The difference between “simple” and “easy” (As I use them)… Continue reading
Simple and Easy
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The Stoic Hero’s Triad of Virtue
In your preparation for taking on life, there are three facets of your training that are key. You’ve heard them before, as they are nothing new. They are Body, Mind, and Spirit. A Stoic Hero, of course has his own spin on these three aspects. I know these seem kind of cliche. I tried to be more original but there really is no other way to break it down. To be ready, to be virtuous (which means to be happy), I have to work on all three. They are not independent of each other…no way! Your physical health is affected by your mind and spirit, your mind is connected to your body is connected to your emotional well being, and on and on. Interestingly, each of these aspects fit quite nicely with the buoys on my philosophical raft. Continue reading
The Enchiridion
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I just read the Enchiridion in its entirety yet again. Enchridion means “handbook.” It contains the concise advice of Epictetus. It is an amazing short work on “how to live.” You can read all of it in about an hour, and I highly recommend it.
It can be found on the internet here: http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html
On Personal Liberty; You Always Have a Choice
Every once in a while my view on how society should be organized seeps into my entries on philosophy. This view stems from my objectivist leanings, as well as my libertarian outlook. I say “should be” because society is actually a compendium of different personal philosophies bastardized by the collective brutality of government, societal norms, and those who abuse natural law. Simply put, how things should be as a society are not how they are…at least not exactly. However, that does not mean that I shouldn’t strive for the “ought.” The Stoic maintains his virtue despite its absence all around him.
A cornerstone of our behavior is personal liberty. Continue reading
The Non-Aggression Principle
Non-aggression Principle – an ethical stance which asserts that aggression is inherently illegitimate. “Aggression” is defined as the “initiation” of physical force against persons or property, the threat of such, or fraud upon persons or their property. In contrast to pacifism, the non-aggression principle does not preclude violent self-defense.
Source: http://wiki.mises.org/wiki/Principle_of_non-aggression