This conference on Stoicism is right on the mark and much better than last year. I really appreciate the participants and the conference organizers for the wonderful lectures and being on target with Stoic Philosophy. Although some may think it redundant to talk about Stoicism when you can just read about it, talking about such simple things as, " Know what is in your power and what is not," and, " The Stoic word for emotion may be misinterpreted/misunderstood in English," are extremely helpful to hear and to see others conversing about them. Thank you and please do not stop reaching out to others and please have another conference next year.
A comment on the questions asked reminds me of why Socrates asked so many questions, to get us to ask these questions of ourselves, examine our own life and beliefs. Like virtue, what is virtue, how do we define virtue? Ask that question of ourselves and question the answers endlessly until we have arrived at a person definition to live by. Of course, the definition that we create, will have subsegments which requires additional questions and definitions creating our own person rules for living. But, as the Stoics also embraced was the concept of change. Rules for living aren't hard and fast, rather they are fluid. New experiences cause us to reflect on our definitions of virtue as well as new perspectives we learn from others.
Thank you John Sellars. Great info about "first movements" (pre-passions) and the acknowledgement of the self-preservation instinct by Stoics. Sellars says in his book that oikieousis is the "basis for all Stoic ethics". Stoicism is life-affirming and not life-denying, the latter of which is often seen in the East.
Excellent, a lot of unhappiness stems from comparing, competing and feeling too dependent on outer factors (people, circumstances) when in fact when we try and find our own "nature" - qualities that we possess and can improve, then we move from the uncertain effects from outside to a progress from within our own character.
I found the last bit fascinating. I was diagnosed late in life (my fifties) as having an ASC (Aspergers), and suffer from depression but weirdly I have found that taking anti-depressants for the first time several weeks ago, has had a positive effect on my social anxiety, as has my recent interest in stoicism. Any thoughts peeps?
I think it is instructive to ask how did Stoics/Stoicism get so mangles and misaligned in popular culture? I suspect it is not based more on the critics of Stoicism but rather the proponents of other philosophies.
So the underlying idea, which good passions are based on, is the idea that it must always be good and can never be bad? What, then, about things where one must experience pain or suffering, but the sum total is one of good?
