John Vespasian

John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of sixteen 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. How to think like Seneca

    19H AGO

    How to think like Seneca

    We could substantially increase our #performance if we learn to think like the greatest philosophers in history, but is it really possible? I consider it feasible to the extent that one is familiar with the corresponding #ideas and those are consistent. Aristotelian thinkers know the works of #aristotle (384-322 BC), have absorbed their principles, and put them into practice each day. Aristotelians take pride in their ability to think like Aristotle on a consistent basis. If we ask the same question to two Aristotelian thinkers, we will normally get the same answer. That’s because those people are employing the same Aristotelian #logic , which constitutes a consistent body of thought. Unfortunately, few thinkers are as consistent as Aristotle. If we take Plato (427-347 BC) for example, we will find that his ideas include mystical, supernatural elements. Plato never gave logical explanations for those elements. In view of Plato’s deficient logic, it would be hard to answer the question whether we can think like Plato. When it came to explaining how humans learn and reach conclusions, #plato was unable to give answers. Instead, he pointed to a supernatural “world of forms” that allegedly provides us the answers. When a #philosophical system is deficient, like Plato’s, it is pointless to ask if we can think like Plato. We could regurgitate Plato’s ideas about “the world of forms,” but those ideas make no sense and are worthless for drawing conclusions. I would not consider the regurgitation of deficient ideas as “thinking” in the proper sense. We could repeat Plato’s ideas as nauseam, but they won’t grow any clearer with use. Instead of thinking, we will be engaged in philosophical obfuscation. Seneca constitutes less of a challenge in this respect because he circumscribed his philosophy to the field of ethics. He didn’t write anything meaningful about metaphysics, epistemology, politics and aesthetics. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/how-to-think-like-seneca/

    7 min
  2. The risks of thinking like Seneca

    19H AGO

    The risks of thinking like Seneca

    Before praising the advantages of a #philosophy , we should devote equal efforts to assessing its disadvantages. Few people enjoy looking at the #risks of projects because the outcome can prove depressing, but rational decision making requires us to look before we jump. Seneca was partially aware of the flaws in his philosophy, but failed to address them in his writings. By the time #seneca had committed himself to addressing those issues, it was too late. He had been already marked for death by #nero (37-68 AD), and then pushed to commit suicide. At first sight, it seems difficult to believe that there are risks in Seneca’s ideas, that is, in mainstream #stoicism . If those ideas have been frequently endorsed in #history , is it not safe to assume that they are true and beneficial? Besides, what could be possibly wrong in a philosophy that is promoting #peaceful cooperation, honesty and modesty. If we all followed Seneca’s recommendations, is it not true that the world would be a better place? Those are solid questions, but do not prove the correctness of Seneca’s ideas. The questions will elicit the answer that, yes, indeed, there are many ideas worse than Seneca’s and possibly, large numbers of people could benefit from reading his works. I don’t need to be convinced of those benefits. I regard them as incontrovertible, but incomplete facts. The problem is that a partial truth, when assumed to be whole, can inflict devastating damage. Let me give an unrelated example to show what I mean. If I am asked by a tourist “Can you swim from the mainland to the nearby island?”, I should give the complete answer. If I answer that “the water temperature is great this week,” I would be giving a partial truth. Indeed, the water is warm, but I am omitting to say that there are sharks in the area, and that it’s #dangerous to swim to the nearby island. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-dark-side-of-thinking-like-seneca/

    7 min
  3. Seneca’s essays on life

    20H AGO

    Seneca’s essays on life

    The accuracy of a #philosophy does not depend on the length of the examples and explanations. Nonetheless, it does not hurt if the philosopher recounts anecdotes from #history , literature and his own life, and complements them with well-structured arguments. Seneca was a master in this respect. No other #stoic philosopher comes close to his literary achievements. In order to assess his contributions, we should compare him with his predecessors and with his intellectual heirs. In terms of accuracy, he surpassed his predecessors #zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Cleanthes (330-230 BC); and in terms of practicality, he remained ahead of later Stoics such as #marcusaurelius (121-180 AD) and #epictetus (55-135 AD). Seneca’s essays on life encompass his Letters to Lucilius on the one hand, and his essays on the other hand; the latter are similar to today’s essays, but the “essay” genre did not yet exist in the first century AD. Why are they sometimes called “dialogues”? Because they partly imitate the structure of Plato’s dialogues, in which a subject is debated by having different participants (persons such as #socrates ) make comments that present their viewpoint. Seneca’s five best known treatises or essays are titled “On the Shortness of Life,” “On the #happy Life,” “On #anger ,” “The #constancy of the Wise” and “On the #tranquillity of the Mind.” They revolve around avoiding destructive #emotions such as anger, and living effectively by cultivating virtue. For Seneca, virtue was equivalent to living in accordance with nature, which he believed to be driven by reason. I must however hasten to add that Seneca’s definition of #reason is different from Aristotle’s definition of rationality. For #aristotle , reason is a synonym for logic and common sense. In contrast, Seneca defined reason as a supernatural, perennial force that governs the universe. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-essays-on-life/

    8 min
  4. Understanding Seneca’s philosophy

    20H AGO

    Understanding Seneca’s philosophy

    For modern readers, #stoicism is hard to understand because our century is vastly different from the early Roman Empire. It is easy for us to read the writings of Seneca, but his words do not make any sense in the present context. What has changed so drastically? The #opportunities open to individuals. Today, each person can pursue #selfdevelopment to an extent that #seneca couldn’t have conceived. We have ample possibilities to learn, work and define our own lifestyle. Seneca assumed that individuals can seldom build a #betterlife for themselves. He viewed social and economic constraints as unassailable. He regarded happiness as unworkable in the long term, and advised us to focus on reducing our misery. #humannature has not changed since Seneca’s lifetime, but it makes a big difference whether humans live in a favourable or unfavourable environment. I would compare Seneca’s #historical context to living as an animal in a zoo. If we see an antelope in a zoo, we will not be able to grasp how antelopes live in the wilderness. Without that knowledge, it would be rather pointless to tell antelopes what to eat, where to sleep, or how to heal a broken leg. Seneca examined life in the early #romanempire and noted that most humans lived in physical poverty and #psychological misery; he also noted that, even the most #successful people, are often victims of a reversal of fortune. In his 28th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca even advises readers to give up any attempts to improve their situation by travelling. It isn’t worth it, he says, to seek a better lifestyle by moving from the city to the countryside, or from the countryside to the city. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/understanding-senecas-philosophy/

    7 min
  5. Aristotle’s perspective on the purpose of human life

    FEB 5

    Aristotle’s perspective on the purpose of human life

    If you wonder why so many people seem completely lost, unable to make good decisions, the answer is straightforward: They have no purpose in life. They have no goals, no #vision of what they want to achieve. They are going nowhere in particular and do not care if they get there or not. Since they have no sense of direction, they are incapable of consistent action. No wonder they feel stressed. In contrast, #aristotle placed purpose at the very centre of his view of ethics. Purpose is the magnet that enables polarisation. It is the force that keeps things aligned and harmonious. What’s the #purpose of life according to Aristotle? To attain happiness (in Greek “eudaimonia”). He defined happiness as “thriving” or “flourishing,” a state of high, steady enjoyment. According to Aristotle, a proper human life shall aim at high achievement, #selfactualisation , and happiness. It is not enough to just stay alive, eat and reproduce. It is not enough to pursue pleasure and entertainment. Without purpose, it becomes impossible to attain the highest stages of joy. Happiness comes from striving to achieve crucial goals, and employing your energies and #reason to reach your full potential. For Aristotle, #happiness goes beyond fleeting pleasures. You cannot randomly fall into happiness. It is a state of being that can only be earned through good decisions and actions. Aristotle taught that every person should establish a purpose (“telos” in Greek) that is worth pursuing. Purpose enables each human being to filter out noise and distractions, and use his resources optimally. Your purpose should be #consistent with reality, in particular with human nature. Animals can have a “final cause” because they pursue simple short-term goals, but cannot have a purpose. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-perspective-on-the-purpose-of-human-life/

    10 min
  6. Key ideas in Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality

    FEB 5

    Key ideas in Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality

    The concepts of potentiality and actuality occupy the central position in Aristotle’s #metaphysics . They supply an invaluable intellectual tool to assess people and events for what they are, and for what they could become. They prompt you to assess not only what is self-evident, but also the latent capabilities and threats; they let you forecast the future by using #causality and logic, not magic and divination. Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality encompass three key ideas. Each of them has been proven by history, but was harshly attacked by its opponents. The attacks showed the will to obliterate #criticalthinking and replace it by propaganda. Let us explore these three key ideas in detail. The first key idea in Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality is that they possess a strong #ethical component. They are meant to encourage people to become a better version of themselves, not to commit crimes or promote evil projects. When #aristotle says that person A has the potential to do B or become C, he is implying that person A will display virtuous behaviour in the process. Aristotle’s #philosophy is #optimistic and ethical. He is encouraging #selfactualisation by means of honest, steady work, not through manipulation and theft. Niccolo #machiavelli (1469-1527) completely distorted the Aristotelian idea of potentiality by decoupling it from ethics; in order to further his own career, Machiavelli gave convoluted arguments in favour of becoming a worse version of oneself. Aristotle regarded self-actualisation as a process in which a person can set virtuous goals, make plans and carry them out to #achieve (“actualize”) something that is objectively good. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/key-ideas-in-aristotles-concepts-of-potentiality-and-actuality/

    8 min
  7. Happiness and Aristotle’s views on the nature of reality and existence

    FEB 5

    Happiness and Aristotle’s views on the nature of reality and existence

    I’m always amused when people talk about #philosophy with disdain, arguing that “it is a waste of time because it lacks any practical application.” This opinion, which is as widespread today as it was during Aristotle’s life (384-322 BC), is profoundly naive. It shows the inability to perceive the impact of abstractions on daily events. In fact, it matters a lot if your views on the nature of reality and existence are accurate. If your views (and those outlined by #aristotle ) are aligned with reality, you’ll make good choices and achieve happiness. On the contrary, if your views are not aligned with reality, you will make mistake after mistake, and suffer the consequences. Consistency is the hallmark of philosophical truth; in a good system of ideas, each individual aspect matches the totality and the totality matches reality. Every application of true #principles leads to the best possible outcome under the circumstances. True philosophy operates through identity and #causality . It does not depend on wishful thinking, magic, or hope. Aristotle in his “Nicomachean Ethics” called hope a “waking dream” in contrast to the predictability delivered by causality. Even small deviations from the truth will create a lethal lack of consistency. Any discrepancy will undermine effectiveness and motivation. I cannot count the number of dire errors that I have witnessed, committed due to inconsistencies. The most destructive people are the ones who refuse to take notice of the inconsistencies in their philosophy. They’ll keep going in the wrong direction until it’s too late. They will rather annihilate themselves than look at reality face-to-face. For example, the Roman philosopher #seneca (1-65 AD) had adopted in many areas ideas similar to Aristotle’s, but failed to grasp the concept of causality. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/happiness-and-aristotles-views-on-the-nature-of-reality-and-existence/

    5 min
  8. The failed crusade against Aristotle’s philosophy of logic

    FEB 5

    The failed crusade against Aristotle’s philosophy of logic

    The philosophical innovations brought forth by #aristotle (384-322 BC) are momentous, truly revolutionary, especially in the field of logic. His identification of a precise method (which he called #syllogism ) to reach accurate conclusions allowed, for the first time in history, to conduct rational debates. Modern #civilisation is built on the pillars of Aristotle’s logic and the enemies of civilisation know that it can be undermined by severing those pillars. Without well-defined rules of #logic , a rational discussion becomes impossible and anything goes. Unfortunately, #history has generated many crusaders against Aristotelian logic. The damage they’ve inflicted on civilisation is proportional to the extent of their popularity. The confusion they have created is proportional to how far they’ve twisted the works of Aristotle. The French philosopher Rene #descartes (1596–1650) made vast efforts to undermine Aristotelian logic. In his book titled “Meditations on First Philosophy” from 1841, Descartes gives long arguments in favour of subjective #introspection ; he speaks in favour of finding the truth in pure abstractions. Descartes’ proposal, if taken seriously, would lead to a chain of deductions (without any empirical data) from essential ideas that philosophers have identified through introspection. Thankfully, Descartes devoted the following decades of his life to mathematics, geometry and astronomy, instead of trying to spread his #philosophical delusions. His logic makes no sense and does not refute Aristotle’s in any way. A second crusader against Aristotelian logic is #johnlocke (1632–1704). His “Essay Concerning Human Understanding,” published in 1690, summarises his views on logic. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-failed-crusade-against-aristotles-philosophy-of-logic/

    6 min

About

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of sixteen 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).