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I would hold compassion in higher esteem than stoic virtue. Remember that society where stoics came from considered enslavement as good and natural and feeding

by fsloth 8y ago

I would hold compassion in higher esteem than stoic virtue. Remember that society where stoics came from considered enslavement as good and natural and feeding people to animals as good sport. That's not to say Epictetus does not have lots of worthwhile things to say, but that there are other facets to living a good life in addition to what was stoics prescribed.

Balgair 8y ago
Oh man, Emperor Commodus[0] is a perfect example of this. Commodus was the first emperor to be 'born in the purple'. His father was Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Yes THAT Marcus Aurelius, the stoic of all stoics. Commodus was likely insane and participated in daily gladiatorial combat against people and animals already behanded or hamstrung before the fight (so as to not actual pose a threat to the emperor), slaughtering hundreds. He was drowned in the bath by his wrestling partner. His death kicked off the year of the five emperors and civil war in the empire. So, even when the prime example of stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius, is given the sole reigns of power to the prime example of an empire at it's height, Rome in the Nerva–Antonines, it falls apart at the hands of familial duty/love. One thing to remember about Romans is that there is not 'thesis' to them. They did whatever they needed to do at the time. For example: look at the Roman Honor of the Republic days. It was fierce, passionate, and swift. Any slight was dealt with in total violence and societal honor was worth much more than your life. Compare that to the stoics, where nothing could 'slight' a person, only their internal life was important, and society was to be nearly forgotten. The Romans were, if anything, adaptable to the extreme, which is why they lasted nearly 2000 years. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus
- deleted 8y ago
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JackFr 8y ago
> I would hold compassion in higher esteem than stoic virtue. I do too, but "compassion > stoicism" is not something science can prove. That's why I find articles like this one a little silly.
vertline3 8y ago
Stoicism was a coping mechanism for a brutal world. You see the same ideas in Eastern Philosophy as well. An example is that people lost children much more often.

by fsloth 8y ago

Balgair 8y ago

Oh man, Emperor Commodus[0] is a perfect example of this. Commodus was the first emperor to be 'born in the purple'. His father was Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Yes THAT Marcus Aurelius, the stoic of all stoics. Commodus was likely insane and participated in daily gladiatorial combat against people and animals already behanded or hamstrung before the fight (so as to not actual pose a threat to the emperor), slaughtering hundreds. He was drowned in the bath by his wrestling partner. His death kicked off the year of the five emperors and civil war in the empire. So, even when the prime example of stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius, is given the sole reigns of power to the prime example of an empire at it's height, Rome in the Nerva–Antonines, it falls apart at the hands of familial duty/love. One thing to remember about Romans is that there is not 'thesis' to them. They did whatever they needed to do at the time. For example: look at the Roman Honor of the Republic days. It was fierce, passionate, and swift. Any slight was dealt with in total violence and societal honor was worth much more than your life. Compare that to the stoics, where nothing could 'slight' a person, only their internal life was important, and society was to be nearly forgotten. The Romans were, if anything, adaptable to the extreme, which is why they lasted nearly 2000 years. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

JackFr 8y ago

> I would hold compassion in higher esteem than stoic virtue. I do too, but "compassion > stoicism" is not something science can prove. That's why I find articles like this one a little silly.

vertline3 8y ago

Stoicism was a coping mechanism for a brutal world. You see the same ideas in Eastern Philosophy as well. An example is that people lost children much more often.