Growing In Goodness - Common Sense Ethics

The Top 5 Personality Traits Necessary for Resisting Social Pressure, And How You Can Develop Them

8/31/2022

In the 1950s psychologist Solomon Asche conducted a famous social science conformity experiment. While there are some variables, Asche concluded at roughly 3 out of every 4 people will conform to social pressure in a given situation.

Many of us are inclined to follow the majority or yield to social pressure because of our evolutionary biology. When our ancestors lived in tribes, we learned various skills by watching others and there were significant risks to our survival for being ostracized from the group. While there are fewer risks to our survival for not conforming with the majority today, there are still risks of being ostracized socially when we disagree. There are also psychological factors at work. People conform because they want to be right, because they want to be liked, or at the very least, because they don't want to seem eccentric or strange.

The ability to resist social pressure is quite important, because it determines what we will do in many contexts and how much backbone we have. While there may be some social drawbacks to resisting peer pressure, there are many benefits as well, such as not always seeking other's approval, thinking more openly, standing up for yourself in situations that matter, living a more authentic life, avoiding potential harm, and perhaps having more opportunities or career success.

Some people naturally have personality traits that make them more resistant to social pressure, but anyone can develop these traits with practice. Here, I'll discuss the stop 5 traits of peer pressure resistant people and how you can develop these traits:

How to Win a Debate: 5 Pieces of Advice According to Cicero

8/23/2022

Greetings readers! It's time for this year's iteration of the popular According to Cicero series. This month's post details Cicero's thoughts on winning an argument. Cicero himself was one of Rome’s most gifted orators, and like other educated Romans, he was skilled at rhetoric in a society in which verbal persuasion was especially critical to daily life.

If you want to learn more about Cicero's advice on debating, I suggest How To Win An Argument - a collection of Cicero’s writing on argumentation and oratory. The book details his advice on persuasive speaking, building arguments, convincing audiences, and winning debates. The book, while recommended, is only a selection of Cicero’s writing, so I also suggest the original texts.

This post succinctly highlights 5 of Cicero's most important pieces of advice on debate and rhetoric:

3 Great Children's Books About Ancient Greek and Roman Virtues

7/16/2022

As a parent, children's librarian, and writer interested in Classical philosophy, I'm excited to share this month's post, which brings together all three of these areas.

While there are many fabulous fiction and non-fiction children's books about Classical antiquity, most focus on mythology or history. Those subjects are excellent in their own right, as knowledge of history and myth help us put things in historical context and allow us to dream.

However, with this list, I am especially focused on children's book that teach Classical virtues like courage, justice, moderation, and wisdom, and which illustrate how we can aspire to become a person of character. These 3 books help kids learn about important Greek and Roman virtues:

What Can Philosophers Tell Us About Mental Health Challenges and Stigmatization?

6/1/2022

This month's excellent guest post is contributed by Heidi Bitsoli, a writer and editor for Sunshine Behavioral Health. We hope this original post will bring awareness to mental health challenges and the stigmatization sometimes faced by people experiencing them:

The debate as to whether mental disorders are biological diseases or whether they are merely deviations from social norms is not new. Plato takes on this question in the Phaedrus, a dialog dating back to ancient Greece.

In 2013, C.D. Herrera pointed out that philosophical discourse about mental illness started with the Greeks: “Meaningful talk about inclusion and justice has, since Plato and Aristotle, included observation and speculation which have been directed towards answering questions of what we should do when people reason differently, when they manage emotions differently, and when they resist attempts to bring them into line.”

Book Review: On Tyranny By Timothy Snyder (A Hard Pass)

5/1/2022

The Verdict: So close, yet so far. Sadly, On Tyranny is hackneyed partisanism under the guise of a serious work, and not really worthwhile reading for non-partisans and anti-authoritarians who can look at recent events with some degree of objectivity.

Full Review: I really wanted to like On Tyranny, since the subject matter is so important, but the author makes the concept of tyranny almost laughable via his gross misjudgment of contemporary events, which undermines the entire work.

It's a shame, because there are some real gems in this book. Consider the following: "We certainly face, as did the ancient Greeks, the problem of oligarchy - ever more threatening as globalization increases differences in wealth."

War Is A Racket: A Few Profit, the Many Pay

4/1/2022

In the 1930s, a retired Marine Corps General made a speaking tour of America. His message? War is racket. This was unusual enough that it created quite a stir at the time, and General Smedley Butler's message is so important and revealing that it is still often discussed, especially among anti-war and critical thinkers, almost 100 years later.

Smedley Butler was one of the most decorated generals in American history, having served during the Mexican Revolution and World War I. He won 15 medals, including five for heroism, and the Medal of Honor twice. Butler's moral courage was a match for his physical courage. When he retired from the military, he took the unusual step of pointing out that war is a racketeering scheme in his 1935 book, War is a Racket. What did he mean by this?

I have been planning to write this post for for several years, but it seems especially timely now with the war in Ukraine happening. In what follows, I will break down Butler's message and explain why it is the key to understanding the deeper reasons (with rare exceptions) that nations go to war, along with the true costs of war to regular people.

Overcoming Injury, Illness, and the Fear of Death: A Stoic Dialog With Jonas Salzgeber

3/9/2022

I welcome Jonas Salzgeber, author of The Little Book of Stoicism, back to the channel for a Stoic dialog on matters of ultimate importance: injury, illness, coming to terms with mortality, fear, and irrational beliefs that result when fear overcomes reason.

We discuss the shortness of life, memento mori, facing fear, and the proper psychological perspective necessary to flourish and be more courageous during uncertain times.

We also discuss a Stoic response to the covid-19 pandemic, reasonable caution, and not doing irrational or discriminatory things because of fear of death.

Jonas' website: www.njlifehacks.com/blog/
The Little Book of Stoicism: https://amzn.to/3INdnOk*

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My Favorite Books: Simplicity Parenting By Kim John Payne

2/5/2022

I’m always on the lookout for new information that will help me improve myself or allow me to give my kids the best childhood possible. That means is that I’ve read a good deal of parenting books!

I just finished reading Simplicity Parenting by Waldorf educator Kim John Payne. And well folks, it’s a keeper! In a nutshell, this book is for any parent who has watched their dreams for their kids slipping away amongst the overwhelming pace and expectations of family life today.

I was aware of this book for a while after watching some of Payne’s YouTube videos. Why the book never actively made its way onto my reading list is anybody’s guess. I think I had a baby and it fell off my radar! But fate intervened when I saw it for $1 at my library book sale.

I’ll do my best to summarize Simplicity Parenting for you below, and I highly recommend buying it or getting it at your local library.

Why "Misinformation" and Censorship are Problematic

1/18/2022

Recently we have been hearing the following types of claims: "X is misinformation, and x should be censored."

Here, I cover the reasons why each of these claims are problematic. Very few things are irrefutably misinformation. It takes arrogance to proclaim some things as absolute misinformation, and even more arrogance to want to censor them. This is why.

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Announcing Stoicism Today: Selected Writings Volume 3

12/11/2021

I am very excited to announce the publication of Stoicism Today: Selected Writings Volume 3. I am both a contributing author and the co-editor of this book, along with Greg Sadler, the editor of the Stoicism Today blog. I am thrilled to have been part of a project that will further the study of Stoicism and the practical application of philosophy. The book is available now through Amazon and should arrive in time for Christmas if you are still looking for thoughtful gifts for those in your life. 

This volume, whose completion represents over a year of work, was underwritten by the generosity of a patron of philosophy and Stoicism, who would prefer to remain anonymous. Profits from sales of this book will go to supporting the ongoing work of the Modern Stoicism organization.

Each of the entries in this book was originally a guest post contributed to the Stoicism Today blog by an author who wished to share some of their ideas, insights, stories, challenges, or (perhaps even) wisdom bearing upon ancient Stoicism and its applications to modern life. One exception is a symposium about the nature of “modern Stoicism,” which brought together nearly the entire Modern Stoicism team to address that issue.

In reading through these 37 excellent selections, you will encounter the variety, diversity, and richness of modern Stoicism. They range over topics such as the nature of Stoicism itself, spiritual practices, physical exercise, the emotions, psychotherapy, medicine, parenting and family, the workplace, the virtues, and the environment. Stoicism gets brought into comparison with other perspectives like Buddhism, as well as with other contemporary theorists and their approaches. There are even a few “controversies,” in which authors engaged each other on the blog, represented here. The authors themselves write as academic scholars and researchers, psychotherapists and medical doctors, parents and family members, workers and managers, coaches, farmers, and culinarians, just to name a few of the roles represented and lives touched by the practical philosophy of Stoicism.