Hello classmates,
I thought I posted yesterday, but apparently it didn't publish. I'm very sorry about the delay. But on September 11,2012, Group 1 discussed the eccentric philosopher known as Pyrrho. We examined his tactics and beliefs,as well as why his theories were so off the wall and very different from the "typical" philosophy individuals are used to reading about. Not long into the discussion, we as a group came to the realization of how similar Pyrrho and Socrates were, regarding their broad, vague range of teaching; however, we found Pyrrho very interesting to say the least, and we are definitely looking forward to the next upcoming meeting!
Hey guys,
ReplyDeleteI recently finished the assigned reading. What I gathered from the reading is that Epictetus was a modern day optimist. He didn't let anyone or anything deter him from internal happiness or fulfillment. He always turned negative experiences into something positive by simply negating the fact that "emotions" even really existed in the first place. In some ways, I could relate to his view on simply not worrying about things that aren't capable of being changed by human beings, depending on the situation. But an interesting fact that I came across tonight was that an actual real life individual applied Epictetus' philosophy to his own life. Although our group's focus is on Epictetus, I can't help but to side more with the views of Seneca, regarding the lack of time management and determination of some individuals. But I can't to discuss things more in depth with you guys tomorrow. My questions: What was the background behind Epictetus' philosophy? & Do you believe that it's intellectually possible to suppress emotions as if they're not real? See you tomorrow!
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteThe more I learn about Pyrrho the more I understand him. He was an extremist but I have found ways of agreeing with him. It is very challenging to simply believe everything when you really start thinking about it. Of course, I'm not going to walk off any cliffs but I definitely have a new perspective on things because of Pyrrho. I wanted to take a minute to talk about Epicurus, he came up, briefly, in our discussion and I wanted to learn a little more about him for fun. I agree with Epicurus more than I do with any other philosopher. In our assigned reading it says, "For Epicurus the key to life was recognizing that we all seek pleasure." It's so simple but rarely thought about and extremely interesting. Epicurus' philosophy just resonates with me. I wanted to share my excitement about my new favorite philosopher with you guys! So moving onto our new section, the chapter is Epictetus, Cicero, and Seneca but I think we are only discussing Epictetus. In the first paragraph it says "Being philosophical Simply means accepting what you can't change" and I felt this was the best answer I have come across to our first class question "What is philosophy?" Reading about stoicism made me agree that "we are responsible for what we feel and think." This chapter didn't give very much information on Epictetus, personally, but I like how he developed his philosophy from how he felt about life and past experiences. Discussion question: Just collaborating on Epictetus as person and gaining a better understanding of him. Factual question: What was the name of the U.S. Fighter Pilot whose life was saved because of Epictetus' teaching? Looking forward to our discussion! I'll put together our study guide of questions this weekend so stay tuned!
Journey
Hi.
ReplyDeleteI have determined that Pyrrho was a mental man, who had valid points but took it way too far.
Epictetus on the other side was more of a rational thinker. If your body is in a place you don't really agree on then you can simply live through your mind. He knew that sitting in a corner feeling miserable for yourself would not help a situation, but only make it worse. He believed in mind over matter basically.
Discussion Question - After all the hardships he went through with being captive as a slave, do you think he once questioned his own theory and felt sorry for himself and let pain and suffering get to him? Even for three seconds?
Factual question - What two emotions did Epictetus help a U.S. Fighter Pilot avoid with his philosophy?