Epicurean Ethics in the Pragmatist Philosophical Counsel

Abstract

This article explores the extent to which Epicurean ethics as a general philosophy of life can be integrated in a composite pragmatist approach to philosophical counseling. Epicureanism emerged in a historical era that was very different from the modern time and addressed a different philosophical ethos of the time. This alone makes it difficult for Epicureanism to satisfy all of the normative criteria for a modern ethics. On the other hand, the article discusses aspects of the modern "external"-duty-and demand-driven ethics that may contribute to the emergence of some of the main issues for modern philosophical counseling. The author points out aspects of Epicurean ethics that are potentially powerful tools to address the issues of mood and meaning in philosophical counseling, and thus serve as a contemporary complement to a complex duty-bound, yet pragmatist view of ethics. Keywords Epicurean ethics, pragmatist counsel, philosophical practice, the good life 1. The initial pages of this article draw to some extent on my recent publication "Epicureanism as a foundation for philosophical counseling."

Philosophical Practice as Spiritual Exercises towards Truth, Wisdom, and Virtue

“…In line with Hadot (1995), Ferraiolo (2010) points out that although Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, two representatives of the Stoics, were a slave and a emperor, their ideas on self-control can help modern people deal rationally and effectively with the inevitable and uncontrollable ups and downs of life, so that people can achieve inner peace and live a good life. Fatic (2014), on the other hand, argues that Epicureanism as a universal philosophy of life can be a powerful tool for addressing issues related to emotions and meaning in philosophical counseling.…”

“…If we discuss philosophical practice in a general sense, there could be as many modes as we want, and thus philosophical practice exhibits a distinct methodological plurality (see Table 1). Some of the more established approaches in contemporary philosophical practice include, but are not limited to, spiritual exercises (Hadot 1995), the existential approach (Russell 2001), the PEACE process (Marinoff 2002), the FITT stages (Raabe 2001), the Roman Stoic approach (Lahav 2009), the neo-Socratic dialogue (Brenifier 2020;Littig 2010;Nelson 1949), the IDEA method (Ferraiolo 2010), logic-based therapy (Cohen 2013), issues tree (Raabe 2013), Epicurean ethics (Fatic 2014), humor (Amir 2014), and poetry (Rolfs 2015). All of these modes can help the visitors tune out the external distractions and focus on their minds (and bodies), leading to a possible equilibrium in the end.…”

Asceticism as an eclectic ethics

“…Oni su smatrali da zadovoljstva koja proističu iz prijateljstva daleko prevazilaze seksualna zadovoljstva, uživanje u akumuliranju vlasti u društvu, ili učešću u javnom životu, pa su zagovorali povučen život u zatvorenoj zajednici prijatelja, i te principe su sprovodili u jednom kvazi-manastirskom kontekstu "Epikurejskog društva bašte". Sam Epikur je umro u mukama od teške bolesti, ali je na samrti izjavio da je njegov život u ukupnom zbiru bio pun zadovoljstava, uključujući i samu bolest, jer su "zadovoljstva razgovora sa prijateljima bila daleko veća od bolova telesne bolesti" (Inwood, 1985, Fatić, 2013a.…”

“…Važna posledica kantovskog shvatanja, nasuprot Humeovom, za hrišćansku soteriologiju je da, dok aprioristička etika dužnosti može biti uspešna na nivou društvenih odnosa, ona ne čini ništa za hrišćansku dušu, jer je njena normativnost tako izgrađena da u principu dopušta da neko deluje moralno ispravno dok istovremeno zadržava želju i sklonost da deluje nemoralno. Kao što smo to pokazali na drugom mestu, sama ova posledica je generalno problematična sa tačke gledišta praktične etike i nezavisno od hrišćanske etike, jer opisuje kao poželjno stanje stvaru u kome je sasvim zamislivo (a, nažalost ne samo praktično moguće, nego je i faktički slučaj) da postoje moralne zajednice naseljene sasvim nesrećnim ljudima (Fatić, 2013a). Sa tačke gledišta hrišćanske etike je, međutim, značajnije to što bi u načelu duše svih kantijanski moralnih ljudi mogle biti soteriološki izgubljene.…”

Philosophical Counselling as a Ground for Philosophizing. Reflections based on the Volume: Communication and Philosophical Counselling, Author Sandu Frunza, Eikon Publishing House, Bucharest, 2019

“…An ever more constant concern in the sphere of applied philosophy is that of philosophical practice, which includes or, as the case may be, overlaps the philosophical counseling (Fatic, 2013). The idea of philosophical practice, applying to all efforts of using philosophy as a personal development tool, may include a series of philosophical activities that are not necessarily of a counseling nature such as philosophy for children (Frunză, 2018), the construction of organizational philosophy, the philosophical-spiritual meditation , or the philosophical café.…”