David Underhill – 06 Dec to
08 Dec 04 (Week 16) – Stoicism
Monday: 425-448
The
Enchiridion
(Epictetus) (425) – “ready at hand” (handbook)
- There are things within
your power (opinion) and beyond your power (body, property, reputation,
office)
- Desire demands one to
achieve certain things
- Objects are the “merest
trifles” and you can bear their loss (whether they be a cup or a person)
- Think about what you do
before acting (increases safety)
- People are upset by
their own views only – do not try to make others feel as you do
- Do not be happy at
others excellence; make their excellence yours (“I have a handsome horse”)
- If called on by a
superior, go immediately and without hesitation for everything you leave
behind
- Wish for things to
happen as they do
- Do not allow problems
to affect your will
- If troubled, figure out
what you can do to overcome it
- Possess your things as
if they are not yours so that if they are taken you can say they are
restored, not lost
- Do not allow a servant
to disturb you because he has no powers
- Do not let others think
you are intelligent
- Wish for nothing
outside of your power if you wish to free
- If you can avoid taking
worldly pleasures you can rule with the Gods
- Accommodate those who
suffer but do not join them (internally at least)
- Act your role in life
- I can derive advantage
from anything that happens
- To be free, ignore
things outside of your power
- Do not allow anything
but your own opinions to provoke you
- Daily consider death
(but do not desire it)
- Persistence earns
admiration; caving in earns ridicule
- If you pay attention to
external forces, you will ruin your life
- Hold status through
maintaining honor
- Pay the price for goods
for they are to your advantage
- If affected by
something, remember how it would have affected you if it occurred to someone
else
- There is no evil nature
- Do not speak your mind
to “revilers” (do not criticize?)
- Understand the
perquisites and consequences of any action you take
- “Duties are measured by
relations” – another cannot hurt you
- Withdraw yourself from
things outside your own power
- You should be
indifferent to all events because you can use all of them
- Speak concisely
- Do no allow pleasure to
subdue you
- Act publicly – do not
fear those who criticize you (because they are wrong)
- Be courteous to your
host
- Do not try to do more
than you can
- Be careful not to hurt
your mind
- There is a measure of
how many possessions you may have
- Young women are
flattered to be called mistresses; they keep their hope in their beauty
and jewelry
- Focus on the mind – do
not spend much time on the body
- Those you perceive to
be wrong still believe themselves to be right
- Everything has two
handles – one which can be used, another which cannot
- One cannot be superior
due to wealth, eloquence, etc – a person is not made of those things
- Do not judge appearances
(motive is what counts)
- Display your principles
through action
- Do not brag about your
strengths
- A philosopher looks to
oneself for all help and harm – never to others
- Interpret and analyze –
do not just read or listen
- Follow your own rules
as laws
Roman
Stoicism
(French) (437)
- Note: this is a very
minimal summary
- Romans prided practical
achievements
- Romans evaluated moral
theories with the “gut-check” method
- Stoicism – we desire
good but have little control over what we crave so we must reconsider what
we depend on for happiness
- We always have control
of our will and so can decide what makes us happy
Wednesday: 411-424; 449-454
Leaders
and Moral Warriors (Lucas) (413)
- Stockdale did exactly
as his country ordered
- He was captured and
treated very inhumanely by enemies who did not believe war had rules
- His country disowned
him and called the war he fought for them dishonorable
- Despite this, Stockdale
persevered, relying on teachings by Epictetus
- He not only comforted
himself but commanded those imprisoned with him through the terrible
times
- Stoicism – school of
thought which gave rise to natural law, natural lights, and moral equality
Courage
Under Fire
(Stockdale) (415)
- Stockdale was bored
studying international relations at Stanford
- He entered a philosophy
class mid-term and was engrossed
- From this he got his
inspiration and dedication
- His professor
introduced him to Epictetus
- Read all of his
readings twice (through two translations); felt he had a very modern
voice
- Philosophy in general
and particularly that of Epictetus changed him for the better he thought
- Made him somewhat
anti-organizational, though not anti-military (Roman Stoics: “Life is
being a soldier”)
- Everyone should play
the game of life as best as possible but life is like a ball – after the
game, the ball is not what matters
- When shot down,
Stockdale landed in a town where he was promptly tackled (his leg was
broken badly)
- He remembered
Epictetus #9 and was comforted, however
- He also recalled in
Korea reporters had said American POWs acted like it was every man for
himself
- Turned out to be
selective reporting, but made him feel like a “man on a mission” when he
became a POW
- Eisenhower had
created the Code of Conduct (“I will keep faith with my fellow
prisoners”)
- The broken leg
eventually healed up and turned out to be a minor setback
- The camp shocked all
the POWs
- However, they did not
allow people to get down on themselves – they’d ask for their name and
say we’re all in it
- This was a turning
point in many lives
- Epictetus said fear
and other emotions were a result of your will – helped Stockdale through
imprisonment
- Organized the camp
through a tap code
- Principle 1: BACK US –
Don’t bow, stay off the air, admit no crimes, never kiss them goodbye,
and unity over self
- Always negotiate for
everyone, not just yourself
- Resulted in Viet
Cong’s propaganda failing
- Americans used
sentences with double-meanings and jokes that native western speakers
would pick up on
- Forced Viet Cong to
use the 5% of the POWs who refused to join Stockdale’s organization
- Never charged with
courts-martial
- Viet Cong tried to
break their will by offering to send some home early or put the leaders in
jail
- He advocated that none
try to get out – others quickly agreed
- He and his top men put
in solitary
- He never tried to
preach philosophy while a prisoner
- After Ho Chi Minh died
he was threatened with death so he tried to kill himself
- Viet Cong save him
because they have to start treating prisoners humane
- The world spotlight is
now focusing on them and a mistake could ruin their chances of ending the
war
A
Vietnam Experience, Duty (Stockdale) (449)
- He was addressing West Point (1979)
- Explained a little
about stoicism – each has a role in life and we must play well regardless
of its importance
- Why a man must keep his
word (Locke)
- 1) God requires it
- 2) Society requires it
- 3) Not to keep your
word is dishonest (shows duty can be understood without external laws)
- “Kant explained the
function of the human mind”
- Moral obligation
requires us to obey the laws we make for ourselves
- Duty’s obligation is
unconditional
- Obligations of an
officer
- 1) Must be a moralist
– exemplifies good
- 2) You must be a
jurist – able to make decisions of right and wrong
- Warning: your laws
may be unpopular, but you must still uphold them
- 3) Teachers are as indispensable
as leaders
- 4) Must be a steward –
take care of your men
- 5) Must be a philosopher
to understand that morals are not always rewarded and evil is not always
punished
- “The test of character
is … performance of duty and persistence of example when you know that no
light is coming.”