The Stoic Virtue Ethics Post
Note: easy read
Note: Stoicism has been my main philosophy of life for about 7 years now. This is my take on some of the vore teachings/concepts. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: IANAS (I am not a sage). I try to become better. I am a Prokopton.
Stoic Virtue Ethics is a great thing. The phrase “Stoic Virtue Ethics” is about as unappealing as it gets. ”Stoic” is basically repressing emotions right? “Virtue” has stuck-up dusty Christian discipline vibes. When combined with “Ethics”, the Christian discipline vibes start sounding like they’re out to get you for failing to pray regularly. So let’s avoid the jargon, and focus on life!1
You have the ability to make choices.2
Every choice you make shapes the person you are becoming.
The world keeps throwing surprises your way.3
The only thing you can control is the way you respond, and the choices you make.4 5
You can become better at living by training yourself to make better choices.
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“Waste no more time arguing what a good man6 should be. Be One.”
— Marcus Aurelius, Stoic Philosopher & Roman Emperor
What personality traits7 do you want to infuse your choices and actions with?
To act in the world effectively, you must understand the world. This is Wisdom.
To avoid unskillful action, good things must be salient to you. This is Sophrosyne.
To avoid fucking up because of cowardice, you must be brave. This is Courage.
For life to have meaning, you must try to do good. This is Justice.
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“And a commitment to justice in your own acts. Which means: thought and action resulting in the common good. What you were born to do.”
— Marcus Aurelius, Stoic Philosopher & Roman Emperor
There is no “bad” and “good” out there in the world. Things are things.
“Bad” & “good” are labels you chose to put on things. You can change labeling habits.
You can control your labels, you can control your choices. You can’t control the rest.
Why put labels on things you can’t control? Is the ocean “bad”?
A broken glass is a broken glass. Do you need to feel bad about it too?
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“The good or ill of a man8 lies within his own will.” - Epictetus, Stoic Philosopher & Slave
When you sense the world, you relentlessly judge and put labels on your impressions.
These labels evoke feelings in you.
The feelings lead to action-impulses.
The action-impulses lead to actions.
This chain can be broken at any step if the action doesn’t serve you.
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“So make a practice at once of saying to every strong impression: ‘An impression is all you are, not the source of the impression.’ ”
“Provoked by the sight of a handsome man or a beautiful woman, you will discover within you the contrary power of self-restraint.”
— Epictetus, Stoic Philosopher & Slave
Imagine yourself, seen from above.
Look at yourself surrounded by your closest surroundings.
Drift farther away, and look at the region you live in.
Look at your country, the earth, the solar system, the milky way.9
Your broken glass is not a big deal.
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“Think of substance in its entirety, of which you have the smallest of shares; and of time in its entirety, of which a brief and momentary span has been assigned to you; and of the works of destiny, and how very small is your part in them.”
— Marcus Aurelius, Stoic Philosopher & Roman Emperor
Imagine the struggles life has in store for you.
No matter your current situation, things can always get harder.
When faced with this future challenge, what will you do?
Will you despair at the “bad” misfortune that overcomes you?
Or will you act?
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“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” – Seneca, Stoic Philosopher & Rich-guy
The ideas presented here aren’t new. That’s the point. This is a non-jargon post about stoic virtue ethics.
Yes, this is arguable. I find fee-will discussions boring. They are infested by dualism. Most of the problems go away as soon as you realize that your life exists within the philosophical/metaphysical frameworks you discuss. Remember, thou art physics"!
People can overreact to misunderstandings; you can’t control other people’s actions.
You can get a stroke and lose mobility; you can’t control your level of health.
You can get fired. You can drop your phone in the ocean. You can die.
If you lose your ability to make choices, you’re basically dead.
You can’t power though life on willpower. I’ve tried. But you can skillfully train yourself to make better choices over time.
Nowadays even people born with vaginas can strive to become good men.
aka “Virtues”. (I hid the v-word in the comments)
They were a tad man-centric in ancient Greece. I’m sure modern-day Epiktetus would include women, enbys etc as well.
Local Group, Virgo supercluster, Laniakea?