Stoicism and After: Philosophy and Life, with Professor A. C. Grayling

Stoicism provided the ethical outlook of educated people in the Hellenic and Roman periods, greatly influenced Christianity which adopted a good slice of its teachings, inspired Renaissance thinkers when classical literature was studied and its insights applied, was the starting point for Descartes' discussion of moral psychology with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia - they read Seneca together - and was a theme in Enlightenment attitudes.

This was a Classics for All Lawyers Group event, hosted on Tuesday 27 April 2021.

[MrJerkensen]

Thank you for everything Professor Grayling. Love your talks. Hello from California!

[AbbasiOfficial]

Fantastic lecture, thank you Mr Jackson and Prof Grayling

[rezamahan]

I'm writing in a state of despair and discontent about my disadvantageous life. And I have tried remedies from philosophy and stoicism to soothe my unfortunate pains, with negligible success. I have the following question from Professor Graying whom I watched most of his lectures and read his books: Would he still talk about tranquillity and virtuous life, if he was born in a desperate family and world? It is much easier to be virtuous in the English intellectual world and talk about virtue, not in a peasant family with a burden of 5 eternal dependents. having said that I still continue to learn about stoic remedies to misery.

[timothyappleseed]

11:40
Ignorance is not a lack of knowledge. It creates a lack of knowledge. Ignorance is the process or essence of ignoring. People ignore what they don't want to face because they are attached to the contrary.
Attachment causes fear of loss, which leads to doubt, then denial then ignoring. After that comes ridicule, anger, attacking, embarrassment and so on. Ignorance is very close to the root of evil, sin or whatever you want to call it. It's a blindness. But it is caused by attachment.
Judgement is the Fruit produced by the knowledge of good and evil, the Tree's name sake. Attachment is the eating part. Forgiveness is spitting the Fruit up and grace is leaving it on the Tree.

[fastblock]

AC has such a tiny brain to actually think we got all this naturally on its own.

The 1LofT states that energy can't be created or destroyed, it can't happen naturally. One aspect of the 2LofT shows that the universe is winding down, usable energy is becoming less usable. It is clear creation had to be done supernaturally at some point yet it is still denied because people are just too proud to accept that, among other things.