---
     layout: default
     tabtitle: Stoicismv1
     title: Stoicismv1
     tags: philosophy
---

<article>
     <h1>Stoicismv1</h1>
     <p>Sherman J. Clark wrote a fantastic article on the Stoicism Today blog in
     December which really spoke to me. It approached some of the questions and
     problems I've had with Stoicism in an elegant and enlightening way, which
     has led to my significantly greater understanding of Stoicism. Notably, and
     what I want to highlight here, were the topics of <i>Selfishness</i>,
     <i>Metaphysics</i>, and <i>Balance</i>.</p>

     <h3>Selfishness</h3>
     <p>I have a difficult time with the idea of a universal brotherhood. I
     cannot properly picture it, nor understand how to approach or pursue it.
     When Stoicism speaks of the importance of community or of a universal
     brotherhood, I generally switch off. Appropriately, I have a difficult time
     understanding how Stoic pursuit is anything but selfish. Everything I
     pursue, everything I read and try to apply, seems to benefit solely me.
     There is an argument to be made that by bettering myself I better others
     around me, but that does not provide a fulfilling conclusion. It doesn't
     actually promote social action, rather it proposes a benefit if I take
     action. I'm looking for a reason to take that action, which seems to be
     lacking. Clark specifically cites this issue towards the end of his
     article: "I do not believe it possible to find within stoicism any
     principle that definitively rules out selfishness or guarantees
     other-regarding behavior." My thoughts exactly. Clark thus proposes that
     the impetus for selflessness, or at least community, comes from the simple
     fact that learning is best done communally. This I can certainly agree
     with, if only considering the obvious fact that I do not know every answer
     to every question, and thus I must seek them from external sources.
     Learning with others promotes diverse opinions and solutions, often outside
     the scope of my approach.</p>

     <p><i>"Not only do we need the insights of others to help us understand our
     world better, but our own experience and understanding is best achieved not
     in isolation but in shared conversation—dialectic."</i></p>

     <p>This point is building block 1; the first of three pieces to a puzzle:
     <b>learning promotes selflessness</b>.</p>

     <h3>Metaphysics</h3>
     <p>To paraphrase Carl Sagan, we are the universe's way of understanding
     itself. To Stoics, the universe is often synonymous with Nature. Living in
     accordance with Nature is basically Stoic virtue. That's a very big
     basically, and a very simplified view of Stoic virtue. However (a) I'm not
     very good at explaining this; and (b) it's a <b>very</b> involved topic. I
     want to touch on it briefly, since it is both covered by Clark and also
     relevant to the discussion. Clark makes a very straight-forward argument
     that Physics, or science to a more general degree, is appropriate as a
     Stoic virtue. Again he touches on the importance of learning, and expands
     it to how science is the means by which we can learn and understand the
     beauty and order of our universe. By learning and understanding more about
     the universe (Nature), we can better live in accordance with Nature. I'm
     simplifying again significantly, but I think it boils down to knowledge.
     Temperance and courage, two significant Stoic virtues, are defined by Clark
     as a symptom of awareness. Temperance is the awareness that what others
     crave is not worth craving after; courage is the awareness that what others
     fear is not worth fearing. If virtues are best defined as properly attuned
     awareness, then what better awareness to develop than the awareness of how
     the universe works? As a computer scientist, and a person who finds great joy
     in understanding systems and why they work, this makes perfect sense to me.
     Building block 2: <b>awareness and understanding is the foundation of
     virtue</b>.

     <h3>Balance</h3>
     <p> By balance, I mean the balance of stoic thought managing emotions. It
     is common for Stoic teaching to be applied to negative emotions and
     situations. Many blogs, books, and classes focus on applying a Stoic
     mindset to stress, anxiety, depression, and the unfavorable situations that
     cause those and other similar types of emotions to arise. Clark is
     quick to propose a more important question: what happens when this approach
     is fully applied? What happens when a full pursuit of Stoicism is taken
     seriously? I appreciate Clark's use of the word "serious" when he speaks of
     this pursuit. It implies to me that half-way applying Stoic thought is an
     immature pursuit. That is to say, similar to an immature fruit tree, you
     have only part of the system available to you. This is often how I've felt.
     I know and understand the power of applying Stoic thought to difficult
     situations. I want to know, as Clark puts it, if there is any room left for
     joy after we've fully applied the Stoic philosophy.</p>

     <p><i>"It is neither appealing nor intellectually honest to take comfort
     from a philosophy that works only if you do not think about it too
     carefully."</i></p>

     <p>Clark investigates 5 possible answers to this dilemma, none of which
     fully answer our question. However, he does propose a solution, and it is a
     solution which resonates with me deeply: "true stoic joy comes through
     comprehension, understanding, and insight." And that's the final building
     block.</p>

     <h2>Completing the Puzzle</h2>
     <p>Putting it all together, what I took from Clark, and what has helped me
     to better understand Stoicism as it applies to me:</p>

     <p><b>True stoic joy comes from learning about our universe,
     together.</b></p>

     <p>This has always been what has brought me the most happiness, but to hear
     it from someone else now makes it much more potent. I think it boils down
     to an affirmation of my discovery by another. Almost ironically so,
     considering one of the first topics I wrote about above was my general
     disregard of community in Stoicism.

     <p>Sherman J. Clark's article can be found on the Stoicism Today blog,
     linked here: [<a
     href="https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/stoicismtoday/2015/12/19/how-now-horatio-the-stoic-joy-of-physics-and-friendship-by-sherman-j-clark/">Link</a>]</p>

     <br /><h4>[Bill Niblock][2016-01-29][Philosophy]</h4>
</article>

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<!-- Notes

Source:
https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/stoicismtoday/2015/12/19/how-now-horatio-the-stoic-joy-of-physics-and-friendship-by-sherman-j-clark/


- Selfish vs community

- Nature
     - nature is the universe
     - we should live in accordance with nature. what does that mean?
     - best way is to constantly seek to understand nature

- Positive and negative emotions
     - Easy to apply stoic practices to negative emotions
     - What happens when applied to positive emotions?
     - "it is neither appealing nor intellectually honest to take comfort from a
       philosophy that works only if you do not think about it too carefully"
     - I like how a full pursuit of Stoicism is often classified by Clark as
       "serious" pursuit. Several implications; importance of the word.
-->

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