3 ms·

Forgive my heresy, but this book sounds like Yet Another Stoicism Book. Oh, you can be satisfied with life by never wanting anything! What an insight? For on

Forgive my heresy, but this book sounds like Yet Another Stoicism Book. Oh, you can be satisfied with life by never wanting anything! What an insight? For once I'd like someone to quote a famous philosopher like, since he was mentioned, Marx, not to say we should want nothing, but instead to point out that we have very real needs which must be met before we can want nothing. Preach to me of Stoicism when you've housed all the homeless and fed all the hungry!

JoeAltmaier 10y ago
Maybe this article isn't aimed at the hungry poor.
stryan 10y ago
I haven't read the book, but it seems to me as if you're making this judgement based solely on the line "an idea as compelling to the Greek and Roman stoics" and ignoring the fact that it's immediately followed up by "as to Sartre and Camus". Ignoring what you said about Stoicism (which,quite frankly, is wrong; it's a very humanistic and community oriented philosophy and almost all virtue-based philosophies are action oriented) the idea of detachment is common to many philosophies and religions including Buddhism, Absurdism, Nihilism (IMHO), various monastic and mystic groups (i.e. The Church Fathers and Sufism), and good old fashioned Platonism. Stocism was probably just mentioned since it A) does incorporate detachment to some degree and B) is one of if not the most well known of the Greco-Roman philosophical schools.
beachstartup 10y ago
well, there is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs but you'll probably dismiss it as new-agey handwavey woo woo crap about self-actualization. all this existential stuff is kind of ridiculous, just like life, so you kind of just have to take it at face value.
- projektir 10y ago
  Well, Maslov's hierarchy is not exactly a proven concept. I think it's far too simplistic, for one.
- antisthenes 10y ago
  Maslow's hierarchy is way too generalized to be of any use. I would argue that it's not really a pyramid hierarchy, but more of a pool from which happiness and satisfaction is drawn, where some segments can compensate for others. The only indispensable one is the physiological one. Even Maslow himself states: >Maslow states that while he originally thought the needs of humans had strict guidelines, the "hierarchies are interrelated rather than sharply separated".[5] This means that esteem and the subsequent levels are not strictly separated; instead, the levels are closely related. Like all psychology of the mid 20th century (its essential infancy), it was merely an attempt to categorize some societal patterns without any actual data or studies, but from empirical observations of an extremely narrow view of a westernized society.
NoGravitas 10y ago
The beginning and root of all good is the pleasure of the stomach; even wisdom and culture must be referred to this. -- Epicurus A minimum of comfort is necessary for the practice of virtue. -- Patrice Lumumba
wotryadoin 10y ago
You are not allowed to talk about marx, ever, this is the internet.

JoeAltmaier 10y ago

Maybe this article isn't aimed at the hungry poor.

stryan 10y ago

I haven't read the book, but it seems to me as if you're making this judgement based solely on the line "an idea as compelling to the Greek and Roman stoics" and ignoring the fact that it's immediately followed up by "as to Sartre and Camus". Ignoring what you said about Stoicism (which,quite frankly, is wrong; it's a very humanistic and community oriented philosophy and almost all virtue-based philosophies are action oriented) the idea of detachment is common to many philosophies and religions including Buddhism, Absurdism, Nihilism (IMHO), various monastic and mystic groups (i.e. The Church Fathers and Sufism), and good old fashioned Platonism. Stocism was probably just mentioned since it A) does incorporate detachment to some degree and B) is one of if not the most well known of the Greco-Roman philosophical schools.

beachstartup 10y ago

well, there is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs but you'll probably dismiss it as new-agey handwavey woo woo crap about self-actualization. all this existential stuff is kind of ridiculous, just like life, so you kind of just have to take it at face value.

projektir 10y ago
Well, Maslov's hierarchy is not exactly a proven concept. I think it's far too simplistic, for one.
antisthenes 10y ago
Maslow's hierarchy is way too generalized to be of any use. I would argue that it's not really a pyramid hierarchy, but more of a pool from which happiness and satisfaction is drawn, where some segments can compensate for others. The only indispensable one is the physiological one. Even Maslow himself states: >Maslow states that while he originally thought the needs of humans had strict guidelines, the "hierarchies are interrelated rather than sharply separated".[5] This means that esteem and the subsequent levels are not strictly separated; instead, the levels are closely related. Like all psychology of the mid 20th century (its essential infancy), it was merely an attempt to categorize some societal patterns without any actual data or studies, but from empirical observations of an extremely narrow view of a westernized society.

NoGravitas 10y ago

The beginning and root of all good is the pleasure of the stomach; even wisdom and culture must be referred to this. -- Epicurus A minimum of comfort is necessary for the practice of virtue. -- Patrice Lumumba

wotryadoin 10y ago

You are not allowed to talk about marx, ever, this is the internet.