Chapter XXVII: The Epicureans The philosophy of Epicurus, like all philosophies at the time with the exception of Scepticism, was designed to secure tranquility. Pleasure was the good. He says in a book on The End of Life, ‘I know not how I can conceive the good, if I withdraw the pleasures of taste and withdraw … Read more
Aristotle was the last philosopher to describe the world cheerfully. Diogynenes and the Cynics who came after saw the world as something to recoil from, as something dangerous and doomed. In the third century BC, Cynicism became the most popular doctrine. But it did not appeal to those who had political, scientific, or artistic ambitions, … Read more
There are two kinds of virtues: intellectual and moral, corresponding to the two parts of the soul. Intellectual virtues result from teaching, moral virtues from habit. To create a virtuous society, you must create laws that cause citizens to acquire good habits. With time, pleasure comes from performing these good habits. The Golden Mean The … Read more
Aristotle is similar to Plato, but with more common sense. His argument for God’s existence is the First Cause: There must be something that begins motion, and this “something” must itself be unmoved and eternal. The object of desire and thought cause movement in this way without being in motion themselves. Unlike the billiard ball … Read more
Plato argues that anything that distracts man from the pursuit of the vision of truth and philosophy should be avoided, and this includes the pleasures of the senses. With each instance of pleasure and pain, the soul becomes more closely identified with the body, until there is no longer any separation. Man becomes a purely … Read more
Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and political greatnessand wisdom meet in one, and those commoner natures who pursue either to the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand aside,cities will never have rest from these evils—no, nor the human race, … Read more
Plato held the aristocratic opinion that only those who were relieved of having to worry about their daily subsistence were capable of gaining wisdom. Who are they? The wealthy and the political elite. But what is wisdom? And how can someone gain political power through wisdom? Perhaps some kind of training is necessary, but what … Read more
The Ancient Greeks emphasized the importance of temperance, but they were extreme in everything, in pure thought, in war, and in sin. Their Prototype was Prometheus who brought fire from heaven, and was rewarded with eternal torment. Pythagoras The nature of mathematical truths is different than those from other sciences, which were derived from false ideas about the world. Astronomy … Read more
Switch is a book about changing your behavior, by understanding the impediments to change in any circumstance. The authors divide the book into three parts: the rider, the elephant, and the path. Imagine that the conscious and rational part of your psyche is the rider, while the unconscious and emotional part of your is the … Read more
Mortimer Adler wrote a book called How to Read a Book, which makes the case for why reading, and gathering information, does not constitute knowledge. He breaks down the different types of reading styles, and the different types of books that exist. To Adler, a book’s primary purpose is to force you to think. Television and … Read more