Extract from Matthew Sharpe, The Other Enlightenment (Rowman & Littlefield, to appear Dec. 2022) — 2016, the year of Brexit and the first ascent of Donald Trump, was also the year in which the term “post-truth” became a buzzword. Like all such half-popular, half-profound terms, “post-truth” is ambivalent. For some, it meant a culture in which political decisions were based on emotions, not facts or…

Ilsetraut Hadot’s “Preface” and “Introduction” to Sénèque. Direction spirituelle et pratique de la philosophie — As I explained in the opener, the purpose of these blog entries will be to provide sequenced commentaries on the sections of Ilsetraut Hadot’s magnificent book (in English), Seneca: Spiritual Direction and the Practice of Philosophy as I am able to find time to translate them across the next (I…

A note on the casuistry of evil If you’ve been around ideas for much time, and paid attention, you may have been struck that there are a finite number of argument types that repeat. Over and over. The subjects change, the times change. But the same argumentative strategies are reproduced. …

Stoic meditation is about memorizing Stoic teachings deeply, which you can call upon facing adversities. As Marcus Aurelius says: Continually, therefore, grant yourself this retreat and repair yourself. But let them be brief and fundamental truths, which will suffice at once by their presence to wash away all sorrow, and…

Once upon a time there was a clever little ostrich. She was the smartest little ostrich in her whole flock, and maybe on all of the wide plains. She also had a very good nature. She was loved by all of the other ostriches, and in her turn, thought very…

It is well-known that the Stoics claim that virtue is the only good. But there are four cardinal virtues, making up this “virtue”: courage, justice, moderation, and wisdom. This position is recognised in scholarly works. It also forms one organising basis for many practical works on how to live like…

We at Castalian stream agree that close reading of philosophical texts is vital, especially when they are evoked by people who, as political agents, don’t especially care to attend too closely to what they’re doing. Nietzsche, for one, is today back on the Far Right. This wouldn’t have seemed unusual…

Brought to you by the Concerned Citizens Coalition (CCC) — Do you worry that democracies rely on all candidates for elections accepting the basic legitimacy of the electoral process and the peaceful transition of power, in case of defeat? Do you wonder how long your democracy can continue to function if candidates with mass support repeatedly refuse to commit to…

Strategies manipulative people use to “get away with it” — Even the most common crims know that, in a society of laws, they need to conceal and deny committing the crime. But murders and other serious crimes happen. So, there is a connection between “bad action” and deceit which might bear further investigation. As parents know, one sign a person…