Lars Svendsen's Philosophy of Boredom

2 pm Sunday March 6th 2011

Around 70 people filled the Crystal Room to hear Norwegian philosopher, Lars Svendsen, talk about his book The Philosophy of Boredom. Recently translated into Chinese by the Peking University Press, the work addressed the nature of boredom in modern society and suggested ways to accept it rather than overcome it.

Svendsen summarized the main themes of his book, peppering his lecture throughout with quotations from philosophers and rock stars alike. Arguing that we have no clear concept of boredom, he outlined some of the different forms of boredom that he had identified, such as situational boredom and existential boredom, and noted that some other aspects of the human condition can overlap ‘boredom’ to the extent that they muddy the waters of research: for example, depression and boredom can present similar symptoms. Although much of his material dealt with traditionally Existentialist ideas, he didn’t seem to explicitly refer to the Existential philosophers.

In tracing the history of boredom, Svendsen referred only to the medieval concept of acedia, which was railed against by the theologians. In his lecture, he unfortunately didn’t delve any deeper into history or literature before that point, remarking that in the past boredom was a problem reserved for those who could afford it. Skipping to the rise of boredom in modern culture, he argued that when boredom increases across society, it points to a cultural failing in finding meaning.

So, what were Svendsen’s recommendations for overcoming boredom? He suggested that an embrace of boredom and, through this, greater understanding of the self was a more useful way of dealing with the doldrums. Some philosophers have suggested other means, such as losing oneself in aesthetic pursuits, but Svendsen pointed out that while this does indeed cause a transcendence of self in which boredom has no place, it is simply temporary.

Svendsen ended with observations that the modern world has a destructive understanding of personal freedom, which sees individual autonomy as a succession of unconnected, uncompromising, and carefree ‘experiences’. He quoted the well known essay by David Foster Wallace to explain what a healthier understanding of freedom might look like: “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.”

His lecture elicited many questions and comments and, thankfully, no yawns or watch-checking.

Svendsen’s book, The Philosophy of Boredom can be found here on Amazon or you might try scouring the city’s bookshops.

Check out the following articles for help finding books in Shanghai:

Part One, Fake Books and Bookstores;
Part Two, Used Bookstores and Online Shopping;
Part Three, Libraries.