Musonius Rufus, Lectures 2.2

Now in the care of the sick we demand no one but the physician to be free from error, and in handling the lyre no one but the musician, and in managing the helm no one but the pilot, but in the conduct of life it is no longer only the philosopher whom we expect to be free from error, though he alone would seem to be the only one concerned with the study of virtue, but all men alike, including those who have never given any attention to virtue.

Clearly, then, there is no explanation for this other than that the human being is born with an inclination toward virtue. And this indeed is strong evidence of the presence of goodness in our nature, that all speak of themselves as having virtue and being good. 

I recall being told as a young pup that we now lived in the age of the experts, where everyone was quite good at knowing about something, while no one could make sense of everything.

Well, I’m fairly sure it’s always been that way; Musonius describes a world that is rather similar. If I want my car fixed, I go to a mechanic. If I want to resolve a lawsuit, I go to a lawyer. If I want to get some money, I go to a banker.

Do I know that the mechanic isn’t making up fake problems? No, because I don’t know everything about how my car runs. Do I know that the lawyer isn’t playing games with me? No, because I don’t have all those rows of books in my office. Do I know that the banker isn’t sucking me dry? No, because he lends to me on terms I can never understand.

Leave all of that aside. A nice car, or a clean legal record, or a perfect credit score never make the man. They tell me all the time that it does, but I now know that it doesn’t. At some point, through the whole smokescreen, I saw something important, that the measure of my worth was never about where I lived, or which people I knew, our how much money I was able to borrow.

The measure of my worth is my own virtue. No one ever gives it to me, and no one ever takes it away from me, and it requires nothing more than what Nature has already provided for me.

Wait, which expert do I go to find out more about this? Is there a special class? Do I need to earn a degree? Who is qualified to fix it my life?

Only I am qualified, just as every other human being on the face of the earth is equally qualified. No experts, no classes, no degrees, no further requirements.

There is no product to be bought, and no greater price to be paid.

Do I have the power of reason? Yes, I am able to think for myself.

Do I have the power of will? Yes, I am able to choose for myself.

Am I faced with the most basic world of experience? Of course, I confront the reality of pleasure and pain, of riches and poverty, of ease and hardship, in each day of my life.

And that is all I need to make a judgment, and to make a decision.

“But what about the philosophers? Shouldn’t we listen to them? They are the experts, they are the professionals!”

Distinguo. Define your terms. Do you mean the man who spends his life writing books about the theory of the true and the false, the right and the wrong? Perhaps you can learn something wonderfully abstract from him, but look at what he cares most about. When you are in the dirt, will he personally help you up? Of course not; he needs to earn tenure.

Do you mean the man who spends his life living with prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice, even as he earns little money, does his work quietly, and is treated like a freak? You can certainly learn something quite practical from him, and you can see quite clearly what he cares about. When you are in the dirt, he will personally help you up; he has nothing to care for but his own convictions.

The first is the expert, while the second is the everyman. The real philosopher is a thinking man, and he is a good man. No letters after his name will ever make him better, and the only expertise he needs is an informed conscience. I can do that, you can do that, and there is no need for specialized training.

By all means, look to your doctor to tell you what is wrong with your body. If he is a decent one, he will give you personal comfort along with your medicine. When it comes to the health of your soul, however, you need no doctors; you already have your cure, given to you, and to all of us, by Nature. You may choose to live through truth and love.

Some are made for this or that trade, but all are made for virtue.

Written in 4/1999