Stoicism, then and now

[@Riddlemewalker]

Thanks for taking the time to add the missing information. This is a valuable discussion for all of us interested interested in living the "good" life. Stoicism does allow one to focus on personal agency which can be quiet empowering. Would love to hear an update in a few months.

[@kerzkinetic]

Thank you, to both of you, for your generosity in putting this out there. It is useful and valuable in helping me familiarise with Stoicism.

[@CoreyAnton]

Many thanks.

[@lm5848]

Thank you for posting this. I'm finding it very helpful in my life right now.

[@davidjamesdrake6558]

Thank you.

[@flavioinocencio]

A great explanation on Stoicism

[@jamesd961]

Read your piece in the NY Times and was very interested in your method of practice. So interested I joined dropbox but couldn't figure out how to get to your "stoic sayings". What can I tell you? I'm old. Is there an easy way to find the list of stoic sayings? Thank you.

[@jamesd961]

Massimo Pigliucci Perfect thank you. I've begun my journey.

[@MaggotDiggo1]

Hey Massimo, I've become interested in Stoicism of late but I have problems with its inconsistencies, as pointed out by Bertrand Russell in his book "A History of Western Philosophy"". Here is an excerpt on Stoicism from page 243 of the aforementioned book that I was hoping you would comment on: "If virtue is the sole good, there can be no reason against cruelty and injustice, since, as the Stoics are never tired of pointing out, cruelty and injustice afford the sufferer the best opporunities for the exercise of virtue. If the world is completely determenistic, natural laws will decide whether I shall be virtuous or not. If I am wicked, Nature compels me to be wicked, and the freedom which virtue is supposed to give is not possible for me." You say in this video that "things unfold in the universe according to causal relationships, and that's all I need, to really recover, at least in my mind, 90% of what the Stoics were talking about." But, as Russell pointed out; the universe being determenistic undermines the entirety of Stoicism, as nobody has any choice in a wholly determenistic universe. I don't see how you can simply brush over this fact as "irrelevant and a red herring", it underlies the entirety of Stoicism. I'm also wondering if you could comment on a slightly later passage found here: "There goes with it a certain coldness in the Stoic conception of virtue. Not only bad passions are condemned, but all passions. The sage does not feel sympathy; when his wife or his children die, he reflects that this event is no obstacle to his own virtue, and therefore he does not suffer deeply. Friendship, so highly prized by Epicurus, is all very well, but it must not be carried to the point where your friend's misfortunes can destroy your holy calm. As for public life, it may be your duty to engage in it, since it gives opportunities for justice, fortitude and so on; but you must not be actuated by a desire to benefit mankind, since the benefits you can confer--such as peace, or a more adequate supply of food--are not true benefits, and, in any case, nothing matter to you except your own virtue. The Stoic is not virtuous in order to do good, but does good in order to by virtuous. Thanks in advance, Andy.

[@MaggotDiggo1]

Thanks mate, you cleared that up for me. I've noticed that "A History of Westen Philosophy" is extremely opinionated and a tad dense for me. I've been using it as a basic guide and supplement for my general interest in philosophy but of course, it can't be taken on its own. I appreciate the reply. P.S I purchased your new book "How to be a Stoic" the other day and it's a great read thus far. Keep up the good work.

[@greendeane1]

Thank you. One of my beefs with today's stoics (especially the British branch) is they are so stuck in the past without reasonable adaption to what we know today. Because of this I basically stopped following them. Your view has given me renewed interest.

[@celestialteapot3310]

l don't argue that stoicism or even CBT are arguments for passivity, quite the reverse. l have personally practised mindfulness in the form of Zazen for many years and have always regarded as dynamic. CBT becomes dreaded and has the effect of passifying when abused by governments. The UK government is currently linking "therapy" to benefit entitlement in direct transgression of the ethical standards of the British Association of Counselling and Psychtherapy. The utube video 'Psychcompulsion, this time it's personal' provides further details.

[@celestialteapot3310]

See the utube video, 'Oliver James - Happiness, CBT & Apple Pie: Hard Selling From The Clinical Psychology Salesmen' for further information on the dreaded CBT

[@celestialteapot3310]

Valuable though stoicism is, in the shape of the dreaded CBT, it becomes a tool for neoliberal governments to individualise disress, the causes of which are frequently structural