fbpx

Latest Articles

Posted on

Paul Blaschko: Love the Truth

Dr. Paul Blaschko is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Philosophy Department at Notre Dame University. A philosopher, his primary areas of interest are epistemology and action theory. His research focuses on the nature and normative dimensions of deliberative belief formation, but he’s also interested in theories of practical reason and value, the philosophy of religion, and medieval philosophy. His latest book on virtue ethics with Meghan Sullivan, The Good Life Method, is now available nationwide.

How did you become interested in philosophy?

I came to philosophy through religion. I was raised in a very serious Catholic home, and, fairly early, I started wondering about some of the more surprising things I was taught to believe. My parents bought me some books on apologetics, and I was immediately hooked on the idea that you could give philosophical arguments to defend the things you believe. I spent a good amount of time through high school on the internet, searching out the best philosophical arguments I could find. By then, too, my interests had become broader. I started listening to lectures on Ancient Greek philosophy. I was fascinated by the character of Plato. I tried to emulate him in my everyday life and drove everyone around me completely crazy. 


I think this backstory actually helps explain my approach to philosophy even today. I’m still very interested in approaching philosophy as a “way of life.” With Meghan Sullivan, I developed a course at Notre Dame that introduces students to philosophy by asking them to reflect on big questions that show up in their own experience. I started a program, with help from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to help other philosophers do the same. In these projects, you’ll see the commitment to the practical relevance of philosophy, but also the way in which I think we can meet people where they’re at (often on the internet, or even on platforms like TikTok), and just start doing philosophy together.

What’s the most important concept or idea that you teach people?

That philosophy can be a way of reflecting on, and improving, your life. In the first day of my good life class, I introduce my students to Aristotle’s conception of happiness as “eudaimonia.” We contrast this with simpler, more intuitive notions of happiness as, say, a pleasant emotion. Then we consider a couple arguments. According to Aristotle, our ultimate aim is to achieve eudaimonia, to flourish. This is the ultimate goal, and one that helps explain literally everything that we do.

As we reflect on this together, and as we start to get deeper into Aristotle’s account, students realize that happiness is something you can reflect on. That we can argue about it. And that philosophy is a crucial part of this process. This is just one example, too. When we talk about Marcus Aurelius, we start asking about whether there’s a part of us that is essentially contemplative. We start asking whether we should care more about external goods like wealth and fame, or whether we’ll be happier and more well-balanced if we focus on our inner-lives; on our reactions, emotional attitudes, and virtues.

If you want to live a good life, learn to love the truth. Develop the ability to connect with other people and build true friendships and community, and to ask hard questions about what matters most in life.

Paul Blaschko

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

If you want to live a good life, learn to love the truth. Develop the ability to connect with other people and build true friendships and community, and to ask hard questions about what matters most in life. None of this is easy, but it’s something that we can do with the help of innumerable philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Elizabeth Anscombe, Iris Murdoch, and so on. Philosophy is a living tradition, and it’s one that we can become a part of just by entering into this conversation.

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle says

[W]e are inquiring not in order to know what virtue is, but in order to become good, since otherwise our inquiry would have been of no use.

This is at the core of my approach to philosophy. I don’t think all philosophy needs to be immediately relevant or applicable to everyday life or experience, but the philosophy I’m most interested in — and certainly the philosophy I teach — all is. In a way, too, it also answers to that experience. We can ask questions like What makes a life meaningful? in order to seek out that meaning. And if we find that some philosophical theory of account just doesn’t capture our experience of meaning in life, well that’s a reason to go back and ask some hard questions. Maybe to throw the theory out and see if we can find (or come up with) a replacement.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

I’m all over the internet, so people can follow me on Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Substack. I also recently wrote a book with my colleague Meghan Sullivan, and in it we tell the story of the class we developed at Notre Dame. I love doing philosophy online, too, so send a Tweet my way or tag me in a TikTok, and we can just start dialoguing!

How would you feel about giving a talk or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy, in Athens?

In the first chapter of The Good Life Method, Meghan and I imagine what it’d be like to see Plato walking around Athens, asking inconvenient questions and arguing with the most powerful politicians, artists, and sophists. The idea of inhabiting that world in a more literally way sounds amazing. I’d love to think more about how we can continue to spread the message — through our teaching, research, and public writing — that philosophy can be approached as a meaningful “way of life.”

Posted on

The Honor of a Nation

soldiers in line to get in a plane

A Case for Stoicism in Foreign Policy

by Michael “Mick” Patrick Mulroy, Adam Piercey, and Donald J. Robertson

George Washington was influenced by Stoicism. He was so fond of the Stoic philosopher and Roman statesman, Cato the Younger, that he actually arranged for a play about him to be performed for his soldiers before the battle of Valley Forge. Perhaps the most famous line in that play was:

Better to die ten thousand thousand deaths,
Than wound my honor. 

Jospeh Addison, Cato, a Tragedy

A founding father, the first General, and the first President of the United States, Washington understood the importance of honor.
The Stoics derived four virtues from the teachings of Socrates as the fundamental principles of their philosophy. These were wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation. They believed that people who exhibited all of these principles were honorable.

These four main aspects of virtue or excellence (arete in Greek) each held a specific value for the different activities that a Stoic would carry out in their day-to-day lives.

  • Wisdom was not just knowledge but also the opposition of folly or thoughtlessness, and included the pursuit of reason.
  • Justice meant lawfulness and integrity but also included acts of public service and opposition to injustice or wrongdoing.
  • Courage (or fortitude) was meant to represent brave-heartedness and endurance, but also the opposition of cowardice.
  • Moderation stood for the opposition of excess, and the pursuit of orderliness.

A Stoic would hope to embody all of these traits in their day-to-day activities as they strove to pursue a life of good, and right. As Stoicism became more widespread, the actions of its followers grew in influence, including in the political sphere. As each person’s actions cause effects in those around them, they begin to see the impact of those actions on a greater scale.

The reputation of a nation is made up of the collective actions of its leaders and its people. Does it uphold the principles set out above, how does it treat its allies and partners, does it keep its word? If it does not uphold these principles, it will never be a great nation; if it does not treat its allies and partners with respect, it will soon be without any; and if it does not keep its word it, will have no standing as a leader in the international community.

Promises Made

The attacks in New York and Virginia on September 11, 2001, by the terrorist group Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, mobilized international support for the United States. The Star-Spangled Banner played in capitals around the world and NATO united behind the U.S. where it matters the most, going to war.

This led to the invasion of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban who had allowed Al Qaeda to operate there. The invasion included the Northern Alliance, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, and Germany. These other countries were not attacked. This threat if left unchecked could become a serious problem for them, but they went to war because they had made a promise to do so. They kept their word and they did so for twenty years.

The “graveyards of empires” is a quote many have heard about Afghanistan.

They then started to build the Afghan military, intelligence service, and police force. Afghans had seen superpowers come and go throughout history, from Alexander the Great to the British, the Soviet Union, and now the United States. The “graveyards of empires” is a quote many have heard about Afghanistan. Afghans have heard it as well. It was difficult to get them to trust us, but they did.

Would the U.S. and its allies be there for the long haul? America had promised that if we were to leave the country, and Afghans met the standards we laid out, they would have the opportunity to come to the United States. These standards included risking their lives fighting along with U.S. forces, against those who would oppress their people, and for the human rights of all. Would the U.S. honor its promise, though? Thousands took that chance.

Courage and Justice is Honor

Acts of courage alone are not inherently honorable, they must instead take into account two things: the reason for the action, and the intended effect of the outcome. As Marcus Aurelius wrote:

Let it make no difference to you whether you are cold or warm if you are doing your duty. And whether you are drowsy or satisfied with sleep. And whether ill-spoken of or praised. And whether dying or doing something else. For it is one of the acts of life, this act by which we die. It is sufficient then in this act also to do well what we have in hand. 

Meditations, 6.2

To do what is right is what matters, and whether or not you are praised or pummeled is irrelevant.

In any organization with strict ethical and honor codes, a prevailing culture of the men and women serving in that organization will be focused upon protecting and providing refuge or assistance to those in need. As Tamler Sommers, a professor of philosophy at the University of Houston, put it in a recent interview with Ryan Holiday:

Honour cultures tend to attach great value to acts of courage that benefit the group. 

Tamler Sommers

The culture of these organizations to oppose wrongdoing and injustice shows virtue, and it is the duty of that organization’s members to carry out those actions.

Aiding and protecting those in need is certainly an important part of honor cultures, but there is also a secondary practice within those cultures as well; to honor and uphold the agreements formed by those organizations. Sometimes, agreements can be positive and provide added value, or be beneficial to both sides. Other times, agreements can be challenging, one-sided, or even costly. However, the presence of an agreement, pact, or partnership means that those participating parties must act to uphold the terms of that agreement. To do something with integrity, especially in the pursuit of public service and to uphold those agreements made before, is honorable, and must be pursued as best as possible. To break from an agreement would mean to bring dishonor on an organization, and that dishonor can have rippling effects into the future.

The Standard set by Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius led the Roman Empire for 19 years, until his death in 180 CE. Throughout that time, Marcus would face serious challenges in the empire including plague, uprisings, and war but he would do so with honor and integrity. Upon taking the throne, Marcus inherited an empire whose borders surrounded much of Europe, bringing with them the dangers of warring tribes and enemies on several fronts. During his reign, Marcus’ experiences spoke much to the honor and reputation that an organization can gain or lose through its actions.

At many points in the wars between Rome and the tribes of northern Europe, Marcus found himself dealing with tribal leaders with whom Rome had existing agreements. Marcus did not tolerate allies who broke treaties and failed to keep their word. For example, when several Germanic tribes proposed an armistice with Rome, during the First Marcomannic War, Marcus did not trust them, viewing the armistice as a ruse - something that would only have remained in place while it was convenient for the enemy. Marcus was proven right to be skeptical as the tribes kept aiding one another in raids against Roman provinces. When the time came to dole out the rewards from the wars or seek new agreements, you can bet that Marcus had trepidation towards those with poor reputations.

At other points, Marcus would be faced with the difficult position of having to decide whether to push for a peace treaty or pursue Rome’s enemies and continue fighting at the cost of more troops and resources. When fighting a Sarmatian tribe called the Iazyges, Marcus faced this dilemma and needed to decide whether to grant peaceful terms or continue to fight. Ultimately, Marcus chose to continue fighting and by the war’s end, these enemies returned an incredible number of Roman captives back to Rome. If Marcus had just agreed to peace and walked away, over a hundred thousand captured Roman subjects would have been abandoned, left as slaves of the enemy. We can infer from this outcome that Marcus chose to fight on in hopes that he could rescue those Romans, and not leave them behind even though peace would have been much easier.

As emperor of Rome, Marcus also had to face sedition from one of his prized commanders, as a betrayal occurred when Avidius Cassius was declared emperor by his troops in Egypt and sought to take the Roman throne for himself. At that moment Marcus had a choice: crush the rebellion, or choose a more peaceful alternative. Instead of launching into outright war with Cassius, Marcus chose instead to offer a pardon to Cassius and his troops if they would lay down their arms. Cassius’ own officers turned against him and sent Cassius’ head to Marcus as an offer of penance. Marcus would honor his word and not punish the rebels for their actions. As emperor, it would only have taken Marcus one order to commit the entire army of rebels to death but he chose instead to act with restraint and clemency. Many times in history this restraint has been noted by historians and contemporaries as a true sign of Marcus’ character.

Veterans Step up and Step in

The U.S. decision to leave Afghanistan without leaving a residual force was against the advice of the military chain of command. Many veterans disagreed with that decision, but many did agree. Where there was almost unanimous agreement among veterans was the need to keep the promise made by their government to those Afghans who fought alongside U.S. troops. The chaotic withdrawal, the seeming lack of a plan, and the very real possibility that many would be left behind motivated many veterans to take action. They volunteered to do what they could and help those whom the U.S., not honoring its promise, was leaving behind.

These volunteer veterans formed groups with like-minded civilians and they soon were moving Afghan partners around Taliban checkpoints into the airport. Even when the final U.S. presence left, these groups did not stop, they moved to try to get people out by other means. They felt compelled to honor a promise made by their country. To them it wasn’t a political calculation, it was an oath.

The honor of a nation has to actually come from the nation, though, and its representatives. History will record it and our allies will remember it, as will our adversaries.

About the Authors

Michael “Mick” Patrick Mulroy is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, a retired CIA officer, a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, an Analyst for ABC News, on the board of directors for Grassroots Reconciliation Group, a co-founder of End Child Soldiering, and the co-founder of the Lobo Institute. He writes and speaks often on Stoicism, especially its applicability to the military. For other publications please visit here.

Adam Piercey is an Engineering Technologist living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is currently working in the industrial, medical, and space industries, and has previously worked in green energy, and biometric security. Adam has been implementing Stoic practice into his career for over 8 years, has authored articles on Stoic practice, and is also the host of the Modern Stoicism Podcast, the official podcast of Modern Stoicism.

Donald J. Robertson is a cognitive-behavioural therapist and writer, living in Athens, Greece, and Ontario, Canada. He is the author of six books on philosophy and psychotherapy, including Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, and How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.

Posted on

Meghan Sullivan: Making Plans and Better Arguments

Meghan Sullivan is the Wilsey Family Collegiate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and serves as Director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study. Her latest book on virtue ethics with Paul Blaschko, The Good Life Method, is now available nationwide.

Sullivan’s research tends to focus on philosophical problems concerning time, modality, rational planning, value theory, and religious belief (and sometimes all five at once).   She has published work in many leading philosophy journals, including Nous, Ethics and Philosophical Studies. Her first book — Time Biases —develops a theory of diachronic rationality, personal identity and reason-based planning. 

She is now writing a monograph on the role love plays in grounding moral, political and religious reasoning.  It is tentatively entitled Agapism: Moral Responsibility and Our Inner Lives. And with Paul Blaschko, she has just finished a book on virtue ethics based on the God and the Good Life project.

How did you become interested in philosophy?

I arrived at college (the University of Virginia) confident I wanted to be a lawyer and I would major in politics.  I loved debate – which I had done in high school.  Like all freshmen, I had a hard time getting all of my first-choice classes that first semester.  My advisor put me into an introductory philosophy course called Issues of Life and Death.  I *loved* it. The assignments asked us to try to make clear, persuasive and logical arguments for big practical questions about the beginning and end of life. 

The goal was to find the most rational view to hold, not just to reproduce what other people thought about the view.  I discovered that I loved working on the assignments for that course – I would want to work on those projects even if they weren’t being graded.  I started taking more classes and declared a second major, thinking this would just be a hobby while I worked on all of my politics requirements.  But by my third year, I knew I wanted to get much more serious about this kind of research.  Twenty years later, I find I still work on a lot of philosophical questions that gripped my imagination when I was eighteen.

And we could design better arguments, and our moral, political, religious and philosophical lives will be better for putting in the work.  

Meghan Sullivan


What’s the most important concept or idea that you teach people?

A lot of folks assume that there really aren’t better or worse ways to reason about philosophical questions – you just need to pick a camp and learn how to defend it.  I work a lot with students to help them see there are often incomplete or badly designed arguments for moral, political, religious, or otherwise philosophical conclusions.  And we could design better arguments, and our moral, political, religious and philosophical lives will be better for putting in the work.  One of my strengths as a teacher is finding philosophical debates in the wild (in major newspapers, in modern life puzzles) and then teasing out all of the old philosophical questions in the fresh example.

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

One topic I work a lot on concerns time and rational planning.  We oftentimes let our emotions narrow the time horizons of what we are willing to care about – we get anxious about the near future and have a hard time imaginatively or rationally engaging with the more distant future.  But we can give ourselves philosophical reasons that can help us manage and understand these biases, developing plans with longer time horizons and building our capacity to resist temporary disruption.  We do this with thought experiments and by learning to tell longer stories about how our lives are unfolding.  We’ll have better lives if we build up this skill.

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

Are you not ashamed of your eagerness to possess as much wealth, reputation and honors as possible, while you do not care for nor give thought to wisdom or truth or the best possible state of your soul?   

Socrates in the Apology

Philosophy is meant to help us live better lives – it ought to matter to us.  And this takes a bit of work to keep our eye on the questions that really matter to our lives.  

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

You could start by reading The Good Life Method, a recent book I wrote (with my colleague Paul Blaschko) about how philosophers work and how philosophy can change how you live your life.  It’s a great place to start learning about philosophy as a way of life.  You might also check out a Youtube channel related to our project– Philife.  Or the website for one of my big classes: godandgoodlife.nd.edu.

Suppose you were able to give a talk at the original location of Plato’s Academy…

Plato understood – perhaps more than any modern philosopher – how hard it can be to pursue a philosophical life while also honoring democratic commitments.  Plato despaired about whether we could pull it off, especially once he saw how Socrates was dealt with by Athens.  It would be incredible to be back in the Academy now in 2022 and reflecting on whether we have made any progress in developing democracy or philosophical methods in the past two millennia.  I’d love to host a dialogue on whether philosophy can thrive in modern democracies.

Posted on

Angie Hobbs: A Wonder and Love of Philosophy

Prof. Angie Hobbs FRSA is Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, a position created for her. Her chief interests are in ancient philosophy and literature, and ethics and political theory from classical thought to the present, and she has published widely in these areas, including Plato and the Hero. Her most recent publication for the general public is Plato’s Republic: a Ladybird Expert Book. She contributes regularly to radio and TV programmes and other media around the world, including many appearances on In Our Time on BBC Radio 4 and programmes on ancient Greek philosophy for Cosmote History. She has spoken at the Athens Democracy Forum, the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Houses of Parliament in London, and the Scottish Parliament. She was a judge of the Man Booker International Prize 2019 and was on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council 2018-9 for Values, Ethics and Innovation.

How did you become interested in philosophy? 

I initially felt very torn between philosophy and literature.  I had always loved all forms of literature – poetry, drama, novels, short stories – and in my teens I also started to become fascinated by many of the big philosophical questions (studying Lucretius De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) in VIth Form in particular got me interested in free will and determinism).  So, when I went to Cambridge University when I was 19 to read Classics I was, as I say, initially very undecided about what I wanted to concentrate on.  But then I discovered Plato’s Symposium – a glorious, vibrant, witty and profoundly moving dialogue about the nature of erotic love – and I realised I did not have to choose!  Plato is a great artist as well as a great philosopher, and in studying him I could satisfy both my passions.  But it wasn’t just Plato with whom I fell in love – I quickly became intrigued by all the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers: the Presocratics, such as Heraclitus, Parmenides and Zeno; Aristotle; the Epicureans, Stoics and Cynics; Cicero, Seneca and Epictetus; the wild and wonderful world of the Neoplatonists such as Plotinus and their Renaissance inheritors, such as Ficino … For me, ancient philosophy is quite simply the gift that keeps on giving!

[Eudaimonia} can offer us a secure framework for what it might mean for an individual or community to flourish, even in those situations where feeling happy – let alone feeling pleasure – is neither possible nor even appropriate. 

What’s the most important concept or idea that you teach people?

I find the ancient Greek concept of eudaimonia hugely important and helpful.  It is perhaps best translated as ‘flourishing’ (literally it means ‘protected by a beneficent guardian spirit’) and is more objective than our concepts of happiness or pleasure: it is about the actualization, the fulfilment, of all our various faculties – intellectual, imaginative, emotional and physical.  It can offer us a secure framework for what it might mean for an individual or community to flourish, even in those situations where feeling happy – let alone feeling pleasure – is neither possible nor even appropriate.  In challenging conditions, an ethical approach based on eudaimonia encourages us to ask: ‘How can I nevertheless best actualize my faculties in ways which further both my good and the good of the community, as far as circumstances allow?’

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

Although I find a number of features of Stoic philosophy troubling – such as the belief that everything has in fact been providentially arranged for the best if we could only see the bigger picture – I do still find much of Stoic ethics very useful and sustaining, particularly in times of radical uncertainty, such as during a pandemic.  I have found especially valuable the mental exercises which encourage

a) focusing on the few things that you can control (such as your response to events and to the behaviour of others); 

b) paying attention to the present and enjoying those aspects of it that you can enjoy, and not wasting time and energy fearing the future or regretting the past.

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

‘Philosophy begins in wonder’ (Plato Theaetetus 155d).

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

My website angiehobbs.com is kept up-to-date with my publications, TV and radio programmes, podcasts, webinars, talks and so on (it also contains contact details).  I also advertise forthcoming events and post links to past ones on Twitter @drangiehobbs  

Suppose you were able to give a talk or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy, in Athens. 

I would find it absolutely thrilling and deeply moving to give a talk or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy.  One of the main reasons Plato chose to write in dialogue form is because he wanted thoughtful philosophical conversation and vigorous debate to continue throughout the generations.  Plato lives!

Posted on

Brad Inwood: Good History, Good Philosophy

I try to get my students, and my readers, to focus on two contrasts. The first is the sharp difference between the evidence at our disposal and what we then go on to do with that evidence, how we handle it.

Brad Inwood is a professor at Yale University, a specialist in ancient philosophy with particular emphasis on Stoicism and the Presocratics. His major works include academic books such as Ethics and Human Action in Early Stoicism, The Poem of Empedocles, Reading Seneca: Stoic Philosophy at Rome, Seneca: Selected Philosophical Letters, and Ethics After Aristotle.

How did you become interested in this area?

By serendipity, I stumbled into a course on the philosophy of science during my freshman year at Brock University, in Ontario. The combination of historical perspective, then so prominent in the philosophy of science, and epistemological critique captivated me. So even when I became a Classics major, I made sure to take an introduction to ancient philosophy – I was hooked! My main interest philosophically has always been in explanation, which helped me find Aristotle as my first enthusiasm in the field. Stoicism came later, by an even stranger set of accidents. I have a deep appreciation for how much luck has contributed to my interests and development.

What’s the most important concept or idea you teach people?

I try to get my students, and my readers, to focus on two contrasts. The first is the sharp difference between the evidence at our disposal and what we then go on to do with that evidence, how we handle it. The second is the distinction between explanatory theories and the arguments we use to test them, to confirm or refute them. I think both of these contrasts are essential to doing good history and to doing good philosophy. I hope I manage to teach this to people; I certainly try.

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

There is so much practical advice that we can get from ancient philosophy, and it’s hard to choose. I guess the most important is clearly expressed in ancient Stoicism, though many of the ancients adhered to it: “follow nature”, or as Chrysippus put it, “live according to one’s experience of what happens by nature”. I take this to mean that we should live according to a critical, rational understanding of how the world works and should try not to let our emotions get in the way of doing so.

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

Again, there is an embarrassment of riches. I currently favour a gem from Epictetus: “For wherever it locates the “I” and “mine”, that’s where the human animal necessarily inclines.” But for years it was Seneca: “We go where reason, not truth, has led us.”

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

Time for a commercial plug: read my short little book, Stoicism: a Very Short Introduction (OUP 2018). That’s the quickest way into “what I do”. What I “do” is, in my own view, a combination of research and teaching, and that introductory book is meant to be a fusion of those two activities.

Cicero reminds us that the Academy was not just Plato’s school, but provided a stimulus to the development of Hellenistic philosophy… It would be hard not to be overwhelmed by those historical memories, just as Cicero was so many centuries ago.

Brad Inwood

Suppose you were able to give a talk or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy…

I guess I would feel something of the awe expressed so wonderfully by Cicero when he wrote about visiting the site of Plato’s Academy. Here is what he put into the mouth of Piso at the beginning of book 5 of the De Finibus:

I am reminded of Plato, whom we learn was the first to make a habit of debating here. Not only do these gardens remind me of him, but they seem to put the man himself before my eyes. Speusippus debated here, and so did Xenocrates and his student Polemo – in fact, that is the very seat he once sat in over there.

Cicero’s response to this effusion is to think of his own intellectual hero, the sceptical Academic Carneades:

…although everywhere in Athens the very places provide reminders of so many great men, still, what moves me right now is that alcove over there. Not long ago it was occupied by Carneades – I imagine that I am seeing him now, for I know his image well. I think that the very seat he sat in is bereft of his great intellect and laments the loss of his powerful voice.

Cicero reminds us that the Academy was not just Plato’s school, but provided a stimulus to the development of Hellenistic philosophy, especially the critical epistemology of the Academic sceptics who in so many ways were true heirs of both Socrates and Plato. It would be hard not to be overwhelmed by those historical memories, just as Cicero was so many centuries ago.

Posted on

Karen Duffy: Resiliency and a Stoic “Backbone”

Karen Duffy is a NYT bestselling author, television personality, and actress. Her memoir of her personal accounts on coping with chronic pain, Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain Without Turning Into One, is funny and profoundly inspiring. She passes on Stoic lessons from both living with a life-threatening disease and being a mother in her highly-anticipated upcoming release, Wise Up: Irreverent Enlightenment from a Mother Who’s Been Through It.

The qualities that the study of philosophy offers are profound; it creates a framework, a backbone of character. If you drift off course, it is a compass to navigate you back to your path to meaning.

How did you become interested in philosophy? 

I became interested in studying philosophy as a teenager. My brother and I are Irish twins (we were born within 13 months of each other). My brother is a polymath. Jim was always reading philosophy books and passing them on. When I read Meditations, Marcus Aurelius’ words reverberated through me like a cherry bomb in a cymbal factory. His work ignited my passion and my daily devotion to reading the Stoics. I’ve been at it for over 3 decades.

What’s the most important concept or idea that you teach people?

When I was in my early 30’s, I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain lesion. I live with chronic pain, a condition called “Complex regional pain syndrome”. My career as an actress, which was really starting to take off, was derailed. It was like I had built an airplane by hand, and just when I was going to take it off on the runway, I had to take it back into the hanger. I became uninsurable as an actor, as I cannot pass a pre-filming physical. I understood that we can’t control what happens, we can only control how we respond, the dichotomy of Control. I am a Recreational Therapist, a grief counselor at the 9/11 family assistance center and am a certified hospice chaplain in the Buddhist tradition. I am a patient advocate and I often share the life of Epictetus with my community. He wrote about living with pain, and his image often includes his crutch. He was beaten so savagely, his leg was broken and he lived in chronic pain. I love the words from Marcus Aurelius, “Look well into yourself, there is a source of strength which will always spring up if you will look”.

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

Philosophy is for everyone. It’s not just eggheads in black turtlenecks smoking Gauloises to the filter arguing over The Discourses. The wisdom of the Stoics reads as if the ink is still wet, yet it was written twenty-four centuries ago. Stoicism is enduring. The art of living in our modern age can be enhanced by reading the classics. The qualities that the study of philosophy offers are profound; it creates a framework, a backbone of character. If you drift off course, it is a compass to navigate you back to your path to meaning. The wisdom you need to follow your own way is readily available. As Epictetus said, it’s all up to you and your way of thinking.

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

It is endlessly fascinating that our alphabet only has 26 measly letters. Yet when you line them up, you can create a sentence that will set off an explosion in your mind. Epictetus wrote that “Beautiful choices make a beautiful life.” Just 6 words, and it is the quote that illuminated the work of the Stoics.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

I have a long, interesting career. I was a model/actress, MTV VJ, drugstore perfume pitchwoman and winner of the “Ernest Borgnine Look-a-Like” contest. I’m on People Magazine’s “Worst Dressed List” in the head-to-toe horror category. I am most proud of my work as a writer, mentor and patient advocate. I produce documentaries and coming in 2022, a huge Hollywood movie staring Russell Crow, Zac Ephron and Bill Murray. It is titled The World’s Greatest Beer Run.

Posted on

News: Plato’s Academy Centre in 2022

The future is bright for the Plato’s Academy Centre as we look ahead to 2022. We’re happy to announce that we will begin operating officially from January as a civil non-profit association (AMKE), registered in Greece.

We’re delighted to thank and welcome our board of advisors: Prof. Christopher Gill, Prof. Katerina Ierodiakonou, Dr. John Sellars, Mick Mulroy, Tim Bartlett, Justin Stead, Pantelis Panos, Robin Waterfield, and David Fideler. Special thanks also to Tim LeBon, Mia Funk, Eugenia Manolidou, Kathryn Koromilas, Karen Duffy, Artemis Miropoulos, Massimo Pigliucci, Tom Butler-Bowdon for their interviews on the website. If you’re an author or academic who writes about Greek philosophy or literature, and interested in getting involved with our project, you’re welcome to get in touch.

We’d also like to thank the Orange Grove incubator program, an initiative of the Embassy of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, based in Athens. I’m well underway in the program and their support has been tremendous.

In collaboration with the Aurelius Foundation and YPO, Plato’s Academy Centre is organizing a series of events in Athens for September 2022, including at Akadimia Platonos.

Our first-ever virtual event is slated for Summer/Autumn 2022 – details to be announced shortly. Look out for some of your favourite authors from the field of philosophy and classics, though.

Watch this space as we revamp our website for Phase 2 of its development and look out for more announcements as they develop!

You can now follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Show your support by tweeting @platoacademycen in your posts!

Kasey Pierce
Communications Director

Posted on

Tim LeBon: Exercising Philosophical Development

“…we each have the ability to think about how to live well, and that philosophy – and psychology – provide tools to help us do this.”

How did you become interested in this area?

I studied philosophy as part of a PPE degree at Oxford, and it was a real eye-opener. The idea that we could think about how to be happy and lead good, worthwhile lives was life-changing. It started a wonderful journey from learning about the philosophy and psychology of well-being to teaching it and writing about it, a journey I am still enjoying.

What’s the most important concept or idea that you teach people?

That we each have the ability to think about how to live well, and that philosophy – and psychology – provide tools to help us do this. Also, that we shouldn’t be overwhelmed or intimidated by philosophy – it’s a practical tool for everyone. I combine philosophy (especially Stoicism) with CBT and psychology, and so see how it can be helpful in my everyday work with clients.

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

Devote at least as much time to your philosophical development (in the broadest sense) and mental health as to your physical health. If you spend 30 mins exercising your body, invest at least 30 mins in developing your practical wisdom. Read a practical philosophy or psychology book. Get into the habit of daily philosophical exercises such as the Stoic early morning rehearsal of how you should spend your day and an evening review of how it went. The idea behind my new book, 365 Ways to Be More Stoic, is that “little and often” is a great way to go!

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Socrates

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

I would suggest reading one of my books. Wise Therapy is about how philosophy can help to therapists and it contains a lot of my philosophical thinking, aimed at the general reader. Achieve Your Potential with Positive Psychology provides a practical introduction to the science of well-being, drawing on philosophical ideas as well as psychology. My new book, 365 Ways to Be More Stoic, (edited by Kasey Pierce) is due to be published by James Murray in late 2022. It will provide a daily injection of Stoic wisdom – I hope it’s going to help many people start each day in a really positive way.

Suppose you were able to give a talk or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy…

I’d be very excited by the prospect. Talk about standing on the shoulders of giants!

Posted on

Mia Funk: The Creative Process

How would you introduce yourself and the work that you do to our readers? 

I’m an artist, writer, podcast host, and the founder of The Creative Process and One Planet Podcast. The Creative Process is a podcast, international educational initiative, and traveling exhibition. One Planet Podcast focuses on the environment and the kind of world we’re leaving for future generations. What’s important for me is to create experiences that ignite imaginative inquiry and help the next generation to find their vision. As an artist, I never made a decision based on making money. I did what made me happy. The arts and humanities have always been my passion and nourished me throughout my whole life. They are the glue that holds society together.

How did you become a creative educator and come to launch The Creative Process?

After years of helping to launch cultural initiatives, founding magazines, and making arts documentaries alongside my painting and storytelling, I decided to found The Creative Process in 2016. It was launched at the Sorbonne, Panthéon-1 in Paris. While the Panthéon is a memorial to national heroes, The Creative Process celebrates living artists and creative thinkers from around the world who have made important contributions to society. It is designed to be a record of our time and through the collaboration of students and faculty, and the insights shared, we aim to inspire this and future generations on their creative journeys.

The Creative Process was born out of a desire to celebrate progressive intellectual and artistic practices that inspire human resilience and unlock potential in young people, encouraging their empathic imagination and an open mindset. We have promoted the humanities through art, literature, poetry, music, dance, film, podcasts, exhibitions, and conversations with well-known artists, writers, and creative thinkers. Through storytelling, we’ve celebrated culture, history, civic engagement, and shown the important legacy of the arts and humanities, how they provide spiritual and intellectual nourishment and enrich our lives. At a time when universities are increasingly prioritizing STEM, we say that both the humanities and sciences are essential elements of a well-rounded education and promote happier, more engaged global citizens.

What’s the most important concept or idea that you teach people?

We need to live a life larger than ourselves. Nurture your mind with nature and good company.

What do you think is the most important piece of practical advice that we can derive from your work?

It is important to remain curious. Learning is a lifelong process and everyone has the capacity for creativity.

Do you have a favorite quote that you use?

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution,” that people attribute to Albert Einstein. That’s really to say that knowledge is important, but what is of greater importance is what you do with that knowledge for that is really what you have contributed to society and our understanding of the world.

Working on this project, I am often reminded of what Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote:

When you want to build a ship, do not begin by gathering wood, cutting boards, and distributing work, but rather awaken within men the desire to long for the vast and endless sea.

And these really touch on the three pillars of our project, imagination, knowledge, and respect for the beauty and wonder of the natural world.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to learn more about what you do?

To learn more about our projects, visit www.creativeprocess.info, oneplanetpodcast.org, listen to The Creative Process and One Planet Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. There are many ways you can get involved in podcasts, exhibitions, or other initiatives. We’ve even had projects right here in Athens and conducted interviews with many museum directors, archeologists, artists, philosophers, and others.

Suppose you were able to give a talk or workshop at the original location of Plato’s Academy in Athens. How would you feel about that and what topics would you cover? 

Giving a talk or workshop at the location of Plato’s Academy in Athens would be a dream for me. I am in awe of Plato’s contribution to culture and learning, as well as Greece’s enormous cultural legacy, which I only grew to admire more through conversations with many artists and intellectuals in Athens. For my workshop or talk, I would like to draw on my experience as a creative educator, artist, and podcast host to discuss the importance of creativity and ways for unlocking our artistic voices.

Citing the many conversations with immensely talented and accomplished artists I’ve been honored to have, I would conduct open conversations that allow participants to understand that they are part of the process in order to help them realize their creative capacity. In honor of the important setting and the many Greek contributors to The Creative Process, from the directors of the Acropolis Museum, National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), Benaki Museums, Onassis Cultural Centre, founding director of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, and other museums, to the choreographer for the Olympic Games, writers, musicians, philosophers, and many others have shared so much about their creative process and the importance of knowing history with us. My workshop would begin and end with Plato, whose teachings are the foundation of our Western culture. We may never fully know the extent of Plato’s influence on culture, but it is interesting to explore his impact on contemporary philosophers and the pursuit of this knowledge is perhaps the most important part of the journey.

Mia Funk is an artist, writer, podcast host, and founder of The Creative Process and One Planet Podcast. Her painting, writing, and films can be seen on www.miafunk.com.

Visit www.creativeprocess.info. Listen to The Creative Process and One Planet Podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on @thecreative_process, @miafunkart, Facebook to see opportunities to share your creative work or to get involved.