John Vespasian

It was not long ago that universal history used to be part of the curriculum in secondary schools. A solid understanding of the key historical periods, their ideas and leading figures was a precondition for graduation. Students were required to grasp the historical sequence that began with Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and so forth. On th...

The desire to get something for nothing is a constant in all cultures and historical periods. To a large extent, mythology is derived from this desire. People make themselves believe that, if they perform a magical ritual, some divinity will assist them in getting something for nothing. When approaching Taoism for the first time, beginners are in danger of falling prey to the delusion of getting s...

In contrast to other philosophies or religions, Taoists do not regard happiness as a goal. Why? Because they view happiness as a side effect of leading a virtuous life, not as a goal in itself. Neither Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu or Chuang-Tzu employed the term “the pursuit of happiness” in their writings. They would have found such formulation incomprehensible. The fact that Taoists do not pursue happiness...

Today’s mainstream philosophy constitutes the opposite of the Taoist idea of happiness. Why? Because today’s dominant beliefs are hardly reconcilable with the Tao, as depicted in the Tao Te Ching. What do I mean when I say “today’s dominant beliefs”? On the one hand, the idea that everything is relative, that there are no universal moral prescriptions, and that nobody can reliably forecast the lon...

Despite his sound reasoning and accurate writing, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) didn’t succeed in making his ideas on freedom popular. In particular, his theory of the will wasn’t taken seriously by other philosophers and fell into oblivion at the beginning of the twentieth century. According to Schopenhauer, civilised society should grant legal protection to life, liberty and property. However,...

The idea of freedom in Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) is linked to his philosophy of the will. He outlined his concept of the will in his major works “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1808) and “The world as will and representation” (1818). According to Schopenhauer, the will (which I translate as “life force”) is the underlying force driving all human actions, goal...

I’m going to point to several examples to illustrate the views of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the nature of human existence. The examples are drawn from famous literary works depicting challenging situations that put Schopenhauer’s advice to the test. Before starting with the examples, let me summarise in four paragraphs Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence. First, living creatur...

The stunning accuracy of the intuitions and insights gained by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) becomes apparent when we compare him with other philosophers. Many have attacked Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence but the attacks have only served to reinforce his positions. You cannot dismiss Schopenhauer by saying that he was too pessimistic or nihilistic. Why not? Because, when you ana...

The concept of the will (which I translate as “life force” or “primal energy”) plays the key role in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). He argued that a blind, irrational, overwhelming force drives all creatures to reproduce, sustain their own lives, and improve their situation. According to Schopenhauer, the will is exerting relentless pressure on humans, prompting them to pursue...

I prefer to solve problems in one go if possible, but this will prove impossible on many occasions. Why? Because of lack of information, resources or self-discipline. On many occasions, I will discover too late that problems are more complex, serious, and wide-ranging than originally estimated. Lao-Tzu must have come to the same conclusion when he wrote the Tao Te Ching because, in Chapter 48, he...

Once upon a time, a middle-aged executive was facing such severe problems that he decided to visit a Taoist hermit and ask for advice. The trip consumed one and half days because of the poor infrastructure in the area where the hermit lived. The local airport had few connections and featured a rental car office that closed at 7pm. The executive’s flight landed far later than planned, preventing hi...

People nowadays often complain that life is too complicated and stressful. There are too many electronic systems to be used and they are constantly being changed; and there are too many requirements for doing everyday tasks, and those requirements are constantly being modified. No wonder that many admire the Taoist serenity and want to follow the advice in Chapter 44 of the Tao Te Ching, namely, t...

To affirm or imply that “more is less” has distinct Orwellian connotations. I wonder if anyone can seriously argue that more is less, or that less is more, in any area of life. Even pre-school children can figure out that more ice cream is preferable to less ice cream, and more cookies preferable to fewer cookies. In philosophy, some modern gurus try to get away with anti-mathematical statements,...

Michel de Montaigne’s biography (5 of 5): joy until the last minute https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-5-of-5-joy-until-the-last-minute/

Michel de Montaigne’s biography (4 of 5): the pinnacle years https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-the-pinnacle-years/

Michel de Montaigne’s biography (3 of 5): dealing with chronic illness https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-dealing-with-chronic-illness/

Michel de Montaigne’s biography (2 of 5) his momentous decision https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-his-momentous-decision/

Michel de Montaigne's biography, part 1 of 5, his early years https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-his-early-years/

I didn’t become a hardcore realist because life became harder. I became one because two philosophers forced me to question almost everything I believed. Their names are Kant and Schopenhauer. For years, I believed the world worked the way I had been told. And I did what I had been told to do. Work hard. Be kind. Stay positive. Expecting that, eventually, everything will work out. But life started...

For the longest time, I thought I needed more information. Another book. Another podcast. Another productivity system. I kept searching because I believed clarity was something I would eventually stumble upon if I just learned enough. But the opposite happened. The more information I collected, the more overwhelmed I became. No wonder that many other people also feel overwhelmed. We live in a worl...

What is the key to a fuller, happier, and more meaningful life? That’s the question Arthur Schopenhauer asked. While other philosophers focused on changing the world, Schopenhauer focused on something even more important: understanding human nature. He believed that once we understand what truly drives us, we can make wiser choices. We can enjoy life more deeply. We can avoid wasting our time chas...

What if I told you I found the answer to self-improvement… from someone who lived over 23 centuries ago? Not through a morning routine. Not through productivity hacks. Not through manifestation. Not through positive thinking. Aristotle completely changed the way I think about becoming more effective. The biggest lesson I learned is this: I don’t need to become successful at first. I just need to b...

“Why do we have to learn this? We’ll never use it.” Most of us have asked that question at some point. When we’re sitting in a classroom, studying history, literature, philosophy, or a language we don’t think we’ll ever speak, it can feel like a waste of time. We want practical skills. We want something we can use immediately. And it’s easy to believe that everything else is just useless informati...

What if the biggest obstacle in our lives isn’t a lack of talent… Or lack of intelligence… Or lack of opportunity… What if it’s something much quieter… Passivity. I main, not making a decision. Not trying to get things done because of fear of failing. Just… doing nothing. There are wonderful excuses for passivity. Waiting for the perfect moment. Waiting until we feel confident. Waiting until we kn...

I learned to get things done faster… But the surprising part is that I didn’t do it by adding more hours to my day. I didn’t wake up earlier. I didn’t try to multitask. I didn’t use complicated productivity systems. What I did is to change the way I think. For a long time, whenever I faced difficult problems, I made the same mistake. I looked at all the issues at once. I would think: “How am I goi...