Chapter 7

Academics

"All things are inapprehensible"; in other words, "I know nothing can be known."

Pyrrhonists

"I suspend judgment in the matter and I suspend judgment on all other issues I have examines too." (More philosophically sound)

10 Stoic Teachings of Marcus Aurelius video

1. Ignore what others are doing 2. Your reality is made by your opinions 3. Do less 4. Death is knocking at your door 5. You're stronger than you think 6. You are rising for the work of humankind 7. Never complain 8. You can live happy anywhere 9. Help the common good 10. Be grateful of your blessings

Hierarchy of pleasure

1. Natural and must be satisfied= always to be satisfied (food and shelter) 2. Natural and need not to be satisfied= satisfied only if no discomfort or pain is rendered (sex and drink) 3. Neither natural nor necessary= never to be satisfied (desire for riches, fame or power)

According to Stoics

1. Natural law, Providence, or God is the vital force that activates all things 2. All happenings are the inevitable outcome of the logic of the universe 3. Everything happens through reason, and therefore is the best should be accepted without complaint

Sextus Empiricus

A Pyrrhonian skeptic; he preserves the ideas articulated by Pyrrho of Elis in his Outlines of Pyrrhonism

Lucretius

A Roman who was the most famous follower of Epicurus

Epicureanism

A hedonistic theory that the highest goal of life is happiness (happiness is associated with pleasure)

Stoicism

A philosophical system comprising logic, epistemology, physics, metaphysics, linguistics, and theology

Epicurus

Advocated the view that death is not to be feared and freedom from a fear of death promotes emotional tranquility; it is based largely on his view that atomism is the correct metaphysical view

Stoicism

Advocates ignoring what is not up to us, such as our reputation, body, property, and political office; doing so helps us to restrain our desires

Epicurus

Advocates moderation as a way to avoid the pains associated with unrestrained pleasure; moderation results in an imperturbable emotional calm

Hedonism

Advocates pleasure as the supreme good

Hellenistic Era

Alexander's vast empire, which included Syria, Asia Minor, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and the Punjab, was left without a supreme ruler; Alexander's generals divided up the empire and ruled each land as a separate kingdom

Epicurus

Argues that the gods aren't to be feared because they do not meddle in the affairs of man, instead they have nothing to do with us

Julian Beever

Artist that relies on the unreliability of our senses

Stoicism

Began in Athens with Zeno of Citium; he conversed in the marketplace from a porch ("stoa")

Stoicism

Believe the universe is a rational, organizing, all-pervasive being (logos)

Stoicism

By its openness to all, and its ease of understanding, it was not exclusive to the educated and aristocratic (all men were declared brothers)

Skepticism

By limiting ourselves to appearances, to the way the world appears to us, or how things seem to be, we can live successfully

Stoicism

Does not advocate an emotionless life; selective feelings; rather than giving into a rational feelings, a human focuses on "good" emotional states

Modified skepticism

Doubt that at least somethings can be known

Stoicism

Emphasized the serene or untroubled life as the highest good; they thought it could be reached through acceptance of the natural order of things

Widely read Stoics

Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Auralius

Epicurus on Happiness video

Epicurus believed we could all be happy, but we were all looking in the wrong place. Epicurus wanted us to stop and think. What we want is not always what we need. Ingredients to happiness: friends, being self-sufficient, and analyzing our life.

Hellenistic Era

Epicurus, Epictetus, and Sextus Empiricus were active

Skepticism

Even the most basic knowledge claims are subject to doubt

Seneca

Famous Roman aristocrat and tutor of Emperor Nero; Nero eventually ordered him to commit suicide

Epictetus

Former slave and very important stoic writer; the fact that a former slave could become an important Stoic illustrates the universality and egalitarianism found in this school of thought; wrote The Enchiridion (or Handbook)

Epicurus

Founded Epicureanism; opened The Garden

Stoicism

Humans have the power of reason because they are imbued with logos; they are happiest when living in according with the logos of nature

Pyrrho

If every proposition has an equal opposing proposition, then a true proposition and false one cannot be distinguished. Therefore, true knowledge is unattainable.

Marcus Aurelius

Last of the "Five Good Emperors of Rome;" most of his reign was spent fighting off one Germanic invasion after another; his Meditations is written in the style of a personal journal with short daily entries that contain Stoic wisdom

Stoicism

Main attraction was that it served as an antidote to life's miseries; provided answers to questions about coping with, surmounting, suffering

Pleasures

Not all are created equal, thus not all are to be pursued

The Garden

Not only a school but also a community dedicated to simple living, the study of philosophy, and friendship (bucked existing prejudice by being open to everyone)

Total skepticism

Nothing can be known or we must suspend judgment in all matters

Epicurus

Personal pleasure is the highest good; different types of desires for pleasures and arranged them in a hierarchy

Sextus

Presents 10 Pyrronhist arguments, or modes purporting to show that, since we cannot be sure our beliefs are true, we must suspend judgment about them: 1. Things appear differently to different animals. We can only say how things appear to us. Consequently, we must suspend judgment about how things really are. 2. There are differences among human beings' experiences of pleasure and displeasure. Since they are not similarly affected by the same things, we must suspend judgment about them. 3. Our senses are different from each other (seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting). Consequently, they provide different experiences. Therefore, we cannot say how each object really is. Therefore, also, we must suspend judgment. 4. Various cultures have differing customs, laws, mythic beliefs, and dogmatic assumptions. Since there are so many anomalies, it follows that we cannot say how things really are. Therefore, we must suspend judgment.

Hellenistic Era

The language and culture of Greece, already seeded in the empire, was further propagated by his generals

Plotinus

The most important Neoplatonist; works are known as The Enneads; reality emanates from the "One"

Stoicism

The only true harm one can do is to oneself by lacking virtue

Hellenistic Era

The period from the death of Alexander in 323 BCE to the end of the Roman Republic in 31 BCE

Epicureanism

The pleasant life comes when appropriate desires are satisfied

Skepticism

The range of doubt shows that this covers not only knowledge claims based on sense experience, but also those based on reason

Stoicism

The view that we can attain happiness and peace of mind if we focus on controlling only what is up to us, our attitudes, intentions, perceptions, and feelings; doing so helps us to cultivate virtue and conform to nature and the divine plan

Skepticism

The view that we lack knowledge in some fundamental way

Hellenistic Era

Three philosophical movements that dominated were Epicureanism, Stoicism, and skepticism (part of their appeal was their universality; they were not localized approaches to magic, divination, astrology, mysticism, and so forth as well as they offered advise for practical living)

School of Life Epicurus video

What makes people happy? He preferred to look at what is fun. We typically make 3 mistakes when thinking about happiness: 1) we think happiness means having romantic, sexual relationships, friendships are better 2) we need a lot of money, work is better when you feel you're helping others, 3) obsessed with luxury, all we need is to feel calm. Things we need to be happy experiment: 1) friends around (no sex), 2) everyone downshifted (jobs), 3) finding calm in own minds. Human beings aren't very good at making themselves happy. Reflect, and have the courage to change your lives.