Category: Politics

A Meditation on Courage: 2 Techniques for Overcoming Anxiety

10/16/2018

In an interview with the World Ethical Data Forum, Julian Assange warned that the generation being born now is the last to be free. The message is quite disturbing. After all, it does seem as though we are headed that way, that long shadows are falling. "Look back over the past with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can forsee the future too," Marcus Aureluis declares. Is this period of time similar to the fall of Rome? Maybe just the end of the Republic?

Anxiety seems to be at the root of the modern condition. Besides the stress that we deal with in our private lives, there are always political and geopolitical concerns (like the above) that stress us as well. Given all of this, I actually don't think that anxiety is by any means an irrational response. It's only when our response is disproportionate to the threat or when anxiety starts to take over our lives that it really becomes a problem.

I can honestly say that with each new child that we have added to our family, my own anxiety has increased. After all, I have my family's wellbeing to look after, not just my own. Courage however, is a decision. It's how we respond to anxiety provoking thoughts that we have control over, not the external situation. Let me share with you the 2 best techniques that I use to overcome anxiety.

2 Comments

Why You Should Get Your Crap Together Before Becoming Politically Active

11/20/2017

7 Comments

Most of us want to think that we are a force for good in the world. But if we haven't done a lot of introspective work aimed at overcoming our own faults, it might be safer to assume that we are actually a force for chaos. Becoming virtuous usually involves self-discipline and a lot of difficult introspection.

Aristotle teaches us that those who are enslaved to passions, who never rise above their animal natures by practicing the virtues, do not have the most worthwhile opinions. Anger clouds good judgement. Those who exercise reason and attain practical wisdom on how to best live their own lives, order their household, and finally, when sufficiently wise and mature, should ideally venture opinions on how to best order the political community.

Jordan Peterson is a Canadian psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto. Peterson echos both Aristotle and the same sentiment that I wrote about in my post A Revolution Inside. He argues that unless we both understand and have control of our own negative qualities (or shadow self) we will project our worst impulses into the political arena while wearing a "mask of virtue." We need to work on ourselves first if we want to be an effective force for good and not end up doing more harm. If we want to see the world change, we must first concern ourselves with healing our own lives.

7 Comments

How the Left-Right Political Spectrum Decieves Us

9/16/2017

2 Comments

Observe most political debates and you'll see people arguing based on how far to the "left," or the "right," they are. This left-right spectrum is uncritically applied as a basis for classifying types of governments and political ideologies - it has become the only popular framework that we have for evaluating politics. Seems harmless enough, right?

Except that the left-right spectrum is really a false dichotomy that renders the positions of both "sides," contradictory, while helping to control public debate. There are serious problems with the left-right spectrum as framework for understanding politics. A critical look reveals that the spectrum is incomplete, incoherent, leads to unnecessary polarization, and reinforces belief in hierarchy.

We need to confront the fact that the positions of both "sides," are riddled with contradictions. On this extremely flawed basis, people attack the so-called other side as though politics were some kind of team sport. In order to end such narrow and destructive partisanism, let's start thinking about whether the left-right spectrum is accurate rather than just assuming it is. (Hint: it's not, as we will see).

2 Comments

Are You a Disordered Philosopher?

3/18/2017

13 Comments

Would you really want to take advice from an extremist? How about someone who doesn't care about virtue? If you admire Carl Marx, Ayn Rand, and other disordered philosophers, this is exactly what you are doing.

The notion of disordered philosophy as argued by Terrance Hoyt is quite relevant at present. Disordered philosophies have polarized public discourse to the point where political and economic policy issues are now considered strictly moral: "Look for any policies talked about with intense moral language, that allow no compromise, and are all-or-nothing in their implementation," Hoyt states.

Marx and Rand represent opposite ends of the political spectrum and their respective philosophies have had untold influence. Both produced an extremist brand of thought based on a "morally pure," vision of society. And neither fits the description of a "good man," (or woman in Rand's case) based on Aristotle's criteria of inward focus on virtue. Disordered philosophers are not truly concerned about virtue or the good; they are essentially egoistic.

More disturbingly, philosophical personality types (I'm including myself here) seem to be at higher risk of becoming disordered philosophers as evidenced by a new book, When Reason Goes on Holiday. As thoughtful people concerned about virtue, what can we do to avoid falling victim to disordered philosophy? How can we identify and counter disordered philosophies which lead to increasing polarization and destabilization?

13 Comments

The Top 5 Reasons Political Independents Are Misunderstood

2/14/2017

6 Comments

In this environment of political tension, being angry is de riguer. I have recently been criticized for not being morally outraged about some public policy issue. It got me thinking, in light of how complex human society is, why the rush to judgment? Why let anger over some abstract political issues get in the way of your relationships with others?

The give and take necessary for discussing controversial subjects in a reasonable way is a learned skill. I'm the first to admit that am not as good at it as I would like to be. My own failure of articulation aside though, I don't want to rush to judgement about complex issues without being able to research and think them over carefully first. The philosopher Jaques Ellul stresses caution in rendering our convictions:

The propagandist can mobilize man for action that is not in accord with his previous convictions. Modern psychologists are well aware that there is not necessarily any continuity between conviction and action, and no intrinsic rationality in opinions or acts. Into these gaps in continuity propaganda inserts its lever. It does not seek to create wise or reasonable men but proselytes and militants.[1]

I have written before that being quick to anger makes you vulnerable to propaganda, which is why you should try to be cautious with your thought process. But in doing so, you are likely to leave yourself open to being misunderstood. In fact, these 5 seemingly reasonable behaviors of political freethinkers and independents might really piss people off:

6 Comments

The Revolution Inside

1/7/2017

2 Comments

Peace and justice are two goals which the politically inclined often seek, but they are simultaneously inner qualities which a philosophical person must posses, not just external conditions which we would like to see in the world. If we want to see the world change we must first concern ourselves with healing our own lives.

In Xenophon's Memoirs of Socrates, Hippias tells Socrates that instead of always asking questions about justice, he would do better simply to say, once and for all, what justice is. Socrates replies: "If I don't reveal my views on justice in words, I do so by my conduct." A modern parallel to Socrates' statement can be found in Martin Luther King's quote, "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

What Socrates wanted to show is that we can never understand justice if we do not live it. King similarly noted that we won't achieve peace through our actions if outwardly we are irrationally angry and inwardly we are a mess of anxiety and nuerosis. We can't expect the world to give us better than we give the world.

In antiquity, philosophy was a way of life akin to therapy or care of the soul. Socrates, the Cynics, Aristotle, the Epicureans and the Stoics all stressed that we can achieve autarkia, or inner freedom independent of external events.[1] Autarkia is a self-sufficiency and peace of mind where we feel that we lack nothing, relying on our inner resources. To be liberated, we must turn our attention to the revolution within and to what we can control; our thoughts, emotions, and actions. In order to obtain autarkia or inner freedom, we must train ourselves for it.

2 Comments

Propaganda: A Soothing, Integrating Influence for Modern Man

12/31/2016

0 Comments

Just in case you missed it, earlier this month I had a longer piece about integration propaganda published on Uisio.com. Here is an excerpt:

"The conditions of life in mass societies tend to multiply individual frustrations. They produce abstract fragmentary relations between people…totally devoid of intimacy…One can show how the feeling of insecurity or anxiety develops; trace the contradictions of our environment, the conflicts between socially accepted competition and the preaching of fraternal love, between the constant stimulation of our needs through advertising and our limited finances, between our legal rights and the shackles of reality. Propaganda responds psychologically to this situation."

If you have been following my recent series about the perneciousness of propaganda and media you will likely enjoy this too!

0 Comments

How to Make Yourself Immune to Propaganda

11/30/2016

11 Comments

In the current climate of increased political tension, it's important to be two things: open-minded and not easily angered. Why? Because being closed-minded, irrational, or both makes you more vulnerable to propaganda.

The French philosopher Jaques Ellul literally wrote the book on propaganda methods throughout history and around the world.[1] Ellul examines propaganda as an existing sociological phenomenon in modern technological societies. One of his most important contributions is the distinction which he draws between agitation and integration propaganda.

Agitation propaganda appeals to anger and anti-social tendencies. Integration propaganda is subtle and perpetual; it speaks to our fundamental anxiety and our need to be part of the mass. In this post I'll explain both types of propaganda and elaborate on how you can make yourself less vulnerable to their effects.

Unchecked exposure to propaganda - even in a democratic society - tends to make people psychologically totalitarian. Propaganda works against dialog, towards belief systems which benefit the system as a whole, but make it genuinely hard for us to live together. So how do we avoid being influenced by propaganda? In short, by being a reasonable person.

11 Comments

The Social Justice Warrior Paradox

9/3/2016

11 Comments

Do we have an obligation to be good, community minded citizens and to act accordingly? The simple answer is yes, but the full answer is more complicated, so please bear with me for a second.

I received some mildly critical feedback on my most recent post: 4 Pieces of Stoic Wisdom For Dealing With Negative News Media. (Nothing too harsh of course - this blog has polite readers!) The objections are with my suggestion that we should tune out news media entirely or almost entirely if we want equanimity. Those who commented, argued that Stoics (and presumably non-Stoics) have a duty to act socially and politically, and that ignoring the news smacks of self-interested isolation in the Epicurean Garden.

So, what is the problem with staying informed via news media, you ask? Isn't that what we are supposed to do in a democracy? There are two parts to this question which warrant a response. First, there is the problem of social and political action, ostensibly based on the information we get via media. In other words, what should we "do about," current issues? Second, there is the problem of the information itself - with the quality and manipulation of news and mass media - which I will go on to address in part 3 of this series.

Do social and political actions really have any effect? Can taking such actions be harmful? Do we have a duty to stay informed? Well yes...and no. It all boils down to the question of what do you plan on doing with the information you get from the news. There are certainly more and less ethical and effective ways to create a better community and a better world, so I have also included some helpful suggestions at the end of the post:

11 Comments

Is Democracy a Utopian Ideal?

5/22/2016

4 Comments

I have published a guest post on Uisio.com. The piece examines the Iron Law of Oligarchy and Baron Acton's famous maxim "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Those of you who liked my post Why Every Political and Economic System Eventually Fails, And What You Can Do About It will probably like this post too.

Enjoy!

Update 2022: Uisio is defunct, but I have republished this piece on my site here.

4 Comments

<<Previous

Forward>>

A Meditation on Courage: 2 Techniques for Overcoming Anxiety

Why You Should Get Your Crap Together Before Becoming Politically Active

How the Left-Right Political Spectrum Decieves Us

Are You a Disordered Philosopher?

The Top 5 Reasons Political Independents Are Misunderstood

The Revolution Inside

Propaganda: A Soothing, Integrating Influence for Modern Man

How to Make Yourself Immune to Propaganda

The Social Justice Warrior Paradox

Is Democracy a Utopian Ideal?

Growing in Goodness

About Me:

Most Popular Blog Posts:

Download My Stoic Printables For Tough Days:

Watch Common Sense Ethics On YouTube:

Support CSE:

Topics:

Archives:

Book of the Month:

Personal Growth Resources:

Understanding and Applying Stoic Ethics In Modern Life:

Follow Common Sense Ethics on Pinterest:

Join the Stoic Parents Facebook Group:

Growing in Goodness

Don't Miss A Post!

Thank You For Subscribing to Common Sense Ethics!

About Me:

Most Popular Blog Posts:

Download My Stoic Printables For Tough Days:

Watch Common Sense Ethics On YouTube:

Support CSE:

Topics:

Archives:

​Personal Growth Resources:

Understanding and Applying Stoic Ethics In Modern Life:

​Follow Common Sense Ethics on Pinterest:

​Join the Stoic Parents Facebook Group:

Personal Growth Resources:

Follow Common Sense Ethics on Pinterest:

Join the Stoic Parents Facebook Group: