Scheler’s theory of Suffering: what is it and what does it say about pain?

A summary of Scheler's theory of suffering and his philosophical proposals on pain.

Scheler's theory of suffering proposes a reflection on how human beings respond to experiences of pain.. Normally, we run away from it, we try to hide it, but what happens if we do the opposite? Does it make sense to find a purpose to our suffering?

Surely influenced by the Christian vision of pain and penance, and coinciding with the ideas of Viktor Frankl, a philosopher much later than him, Max Scheler proposes the idea that, if we manage to find a meaning in suffering, it can even offer us something positive.

Scheler was a German philosopher, therefore a Western philosopher, with a vision of suffering that clashes with his own. a vision of suffering that clashes with the idea most commonly held in our modern West that suffering requires avoidance strategies.regardless of what triggers it.

But there are things that no matter how hard we try to avoid them, they will not hurt us any less, something that Scheler's theory of suffering can help us with. Let's see how.

What is Scheler's Theory of Suffering?

There is no doubt that pain, whether physical or emotional, is something we do not want to experience. Naturally. Our animal nature of survival tells us that if something hurts us, the best thing to do is to avoid it..

However, our human nature, which can detach itself from our Biological instincts and think in the long term, has endowed us with the capacity to reflect on suffering, asking ourselves if it serves a purpose.

There are things that pose a threat to our bodies and cause us pain, such as the bite of a mosquito or the heat of a flame, two things that it makes perfect sense to actively avoid. However, what about all those good things that, in order to get them, we have to go through something that is going to make us suffer?

A simple example: getting in shape. If you want to show off a toned body this summer, you're going to have to sacrifice every day for the next few months by working out every day. While this doesn't have to be extremely painful, it's certainly not as comfortable as lying on the couch or going out for drinks with friends.

It is a rather mundane and simple case, but it serves as an example to observe that, if we did not make sense of that suffering and avoid it, we would not achieve anything of greater value. Suffering can make us to push forward in spite of the pain, to make progress.. This is the idea defended by Scheler's theory of suffering.

What does the Theory of the Meaning of Suffering consist of?

The theory of the meaning of suffering of Max Scheler (1874-1928) puts forward the idea that when one experiences some kind of pain, whether physical or mental, it must serve a purpose, that it has some meaning.. The theory proposes that when something hurts us, it must be for some reason and that, if we find it, it will serve to lead us towards a higher goal. In the framework of ethics, each person has to look for that reason to his own suffering in order to give it meaning and turn it into something useful.

This German philosopher, a scholar of ethics and human values, pointed out that in the face of suffering, it is advisable to assume two challengesThe first is to discover what is its deepest meaning, and the second is to recollect oneself, to keep silence, to contemplate, to reflect and to meditate.

If these steps are followed, the mastery of the spirit will be achieved, which, according to Scheler, is what makes a person calm, free, vigorous and ready for action.

Scheler considered that the capacity to reflect on one's own pain was one of the main traits that differentiate a person from others. one of the main traits that differentiate human beings from other animals.. Animals act in function of purely biological objectives, of instincts that focus on the here and now, while human behavior acquires a sense of perfection. People, in Scheler's view, also act in terms of spirituality.

Scheler's theory of the meaning of suffering coincides in many respects with the Christian view of pain.. Christianity sees pain not as something to get rid of, but as a path that leads to redemption and is achieved by sacrifice. The most devout Christians believe that, even in the worst of times, suffering is something positive, the same idea defended by Scheler.

The positive view of suffering and the spiritual level

In Scheler's theory of suffering, this unpleasant sensation acquires diverse interpretations, depending on how far we go in the analysis of this condition. The German philosopher maintains that there are three possible levelseach corresponding to three conditions of being:

• Biological: the organism
• Psychological: the ego
• Spiritual: the person

In his approach, meaning can only be found in suffering when the human being places himself in his dimension as a person, that is to say, at the spiritual level.. On the psychological and organic level, suffering has no real meaning, since it implies passive suffering.

Only by being in the spiritual dimension is it possible to initiate an action with respect to this suffering, assigning it some existential meaning and channeling the pain associated with this discomfort as energy oriented towards achieving a specific objective.

Max Scheler considered that a person's suffering is equivalent to sacrifice and that, in this sense, this could even be positive. When we speak of "sacrifice" we refer to an action performed deliberately despite the fact that it will bring pain, but which is done in order to obtain a higher value, to obtain a higher value, to obtain a higher value, to obtain a higher value. is done for a higher value, a long-term gain that will bring more benefit than doing nothing against the pain.. The idea is to give up something that is appreciated, which implies suffering, but which will allow us to achieve something else of greater value.

In other words, the idea of Scheler's theory of the meaning of suffering, the person does not suffer pain, but directs it in function of an objective.. He gives it a meaning so that the discomfort becomes something motivating and useful for his life.

Conclusions on this theory

Having come this far, a question that emerges from all this theory is why suffer? According to the main postulates of Scheler's theory of suffering, it could be said that suffering only has a reason if it is approached from the idea of spiritual development. This theory launches the argument, consoling for those who are going through this feeling, that one suffers in order to obtain something else.

Thus, suffering would also be a free and responsible actThis is related to the approaches of Viktor Frankl (1905-1997). In line with his thinking, what causes pain is not a determining factor, but rather pain itself is a motivator for an individual to assume an existential attitude or posture, to give meaning to his or her suffering and to do something with his or her life based on it, and, as we have said, this would only make sense within the framework of the spiritual, since from a biological or psychological point of view, and following Scheler's idea, this would have no reason to exist.

The final conclusion of Scheler's theory of suffering is that each person can find meaning in pain, as long as he or she interprets it from a spiritual perspective. It is at that level that it is possible to sustain and circumvent pain, since it serves to direct oneself towards a merit. it serves to direct oneself towards a merit. Sacrifice leads us to a greater end. One could even say that, according to Scheler, suffering is not an empty nuisance if meaning is attributed to it, but an advance towards greater realization, happiness and fulfillment.