Cynic philosophers recognized three related and interdependent concepts of freedom, and we would do well to do the same — “What is the most beautiful thing in the world?” “Freedom,” replied Diogenes of Sinope. (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, VI.69) These days there is much talk of freedom, and just as little understanding of what it is and what it entails. Especially in the United States, certain people seem…

Here is a thing or two that the Roman statesman Cicero could teach our modern politicians… — [This is the last installment of a six-part series on Cicero’s political philosophy. Here are parts I, II, III, IV, and V. The series is based on Cicero’s Skepticism and His Recovery of Political Philosophy, by Walter Nicgorski] “For there is no other endeavor in which human virtue more nearly…

Why I left Twitter and Facebook, and you might want to consider doing the same — Until recently, I was very active on Twitter and Facebook, sporting a somewhat enviable (my publicists tell me) following of about 50 thousand on Twitter and regularly participating to a popular forum on Stoicism, with 100 thousand members, on Facebook. Then I suddenly quit both. …

Here we go again, seems like I just need to write one more essay about free will… — Imagine that the two of us, dear reader, are living in the year 31 BCE on the western coast of Greece. It is the evening of September the first, and we have been paying attention to the latest developments of the ongoing struggle between Octavian and Mark Anthony, marking the…

A collection of articles on implementing the wisdom of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius in our daily life — My Philosophy as Way of Life (PWOL) series of essays has now being going on since July 2018, and has produced 393 articles and counting. Naturally, people have a tendency to focus on the latest entries, but — if I may be forgiven for saying so — some of the…

Which system of government is best? Here’s an ancient answer that can teach us a lot — “Our political community is not the work of a single genius but of many, nor was it formed in the life of one person but over a number of generations and centuries.” (Cicero, De Re Publica II.2) What sort of system of government work best for human beings? This is…

When someone important and of questionable character dies, should we make fun of them? — “His last words heard among mortals — after he had let out a louder sound from that part with which he found it easier to communicate — were as follows: ‘Good heavens. I think I’ve shat myself.’ Well, I don’t know about that, but he certainly shat up everything else.”…

I spent a few hours on soil that has seen millennia of fascinating human history. It’s well worth reflecting on it — The story goes that one day Zeus seduced and impregnated yet another mortal woman, Leto. Hera, Zeus wife, was royally pissed off. As usual. So Hera banished Leto from earth. …

An unabashed purveyor of nonsense keeps getting invited to international conference on science and philosophy — “Sheldrake’s book [A New Science of Life] is a splendid illustration of the widespread public misconception of what science is about. In reality, Sheldrake’s argument is in no sense a scientific argument but an exercise in pseudo-science.” (John Maddox, then editor of Nature magazine) Next week I will once again…