In the Ethics Spinoza attempts to give his philosophical metaphysics an absolute foundation in the style of Euclidean proofs. One of the principal focuses of the Ethics is to show that God is Nature and Nature is God. Like Descartes and Leibniz, Spinoza was a rationalist which meant he believed that all knowledge could be… Continue reading How Spinoza and the Ancient Stoics Were on the Same Page
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Why Virtue Is the Only Good
It is fundamental that virtue is the only good for a Stoic. There is not a perfect proof for why virtue is the sole good. As my philosophy professor at Drury U used to say, “you have to bite the bullet when deciding to commit to any particular ethical theory.” People at times despair that… Continue reading Why Virtue Is the Only Good
Why Stoics Must Have Humor
Humor has had a bad reputation among philosophers for thousands of years. Humor and laughter have had few mentions by philosophers and when they are mentioned they are characterized in negative terms. Plato and Aristotle viewed humor as malicious or merely a form of mockery. Plato thought that comedy should be tightly regulated by the… Continue reading Why Stoics Must Have Humor
Spinoza and the Stoics
In the Ethics Spinoza attempts to give his philosophical metaphysics an absolute foundation in the style of Euclidean proofs. One of the principal focuses of the Ethics is to show that God is Nature and Nature is God. Like Descartes and Leibniz, Spinoza was a rationalist which meant he believed that all knowledge could be… Continue reading Spinoza and the Stoics
How Stoically living in agreement with nature is Newtonian physics without friction
The Stoic motto is to live in agreement with nature (also a Cynic motto). It’s common to sum up the motto as, “live rationally and virtuously.” That’s basically what it means. But there’s more to it. The foundation of Stoic morality isn’t mere reason but reason and love, a form of rational love. In fact… Continue reading How Stoically living in agreement with nature is Newtonian physics without friction
Stoicism and Spinoza
In the Ethics Spinoza attempts to give his philosophical metaphysics an absolute foundation in the style of Euclidean proofs. One of the principal focuses of the Ethics is to show that God is Nature and Nature is God. Like Descartes and Leibniz, Spinoza was a rationalist which meant he believed that all knowledge could be… Continue reading Stoicism and Spinoza
Why is virtue the only good?
It’s fundamental that virtue is the only good for a Stoic. There’s not a perfect proof for why virtue is the sole good. As my philosophy professor at Drury U used to say, “you just have to bite the bullet when deciding to commit to any particular ethical theory.” People at times despair that if… Continue reading Why is virtue the only good?