Socrates: "he who desires to be happy must pursue and practise temperance and run away from intemperance as fast as his legs will carry him: he had better order his life so as not to need punishment; but if either he or any of his friends, whether private individual or city, are in need of … Continue reading Socratic temperance
Tag: philosophy
Seneca to Lucilius on the length and quality of life
"We should strive, not to live long, but to live rightly; for to achieve long life you have need of Fate only, but for right living you need the soul. A life is really long if it is a full life; but fulness is not attained until the soul has rendered to itself its proper … Continue reading Seneca to Lucilius on the length and quality of life
Despise death; flee not from life.
From Seneca's twenty-fourth letter to Lucilius. "You write me that you are anxious about the result of a lawsuit, with which an angry opponent is threatening you; and you expect me to advise you to picture to yourself a happier issue, and to rest in the allurements of hope. Why, indeed, is it necessary to … Continue reading Despise death; flee not from life.
From Seneca’s consolation to Marcia
"Plague on it! what madness this is, to punish one's self because one is unfortunate, and not to lessen, but to increase one's ills! You ought to display, in this matter also, that decent behaviour and modesty which has characterised all your life: for there is such a thing as self-restraint in grief also. You … Continue reading From Seneca’s consolation to Marcia
From Seneca’s consolation to Polybius
"It is ... a great consolation to reflect that what has happened to us has happened to everyone before us and will happen to everyone after us. In my opinion, nature has made her cruellest acts affect all men alike, in order that the universality of their lot might console them for its hardship." "We … Continue reading From Seneca’s consolation to Polybius
James Mill on the Law of Nations
In another of his essays for the supplement to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Scottish radical James Mill considered the Law of Nations—or what we today know as international law—and how such laws might be enforced. Mill remarks upon the general outlawry that characterises international relations thus: "Have nations, in reality, combined, so constantly and steadily, … Continue reading James Mill on the Law of Nations
Literary life in the English countryside
The passage below belongs to one of the drafts of John Stuart Mill's autobiography, and was not included in the final version. It is a description of a daily routine that any philosopher must envy: continual study, easy access to natural scenery, and the relaxation of social gatherings. As it is difficult to conceive of … Continue reading Literary life in the English countryside
J. S. Mill: How to Become a Philosopher
In an 1862 letter, John Stuart Mill gave the following advice to an aspiring writer: "The way to cultivate a really philosophical intellect is to go on long thinking out subjects for one’s own instruction—with a view to understand them as thoroughly as possible oneself; reading in the meanwhile whatever is best worth reading on … Continue reading J. S. Mill: How to Become a Philosopher
James Mill on Evidence
In 1826, the Westminster Review, the organ of Benthamite Radicalism, published James Mill's review of a book entitled Essays on the Formation and Publication of Opinions. The Essays were written by Samuel Bailey, a Radical who shared the commitment of Bentham, and the Mills, to rational political analysis. Bailey's argument was, that since belief is … Continue reading James Mill on Evidence
James Mill on how the Few Oppress the Many
In an 1835 article entitled 'State of the Nation' for the London Review, the Scottish radical James Mill considered the progress of reform in Britain, and how society might be further improved. One of his objects was to illustrate how the ruling Few, throughout history, erected barriers to any reforms that might promote the interests … Continue reading James Mill on how the Few Oppress the Many
Notes in the Margins of the Days 