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Ethics begins at home, a personal update
According to the Stoics, a eudaimonic life — that is, a life worth living — is one in which we use reason in the service of the human cosmopolis. Which is why a bit more than five years ago, coming out of a more or less typical midlife crisis, I embraced Stoicism as my chosen philosophy of life. As Seneca puts it:
“Virtue is nothing else than right reason.” (Letters to Lucilius, LXVI.32)
The emphasis, of course, being on right. But what does it mean to live a Stoic life? There are several possible answers to this question. One can, for instance, use the four cardinal virtues (practical wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance) as a kind of a moral compass, paying attention (prosochē) to what one is doing here and now, particularly to the ethical valence of one’s decisions and actions. Is this thing that I am about to do wise, courageous, just, and temperate? If yes, let’s go ahead; if no, abstain. Another approach is to constantly practice Epictetus’ famous three disciplines: desire and aversion, action, and assent.
I do both, by means of a series of more specific techniques and exercises that I have learned and adapted to my own needs and circumstances over the past several years. One additional thing I do, however, is to periodically check with myself in terms of how I am doing, ethically speaking.
