Mountain Stoic
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Kevin was first exposed to Stoicism by a fortuitous twist of fate in a middle school Latin course, where he came to be known by the name of 'Epictetus' after finding a copy of The Golden Sayings on his family bookshelf. He has been writing about Stoic Philosophy at MountainStoic.com since 2014.
Mountain Stoic
1y ago
“Like you are glad to improve your fund, and another is glad to improve his car, so I am glad to understand that every day I improve myself and that every day I am able to be happy and beautiful.”
— Franco Scalenghe
On September 15, 2023 Franco Scalenghe returned to the cosmos. It may be the case that Dear Franco’s is not a household name for the modern student of Stoicism – but he should be. I had the deep privilege to communicate with him during my formative studies in Stoicism and Hellenistic philosophy. He was always willing to offer a helpful answer, clarification, or advice to my quest ..read more
Mountain Stoic
3y ago
Today I find that my prohairesis is presented with impressions of the physical and mental manifestations of anxiety. Two questions then must follow.
The first: is this impression actually what it reports to be? So I must know what the impression tells me it is. An impression which carries with it the symptoms of anxiety, recommends that some current or future apparent evil exists. In a less technical vocabulary, it presents as if there is or will be some serious threat. So I look at the situation and I asked myself, does there appear to be such a threat? Is the apparent evil a real evil? I ..read more
Mountain Stoic
3y ago
I just began reading a new publication from our esteemed colleague Franco Scalenghe. Franco is a skilled linguist and student of philosophy. One of his several foci is translations of Greek technical vocabulary in Italian and English. In the linked document, Franco takes aim at φύσις ( “physis” ), which is often translated simply as “Nature” in English by pretty much every translator across all time periods.
Franco offers that “the nature of things” is often (about 40% of the time) the clearer reading. This document is a discussion on that very topic.
https://www.academia.edu/48585894/Nature ..read more
Mountain Stoic
4y ago
I was pursuing a discussion in the Traditional Stoicism group on FB, (probably the highest level discussion on FB) when I came across a comment on ἀταραξία. There is a common trope I see in online Stoic circles that ἀταραξία is Epicurean, and ἀπάθεια is Stoic. While it is true that these words connote roughly into the two camps, it’s not as if one has unilateral claim versus the other. Epictetus uses the word ἀταραξία at least twice (that I could quickly find at the speed of online discussions).
Discourses 2, Chapter 1, Line 21 ..read more
Mountain Stoic
4y ago
I just finished reading this (draft) article by John Sellars, “Philosophy as Medicine: Stoicism and Cognitive Psychotherapy”. It’s a good read even as a draft, and came to me at an opportune time. I don’t think this counts as a citation in his notes, but I will point you to the original publication link. He begins by touching on the history of philosophy as a therapeutic, not for philosophy itself by for our minds, souls. This is be written for a non-Stoic audience, and will probably touch much ground that we have covered here, and I would suspects all my readers have covered ..read more
Mountain Stoic
4y ago
Then, in some great hour of your life, when you stand face to face with some awful trial, when the structure of your ambition and life-work crumbles in a moment, you will be brave. You can then fold your arms calmly, look out undismayed and undaunted upon the ashes of your hope, upon the wreck of what you have faithfully built, and with brave heart and unfaltering voice you may say: “So let it be—I will build again.”
— William George Jordan, “The Majesty of Calmness”
From Self Control, Its Kingship and Majesty, 1905
Seneca gives us the advice to teach, coach, and gently chide o ..read more
Mountain Stoic
4y ago
For a little more on the “good passions,” see this older post here: https://mountainstoic.com/2017/06/22/good-passions ..read more
Mountain Stoic
4y ago
“Connectedness is of the essence of all things of all types. It is of the essence of types, that they be connected. Abstraction from connectedness involves the omission of an essential factor in the fact considered. No fact is merely itself. The penetration of literature and art at their height arises from our dumb sense that we have passed beyond mythology; namely, beyond the myth of isolation.”
— Alfred North Whitehead, Modes of Thought
I’ve been trying to make use of some additional time to restart my Stoic practice. I’ve been away for too long, and I’m find it difficult. Epictetus is cor ..read more
Mountain Stoic
4y ago
I have my issues with The Daily Stoic, but this crossed my transom, and I think it is a useful help regarding our perspective. I myself have been experiencing some anxiety over COVID-19, but more so due to the second and third tier consequences of it ..read more