The Philosophical Debate Thread

[Mr. Charlie]

I seem to have hijacked this thread and turned it into the spirituality, maybe even religious (oh no! ), thread. I now endeavour get it back on track. If only for a little while.

I like philosophy. And am grateful to it. Not modern philosophy which concerns itself with arguing whether certain philosophical statements are true or not, and largely consists of arrogant, thinly veiled vein displays of one's intellectual prowess. Not abstract philosophy either. But practical philosophy. Old school philosophy. The philosophy of men like Socrates, Diogenes and Epicurus. Philosophy that when put into practise brings peace and contentment, philosophy that teaches one to extract the essential oil from each and every experience.

I was particularly keen on Stoicism for a time, it served as an important stepping stone, and helped me during a period of my life when nothing else - not sex, drugs, alcohol, materialsm, or money - would.

I suppose we only turn to philosophy (maybe religion too) when things ain't quite right, when wordly pleasures no longer scratch the itch, when all other avenues have been exhausted. It's certainly true in my own case at any rate. It certainly seems that the last place we think of looking for what we need is ourselves - and yet that is precisely where all good philosophy tells you to go a-digging.

Let's see what those dusty old Stoics were on about:











Good books on Stoicism? Marcus Aurelius' 'Meditations', Lucius Annaeus Seneca's 'On The Shortness of Life' and Epictetus' 'The Enchiridion'.

Heed the words of old Marcus Aurelius:

"Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig".