What a man applies himself to earnestly, that he naturally loves. Do men
then apply themselves earnestly to the things which are bad? By no means.
Well,
do they apply themselves to things which in no way concern themselves? Not to
these either.
It remains, then, that they employ themselves earnestly only
about things which are good; and if they are earnestly employed about things,
they love such things also. Whoever, then, understands what is good, can also
know how to love; but he who cannot distinguish good from bad, and things which
are neither good nor bad from both, can he possess the power of loving? To
love, then, is only in the power of the wise. . . .
--Epictetus, Discourses 2.22, tr Long
A first principle of Stoicism is that we desire what we think is good, and we shun what we think is bad. Even when we seek what may in itself be harmful or evil, we remain under the impression that such a thing will somehow do us good. It is only our ignorance of the good, in whatever form, for whatever cause, or to whatever degree, that is at the root of vice.
This model may indeed seem odd for some of us. Surely, the thief, or the liar, or the murderer know full well that what they are doing is wrong? Surely they have a conscience? One must distinguish.They may perhaps only understand principles of what is morally right in a very vague and imprecise way. They may be thinking in one abstract realm, and living in a very different practical one. They may even only fear the shame in the discovery of their acts, and not shun the acts themselves. Or they may, in fact, be fully misguided and misled on the difference between right and wrong.
I have pursued the wrong things often enough to recognize that, as I was choosing them and acting upon them, I really thought that they were best.
We hesitate, and I think rightly, to label people as being without a conscience, or of being 'bad' people. We need not become angry, vindictive, or dismissive of others ourselves, for then we become just like those people we too quickly condemn. Perhaps we can, in genuine justice, concern, and charity, recognize why we all sometimes live poorly, and recognize that the only solution to changing the way we live is to freely change how we think and what we desire.
The grasping, dishonest, or violent man still shares in the same human nature that all of us share. The only difference is that he has a very different sense of the identity of the good than does the virtuous man. So I can practice virtue in return, and I can help him, in whatever way I am able, to see that true good.
Here, then, is the core of Epictetus' argument. If we only desire what is good for us, it is our judgment of the good that will determine whether we live well, or we live poorly. If I cannot rightly distinguish right from wrong to begin with, I can hardly live with decency. This is why wisdom is necessary to love, because I can hardly love rightly if I don not know what to love, and why to love it.
Don't confuse the wise man, the philosopher, simply with someone who is well read or educated. Sometimes those two go together well, and sometimes they don't. Consider the philosopher, the lover of wisdom, as the man who understands who he is, why he is here, and therefore how he should go about living.
Stoicism always stresses the direct and immediate link between judgment and action. Show me someone who treats his neighbors poorly, and I can fairly tell that we have someone who thinks poorly about himself and others. Conversely, show me someone who judges wrongly of all the wrong things, and I am inclined to predict that he is not yet able to practice true justice and friendship.
The Stoic will say that a man's good is measured by his own thoughts, decisions, and actions, by what is within his power. Accordingly, such a person will act in a way that shows virtue, or moral excellence, to be the highest human good. The traditional Cardinal Virtues of the Ancients were prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. He will treat both himself and his fellows with love and respect, because he recognizes that we all share in that very same nature and purpose.
Now imagine if we were to replace such goods with other apparent goods. If I desire pleasure, or power, or wealth, or fame, the Stoic would say that I have replaced the internal, of something that is within my power, with what is external, of that which outside of my power. My own actions toward others will now become measured by how effectively they give me access to the externals I desire. Such a man will now appear to be honest, fair, or peaceful with his neighbor if these actions bring him the worldly success he craves, but he will just as readily be dishonest, unfair, and violent if he thinks these actions will bring him what he desires.
What I truly love, whether it be the internal or the external, virtue or position, will determine most everything about my character. It will also determine who and what I love, and how I treat all those people we all call our 'friends'.
A first principle of Stoicism is that we desire what we think is good, and we shun what we think is bad. Even when we seek what may in itself be harmful or evil, we remain under the impression that such a thing will somehow do us good. It is only our ignorance of the good, in whatever form, for whatever cause, or to whatever degree, that is at the root of vice.
This model may indeed seem odd for some of us. Surely, the thief, or the liar, or the murderer know full well that what they are doing is wrong? Surely they have a conscience? One must distinguish.They may perhaps only understand principles of what is morally right in a very vague and imprecise way. They may be thinking in one abstract realm, and living in a very different practical one. They may even only fear the shame in the discovery of their acts, and not shun the acts themselves. Or they may, in fact, be fully misguided and misled on the difference between right and wrong.
I have pursued the wrong things often enough to recognize that, as I was choosing them and acting upon them, I really thought that they were best.
We hesitate, and I think rightly, to label people as being without a conscience, or of being 'bad' people. We need not become angry, vindictive, or dismissive of others ourselves, for then we become just like those people we too quickly condemn. Perhaps we can, in genuine justice, concern, and charity, recognize why we all sometimes live poorly, and recognize that the only solution to changing the way we live is to freely change how we think and what we desire.
The grasping, dishonest, or violent man still shares in the same human nature that all of us share. The only difference is that he has a very different sense of the identity of the good than does the virtuous man. So I can practice virtue in return, and I can help him, in whatever way I am able, to see that true good.
Here, then, is the core of Epictetus' argument. If we only desire what is good for us, it is our judgment of the good that will determine whether we live well, or we live poorly. If I cannot rightly distinguish right from wrong to begin with, I can hardly live with decency. This is why wisdom is necessary to love, because I can hardly love rightly if I don not know what to love, and why to love it.
Don't confuse the wise man, the philosopher, simply with someone who is well read or educated. Sometimes those two go together well, and sometimes they don't. Consider the philosopher, the lover of wisdom, as the man who understands who he is, why he is here, and therefore how he should go about living.
Stoicism always stresses the direct and immediate link between judgment and action. Show me someone who treats his neighbors poorly, and I can fairly tell that we have someone who thinks poorly about himself and others. Conversely, show me someone who judges wrongly of all the wrong things, and I am inclined to predict that he is not yet able to practice true justice and friendship.
The Stoic will say that a man's good is measured by his own thoughts, decisions, and actions, by what is within his power. Accordingly, such a person will act in a way that shows virtue, or moral excellence, to be the highest human good. The traditional Cardinal Virtues of the Ancients were prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. He will treat both himself and his fellows with love and respect, because he recognizes that we all share in that very same nature and purpose.
Now imagine if we were to replace such goods with other apparent goods. If I desire pleasure, or power, or wealth, or fame, the Stoic would say that I have replaced the internal, of something that is within my power, with what is external, of that which outside of my power. My own actions toward others will now become measured by how effectively they give me access to the externals I desire. Such a man will now appear to be honest, fair, or peaceful with his neighbor if these actions bring him the worldly success he craves, but he will just as readily be dishonest, unfair, and violent if he thinks these actions will bring him what he desires.
What I truly love, whether it be the internal or the external, virtue or position, will determine most everything about my character. It will also determine who and what I love, and how I treat all those people we all call our 'friends'.
Written on 2/2002
Image: Hermann Kern, "Good Friends" (1904)
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