Art Heals: Peripety

Are we about to come to a turning point? We are certainly living in what seems to be the plot of an Aristotelian tragedy, defined by the philosopher himself as "actions that excite pity and fear." In his “Poetics” Aristotle discusses dramatic tragedy in terms of peripety, a reversal of circumstances, a turning point in the plot contingent upon probability or necessity. We have entered Fall, and the turning points are poking us like a sharp stick. Fires, floods, racial and social injustice, politics, collapsing economies, to say nothing of the pandemic that has left lives in ruins. And now warnings that Steinbeck’s winter of our discontent is looming, with a possible resurgence of the virus just as people are thinking it is on the wane. Scientists are holding their collective breath as they calculate the effects of schools opening, states removing all restrictions, and people heading to poorly ventilated indoor spaces due to the colder weather. Pity and fear indeed. But can we control the turning points in our lives? This is where the ancient philosophers debated the nuances (politely). Socrates, Ari’s mentor-in-thought, held that virtue is knowledge, people don’t act against what they know to be good. Plato refined this to include the idea that passions have an influence on what a person “knows,” thus altering their actions in seemingly self-destructive ways. Aristotle took this further, exploring the concept of “incontinence” by distinguishing between theoretical knowledge, about things that cannot be changed, and practical knowledge, about what can be changed. People don’t knowingly act against their own self-interest, but from a temporary ignorance of what is good for them. Everyone wants happiness, but people differ only about their power to achieve it. Pringles make me happy, so even though I know the consequences of eating them will be a contribution to the covid-15, I eat them anyway. So, peripety. We have come to the place in the plot for a change when the “action veers round to its opposite, subject to probability or necessity." I am hoping we turn toward the good, supported by knowledge. We have the power to affect our destiny. Vote. Take reasonable precautions against infecting others, and ourselves. Support those fighting for justice and equality our own individual ways. We are more than characters in a play determined by others. We write our own scripts, create our own circumstances. We know what can be changed, and what cannot. Twelve Pringles a day is doable. Ari and the gang. Philosophy heals too. (Thanks, Brain Taco for this image!)