John Vespasian

John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of eighteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024), and "Constancy: Michel de Montaigne's life and ideas" (2025).

  1. Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 2)

    2 DAYS AGO

    Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 2)

    Due to the edict issued by Emperor Claudius, #seneca spent eight years in exile in Corsica. His property, family and friends had remained in Rome. Since the imperial edict had not specified the length of the exile, Seneca believed that he would have to stay in Corsica for the rest of his life. When Seneca first set foot on Corsica, he was only forty-five years old, far too young to give up all hope. Nevertheless, he had witnessed how exile had gone for other people. None of them had been pardoned; none of them had ever returned to Rome. Fortunately, Seneca had already become a solid philosopher, one that would not lose countenance due to setbacks, no matter how severe or painful those would be. Before the imperial edict sending him to exile, Seneca had become an expert on Stoic philosophy. He knew the #principles in detail and had discussed them extensively with his friends. It had never occurred to him, however, that he would be facing such a terrible situation himself, a situation that had arisen out of the blue. Seneca faced his exile on Corsica by employing exactly the same principle that has served him well a decade earlier during his period of severe illness; as a Stoic, he committed himself to making the best of each day; and as a pragmatic, he figured out how to render his exile as pleasant as possible. From the 76th Letter to Lucilius, I realize that Seneca must have ended up viewing his exile as an opportunity to deepen his #wisdom . Also in his essay “On Providence,” he described misfortunes as chances to practise virtue and gain wisdom. Seneca’s resolve to reframe his exile as an opportunity was remarkable, and illustrates #stoicism at its best. Instead of falling prey to depression, Seneca kept a cool head, stayed productive, and made his lifestyle as comfortable as possible. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/philosophical-lessons-from-senecas-life-part-2/

    6 min
  2. Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 1)

    2 DAYS AGO

    Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 1)

    When analysing the insights of great philosophers, I love to look at their biographies and see the practical implications. Do their biographies reflect the benefits of their insights? Did their choices prove particularly perceptive and clever? #seneca (4 BC-65 AD) passed the biography test with flight colours. His choices mirrored his philosophy and all his friends admired his #inspiring , reflective personality. I view as a minor issue that some of Seneca’s actions do not match his philosophical ideals. The #contradictions occurred at an early stage in his career as a philosopher; eventually, Seneca came to his senses and amended his errors. Seneca was born into a wealthy, prominent family in one of the largest provinces of the Roman Empire: Hispania. At that point, the governance of #rome was evolving from a republic into an empire, but Hispania was far away from the central seat of power. Not only was Seneca born into wealth, but also into culture. His father was highly educated and deployed his best efforts to develop Seneca’s skills. Early in life, Seneca was sent to Rome to take lessons from rhetoricians, philosophers and lawyers. Indeed, Seneca enjoyed an excellent education and lived an easy life in his youth, but one should not conclude that those factors predestined him for greatness. I contest the assumption that Seneca would become great just because he had been dealt all the cards. For what concerns his privileged education, Seneca was far from unique. In the early Roman Empire, there were several hundred wealthy, influential families that could afford the best education for their children. Hispania was an important province, but the Roman Empire was immense. Senators and procurators governed provinces in today’s Greece, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, France, Romania and the Mediterranean islands. My list of territories is not exhaustive. I just want to convey that wealthy Roman families numbered at least a few hundred. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/philosophical-lessons-from-senecas-biography-part-1/

    6 min
  3. How to use Seneca’s philosophy today

    2 DAYS AGO

    How to use Seneca’s philosophy today

    Philosophy is either perennial or false because it is based on the principles underlying the universe and human nature. Great thinkers such as #aristotle (384-322 BC) identified and codified those principles. When we affirm that Aristotle’s #philosophy is true, we mean that Aristotle has correctly identified those principles and then codified them in an intelligible manner. Generation after generation, people have been relying on a handful of philosophers to figure out the world. True answers help us understand the principles of identity and causality, how emotions are generated, and distinguishing good from evil. Seneca made important contributions to #stoicism , the set of philosophical ideas that prevailed in Europe for six hundred years: roughly since Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) until Augustine (354-430 AD). Stoicism is an ethical system, not a complete philosophical system. It provides guidance about how to pursue happiness, avoid pain and live effectively, but does not say much about metaphysics, epistemology, politics and aesthetics. Other than assuming that the universe is driven by reason, Stoic philosophers did not venture beyond the obvious. Their view of “reason” as the driving force of the universe is rather mystical and does not correspond to the Aristotelian definitions of rationality and logic. Nonetheless, despite being limited to ethics, Stoicism gives us important insights into human behaviour. #seneca compiled those insights and put them in writing, using examples from his personal life and from history. Seneca’s insights are worth studying because they constitute a corpus of proven practical advice. Thousands of people have applied Seneca’s recommendations successfully and improved their lives. We can do the same in our century, especially with the following key ideas from Seneca. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/how-to-use-senecas-philosophy-today/

    7 min
  4. Schopenhauer’s philosophy of life compared with Taoism

    27 FEB

    Schopenhauer’s philosophy of life compared with Taoism

    Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) was deeply familiar with Eastern philosophy, in particular #buddhism and #hinduism . He held in high regard the Eastern approach to stress reduction by reducing one’s emotional engagement. In Schopenhauer’s books, you won’t find a call for “nirvana” and other Eastern philosophical concepts. Nonetheless, he put forward recommendations that are similar to “nirvana.” There’s no doubt that Schopenhauer deployed great efforts to draw the best ideas from Buddhism and Hinduism, and turned them into practical advice. In contrast to Buddhism and Hinduism, Schopenhauer didn’t recommend the suppression of desires. He came up with mild, soft advice that everybody can implement without giving up all his dreams and daily comforts. Schopenhauer presented his advice primarily in “The world as will and representation” (1818) and in his essay collection “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851). Amongst other strategies, he favoured self-awareness, #prudence and foresight, keeping a margin of safety, self-reliance and risk diversification. In this context, we must ask why he focused on Buddhism and Hinduism instead of #taoism . What made him prefer the ideas from Indian philosophers to those developed by Chinese Taoists? The answer to this question is crucial to understanding what Schopenhauer stood for. His theory of the will (“life force”) is telling us that the will is driving the thoughts and actions of all living creatures, but that the will is not omnipotent. In “The world as will and representation,” Schopenhauer is describing in detail the dire influence of the will, but he is also offering hope. Human beings can adopt protective measures to stay rational and minimise the distortions caused by the will. His theory of the will contemplates a narrow width in which humans can adopt countermeasures. People are not defenceless puppets driven by the all-powerful will. That’s the essential message from the books written by Schopenhauer: despite all constraints, you can still influence events and increase your happiness. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-philosophy-of-life-compared-with-taoism/

    7 min
  5. Idealism in Schopenhauer’s views on love and relationships

    27 FEB

    Idealism in Schopenhauer’s views on love and relationships

    In his works, Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) pointed out that #love #relationships often fail because people will initially idealise their beloved, and experience disappointment when they realise that their expectations do not match reality. Schopenhauer presented those views in “The world as will and representation” (1818) and in “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851). He warned readers against seeking short-term pleasure without assessing the cost and risks involved. According to Schopenhauer, the whole cosmos is driven by the will (“life force”), which prompts living creatures to secure their survival and reproduction, and seek short-term pleasure. In his warning against delusion, Schopenhauer describes all problems accurately, but fails to provide solutions; he warns us against blind love, but fails to outline workable alternatives. The search for better answers must start with the definition of love. Schopenhauer describes love as “intense attraction” in a rather simplistic way. In doing so, he overlooks five hundred years of literary and psychological exploration. Schopenhauer lacks a nuanced view of love relationships. He could have grasped those nuances by reading the works of Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) or Petrarch, the first poet who explored the complexities of love. In contrast to Schopenhauer’s oversimplification, Petrarch idealised #romantic relationships. His poems reflect the period between the Middle Ages and the #renaissance , a period when knights, aristocratic ladies and troubadours still played a major role. While Schopenhauer regarded all idealised love as delusion, Petrarch wrote sonnets about Laura, a mysterious woman that appears unattainable to him. Instead of referring to the will and instinctual forces, Petrarch wrote about beauty, gentle hearts, and eternal affection between kindred souls. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/idealism-in-schopenhauers-views-on-love-and-relationships/

    6 min
  6. Schopenhauer’s influence on Freud

    27 FEB

    Schopenhauer’s influence on Freud

    Sigmund #freud (1856–1939) did not acknowledge at every opportunity an intellectual debt towards Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) because he claimed to have created the theory of the #unconscious or theory of #instincts as a driving force of human psychology. However, anyone familiar with Freud’s and Schopenhauer’s ideas cannot possibly fail to notice the close similarity between Freud’s theory of the unconscious and Schopenhauer’s ideas, in particular, the theory of the will (“life force”). Let us examine in detail how Freud’s work relies on a view of human life very similar to Schopenhauer’s. Freud published in 1914 his essay “On narcissism” in which he argues that a certain level of self-respect is necessary for a #healthy personality. The problem arises when the individual is pushing his desires (conscious or unconscious) beyond what is socially acceptable. Schopenhauer’s influence is already visible at this stage. In “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer had pointed out that the will (“life force” or “primary energy”) is often prompting humans to foolish behaviour. Narcissism is just one example of the aberrant influence of the will, although Schopenhauer did not pick up this clue. He regarded the will as a strong, irrational force that disrupts how people behave, but did not go into psychological details. If one follows Schopenhauer’s logic, mental disturbance can be attributed to the dire influence of the will. Schopenhauer did mention #emotional suffering but failed to categorise the mental distortions (stress, anxiety, panic, narcissism, and others). As time goes by, Freud’s publications resemble more closely to Schopenhauer’s theory of the will but not consistently. When Freud deviates from Schopenhauer’s #philosophy , he comes up with ideas that make no sense. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-influence-on-freud/

    7 min
  7. Schopenhauer’s views on the self

    25 FEB

    Schopenhauer’s views on the self

    What are the characteristics of the #philosophy of the self developed by Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860)? Which are the differences between his ideas and those of other philosophers? Schopenhauer outlined his philosophy in “The world as will and representation,” a book published in 1818. The book puts forward the “theory of the will” as an explanation for the cosmos, society, and human nature. According to this theory, the will (“life force”) is driving all living creatures to ensure their own survival, reproduction, and to seek short-time pleasure. To a large extent, the concept of #instincts in Sigmund #freud (1856-1939) corresponds to Schopenhauer’s theory of the will. In Freud’s books, instincts are also defined as unconscious and primordial forces driving animals and humans. The will shapes the human self, but it’s not the only element at play. The self entails individual aspects that are enhanced by #selfawareness and thinking, and weakened by passivity, blind conformity, and ignorance. According to Schopenhauer, the will is insatiable, relentless, short-sighted and often destructive, but the human self doesn’t need to fall prey to those influences. Schopenhauer views the self as the individual expression of the will, but accentuating any individual aspects requires a substantial effort. The less personal effort, the stronger the grip of the will on the concerned person. If there is no effort on the part of the individual, the will is going to take full control. Self-awareness is the starting point for enhancing the self. If you grow aware of the will, you can adopt countermeasures to protect yourself, reduce risk, and increase your happiness. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-views-on-the-self/

    8 min

About

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of eighteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024), and "Constancy: Michel de Montaigne's life and ideas" (2025).