Tag Archives: Csikszentmihalyi

Irrelevant Complexity 1) – Odd Jobs

Posted on April 27, 2013 by

‘Relevant complexity’ is my theory of everything: satisfaction and joy arise from the pursuit of complex, worthwhile and comparatively challenging pursuits. Art history, particle physics, the raising of children, the preparation and enjoyment of good food etc etc – all … Continue reading →

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Arts and Draughts

Posted on October 27, 2012 by

I found myself talking Art – with a nice bloke I’ve never met before – in the pub this week. It was at a leaving do for my other half. Neither of us look like gallery buffs. But a happy … Continue reading →

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Fridge Frees

Posted on August 11, 2012 by

Proof, if ever it were needed, that Csikszentmihalyi’s ‘flow’ can be found in any – and I mean any – activity. This morning at 7.45am, I began chucking some veg and old bottles of chilli out of the fridge… …Two … Continue reading →

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Relevant Complexity 2) Hobbies

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

Until last year I absolutely didn’t get ‘hobbies’. Now I am persuaded hobbies maketh the man. The big mistake in life, I reckon – observing overwork, depression and recession hitting even the most high powered of my friends – is … Continue reading →

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Relevant Complexity 1) The Spice of Life

Posted on January 8, 2012 by

My new theory of everything: all purpose and enjoyment in life is found in ‘relevant complexity’. I came to the idea via the Hungarian American psychologist Mihili Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of ‘flow’: that we achieve optimum experience when we meet considerable … Continue reading →

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Of Angels

Posted on November 5, 2011 by

Smarting from the accusation I seldom read the source, I’m wading through Aquinas at present. Corblimey he’s obsessed with some things well beyond my interest. But that’s because I’m reading him for his ethics, and he’s writing a science book … Continue reading →

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Shower

Posted on July 18, 2011 by

Man – and woman – in the state of nature is not a pretty sight. Obsessed with feeding and drinking, scavenging for firewood, alternately soaked then sweating. Feral children career about, bumping and thumping each other. Sleep snatched fitfully as … Continue reading →

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Poetry in Motion

Posted on June 12, 2011 by

A few weeks ago, newly enamoured of poetry, I wrote a short ditty to capture what I think increasingly drives my life. It came out quite easily so I guessed it might be quite close. But then I forgot about … Continue reading →

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Poetry in Motion

Posted on May 25, 2011 by

I’ve just finished Csikszentmihalyi’s ‘Flow’. There are things to criticise. Some points – the time we waste in front of TV notably – are right but he makes them repetitively. His style occasionally grates. But, in my humble opinion, it … Continue reading →

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The Good Life

Posted on May 19, 2011 by

I used to be a strict Act Utilitarian – the moral act is the one that produces the most overall happiness or least harm. The undergraduate philosophy case studies all seemed clear cut to me. Knowing what we know now, … Continue reading →

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