Stoic Philosophy As a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Stoic Philosophy As a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy association for behavioral and ISSN 0278-8403 cognitive therapies ABCT s VOLUME 42, NO. 2 • FEBRUARY 2019 the Behavior Therapist PRESIDENT’SMESSAGE Contents A Wisdom of Purpose President’s Message and Perspective Bruce F. Chorpita A Wisdom of Purpose and Perspective • 33 Bruce F. Chorpita, UCLA At ABCT Mary Jane Eimer NEXT MONTH is the deadline for submissions to ABCT’s From Your Executive Director • 35 2019 Convention in Atlanta. It is a time when one might Professional Issues ask, Does it really matter if my Interviewed by David DiLillo submission fits the theme? A Primer for First-Time Book Authors: Q & A With And what even is the theme anyway? Well, this year the Dr. Keith Dobson • 36 theme is essentially “wisdom.” That may seem overly grand or perhaps too abstract, but one Science thing is certain: It is a contrived dilemma. Everyone preparing a submission must either Donald Robertson and R. Trent Codd, III abide by the convention theme or admit their Stoic Philosophy as a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy• 42 contribution is unwise. ABCT can’t lose! Of course, that is not the real reason for this year’s theme. It is in fact a reference to a con- Training ceptualization of wisdom common in the infor- Matthew W. Southward and Benjamin J. Pfeifer mation science literature, in which the term has Do as I Say and as I Do: Reflections on Three Methods of a specific, reserved meaning. Rowley (2007), for Evidence-Based Clinical Supervision of Graduate-Level example, summarizes in her comprehensive Trainees • 50 review the difference between information, knowledge, and wisdom, such that information is data in an interpretable or meaningful metric; Lighter Side knowledge is generally thought of as informa- Jonathan Hoffman and Dean McKay tion embedded in the individual that is useful for decision-making or that predisposes action; From Our Mailbag: Why Do Some Clinical Programs Teach Both and finally, wisdom is the ability to prioritize, CBT and Psychodynamic Models? Schrödinger’s Rat • 54 integrate, or extrapolate among multiple sources of knowledge that sometimes do not even agree. Plus We recently gave a simple illustration of this hierarchy phases of evidence in the “wedding z Fellows at ABCT: Update • 34 problem” (Chorpita & Daleiden, in press) as z Annual Convention: Preparing to Submit an Abstract • 56 follows: Evidence that it is 85°F is information, given that we can all agree on what that means Annual Convention: Call for Papers • 57 z and imagine how it feels on a summer day. It z Call for Award Nominations • 58 z Call for Submissions: Graduate Student Research Grant • back page [continued on p. 35] February • 2019 33 the Behavior Therapist Published by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Fellows at ABCT: Update 305 Seventh Avenue - 16th Floor New York, NY 10001 | www.abct.org Linda Carter Sobell, Chair, Fellows Committee (212) 647-1890 | Fax: (212) 647-1865 Most professional organizations serving psychology and related health and Editor: Kate Wolitzky-Taylor mental health professions have a “Fellow” membership category. In 2014 Editorial Assistant: Bita Mesri ABCT introduced its Fellow membership category. The first Fellows Committee, chaired by Dr. David DiLillio, invested considerable time develop- Associate Editors ing the criteria, application, and review process. In so doing, the committee RaeAnn Anderson looked to several other organizations (e.g., APA, APS) for guidance. Katherine Baucom Although APA was a good place to start, it has 54 divisions, each with their Sarah Kate Bearman own criteria and process. In contrast, ABCT is a unified organization with a Shannon Blakey diverse membership that encompasses a wide range of professional activities, Angela Cathey engagement in the field, and commitment of time and service to the organi- Trent Codd zation. David DiLillo Lisa Elwood Because ABCT’s Fellow status is still in its infancy, we have received feedback and suggestions from some members. Based on this feedback, the Committee Clark Goldstein has decided to review the original criteria and their fit with our current and David Hansen evolving membership. Katharina Kircanski Richard LeBeau Over the coming months the Committee will be having several conference Angela Moreland calls and an all-day meeting on the day before the 2019 Annual Convention. Stephanie Mullins-Sweatt Because of this review, the Committee, with the support of the Board, has decided not to accept Fellows applications in 2019. Amy Murell Alyssa Ward In the interim, if you have questions or suggestions please email them to Dr. Tony Wells Linda Sobell ([email protected]), the Committee Chair. Stephen Whiteside Monnica Williams INSTRUCTIONS Ñçê AUTHORS ABCT President: Bruce Chorpita Executive Director: Mary Jane Eimer The Association for Behavioral and Cog- Submissions must be accompanied by a Director of Communications: David Teisler nitive Therapies publishes the Behavior Copyright Transfer Form (which can be Therapist as a service to its membership. downloaded on our website: http://www. Director of Outreach & Partnerships: Eight issues are published annually. The abct.org/Journals/?m=mJournal&fa=TB Tammy Schuler purpose is to provide a vehicle for the T): submissions will not be reviewed with- Convention Manager: Stephen Crane rapid dissemination of news, recent out a copyright transfer form. Prior to Managing Editor: Stephanie Schwartz advances, and innovative applications in publication authors will be asked to behavior therapy. submit a final electronic version of their Copyright © 2019 by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. All rights reserved. No part of this Feature articles that are approxi- manuscript. Authors submitting materi- publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any mately 16 double-spaced manuscript als to tBT do so with the understanding form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ- that the copyright of the published mate- ing photocopy, recording, or any information storage pages may be submitted. and retrieval system, without permission in writing from rials shall be assigned exclusively to Brief articles, approximately 6 to 12 the copyright owner. ABCT. Electronic submissions are pre- Subscription information: tBT is published in 8 issues double-spaced manuscript pages, are ferred and should be directed to the per year. It is provided free to ABCT members. preferred. Nonmember subscriptions are available at $40.00 per editor, Kate Wolitzky-Taylor, Ph.D., at year (+$32.00 airmail postage outside North America). Feature articles and brief articles [email protected]. Please Change of address: 6 to 8 weeks are required for address should be accompanied by a 75- to changes. Send both old and new addresses to the ABCT include the phrase tBT submission and office. 100-word abstract. the author’s last name (e.g., tBT Submis- ABCT is committed to a policy of equal opportunity Letters to the Editor may be used to sion - Smith et al.) in the subject line of in all of its activities, including employment. ABCT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, reli- respond to articles published in the your e-mail. Include the corresponding gion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, Behavior Therapist or to voice a profes- author’s e-mail address on the cover page gender identity or expression, age, disability, or veteran status. sional opinion. Letters should be lim- of the manuscript attachment. Please also All items published in the Behavior Therapist, includ- ited to approximately 3 double-spaced include, as an attachment, the completed ing advertisements, are for the information of our read- manuscript pages. copyright transfer document. ers, and publication does not imply endorsement by the Association. 34 from your executive director becomes knowledge if the context for that We come looking for wisdom, but we our excellent leadership team, which of information is one’s getting dressed for the might only get information or knowledge. course depends on the generosity of the day, because now one faces decisions about This year, we ask that authors consider many members who volunteer to be on the shorts versus pants or short sleeves versus including a statement of how the submis- Program Committee. Everyone is working long. One requires wisdom, however, when sion content connects to the larger purpose hard to prepare for the many submissions to there are multiple sources of knowledge to of ABCT: to help improve the health and come, and we aspire to an event that is more prioritize and reconcile. For instance, if one well-being of all people. Such statements than the sum of the parts and may just give is to attend a wedding that day, then per- could take many forms. How does any us a glimpse at wisdom this November. haps temperature is a less important con- single research finding fit together with sideration, whereas local traditions, terms other moving parts in an ever-growing evi- References of the invitation, or who else is on the guest dence base? How does existing knowledge Chorpita, B. F., & Daleiden, E. L. (2018). list play a more significant role. If one has apply in new contexts or with new popula- Coordinated strategic action: Aspiring to knowledge that she is the bride, perhaps the tions? How does a discovery translate wisdom in mental health service systems. priorities change even more so. Essentially, across different audiences, workforces, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, then, wisdom is about reconciling all the nosologies, industries, settings, or delivery 25, e12264. doi: 10.1111/cpsp.12264. things that we know and being capable of platforms? Such questions are outlined in Rowley, J. (2007). The wisdom hierarchy: an integrative judgment for a given pur- more detail in the 2019 Call for Papers Representations of the DIKW hierarchy. Journal of Information Science, 33, 163– pose and context. (http://www.abct.org/Conventions/?fa=Ca 180.
Recommended publications
  • A Synthetic Approach to the Ground of Global Justice
    ISSN 2392-0890, no 8/2017, pp. 54-62, DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0012.0388 Modern Stoicism and the Responsibility for the Global Polis PIOTR STANKIEWICZ Institute of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 3, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland, E-mail: [email protected] Abstract This article outlines the premises and promises of a modern comeback of Stoicism, particularly the question of reinterpretation of the original doctrine, the contemporary intricacies of the principle of “following nature,” and the foundations that modern Stoicism establishes for global responsibility. Key words: Stoicism, modern Stoicism, ethics, virtue ethics, political philosophy, cosmopolitanism, responsibility. There is no doubt today that Stoicism is coming back. The ancient philosophical school established by Zeno and Chrysippus, and immortalized by Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius’ is enjoying its second youth. As Massimo Pigliucci puts it: The 21st century is seeing yet another revival of virtue ethics in general and of Stoicism in particular. [...] When it comes more specifically to Stoicism, new scholarly works and translations of classics, as well as biographies of prominent Stoics, keep appearing at a sustained rate. [...] In parallel with the above, Stoicism is, in some sense, returning to its roots as practical philosophy, as the ancient Stoics very clearly meant their system to be primarily of guidance for everyday life, not a theoretical exercise.(Pigliucci, Stoicism) Stankiewicz/Studies in Global Ethics and Global Education/ no 8/2017, pp. 54-62 Just as Pigliucci underscores, what is remarkable about the present boom of interest in Stoicism is that it is not confined to the academia.
    [Show full text]
  • Socratic Dialogue: Teaching Patients to Become Their Own Cognitive Therapist
    National Crime Victims Center > Socratic Method > Socratic Dialogue Print This Page Socratic Dialogue: Teaching Patients to Become Their Own Cognitive Therapist “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates (469 BC – 399 BC) Socratic dialogue is a foundational skill used by CPT therapists to help patients examine their lives, challenge maladaptive thoughts, address stuckpoints, and develop critical thinking skills. Socratic dialogue is derived from the work of the Greek philosopher, Socrates, who developed what is now called the Socratic method of teaching. In traditional education, the teacher is presumed to know more than the student, and the role of the teacher is to transmit the teacher’s knowledge to the student. In contrast, Socrates believed that the role of the teacher should not be to tell students what the “truth” is but to help them discover the truth themselves through a collaborative process of asking questions. By asking a series of questions designed to get the student to identify logical contradictions in their positions and/or evidence that does not support their thoughts, the Socratic method is designed to help the student discover the “truth” for themselves as opposed to being told what the “truth” is by the teacher. Socrates also thought this teaching method was superior because it teaches students the skill of critical thinking, a skill they can use throughout their lives. Another advantage of this method is that students are more likely to value knowledge if they discover it themselves than if someone tells them about it. In CPT, the purpose of Socratic questioning by the therapist is to prompt the patient to examine the accuracy of maladaptive thoughts that are causing psychological distress.
    [Show full text]
  • Skepticism and Pluralism Ways of Living a Life Of
    SKEPTICISM AND PLURALISM WAYS OF LIVING A LIFE OF AWARENESS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ZHUANGZI #±r A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHILOSOPHY AUGUST 2004 By John Trowbridge Dissertation Committee: Roger T. Ames, Chairperson Tamara Albertini Chung-ying Cheng James E. Tiles David R. McCraw © Copyright 2004 by John Trowbridge iii Dedicated to my wife, Jill iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In completing this research, I would like to express my appreciation first and foremost to my wife, Jill, and our three children, James, Holly, and Henry for their support during this process. I would also like to express my gratitude to my entire dissertation committee for their insight and understanding ofthe topics at hand. Studying under Roger Ames has been a transformative experience. In particular, his commitment to taking the Chinese tradition on its own terms and avoiding the tendency among Western interpreters to overwrite traditional Chinese thought with the preoccupations ofWestern philosophy has enabled me to broaden my conception ofphilosophy itself. Roger's seminars on Confucianism and Daoism, and especially a seminar on writing a philosophical translation ofthe Zhongyong r:pJm (Achieving Equilibrium in the Everyday), have greatly influenced my own initial attempts to translate and interpret the seminal philosophical texts ofancient China. Tamara Albertini's expertise in ancient Greek philosophy was indispensable to this project, and a seminar I audited with her, comparing early Greek and ancient Chinese philosophy, was part ofthe inspiration for my choice ofresearch topic. I particularly valued the opportunity to study Daoism and the Yijing ~*~ with Chung-ying Cheng g\Gr:p~ and benefited greatly from his theory ofonto-cosmology as a means of understanding classical Chinese philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • Willing the Good: Agathon and Prohairesis
    The Roman Stoics: Seneca and Epictetus 3 Willing the Good: Agathon and Prohairesis 1. The Good Benefits, and so Does Virtue (1) Aetius (Greek doxographer, c. 100 CE): “The Stoics said that wisdom (σοφία) is scientific knowledge (ἐπιστήµη, epistēmē) of the divine and the human, and that philosophy is the practice of expertise in utility (φιλοσοφίαν ἄσκησιν ἐπιτηδείου τέχνης). Virtue first and foremost is utility, and virtues, at their most generic, are triple: the physical one (φυσικόν), the ethical one (ἠθικόν), and the logical one (λογικόν). Hence philosophy too has three parts: physics, ethics and logic. Physics is practised whenever we investigate the world and what is in it, ethics is our engagement with human life, and logic our engagement with discourse, which they also call dialectic.” (LS 26A, SVF 2.35). (2) Seneca’s point in The Happy Life, ‘true happiness is located in virtue’ (16.1). So, there is a connection between happiness (eudaimonia), virtue, and the good (ἀγαθὸν, agathon). Aristotle’s idea: the good is the end (aim) of all action. The highest good (i.e. the ariston) is self-sufficient (autarkes) and final (teleion), and so the (super-)end of action (tōn praktōn ousa telos; NE I.7 1097b20). So, formally, the good is what is not done for the sake of anything else. (Note there is a range of ‘lower’ goods—the ‘indifferents’. Their value is instrumental; some of these goods are ‘worth choosing’; see below). (3) The highest (and only real) good is virtue; the only bad is vice. The good constitutes a genuine benefit for the individual, it has utility; it is intrinsically valuable (as just hinted: an end in itself); the key to a happy life.
    [Show full text]
  • Teachers' Pay in Ancient Greece
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Papers from the University Studies series (The University of Nebraska) University Studies of the University of Nebraska 5-1942 Teachers' Pay In Ancient Greece Clarence A. Forbes Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/univstudiespapers Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Studies of the University of Nebraska at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers from the University Studies series (The University of Nebraska) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Teachers' Pay In Ancient Greece * * * * * CLARENCE A. FORBES UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA STUDIES Ma y 1942 STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES NO.2 Note to Cataloger UNDER a new plan the volume number as well as the copy number of the University of Nebraska Studies was discontinued and only the numbering of the subseries carried on, distinguished by the month and the year of pu blica tion. Thus the present paper continues the subseries "Studies in the Humanities" begun with "University of Nebraska Studies, Volume 41, Number 2, August 1941." The other subseries of the University of Nebraska Studies, "Studies in Science and Technology," and "Studies in Social Science," are continued according to the above plan. Publications in all three subseries will be supplied to recipients of the "University Studies" series. Corre­ spondence and orders should be addressed to the Uni­ versity Editor, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. University of Nebraska Studies May 1942 TEACHERS' PAY IN ANCIENT GREECE * * * CLARENCE A.
    [Show full text]
  • Meditations the Philosophy Classic
    MEDITATIONS THE PHILOSOPHY CLASSIC MEDITATIONS THE PHILOSOPHY CLASSIC THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER MARCUS AURELIUS WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY DONALD ROBERTSON MEDITATIONS Also available in the same series: Beyond Good and Evil: The Philosophy Classic by Friedrich Nietzsche (ISBN: 978-0-857-08848-2) On the Origin of Species: The Science Classic by Charles Darwin (ISBN: 978-0-857-08847-5) Tao Te Ching: The Ancient Classic by Lao Tzu (ISBN: 978-0-857-08311-1) The Art of War: The Ancient Classic by Sun Tzu (ISBN: 978-0-857-08009-7) The Game of Life and How to Play It: The Self-Help Classic by Florence Scovel Shinn (ISBN: 978-0-857-08840-6) The Interpretation of Dreams: The Psychology Classic by Sigmund Freud (ISBN: 978-0-857-08844-4) The Prince: The Original Classic by Niccolo Machiavelli (ISBN: 978-0-857-08078-3) The Prophet: The Spirituality Classic by Kahlil Gibran (ISBN: 978-0-857-08855-0) The Republic: The Influential Classic by Plato (ISBN: 978-0-857-08313-5) The Science of Getting Rich: The Original Classic by Wallace Wattles (ISBN: 978-0-857-08008-0) The Wealth of Nations: The Economics Classic by Adam Smith (ISBN: 978-0-857-08077-6) Think and Grow Rich: The Original Classic by Napoleon Hill (ISBN: 978-1-906-46559-9) MEDITATIONS The Philosophy Classic MARCUS AURELIUS With an Introduction by DONALD ROBERTSON This edition first published 2020 Introduction copyright © Donald Robertson, 2020 The material for Meditations is based on The Thoughts of the Emperor M. Aurelius Antoninus, translated by George Long, published by Bell & Daldy, London 1862, and is now in the public domain.
    [Show full text]
  • Stoicism and Political Thought from Lipsius to Rousseau
    Philosophic Pride Brooke.indb 1 1/17/2012 12:09:47 PM This page intentionally left blank Brooke.indb 2 1/17/2012 12:09:47 PM Philosophic Pride stoicism and political thought from lipsius to rousseau Christopher Brooke princeton university press Princeton and Oxford Brooke.indb 3 1/17/2012 12:09:47 PM Copyright © 2012 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW press.princeton.edu Jacket illustration: The Four Philosophers, c. 1611–12 (oil on panel), by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640); Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy. Reproduced courtesy of The Bridgeman Art Library; photo copyright Alinari All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brooke, Christopher, 1973– Philosophic pride : Stoicism and political thought from Lipsius to Rousseau / Christopher Brooke. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 253) and index. ISBN 978-0-691-15208-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Political science—Philosophy— History. I. Title. JA71.B757 2012 320.01—dc23 2011034498 This book has been composed in Sabon LT Std Printed on acid-free paper. ∞ Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 00 Brooke FM i-xxiv.indd 4 1/24/2012 3:05:14 PM For Josephine Brooke.indb 5 1/17/2012 12:09:47 PM This page intentionally left blank The Stoic last in philosophic pride, By him called virtue, and his virtuous man, Wise, perfect in himself, and all possessing, Equal to God, oft shames not to prefer, As fearing God nor man, contemning all Wealth, pleasure, pain or torment, death and life— Which, when he lists, he leaves, or boasts he can; For all his tedious talk is but vain boast, Or subtle shifts conviction to evade.
    [Show full text]
  • The Liar Paradox As a Reductio Ad Absurdum Argument
    University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor OSSA Conference Archive OSSA 3 May 15th, 9:00 AM - May 17th, 5:00 PM The Liar Paradox as a reductio ad absurdum argument Menashe Schwed Ashkelon Academic College Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive Part of the Philosophy Commons Schwed, Menashe, "The Liar Paradox as a reductio ad absurdum argument" (1999). OSSA Conference Archive. 48. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive/OSSA3/papersandcommentaries/48 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Conference Proceedings at Scholarship at UWindsor. It has been accepted for inclusion in OSSA Conference Archive by an authorized conference organizer of Scholarship at UWindsor. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Title: The Liar Paradox as a Reductio ad Absurdum Author: Menashe Schwed Response to this paper by: Lawrence Powers (c)2000 Menashe Schwed 1. Introduction The paper discusses two seemingly separated topics: the origin and function of the Liar Paradox in ancient Greek philosophy and the Reduction ad absurdum mode of argumentation. Its goal is to show how the two topics fit together and why they are closely connected. The accepted tradition is that Eubulides of Miletos was the first to formulate the Liar Paradox correctly and that the paradox was part of the philosophical discussion of the Megarian School. Which version of the paradox was formulated by Eubulides is unknown, but according to some hints given by Aristotle and an incorrect version given by Cicero1, the version was probably as follows: The paradox is created from the Liar sentence ‘I am lying’.
    [Show full text]
  • Stoic Enlightenments
    Copyright © 2011 Margaret Felice Wald All rights reserved STOIC ENLIGHTENMENTS By MARGARET FELICE WALD A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in English written under the direction of Michael McKeon and approved by ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey October 2011 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Stoic Enlightenments By MARGARET FELICE WALD Dissertation Director: Michael McKeon Stoic ideals infused seventeenth- and eighteenth-century thought, not only in the figure of the ascetic sage who grins and bears all, but also in a myriad of other constructions, shaping the way the period imagined ethical, political, linguistic, epistemological, and social reform. My dissertation examines the literary manifestation of Stoicism’s legacy, in particular regarding the institution and danger of autonomy, the foundation and limitation of virtue, the nature of the passions, the difference between good and evil, and the referentiality of language. Alongside the standard satirical responses to the ancient creed’s rigor and rationalism, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century poetry, drama, and prose developed Stoic formulations that made the most demanding of philosophical ideals tenable within the framework of common experience. Instead of serving as hallmarks for hypocrisy, the literary stoics I investigate uphold a brand of stoicism fit for the post-regicidal, post- Protestant Reformation, post-scientific revolutionary world. My project reveals how writers used Stoicism to determine the viability of philosophical precept and establish ways of compensating for human fallibility. The ambivalent status of the Stoic sage, staged and restaged in countless texts, exemplified the period’s anxiety about measuring up to its ideals, its efforts to discover the plenitude of ii natural laws and to live by them.
    [Show full text]
  • Marcus Aurelius Was a Roman Emperor From
    Marcus Aurelius Roman Emperor and Philosopher Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161-180 A.D, at a time when to be a Roman Emperor really meant being an emperor of almost all of the known world, for Rome’s territory then was at its most expansive. Therefore his job was not a small one. And yet at the same time as ruling the empire, and campaigning against troublesome tribes in what is now central and middle Europe (do you remember him from the start of the Gilm Gladiator?), he was also a philosopher. This did not mean that he just sat around thinking lofty thoughts in his spare time. Rather, the philosophy he chose to study was aimed at helping the individual to live life better, that is with values and a focussed mind. Marcus never wanted any glory – his own writings tell us that the last thing he desired was to be ‘treated like a Caesar’. All he wanted was to perform his duty admirably to his own people, family and, indeed, to himself. It was his favourite philosophy as a way of life, Stoicism, which enabled him to do this. Stoicism was a philosophy practised across the Ancient World for around half a millennium since its foundation by Zeno in the 4th century B.C. Nowadays, of course, we still have the word ‘stoic’ in our own language. It tends to mean someone who ‘ just gets on with things’ and who is rather ‘inGlexible, rigid and even emotionless.’ But, as history obscures so many things from the past, this could not be further from the truth.
    [Show full text]
  • Induction in the Socratic Tradition John P
    Induction in the Socratic Tradition John P. McCaskey Stanford University Abstract: Aristotle said that induction (epagǀgƝ) is a proceeding from particulars to a universal, and the definition has been conventional ever since. But there is an ambiguity here. Induction in the Scholastic and the (so-called) Humean tradition has presumed that Aristotle meant going from particular statements to universal statements. But the alternate view, namely that Aristotle meant going from particular things to universal ideas, prevailed all through antiquity and then again from the time of Francis Bacon until the mid-nineteenth century. Recent scholarship is so steeped in the first-mentioned tradition that we have virtually forgotten the other. In this essay McCaskey seeks to recover that alternate tradition, a tradition whose leading theoreticians were William Whewell, Francis Bacon, Socrates, and in fact Aristotle himself. The examination is both historical and philosophical. The first part of the essay fills out the history. The latter part examines the most mature of the philosophies in the Socratic tradition, specifically Bacon’s and Whewell’s. After tracing out this tradition, McCaskey shows how this alternate view of induction is indeed employed in science, as exemplified by several instances taken from actual scientific practice. In this manner, McCaskey proposes to us that the Humean problem of induction is merely an artifact of a bad conception of induction and that a return to the Socratic conception might be warranted. Introduction Aristotle said that induction (epagǀgƝ) is a proceeding from particulars to a universal, and the definition has been conventional ever since. But there is an ambiguity here.
    [Show full text]
  • The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Translated by George Long (1800-1879) Edited (1893) by Edwin Ginn (1838-1914) This Ebook Edition © 2008 Abbott Epublishing
    This eBook was Published by Abbott ePublishing Manchester, New Hampshire The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated by George Long (1800-1879) edited (1893) by Edwin Ginn (1838-1914) This eBook edition © 2008 Abbott ePublishing. All rights reserved. Material used that is subject to the GNU Free Documentation License. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the editors. The purchaser of this eBook may not resell it or redistribute it, but may read it for personal use and store it on electronic devices for that purpose. CONTENTS: PREFACE BIOGRAPHy THE Meditations THE PHILOSOPHY OF MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS PREFACE. Perhaps some may question the wisdom of putting out the Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to be used as a Reader by children in the schools. It may appear to them better suited to the mature mind. The principle, however, that has governed us in selecting reading for the young has been to secure the best that we could find in all ages for grown-up people. The milk and water diet provided for "my dear children" is not especially complimentary to them. They like to be treated like little men and women, capable of appreciating a good thing. One finds in this royal philosopher a rare generosity, sweetness and humility, qualities alike suited to all ages. Adopting the philosopher's robe at twelve, he remains a student all his life. The precepts that he would give for the government of others, he has practised upon himself.
    [Show full text]