(I'm in for Morgan today so bear with me)
The word Vulcan comes from the ground-breaking show Star Trek. The Vulcans were a species who were in such control of their emotions that they appeared to have none. Essentially, they were Epictetus' dream come true. They valued logic above all else, always turning to it rather than emotions.
I really wanted to put a picture of Epictetus with pointy ears but Google didn't come up with one and I'm not handy with Photoshop so you all got this instead. I, personally, think this is better anyways.
*Did anyone notice the guy in the back holding up the "live long and prosper" sign?*
The Trollface Socrates group, at first, had a difficult time talking about Epictetus' philosophy of choosing logic over emotions. There wasn't really anything to disagree with there, until we started examining what being a stoic was. Was it being void of all emotion? Or was it re-thinking the bad events and moments? Well, on page 29 of LH Warburton writes: "They [Stoics] believed emotions clouded reasoning and damaged judgement. We should not just control them, but whenever possible remove them all together."
I couldn't have said it better myself.
If a Stoic such as Epictetus believed you should remove emotion all together, then what would he have classified passion as? If he weren't passionate about Philosophy why would he spend his life pondering it? Not to say that the philosophy of stoicism is completely false (after all there can be no universally acknowledged truths, right?) but it is to say that part of this stoic Philosophy was lacking. Logan brought up the question of whether or not all emotions can be controlled. Like love and passion? Can those even be categorized as emotions? Or, as Logan put it, are they super emotions?
See? He just can't control it.
What we also found about Epictetus' philosophical views was that we could relate it back to everything we discussed today. When we got to the topic of friendship we were faced with the ideas of Stoicism again. The bonds you have with friends are important to you so, in the instance you and your best friend live together, it may often be necessary to be in control of your emotions. We all know that even the best of friends can get a tad bit annoying at times. It's necessary for us to be in control of our emotions so that we don't lose a friend due to one sudden outburst of anger. In fact, we all probably employ stoicism in our everyday lives. You wouldn't want to flip out on your boss one day because you got angry. Then you might lose your job. While being in constant control of your emotions to the point where you are devoid of them isn't the ideal lifestyle, the ability to control is a great virtue.
Freebies of the Day
Something to Chew On: Are there certain emotions you can't control? Or do we have the ability to control every feeling we have? If there are certain emotions you can't control than can a person ever truly be a Stoic?
The Quizzler: Is Stoicism being in control of your emotions or devoid of them?
Answer: Stoicism is using logic above all else, essentially riding yourself of emotions.
*The Freebies of the Day, Something to Chew On, and The Quizzler trademarks are Morgan Hunlen's.
**Note to H1G1: Sorry about all the Star Trek, but that's what happens when you make me author for a day. The power goes to my head.