In times of uncertainty - financial, moral or otherwise - it's helpful to go back to basics and, in terms of Western culture, it doesn't get more fundamental than the Greek philosophers. Socrates famously said that “the unexamined life is not worth living”, which to my mind means that those who fail to reflect on their lives go on making the same mistakes.
It's also an inspiring thought to start any blog, hinting at the richness of life for all those willing to dig below the surface, whether it's through scientific discovery, or just reading a book or writing a diary and trying to make sense of the world. Socrates was also telling us to never accept anything on face value and always think for ourselves. That's lesson No.1.
Socrates also argued that no-one does evil willingly, on the philosophical basis that causing harm to others only causes ourselves harm. Some might say, "well, what about Hitler?", and Socrates would argue that his education was devoid of the “arete” (excellence or virtue) that we should all aspire to. When considering any crime, whether it's the spate of stabbings in London or corporate greed, it's important to both punish and understand. That's lesson No.2.
Plato witnessed the trial of Socrates and never forgave the city of Athens for making his greatly esteemed mentor suffer. Plato then took it upon himself to disseminate the teachings of Socrates, and established the Academy. Plato’s writings start Socratic and end Platonic, i.e. they initially record the teachings of Socrates in dialogue form and then progress to his own ideas.
In Plato’s ideal Republic, women also have the capacity to become “philosopher rulers” – an astonishingly feminist claim in the Ancient World. Plato tells us that there are absolutes in life and that we must settle for nothing less than getting as close as possible, with every ounce of our being, to such ideals (like Justice or Bravery). Although perfection can never be achieved that shouldn't stop us using it as our target. That's lesson No.3.
As Plato followed Socrates, Aristotle followed Plato, establishing the Lyceum whose followers were called the peripatetics (the wanderers). He wrote the first self-help book known as the Nicomachean ethics, which insisted that the good life can only be pursued by recognising our shortcomings and facing up to them. One of his big ideas was the Doctrine of the Mean (in this case mean means average), advising us to reject extremes of behaviour and conduct, in favour of a more balanced idea of ethics. For example:
“Courage in one situation is recklessness in another”
“Cowardice in one situation is due caution in another”
For me, Aristotle was saying that we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves whenever we fail to live up to our own expectations or those of others. And anyway, even if we don't have all the qualities we would like as human beings, more important is adapting to each new situation and knowing when to use our talents accordingly. That's lesson No.4.
After Aristotle came the Epicureans, who put a strong emphasis on the value of community. Pleasure for them is always attained in the context of moderation and known as “ataraxia” – freedom from worry, confusion or conflict. This is central to the philosophy of Epicurus, who rejected any belief in the supernatural to focus on the quality of our human relationships in the here and now. This is so important to remember in these times of rising Christian and Muslim fundamentalism, that we should never sacrifice humans on the altar of religion. That's lesson No.5.
At the same time as the Epicurean way of life flourished, Zeno established the school of Stoicism. Both societies had a significant influence on Christianity, and Epicureans and Stoics were always in conflict. While Epicureans rejected involvement in public life, the Stoics said that the only way to a good life is to participate fully, while also accepting our own free will and limitations. A key belief of the Stoics was “don’t try to exert control over those things which you have no control”, an important reminder during all the doom and gloom of the current financial meltdown.
Well, that was lesson No.6 and the last of my Greek learnings, but because I like the pagan poetry of the number 7, I have a final lesson all of my own ...
Smile
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