Stoic Meditations

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904. The argument from celebrity Aug 25, 2021

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Quintus, Cicero's brother, puts forth yet another bad argument in favor of divination, one that unfortunately is still used by many today: if celebrity so-and-so says X, then X must be true...

903. One problem with Stoic epistemology Aug 24, 2021

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Cicero's brother, Quintus, uses a qualitative argument in defense of the notion of divination. The argument appears valid, but it is flawed because of the lack of quantification, which - to be fair - was invented only many centuries later.

902. The Venus throw Aug 23, 2021

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Cicero's brother, Quintus, invokes an analogy between a dice game and the structure of the universe to deploy what we today recognize as an argument from intelligent design. Which doesn't work.

901. Good and bad reasons to reject a claim Aug 20, 2021

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Cicero rejects the notion of divination on the grounds that there is no mechanism to explain it. He was wrong on the general epistemological principle, though right in the specific case.

900. Stoic disagreements Aug 19, 2021

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Cicero tells us that some Stoics disagreed with the majority opinion within the Stoa on the topic of divination. Indeed, there were multiple opinions on various subjects. Stoicism was never a rigid school of thought.

899. Shall we accept the opinion of the many? Aug 18, 2021

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Cicero's brother, Quintus, presents one Stoic argument in favor of divination: everyone knows it's true. This is an obvious logical fallacy. And yet, there are cases when it is justified to believe a majority opinion.

898. The best days of our lives Aug 17, 2021

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These days are my best, because my mind is at leisure to attend to its own affairs, and at one time amuses itself with lighter studies, at another eagerly presses its inquiries into its own nature and that of the universe.

897. The proper attitude toward grief Aug 16, 2021

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The best middle course between affection and hard common sense is both to feel regret and to restrain it.

896. Use virtuous reason as your shield Aug 13, 2021

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If you regard the end of your days not as a punishment, but as an ordinance of nature, no fear of anything else will dare to enter the breast which has cast out the fear of death.

895. On over-consumption Aug 12, 2021

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Why do you amass fortune after fortune? Are you unwilling to remember how small our bodies are? Is it not frenzy and the wildest insanity to wish for so much when you can contain so little?

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