essay, but partisan discussions applying solely to the human species loses its generality: many mammalian species, birds too, are within its ambit.
The expression of jealousy in human experience has produced a rich literature (including in music and in graphic art) but, inconveniently from my viewpoint, treats of symptoms and of consequences, without reflection of its role in the wider sentient kingdom. What is the Useful Function of jealousy? For example: in children, jealousy is a utilitarian marker for imbalances in parenting.
Everything can be considered in the cost-benefit range, sometimes good and sometimes bad.
Afterthought is that in a selfish society such as that of the Anglo-Norman ("collective West") or Christian demographic jealousy, LIKE MANY OTHER INTERACTIONS, can become obsessive, pathological. Maybe we could look at it from this place, too.
THANKS!
Oh this was GOOD. I'll keep coming back to this.