suffering

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a collective term, suffering describes everything that burdens a person physically and mentally. The following are particularly perceived as suffering:

Suffering represents a basic human experience. The depth to which suffering is felt is subjective and depends on the individual, i.e. on one's own experiences and attitudes.

Word history

In classifications of affects ( passion lists ), achos is the Greek equivalent for suffering in Pseudo-Andronicus , and luctus in Tusculanus in Latin .

Experience of suffering and coping with suffering in religions

The religions deal with the questions: “Why does suffering exist?”, “What is the meaning and purpose of suffering?” And “How can suffering be overcome?”.

The Abrahamic religions justify suffering with the existence of Satan and therefore also with the evil in people who harm others.

The suffering of Christ, i.e. the passion and death of Jesus on the cross, are essential prerequisites for redemption in Christianity .

In Islam, Allah tests the believer through suffering. For the Sunnis , suffering has no meaning of salvation. In the Shiite Passion Play, however, the believers can atone for their sins through suffering .

The conflict between the existence of suffering and belief in an almighty and benevolent God leads to the theodicy problem . The book of Job deals with this question.

In Buddhism , suffering plays a central role as dukkha in the four noble truths . Life in the cycle of existence is painful. The concept of karma explains suffering as a result of previous actions. Complete extinction of greed can lead to overcoming suffering ( nirvana ).

Animal ethics

In his 1975 book Animal Liberation , the Australian philosopher and ethicist Peter Singer , who, together with Tom Regan, is considered the founder of modern animal ethics , postulates that other animal species also have the ability to feel suffering, with the exception of so-called " lower animals " such as crustaceans or insects for which this is not guaranteed. As early as 1780 Bentham saw the ability of animals to suffer as the decisive criterion with regard to a moral consideration, which should also be extended to animals, which is now referred to as pathocentrism .

The criterion of the ability to suffer is therefore also an important approach in the philosophy of animal rights .

The German Animal Welfare Act fundamentally prohibits in § 1 , "[...] inflicting pain, suffering or harm on an animal for no reasonable reason."

Section 5 of the Austrian Federal Act on the Protection of Animals states, among other things: "It is forbidden to inflict unjustified pain, suffering or harm on an animal or to make it extremely afraid."

Quotes

“The fastest animal that will bring you to perfection is suffering; for no one enjoys eternal bliss more than someone who stands with Christ in the deepest bitterness. "

- Master Eckhart

"Look for the seeds of your future spiritual growth in suffering, otherwise life is very bitter."

- Leo Tolstoy

"The deeper we see through suffering, the closer we come to the goal of liberation from suffering."

- Tendzin Gyatsho (14th Dalai Lama)

"The negative central concept of Buddhism is suffering, the negative central concept of Christianity is guilt."

- Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker

literature

Different religions
Christianity
Islam
  • U. Austin: Suffering in Muslim religious thought , in: Islamic Quarterly 26 (1982), 28-39.
  • MM Ayoub: The Problem of Suffering in Islam , in: Alserat 8 / 2-4 (1982), 11-21. 26-35.
  • ders .: Redemptive Suffering in Islam : A Study of the Devotional Aspects of 'Ashura' in Twelver Shi'ism, Mouton, The Hague 1975 (diss. with A. Schimmel).
  • John Bowker: The Problem of Suffering in the Qur'an , in: Religious Studies 4 (1968), 183-202.
  • Margaretha T. Heemskerk: Suffering in Mu'tazilite Theology , EJ Brill, Leiden 2000.
Judaism
Buddhism
  • XIV. Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso : The Buddha's teaching of dependent arising: The origins of suffering and the path to liberation . Dharma-Ed., Hamburg 1996, ISBN 978-3-927862-27-2 .
Modern times

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: suffering  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wikiquote: Sorrow  - Quotes
Commons : Human suffering  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Brockhaus Encyclopedia, 21st edition : "Suffering, collective term for everything that burdens people physically and mentally, ..." Meyer's Encyclopedia , 9th edition: "Suffering, pain, illness, ... va soul. Sadness. The question of the origin, purpose and overcoming of the L is very different in the history of religion. been answered. … “The Great Duden Lexicon (n.d.):“ Suffering, human. Basic experience of the interruption of the happy-peaceful life course, ... "
  2. ↑ Overviews by Catherine Newmark: Passion - Affect - Feeling : philosophical theories of emotions between Aristotle and Kant, Hamburg: Meiner 2008, ISBN 3-7873-1867-4 , 227.229
  3. ↑ See also Michel Tichit: Le terme 'achos' dans Sophocle. In: REG Volume 97, 1984, pp. 189-205.
  4. ↑ Federal Act on the Protection of Animals
  5. ↑ Meister Eckhart, Von der Abgeschiedenheit (Tract 9), in: Ders., Vom Wunder der Seele [1990], p. 23 (27))
  6. ↑ Martin Tamcke: Tolstoy's religion. A spiritual biography. Insel, Berlin 2010, p. 49 (without proof)
  7. ↑ Dalai Lama - Quotes. Retrieved October 24, 2013 .
  8. ↑ The history of nature. Göttingen 1954: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Chapter XII “Man. Inner History ", page 121 (first version: 1948)