Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Stoicism: (from the Porch) 
Roman Empire’s Main Philosophy for over 500 Years.

Can be “kind of” negative, “kind of” orderly, “kind of” comical, “kind of” connected

Pre-Stoicism Ideas:

                -Skepticism:       Generally a questioner of the “status quo”.
                                -Sophists:            Life is a bunch of twisted words.
                                -Thespians:        Live is “tragedy”, and it is always a “comic”.

                -Cynicism:  This was the extreme version.
                                -All materials are worthless and evil for the human spirit.
                                -All powerful people are evil.
                                -Organized society is a joke.


                                -The skeptics and cynics were “too radical” for the majority.  Zeno created an acceptable
                                  form of skepticism and cynicism which changed and evolved as Rome changed and
  evolved.

-Fate:  Everything is a part of “Fate”.  “If it’s meant to be it will be”.

-“Meaningful Coincidence” – Things don’t happen by chance.

-Stoicism prefers the “Non-Emotional”.  It’s your fate, so deal with it.

-LogosOrder, Control
Everything is connected and all answers are connected.
                                           Everything works in a “ordered system” with the universe and with mankind. 
                                                                -We need Cesar to be Cesar and ditch diggers to be ditch diggers
-Both are acting out their fates.  Both have meaningful purpose.
                               
                                -Critics of Stoicism argued that it was a ploy to hold Rome together.  It’s your “Fate” to
                                  Be a peasant and follow Cesar.  Enjoy the role you have, and don’t question stuff too
  Much.





HEDONISM and EPICURIANISM (Two Greek Philosophies Based on Pleasure).

Hedonism:  Pure Pleasure.
                -Aristippus founder – student of Plato. Went on his own.
               
                -Physical Pleasure = The Meaning of Life.
-The more intense the pleasure, the more meaning and purpose.
-Enjoy Pleasure without guilt, follow natural desires.

                -The Roman’s actually took this “to the next level”, and some of them somehow made
                  It fit in with Stoicism.


Epicureanism: Controlled Pleasure. 

-Epicurus (341 – 270 BC) Studied under Plato and Aristotle, but rejected many things.
                                -Started his own school (The Garden).
                                -Everyone was equal in The Garden.  First to treat women equally.
                -All Pleasure is good, but not all pleasure should be chosen.
                                -Momentary Pleasure
                                                -Kinetic Pleasure has a diminishing return.
                                                -Some momentary pleasure causes lasting pain.
                                                                -some pain created from pleasure is physical.
                                                                -some pain created form pleasure is mental.
                                -Lasting Pleasure
                                                -Grows rather than diminishes.
                                                -Based on Static Circumstances.
                                                -Based less on physical, more on mental and spiritual
                                                -Ataraxia:  The lack of physical pain and mental anguish.
                                                                -A constant life of not having troubles.
                                                                -A belief that pleasure = purpose (same as Hedonism)
                                                                -A belief in moderation and balance must exist.









 Existentialism: 
-The idea that we create our own purpose.
-The idea that we have Total Free Will.
-The lack of Fate.
-Often Atheistic in Nature, but not always.
-A Modern Philosophy – Non-Greco-Roman.
-Underpinnings with Kierkegaard (1800ds), but came alive
  With Sartre’ (1950’s).

Kierkegaard:
            -Was A Thiest
            -God Designed us before he created us.
            -The creativity we have is part of God’s Plan.
            -God gave us Free Will that we can choose to do either good or evil with.
            -We control “Most” stuff we do.
                        -Occasionally God “Elects” someone to perform general function of his plan.
                        -Examples Kierkegaard gave were Abraham and Paul.
            -There wasn’t really “fate” as in Greco-Roman Culture, but limited election.
-For Kierkegaard:  Essence Precedes Existence.

Sartre’s Version:
            -Absence of Fate, therefore NOTHING is pre-determined.
                        -Therefore, EVERYTHING is by CHANCE
-There is TOTAL FREE WILL.
                        -When wrong occurs it is ridiculous to ask “why”.
-Nothing is a nice package of neat answers like what the Roman Stoics followed.
                        -Life is meaningless, other than the meaning we assign to it.
-Therefore we create our own purpose and meaning.
                        -We do this both individually and COLLECTIVELY.
 -We are not good or evil by nature, but by choice.
            -Since we create purpose and meaning, we are therefore RESPONSIBLE for our choices.
                        -No one can “make” you to be happy or angry.
                        -No action by anyone else can make you experience any emotion other than
                          what you choose.
            -Collective Choices are actually a result of individual choices, making all choices
              extremely important.
            -Therefore, complete freedom is a Huge Burdon, because we now know that we are
               Responsible and accountable. The only freedom we don’t have is the choice to not be
              free.  This is why Sartre’ made the famous statement: “You are Condemned to be
  free”. 
 So for Sartre’  Existence Precedes Essence
-You exist first, then you have essence.
-Unlike a paper-cutter who’s essence existed in someone’s mind first.


Deists:  Another Option of Determinism and Free Will
            -Deism has some fairly good American Company as most of the writers of the
              Constitution and the Bill of Rights were Deists to some degree.
            -They advocated for Free Will, but they were Theists, and they were somewhat
              moderate in their views of the argument.
            -God is a watch-maker who makes a watch and then throws it down and lets it
               tick on its own for the most part, but not all the time. 
-The idea of the Constitution was Inspired to some degree, but also man-designed.
-There’s mostly free-will, but there is also a divine plan.


       Determinism -------------------------------------------------------------------------------FREE WILL
      
Find the Answer                                                                                                     Create the Answer
              
                                                    Many Philosophers are Both
                                                                    (Dualism)








Buddhism

Siddharta Guatama (Around 560-480 BC – but no one really knows for sure)
                -Said to have lived in extreme luxury until his 30’s.
                -Said to have lived in unproductive self-indulgence.
-He became bored.
-He went on 4 secret trips to find out what the “real world was”.   Buddhism is about his findings
 on his trips, and interpretation of what other’s thought his sayings meant. 
-But really hardly anything is actually known about him.

Major Elements of Buddhism:
1)      Everyone Suffers.
a.       Physical Suffering is more obvious.
b.      Dukkha:  Anxiety, Anguish, Persistent Dissatisfaction.
2)      Suffering is caused by “Attachment”.  Attachment creates “Bad Karma”.
3)      “Enlightment” Cures suffering and creates “Good Karma”.
a.       Enlightment is like a journey on a raft.
b.      The raft exists in simple daily life.
c.       The raft moves toward Nirvana.
                                                                                                  i.      Nirvana is being unattached.
                                                                                                ii.      Nirvana is being “Totally Awake” (some define Buddhism by this).
                                                                                              iii.      Nirvana is found in the “Middle Way”.
                    Ascetic----------------------------------------------X---------------------------------------------------Indulgence
          (extreme self-denial)
                                                                                     The Desired “Middle Way”
                                                                           


                Other Things about Buddhism:
                                -Buddhism is the only major religion without a deity.  It is actually an argument whether
                              it really is a religion.

                                -Some consider being “Totally Awake” a good definition of Buddhism.
                                                -Being Totally Awake comes from Controlled Living.
                                                                -Simplicity.
-Meditation.
-Concentration.
-Denial (but not too much or you lose the Middle Way).
-Compassion.

                                -Buddhism is deterministic as everything has a cause; but 
                                  It does not have to be the same for everyone.

-There is a “thirst” or “desire” to either have or avoid.

                                -Cessation – The process of getting rid of the desire and creating a re-education of
                                  desire toward God and Enlightment.

                                -Anatta – No Self.  Self is a fiction that we invent.
                               
                                -Anicca – Nothing is permanent. 
  -Everything is in continuous change.
  -Process is all there is. 
  -Actions are greater than stability.

Differences and Similarities:

Depak Chopra – Present-Time Buddhist
                -Very Wealthy, Has His own Web Site, Has a camp for relaxation and Eastern medical techniques
                -His 7 Statements:
                                -Give to get.
                                -Detatch.
                                -Show Compassion and work off bad Karma.
                                -Create good Karma now.                           
-Do more with less.
                                -Bring all forces together with compassion at the core.
                                -Continue the Process.

Stephen Covey – Recently deceased American Christian - Organizational/Leadership Speaker:   He wrote:  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.   
                                -Be Proactive
                                -Begin with the End in Mind
-Put First Things First
                                -Think win-win.
                                -Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood.
                                -The Whole is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts – so Synergize.

                                -Renew.

No comments:

Post a Comment