Excellent description & differentiation of telic & atelic pursuits, showing that the development of virtue as an atelic pursuit us a reward unto itself.
Massimo, If one values ongoing learning as a process lasting many decades, it seems the categories can be complementary. There can be complexity in learning experiences which include the benefits of debate and personal interactions - not sought in advance. Also, walking has frequently provided tangential experiences for me which became telic such as spotting an uncommon bird and identifying it, ditto a mushroom or wildflower. I suppose inquisitiveness is a virtue, but as a determinist I guess I had no choice in the matter.
Massimo The article is very well put. I was not aware of the 2 words Telic & Atelic. But I have sub consciously practiced it. Looking back at my own life the Telic achievements don’t mean a thing & I doubt if anyone remembers except your loved ones. Going through the remaining years of one’s life my profession does give me Telic moments when one makes an exceptional diagnosis & the remains 80% of the time is Atelic but very gratifying. Till you separated the 2 concepts I had never thought of it. This is Telic. Thank you.
Massimo, do you think we can minimize (or avoid) the dissatisfaction paradox by situating our telic goals within a larger atelic process? For example, for a writer the long-term goal might be simply to continue writing for its own sake. The books and articles are no doubt satisfying to complete, but they really just let you know how you're doing along the way.
Another example: last week I performed in a music class recital. I had spent the past year searching for lesser known pieces that were still worthwhile to hear, and to share them with colleagues. As you can imagine, it was a very satisfying experience! But I didn't really feel let down afterwards because I knew the process (of making music) would continue, and that's what really counted.
I also like the life-is-a-journey analogy here, even if it's a cliché. Our telic goals are like mile markers along the road. It's good to take note of them, and to pause periodically at rest stops, but the larger goal is to continue down that road....
This is an interesting article. One question that I am left with is in reaction to the statement "virtue is its own reward". This poses the question: What is a reward. I am not asking how virtue is a reward per se, but the deeper question: what does it mean to be a reward? I don't know.
Not being a professional philosopher I don't know the literature on the meaning of the term "reward". A naive look at the term https://www.etymonline.com/word/rewarding is that a reward is something given in response to something. So there is some exchange going on. But beyond that, I can't figure it out.
Telic and Atelic actvities seem to have different rewards on some deeper ontological level. This also implies that there is something different in the nature of the activity. Maybe I am overthinking this. Maybe it is just that the superficial statement of purpose (teleology) is enough to make the distinction of reward. Or maybe there is something deeper. I don't know.
Beautifully stated! Very true. It's a concept I talk about with my kids. They've noticed that many high schoolers are doing everything for the telos of gaining college admissions, with each potential resume-building achievement becoming a sub-telos along the way. This warps students' sense of meaning and value (not to mention the burnout)....
Excellent description & differentiation of telic & atelic pursuits, showing that the development of virtue as an atelic pursuit us a reward unto itself.
Massimo, If one values ongoing learning as a process lasting many decades, it seems the categories can be complementary. There can be complexity in learning experiences which include the benefits of debate and personal interactions - not sought in advance. Also, walking has frequently provided tangential experiences for me which became telic such as spotting an uncommon bird and identifying it, ditto a mushroom or wildflower. I suppose inquisitiveness is a virtue, but as a determinist I guess I had no choice in the matter.
Massimo The article is very well put. I was not aware of the 2 words Telic & Atelic. But I have sub consciously practiced it. Looking back at my own life the Telic achievements don’t mean a thing & I doubt if anyone remembers except your loved ones. Going through the remaining years of one’s life my profession does give me Telic moments when one makes an exceptional diagnosis & the remains 80% of the time is Atelic but very gratifying. Till you separated the 2 concepts I had never thought of it. This is Telic. Thank you.
Massimo, do you think we can minimize (or avoid) the dissatisfaction paradox by situating our telic goals within a larger atelic process? For example, for a writer the long-term goal might be simply to continue writing for its own sake. The books and articles are no doubt satisfying to complete, but they really just let you know how you're doing along the way.
Another example: last week I performed in a music class recital. I had spent the past year searching for lesser known pieces that were still worthwhile to hear, and to share them with colleagues. As you can imagine, it was a very satisfying experience! But I didn't really feel let down afterwards because I knew the process (of making music) would continue, and that's what really counted.
I also like the life-is-a-journey analogy here, even if it's a cliché. Our telic goals are like mile markers along the road. It's good to take note of them, and to pause periodically at rest stops, but the larger goal is to continue down that road....
This is an interesting article. One question that I am left with is in reaction to the statement "virtue is its own reward". This poses the question: What is a reward. I am not asking how virtue is a reward per se, but the deeper question: what does it mean to be a reward? I don't know.
Not being a professional philosopher I don't know the literature on the meaning of the term "reward". A naive look at the term https://www.etymonline.com/word/rewarding is that a reward is something given in response to something. So there is some exchange going on. But beyond that, I can't figure it out.
Telic and Atelic actvities seem to have different rewards on some deeper ontological level. This also implies that there is something different in the nature of the activity. Maybe I am overthinking this. Maybe it is just that the superficial statement of purpose (teleology) is enough to make the distinction of reward. Or maybe there is something deeper. I don't know.
I don't know about you, but I pursued my Ph.D. so I could work at something I liked (physics) rather than just for the money. So, it was both.
As I never got a faculty position, I didn't even have to serve on things like the 'space committee'.
Beautifully stated! Very true. It's a concept I talk about with my kids. They've noticed that many high schoolers are doing everything for the telos of gaining college admissions, with each potential resume-building achievement becoming a sub-telos along the way. This warps students' sense of meaning and value (not to mention the burnout)....
Thank you, Massimo, for writing such a clear message: meaningful, concise and understandable.
Very well said. Thank you.
I needed this reminder. Thank you.