Determine What is True How should we decide whether what we learn is true and should be used to guide our life? We take in lots of information but only some of it is true. Determining truth is not easy for broad principles about living and moral philosophy. There are no certain answers. At best there can be persuasive evidence that what is learned deserves inclusion in our philosophy of…
Seek Knowledge and Wisdom Wisdom is one of the four basic Stoic virtues. Wisdom requires knowledge. Wise people have knowledge and know how to apply it to living. But what is knowledge? What types of knowledge should we seek? Where should we seek knowledge and wisdom? Knowledge is information that true. Information comes from many sources – reading, the internet, classes, conversations with others, etc. Information becomes knowledge when we…
The Knowledge in Our DNA DNA is a vast library to tap in the quest for knowledge and wisdom. Human DNA contains the results of millions of experiments over millions of years on how to thrive – or at least how to survive. The results can help us understand our nature, our society, and what has worked in the past. Encoded in DNA is the knowledge to create complex life…
The Value of Adversity We all want good fortune in our life. Who would wish for adversity for ourselves or anyone? We work to avoid bad things happening to us. Yet perhaps adversity is valuable, even necessary, for living well. Perhaps we should welcome it when it occurs. US Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts gave a commencement address making this case. Now the commencement speakers will typically also wish you…
How to respond to wrongdoing “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill The Moral Problem I have found moral reasoning most challenging when responding to wrongdoing --…
Lessons from the Stoics The Stoics provide useful and practical principles and behaviors for living. Stoicism is an ancient philosophy created by the Greeks and Romans. Many of the original Stoic writers were not philosophers by profession but people who looked to philosophy as a means for becoming better people and living a good life. Perhaps the most famous Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, was a Roman emperor. His perennially popular book,…
What I Learned from Studying Emanuel Kant I knew little about Kant about except that he was important. I was introduced to his writings in a university philosophy class I audited in my 60s. There is a reason I knew little about him. His ideas are complicated, and his writing is hard to understand. After reading several of his important books and then reading books about Kant and his philosophy…
What i learned from aristotle Aristotle is essential to any study of moral philosophy. He provides so much and there are many books examining his writings and contributions. I focus here on a couple concepts that influence my thinking and help me learn how to live. Happiness (eudaimonia/thriving) is the overriding good Aristotle argues that happiness is life’s purpose. The idea is powerful. Millennia later it became a founding principle…
Hierarchy, Status, and Pride Hierarchies are central to the human social environment. Consequently, status—our position within a hierarchy—is crucial. In human society there are many different hierarchies. Hierarchies form based on factors such as geography (e.g., neighborhood, city, state) and subject (e.g., economic, political, social, professional, recreational). The types of hierarchies likely have expanded as humans progressed from living in small tribes to living in large, complex nations. Look closely,…
