Mastery: What It Takes To Be A Philosopher

Issue No. 60 | February 19th, 2024 | Read Time: 2 Minutes

Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you've noticed the philosophy of Stoicism begin to overwhelm the world of self-development.

From books, lectures, blogs, influencers, and apps; more and more people have begun to jump onto the bandwagon of Stoicism.

And I'm not trying to sound negative because I truly believe Stoicism has the ability to change lives since it has a clear connection to modern-day cognitive behavioral therapy. A type of therapeutical session that helps eliminate anxiety, PTSD, stress, and phobias.

But as much as I love reading on the topic, I think some people have taken it too far.

Every day there are more and more people calling themselves 'Stoic Philosophers' just because they read Meditations once and decided to take a cold shower.

Personally, I don't think anyone has the authority to label themselves a Stoic Philosopher.

Even Ryan Holiday, one of the most renowned curators of Stoicism doesn't call himself a philosopher. What he does do is follow their principles.

And I know this is starting to contradict today's newsletter title, but hear me out.

Stoics from Seneca, Epictetus, Musonius, and Chrysippus have all shared their opinion on what it takes to have the mind of a philosopher.

I'll say it one more time, the greatest philosophers didn't teach how to become a philosopher, they taught how to possess the mind of one.

And not only that, but they were advocates of not bragging about it.

Because when it comes to philosophy, shouldn't it be enough to have the qualities to live a virtuous life? Why brag about it?

And for a lot of the ancient Stoics, they summarized what was needed to possess the mind of a philosopher in a single sentence:

Epictetus said to think like a philosopher you must understand that you don't control the world around you, only how you respond.

And Musonius Rufus says that a virtuous person only needs to contemplate what it is to do the right thing.

What I'm getting at is, is that you don't need to practice every lesson and follow every rule in Stoic philosophy to have the mind of a calm and collected person.

All it takes is the awareness of right and wrong, and what to control and what you cannot.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I'm Currently Reading - I'm now reading START by Jon Acuff, a book on how to punch fear in the face and do the work that matters.

Quote Of The Week

• "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." — John Lennon