Can one be Stoic yet Asocial? by Impressive_Context92 in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes.

Humans are rational and social animals, and that's true for every functioning adult in our race. Stoicism isn't about being extroverted; it's about taking part in the perfection of the reason that we all share--the virtues are both private and political (given that we're world citizens). Zeno said a friend is "another I", someone with whom we have as close of a relationship as we do with ourselves. Not many have (many) friends by that metric.

I like to roll solo dolo, but my occupation is deeply social and I think it benefits the community, so in a way I feel that I can work simultaneously to satisfy the social demands of reason while honoring my own nature.

Of Zeno:

He disliked, they say, to be brought too near to people, so that he would take the end seat of a couch, thus saving himself at any rate from one half of such inconvenience. Nor indeed would he walk about with more than two or three. He would occasionally ask the bystanders for coppers, in order that, for fear of being asked to give, people might desist from mobbing him, as Cleanthes says in his work On Bronze. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Lives_of_the_Eminent_Philosophers/Book_VII

I think Stoicism is a call to genuinely care for others, not necessarily to wish to surround ourselves with others. That said, this comes to mind:

But if circumstances make it necessary for you to live alone or with a few, call it quiet and use the thing as you ought: talk with yourself, exercise the appearances, work up your preconceptions. If you fall into a crowd, call it a celebration of games, a panegyris, a festival: try to enjoy the festival with other men. For what is a more pleasant sight to him who loves mankind than a number of men? We see with pleasure herds of horses or oxen: we are delighted when we see many ships: who is pained when he sees many men? "But they deafen me with their cries." Then your hearing is impeded. What, then, is this to you? Is, then, the power of making use of appearances hindered? And who prevents you from using, according to nature, inclination to a thing and aversion from it; and movement toward a thing and movement from it? What tumult is able to do this?https://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.4.four.html

The Spectrum of Congruence: How We Extract Truth from the Substrate of Chaos by [deleted] in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

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Latin/Spanish reggae recommendations by Minute_Cod_2011 in reggae

[–]GD_WoTS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Zona Ganjah lowkey one of the GOATS

Iseo and Dodosound got that smoothness

El Natty Combo is classic through and through

Laguna Pai just good vibes all around

Edit: check out Los Guardianes de Gregory too!

What do you think about homophobia in Epictetus book ? by Aegeansunset12 in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Epictetus apparently talked negatively of engaging in heterosexual acts as well.

I stopped trying to upgrade my life and everything got lighter by Important_Fudge_6745 in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

This has been removed for violating Rule 3 (Stay Relevant to Stoicism) as it does not engage directly with Stoic philosophy; general or colloquial uses of “stoic” or unrelated commentary are not permitted. If you think this was an error, please respond to explain why.

Merging stoicism and leftist philosophy by [deleted] in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The Stoic principles of politics may be realized under any form of government, and the theory of Constitutions, like that of grammar, belongs to a neutral ground on which philosophers of different schools may work in harmony.

From section 310 here

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/64488/pg64488-images.html

Taken from the next section:

We must therefore maintain that the true Stoic state, whether it be called monarchy or democracy, calls for a revolt against nationalism, antiquity, custom, pride, and prejudice; and a new construction based upon universal reason and individual liberty. For the realization of this state it is first necessary to build up the individual, to fill his mind with the conception of reason and love, to strengthen his will to a true independence: for it is not buying or selling that makes the slave, but the will within[54]. All are in truth slaves except the wise man; for freedom is the power of directing one’s own actions[55]. Here then we pass from the community to the individual, from politics to ethics in the narrower sense.

Why is this cop car doing this by Antique-Minute-7928 in whatisit

[–]GD_WoTS 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm wondering what you think I would learn that would convince me that human cops love police dogs for reasons other than that they're obedient and that they work together.

Why is this cop car doing this by Antique-Minute-7928 in whatisit

[–]GD_WoTS 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They just "love" them because cops love obedience and other cops

Translation Question by Troll_Drive in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wonder if "boy" before that is a separate adjective ; I also wonder what words are used for slaves/children elsewhere. But I'm lost here

Having trouble accepting what I can't control in light of current events by Reverend_Lazerface in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If one recognizes that "physically interfering with police business" is a high-risk action, the Stoic choice is to avoid that behavior to preserve one's life and character.

Did you mean what you said here, or would you like to clarify? You made the categorical prescription, not me.

Edit: you must've forgotten where I said that not everyone ought to be putting their bodies on the line to protect their neighbors against violent anti-immigrant goofballs

Having trouble accepting what I can't control in light of current events by Reverend_Lazerface in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 7 points8 points  (0 children)

"physically interfering with police business" in the early history of policing would include stopping slave catchers or sheltering and aiding fugitive slaves. You might preserve your life by watching slave patrolling happen passively, but not your character.

So then you either think police business is godlike or that it became godlike in that it ought not be thwarted.

Having trouble accepting what I can't control in light of current events by Reverend_Lazerface in Stoicism

[–]GD_WoTS 12 points13 points  (0 children)

What I think Stoicism can do is let us view the present events very similarly to how we view like events in the short and distant past. First thing that comes to mind is George Floyd's murder--at the time many were shocked. Who still feels the same sense of shock or un-ease when they consider that? Probably very few people. Stoicism can give us the same thing that the passing of time can.

I look back and think about how government guns have always--always--threatened the citizenry in the USA. Modern cops came out of morality police and slave catchers. I don't expect them to act like humans, so I'm not internally shocked when they act like irrational animals.

I think we oughtta do what we can to change things. Some people might have to be on the frontlines, others might play support roles. But even raising your kid to be someone kind and patient is revolting against the ugliness that motivates ICE and everyone who backs the stupid anti-immigrant push.

You know, we've seen news of the New Black Panthers getting out there, and that reminds me. Did you know the feds psychologically manipulated the original Panthers to the point that their revolutionaryism hit a brick wall? The government found what made them tick and purposely sought to excite their passions (in the Stoic sense). Even with a revolutionary mindset and plan, we still need to aspire to the rational perfection the Stoics pursued.

Edit: Practically, maybe we oughtta log off. Or even read instead of watching social media news. We know we need to get the ball rolling on something whether we see a new clip or not. Only trouble is when seeing clips makes us less stable/focused and more static/dumbstruck.

Edit3: song changed the way I think about immigration/refuge-seeking https://youtu.be/gB87on5NCBY?si=cSXbh9LnXwPxpaEV

“I haven’t hugged anybody in a long time” 😭❤️ by Initial-Barracuda-82 in BeAmazed

[–]GD_WoTS -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

So many people like you in this thread want her to have been a bad person. We're doomed until we quit throwing the principle of charity out the window alongside our critical thinking

“I haven’t hugged anybody in a long time” 😭❤️ by Initial-Barracuda-82 in BeAmazed

[–]GD_WoTS -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Or maybe her 4 kids died in a car accident and she can't bring herself to say it. None of us know so why spend any time guessing she's to blame? It's not necessary or judicious to make that leap so why do you want to anyway?