I think I may have just discovered the problem!
Why do I procrastinate so much? Well I guess because homework is boring. Writing philosophers' viewpoints is boring. Summarizing articles about digital diploma mills is boring. The only thing that isn't boring is anything for my creative writing class. I have no problem with that. I never put it off. Why? Because I enjoy it. So here is my solution.
Instead of sitting holed up in my room all day and when 5 o'clock rolls around all I have to show for the last 6 hours is half a dozen empty chocolate and candy wrappers, I have decided to overcome my procrastination! There are all these tips online about getting rid of distractions, or "taking little bits out of it" as my mum likes to tell me to do. No, instead I will use the distraction to help me. What is something that I love to do? Write. On my blog in particular. Writing can sometimes lose it's meaning and importance, and excitement when I have no audience. I have always been a bit like that. I need to feel like I am writing to someone instead of just writing. (unless it is creative writing, poetry, etc.) So instead of just opening up a word document and feeling completely unmotivated, I will use my blog as a homework tool. Maybe it sounds nerdy but if it works then I don't care!
So if I explain my weekly reading to my "audience" it will make it more exciting. I sound crazy. But I really think it will help. It's more similar to "talking" about the reading. It's more interesting. It's less blah.
Last week's reading for Philosophy was called "A Critique of Utilitarianism" by Bernard Williams. The writing topic is simply, explain Bernard Williams's view. Sounds simple enough, but the problem is that I have already forgotten what the reading was about. Which is when I look it up online to see if anyone has written summary notes. But really I would be better off just reading it again. So one moment please...
Hey! Fancy that. I just noticed that my teacher had posted a doc on the website called "how to do the weekly readings". So I read that. And I guess it kind of helps except it's basically what I have been doing all along. Okay now for the actual reading.. another moment please...
Alrighty. I managed to find a summary online. Very helpful.
Williams does not agree with utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is "the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority". In other words, actions are right if they produce the greatest happiness. Williams sees a flaw in the utilitarian principle. This is because it does not allow for human integrity. The utilitarian principle basically states that the only thing that matters is the outcome, and whether it makes the most amount of people happy or not. This is fine and all, and would work in an ideal world, but it is not realistic. Why? Because people are too damn selfish. It won't work. Maybe that's not what Williams is saying, but it is what I'm saying. Human integrity is extremely important and to be a true utilitarian is to completely overlook this. It is basically to say who cares about my own desires, as long as I am pleasing "the greater good". How is this realistic and how does the utilitarian principle even make sense if this is the case, which it is. As Williams says, there is a flaw in utilitarianism. He believes that utilitarianism may cause us to do wrong.
