Category: Musonius Rufus

The Gaze of Foolish People: An Interview on Stoicism and Fashion

11/30/2023

I was recently interviewed about Stoicism and fast fashion by Hannah Korbman, a current student at Binghamton University studying Philosophy, Politics, and Law. The interview, which I have republished here, is part of Hannah's final project, a Stoic magazine, for her seminar on Stoicism and politics.

Hannah defines fast fashion as, "An approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers."

The interview gave me an opportunity to focus on Stoic philosophy as it can be applied to our modern decisions on what to wear, trends, consumerism, and the virtue of moderation, all topics I hadn't directly considered before. The final product has made for some interesting reading, and I hope you'll check it out:

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Parents! Cut Yourselves a Break

2/16/2019

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Welcome Holly Hamilton-Bleakley, a philosophy professor and mother of six, to my YouTube channel! Holly is the author of the wonderful blog, Philosophy For Parents.
Here she shares wisdom gleaned from 20 years of motherhood and her extensive knowledge of philosophy.

We discuss:

The difficulty of becoming a parent for the first time.
How to best handle the challenges of parenthood.
The strengths and virtues necessary for being a good parent.
How to slow down and cut yourself a break when you have little kids.
Dealing with the feelings of impermanence that parenting brings.
How the issue of raising children is ignored by most Western philosophers, and more.

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Stoic Parenting: Fertile Ground for Eudaimonia

4/19/2016

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I recently had a guest post published on the blog Stoicism Today. The piece is about using Stoic philosophy to become a better parent.

Here is the link:

Stoic Parenthood: Fertile Ground for Eudaimonia

Enjoy!

Image: Credit Stoicism Today

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5 Things That You "Owe" Your Child

3/12/2016

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As a writer, I read a great deal, both online and between the covers of books. Sometimes I encounter a blog post or story that inspires me, or that I feel the need to respond to. One such piece is Mom on the Move 35's post "10 Things You Don't 'Owe' Your Child."

The point of the article is that children aren't entitled to many of things that society typically considers to be good, including lots of material possessions, winning, gourmet food, and popularity. It's not that I disagree with the author, per se. It's that I want to add an addendum in the affirmative. If there are many things that you don't owe your child, then what do you owe them exactly?

Mom on the Move concludes that "Children are entitled to parents who will teach them the difference between the things in life they have to work for and the things in life that are given freely."

Since she doesn't expand on the topic, let's examine it further here. What does the classical philosophical tradition have to say about the things that parents should freely give to their children? Modern psychology? How about common sense?

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Are You Suffering From Negative Socialization?

1/5/2016

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Since antiquity, inquiring minds have been calling into question the effects of being socialized into conformity with dominant cultural ideas or peer groups. Agents of socialization, both negative and positive, often include family, schools, peers, culture, media, and religion.

According to the Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus, humans are innately virtuous, but our nature is degraded from childhood by negative socialization. The dominant political and social environment is corrupting to the soul. Bad habits, unconsidered social norms, and negative views of "reality," that we pick up as we go through life, often impede our personal development.

By the time we reach adulthood, we all have accumulated beliefs that our culture imposes on us, including our views on money, pleasure, leisure, and entertainment. We may view minor inconveniences as a hardship, and fear things that are beyond our control. Even if our parents don't model this behavior, peers, the media, and the the culture at large often do. Living in society handicaps us in this regard.

Fortunately, developing a philosophical outlook can correct the effects of negative socialization. Musonius argued that “All of us are so fashioned by nature that we can live our lives free from error and nobly.” [1]

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