Stephen Downes

I've frequently referenced 'harmony' as a value worth seeking, but without delving much into exactly what I mean by it (if you push me, you'll get metaphors, like "walking in silence in a perfectly still forest" or some such). This article looks at Hasko von Kriegstein's Well-Being as Harmony to identify three major aspects (paraphrased): knowledge as a type of harmony between mind and world, a pro-attitude toward events in the world, and a fitting response to the world. Eric Schwitzgebel then adds a fourth: "we enrich (the world) in new ways that resonate with the ways in which it is already rich." It's interesting (to me) that none of these is an 'inner' sense of harmony, which is probably where I'd tend to think of it. Something like (to borrow the same four categories): consistency of knowledge and experience; fluidity in thought and motion; resonance with sensations and interactions; and engagement in growth and creation.