Virtue. Harmony. Reason. To me these are philosophies that 2020 America should consider as part of our after action report for the past year. Many have been without harmony as politics, race and other social factors have collided. Reason seems to have been brushed aside in place of fear in the face of the COVID virus and humanity’s in ability […]
Hello there, For this week’s exercise, let us circle back to Seneca (It’s been a while). This is from his moral letters to Luciluis, I 7.1: “Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say, crowds; for as yet you cannot trust yourself to them with safety.” You have two ears and one […]
I recently got interviewed by the Podcast series The Way. Have a listen to the podcast. Or if you want, it will air LIVE tomorrow on the radio. Listen in at 5:00 pm EDT to FM 91.7 WHUS. Here’s a link to the radio stations online feed: http://fm.whus.org/
We spend an hour talking philosophical stuff about stuff. We discuss my second book, democracy and socialism, the narrative fallacy, evolution, consciousness and religion. It was a fun discussion all around. Have a listen, you’re sure to enjoy it. https://thejuanhour.podbean.com/e/the-juan-hour-37-philosophical-stuff-about-stuff-with-anderson-silver/
Hello there, For this week’s exercise, let us find some inspiration from an often overlooked Stoic teacher Gaius Musonius Rufus. This is from the translated fragments by Cynthia King [Stobaeus 3.1.48 = 3.1. 77. Chapter 1: about virtue.]: “It is not possible to live well today unless you treat it as your last day.” Little known fact, Musonius Rufus […]
Hello there, For this week’s exercise, let us find some inspiration from Epictetus (who’s teacher will be our inspiration next week). This is from the Enchiridion (not to be confused with Epictetus’ Discourses) LI 2 : “…it depends on a single day and single action whether progress is to be lost or secured. ” All we have control over […]
We exist in these bio-suits we call bodies, and these vessels come with prebuilt survival mechanisms. Some are physical (e.g. you flinch when something is thrown at you without thinking about it) and others are psychological (e.g. emotions). Emotions are precoded in our genes and have helped our ancestors survive. But in our modern-day and age they are outdated. We […]
Being wrong is the BEST! I know, I know, as a society we hate to admit we are wrong. This is no surprise given that we are pitted against one another and goated to outdo the competition (i.e. our fellow human beings). But in reality, we are always wrong. And being wrong is the best because it gives us an […]
We are social animals with a capacity for reason. If virtue is working towards the betterment of humanity, then building relationships with our fellow cosmopolitans becomes a necessity. If we want to lead by example, if we want to share our knowledge with the most number of people and if we are looking to enjoy this journey we’re on called […]
Hello there, For this week’s exercise, let us once again look to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, which he wrote himself to keep disciplined in his own Stoic practices. This is VII 56-57: “Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what’s left as a bonus and live it according to Nature. Love […]