John Vespasian

The ethics system proposed by Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860) is similar to Ancient #stoicism in some aspects, but offers more complex explanations on the workings of nature, society, and human motivation. Schopenhauer theorised that life is fundamentally marked by the influence of the will (“life force”) which will generate a large amount of suffering and dissatisfaction if you fail to take coun...

What are the characteristics of the #philosophy of the self developed by Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860)? Which are the differences between his ideas and those of other philosophers? Schopenhauer outlined his philosophy in “The world as will and representation,” a book published in 1818. The book puts forward the “theory of the will” as an explanation for the cosmos, society, and human nature. Ac...

There is fierce opposition to the #philosophy of #education put forward by Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860). The opposition goes beyond little details. It’s essential, fundamental, ferocious, and relentless. Schopenhauer created his own antagonists from the moment that he diverged from the doctrines of #plato (429-347 BC). You can find those doctrines in Plato’s book “The Republic.” Plato employed...

Stoicism tends to make a deeper impression on individuals who enjoy solitude, or at least, who don’t dislike it. The reason is not difficult to fathom. Solitude begets #thoughtfulness , which then begets a drive for #selfimprovement . Seneca was conscious of this fact. In his 7th Letter to Lucilius, #seneca advises that, without a fair measure of #solitude , it is difficult to focus on what really...

Philosophers are all too eager to speak about the benefits of their #ideals , but will seldom mention the drawbacks. I’m afraid that it is up to the readers to figure out the problems and adopt countermeasures. Seneca came up with essential insights about #stoicism and the good life, but also made some dire mistakes. I encourage readers to study his #philosophy carefully, as though it was marked w...

In history, #stoicism was the first #philosophy that regarded #resilience as a crucial virtue. Every Stoic principle rests on the assumption that resilience delivers important benefits. Why did Stoic philosophers place resilience at the centre of their ethics? Because their #pessimistic expectations had led them to view conflict, #setbacks and poverty as normal events. Stoics expect life to get fr...

I am sceptical of remedies that cure all types of sickness; and when it comes to #philosophy , I’m sceptical of prescriptions that can assuage profound suffering. In the case of #seneca , #resilience was the universal prescription. What did Seneca get wrong about resilience? Is it not true that resilience can help anyone deal with #setbacks and reduce suffering? If thousands of individuals have em...

#aristotle (384-322 BC) believed that #ethics have a clear, definite purpose. He defined ethics as the science of achieving eudaimonia, which means “a happy, thriving, flourishing life.” He argued that human beings can only achieve #happiness by living a life of virtue. Unfortunately, in some cases, he wrongly identified virtue with the “golden mean,” a middle-of-the-road attitude between two evil...

You can learn a lot from reading #philosophy books, but you will acquire practical wisdom much faster by studying the life of philosophers. By looking at what they actually did, you will draw more accurate conclusions than by looking at what they said. #aristotle (384-322 BC) is no exception in this respect. His books about metaphysics and logic are impressive, but we can draw practical lessons mo...

#aristotle presented his political #philosophy in his works “Politics” and “Nicomachean Ethics.” He believed that #humans are political by nature. By “political,” he meant that humans prefer living in #communities to enhance the enjoyment of life. In his work “Politics,” Aristotle described different forms of government and compared their advantages and disadvantages. His classification of governm...

#aristotle presented his theory of #justice in “Nicomachean Ethics.” He distinguished between two types of justice. On the one hand, distributive justice, and on the other hand, reparation or rectification justice. Distributive justice deals with the distribution of tangible goods or jobs, and intangible honours. The purpose of this type of justice is to ensure that each person receives what he ha...

Aristotle’s views on the natural world established the basis of scientific thought and civilisation. Aristotle’s #philosophy is relying on experience, observation, and logical reasoning. His approach to natural philosophy consists of studying the cosmos and nature through careful observation and analysis. His three foundational works in this area are “ #metaphysics ,” “Physics” and “On the Heavens...

You can accurately predict a person’s future if you know his goals and the intensity of his #motivation . #aristotle , one of the three most influential philosophers in history, introduced the concept of teleology , a framework that examines the objectives of #humanaction . “Teleology” is derived from the Greek word “telos,” which means end, purpose, motivation or intent. Aristotle’s teleology pos...

Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860) did not believe that real-life #problems can be solved through psychological tricks. The purpose of #philosophy is to understand the world, so that one can take real action to solve real problems. Although Schopenhauer made contributions to #psychology , his focus was on philosophy. He never lost sight of his primary goal, namely, to identify the principles driving...

We could substantially increase our #performance if we learn to think like the greatest philosophers in history, but is it really possible? I consider it feasible to the extent that one is familiar with the corresponding #ideas and those are consistent. Aristotelian thinkers know the works of #aristotle (384-322 BC), have absorbed their principles, and put them into practice each day. Aristotelian...

Before praising the advantages of a #philosophy , we should devote equal efforts to assessing its disadvantages. Few people enjoy looking at the #risks of projects because the outcome can prove depressing, but rational decision making requires us to look before we jump. Seneca was partially aware of the flaws in his philosophy, but failed to address them in his writings. By the time #seneca had co...

The accuracy of a #philosophy does not depend on the length of the examples and explanations. Nonetheless, it does not hurt if the philosopher recounts anecdotes from #history , literature and his own life, and complements them with well-structured arguments. Seneca was a master in this respect. No other #stoic philosopher comes close to his literary achievements. In order to assess his contributi...

For modern readers, #stoicism is hard to understand because our century is vastly different from the early Roman Empire. It is easy for us to read the writings of Seneca, but his words do not make any sense in the present context. What has changed so drastically? The #opportunities open to individuals. Today, each person can pursue #selfdevelopment to an extent that #seneca couldn’t have conceived...

If you wonder why so many people seem completely lost, unable to make good decisions, the answer is straightforward: They have no purpose in life. They have no goals, no #vision of what they want to achieve. They are going nowhere in particular and do not care if they get there or not. Since they have no sense of direction, they are incapable of consistent action. No wonder they feel stressed. In...

The concepts of potentiality and actuality occupy the central position in Aristotle’s #metaphysics . They supply an invaluable intellectual tool to assess people and events for what they are, and for what they could become. They prompt you to assess not only what is self-evident, but also the latent capabilities and threats; they let you forecast the future by using #causality and logic, not magic...

I’m always amused when people talk about #philosophy with disdain, arguing that “it is a waste of time because it lacks any practical application.” This opinion, which is as widespread today as it was during Aristotle’s life (384-322 BC), is profoundly naive. It shows the inability to perceive the impact of abstractions on daily events. In fact, it matters a lot if your views on the nature of real...

The philosophical innovations brought forth by #aristotle (384-322 BC) are momentous, truly revolutionary, especially in the field of logic. His identification of a precise method (which he called #syllogism ) to reach accurate conclusions allowed, for the first time in history, to conduct rational debates. Modern #civilisation is built on the pillars of Aristotle’s logic and the enemies of civili...

It is not a coincidence that historians and philosophers have spread large misunderstandings of #stoicism , especially of the ideas presented by Seneca in his writings. They did so, not to destroy Seneca’s reputation, but to push their own doctrines to the forefront. They believed that, by undermining the appeal of Stoicism, people would be driven to accept opposite doctrines. Fortunately, those h...

Historians have greatly exaggerated the importance of the Stoic insights on the fear of death. Seneca wrote about #death in his essays and in the Letters to Lucilius, but did little more than rehashing the views of earlier philosophers. I can summarise Seneca’s insights in two sentences: First, death is part of the normal life cycle, but hypochondriacs and paranoiacs will refuse to accept this fac...

Large numbers of philosophers have preached ideals that do not have anything to do with real life. When I read their works, I can only wonder if they spent one minute reflecting on work, success, prosperity or #happiness . #seneca exemplifies the opposite. He devoted his works to dealing with real-life concerns and supplied useful advice. He didn’t put forward ideals that he would not practise him...