Mere Philosophy #1


Mere Philosophy #1
            This initial post in a new series will take place as a result of the ever-increasing amount of questions I have about the world we live in. In this series, we will explore some of the thoughts I have on complex, deeply meaningful philosophical questions in which I have or will seek to answer in my life.
            One question I have thought about recently concerning an ancient Chinese philosophy that can be generously applied to almost every area of life. This is the notion of [1]yin and yang. In a nutshell, yin and yang represent the opposites that proportionately cancel or balance each other out. One watered-down example of this includes night and day. An approximately equal amount of days have occurred as nights; therefore, this instance can be considered one instance of yin and yang. Although many areas span the breadth of this philosophy, we will be narrowing our perspective on one specific question: Does economic status indicate a profoundly deeper meaning behind the wealth (specifically, does wealth indicate depression and poverty happiness?)
            A [2]study conducted at the University of California Berkley discerned that a positive correlation exists between the amount of physical wealth you have and mental ailments including depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Explicating this, greater wealth denotes a statistically higher chance of mental illness. Thus, my question arises: Is this one instance of the yin and yang theory?
            To truly understand whether or not this ancient philosophy can be applied to this scenario, we must investigate further, forming an inductive argument using specific observations to produce a general conclusion.
            Now, we must determine whether poverty is positively correlated with positive emotions, verifying my argument. I have found, through some digging, that [3]although poverty is positively correlated with enhanced relationships with others and wealth is positively correlated with enhanced relationships with the self, that, although controversial, evidence significantly dismantles my yin yang notion of socioeconomic status. Most of the studies I have found explain the exact opposite: That poorer people are less happy and are statistically likely to also display negative psychological characteristics.
            Because of this, my question: Does wealth indicate depression and poverty happiness? Is disproven. The answer is simply no. Thus, this is one exception to the yin yang theory of ancient Chinese philosophy.
References
[1] Augustyn, A., Bauer, P., Duignan, B., Eldridge, A. et al. (2020). Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, inc.
[2] Casey, T. (2015, January 5). Wealth and power tied to depression and other mental disorders. [Article]. In. Psychiatry and behavioral health learning network. Retrieved from https://www.psychcongress.com/article/wealth-and-power-tied-depression-and-other-mental-disorders
[3] Scutti, S. (2018, February 8). More money can mean Scrooge-like pride, study says. [Article]. In. CNN health. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/18/health/poor-rich-happiness-study/index.html\

Thanks for all the support!
           

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