John Vespasian

Living without regret is a crucial element of happiness, but it is easier said than done. Seneca devoted many pages to this subject because he was aware of the difficulty. It’s far from self-evident to let go of past mistakes, #setbacks and defeats. #seneca devoted his essay “On Clemence” to praising the benefits of leniency and #forgiveness towards other people, but failed to point out the import...

I have a simple way to assess the soundness of #philosophers and gurus. I just need to ask them one question: What is your formula for happiness? If they fail to give a convincing answer, I will immediately lose any interest in their doctrines. #seneca placed #peaceofmind at the centre of his philosophy. He considered serenity a top priority because it makes human beings immune to setbacks and dis...

I find it unfortunate that most people will only inquire about the #meaningoflife when they are out of time. After making all sorts of mistakes and finding oneself in lethal danger, it doesn’t make a lot of difference whether you know the meaning of life. When the time is over, it is too late for thoughtfulness. #seneca didn’t wait until the last minute to ask about the meaning of life. In fact, h...

It would be great if I could affirm that #seneca figured out the key to tranquillity. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. He did deploy extensive efforts in this area, especially in his treatise “On the Tranquillity of the Mind,” but he failed to identify a valid formula for peace of mind. Nonetheless, I find it useful to analyse Seneca’s prescription in this area because the analysis will bring u...

Aristotle’s understanding of human #flourishing and success, as presented in the “Nicomachean Ethics” and the “Eudemian Ethics,” can be summarized in three principles; those three key ideas are common to Plato, #taoism and Confucianism. The first principle is the need of knowledge to achieve self-actualisation, that is, to achieve one’s potential. The process of #selfactualisation actualisation or...

The largest successes and failures always start with a simple principle. I am referring to Aristotle’s principle of causality. If you understand it and adhere to it, you should do well in life. If you ignore its existence or fail to obey it, it will wipe you out. After Thomas #aquinas (1225–1274) had rediscovered every key principle of #aristotelian philosophy, one might expect later generations t...

#aristotle (384-322 BC) outlined his #philosophy of mind and consciousness in his work “Metaphysics.” For the first time in history, he proposed a universal method for analysing reality in all its aspects: the cosmos, nature, and human beings. To develop his views on mind and consciousness, he had to let go first of Plato’s theory of forms. #plato had taught in his Academy that, in addition to the...

Twenty-five centuries ago, #aristotle delineated a philosophy of mind and consciousness that has never been surpassed. His principles, outlined in his books “Categories,” “Metaphysics,” and “Physics,” have withstood the passage of time. His books were written mostly in the period 340-325 BC. The Aristotelian philosophy of mind and #consciousness can be condensed in three principles. Let’s enumerat...

The books “Metaphysics” and “Nicomachean Ethics” were written or dictated by Aristotle around 330 BC. They condense his insight on the nature of reality and existence. The key idea in those works is the acknowledgement that #existence exists. That essential insight leads to grasping that the world is driven by causality, and that human beings can shape their own destiny. The acknowledgement that e...

As soon as #aristotle passed away in 322 BC, the enormous importance of his contributions got lost for most people. Only a superficial knowledge of his #philosophy remained such as the concepts of potentiality and actuality. To the detriment of civilisation, the pillar of Aristotle’s ideas was rapidly undermined, lost and forgotten. I am talking about causality, a concept that plays a pivotal role...

Although imperfect, the #philosophy developed by #seneca concerning peace of mind is worth studying. It has been practised by thousands of people across the centuries, and still today, can prompt us to improve our lifestyle. Seneca believed that adversity, if faced properly, can help us become emotionally stronger. The difficult question, however, is how to face #adversity effectively, so that we...

#philosophy becomes more convincing when it’s subjected to the test of extreme adversity. In order to gain wide acceptance, theoretical discussions need to be validated by experience, preferably on multiple occasions. #seneca came up with a compelling recipe for achieving #peaceofmind in times of turmoil; he told his readers to accept the inevitable, and deploy steady efforts to ameliorate the fac...

Since the mid-twentieth century, many philosophers are not employing the term “happiness” any more in their goal setting. They do no longer preach that happiness is the goal of human life because, I guess, they find it unattainable. Instead of happiness, they are employing the term “the good life” as something that #philosophy can reasonably deliver. The goal has become modest and inconspicuous, a...

In the search for #happiness , it is as important to do the right thing as it is to avoid dire mistakes. #seneca put together a list of mistakes to avoid, and warned us against our natural tendency to look for shortcuts. When it comes to #virtue , character and happiness, I am afraid that every inch of progress needs to be earned. Every millimetre of ground needs to be conquered. There is no way t...

In ancient Greece and Rome, philosophy was conceived as a practical science; the purposes of philosophical learning were clearly defined: success, joy and happiness. #aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote his “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics” with the stated goal of helping his students achieve happiness. #seneca was not an exception in this regard. A prolific writer, he devoted the great majority...

Conflict is the one of main sources of preoccupations in life. Interpersonal conflicts tend to generate higher anxiety than natural disasters. Most people find daily quarrels with their spouses more nerve-wrecking than one-in-a-lifetime damages inflicted by a volcano. In his 78th Letter to Lucilius, #seneca studied negative emotions and provided useful recommendations. The validation of those stra...

It is easy to dispense advice in retrospect and tell people what they should have done. It is far more difficult to make the right decisions in real time, while being bitterly criticised and publicly attacked. Psychological pressure is hard to resist, especially when it is coming at us from all directions. #seneca knew that, in the absence of a solid #philosophy , individuals tend to break down un...

When a philosopher spends his life telling others what to do, it’s fair to ask if his own life has been a success. In the case of Seneca, the fact that he committed suicide at sixty-nine makes it hard to categorize his life as success. Emperor Nero had decided Seneca’s execution, but giving him first the order to commit suicide. If Seneca had refused, a Roman soldier would have killed him right aw...

It frequently happens that individuals will criticise someone else’s mistakes more readily than they will admit their own. We all find our own psychological defences hard to overcome and #seneca was the paramount example. When he became tutor to Nero, the future Roman Emperor, it didn’t take long for Seneca to realize that Nero was a psycho. In his mid-teens, Nero was already displaying alarming c...

Due to the edict issued by Emperor Claudius, #seneca spent eight years in exile in Corsica. His property, family and friends had remained in Rome. Since the imperial edict had not specified the length of the exile, Seneca believed that he would have to stay in Corsica for the rest of his life. When Seneca first set foot on Corsica, he was only forty-five years old, far too young to give up all hop...

When analysing the insights of great philosophers, I love to look at their biographies and see the practical implications. Do their biographies reflect the benefits of their insights? Did their choices prove particularly perceptive and clever? #seneca (4 BC-65 AD) passed the biography test with flight colours. His choices mirrored his philosophy and all his friends admired his #inspiring , reflect...

Philosophy is either perennial or false because it is based on the principles underlying the universe and human nature. Great thinkers such as #aristotle (384-322 BC) identified and codified those principles. When we affirm that Aristotle’s #philosophy is true, we mean that Aristotle has correctly identified those principles and then codified them in an intelligible manner. Generation after genera...

Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) was deeply familiar with Eastern philosophy, in particular #buddhism and #hinduism . He held in high regard the Eastern approach to stress reduction by reducing one’s emotional engagement. In Schopenhauer’s books, you won’t find a call for “nirvana” and other Eastern philosophical concepts. Nonetheless, he put forward recommendations that are similar to “nirvana.”...

In his works, Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) pointed out that #love #relationships often fail because people will initially idealise their beloved, and experience disappointment when they realise that their expectations do not match reality. Schopenhauer presented those views in “The world as will and representation” (1818) and in “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851). He warned readers against seek...

Sigmund #freud (1856–1939) did not acknowledge at every opportunity an intellectual debt towards Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) because he claimed to have created the theory of the #unconscious or theory of #instincts as a driving force of human psychology. However, anyone familiar with Freud’s and Schopenhauer’s ideas cannot possibly fail to notice the close similarity between Freud’s theory of...