Plato, as much as I do not generally admire him, created what I think is the best metaphor to describe the human condition. We should think of man as being a chariot, complete with driver, chariot and horses. The chariot itself is our body, the horses represent our emotions, our drives, and the driver is the intellect. All of these parts are necessary if the chariot is to function properly. None of them, the body, the emotions or the mind, is bad in and off itself. Without the chariot itself we would be nothing, without the emotions there would be nothing to pull the chariot, and the mind must control the chariot. In fact, the intellect must ALWAYS be in charge, or the chariot will crash. This does not mean that the horses are bad, but that they must be directed by the intellect, not direct the intellect.
Stoic philosophy gives the intellect the tools to control the chariot, but the efforts never cease. If the driver is on a journey of 10 miles, he cannot exercise control for the first 8 and hope that the horses will behave for the next 2 miles.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Life and Death
What happens to us when we die? What happens to the mind? Perhaps we should look at two analogies, a light bulb and a candle. In the case of the light bulb, think of the bulb itself as our body, the filament as the brain, and the light it emits as our mind. As long as the brain is intact, as long as the body is alive, we think; as long as the bulb is intact, as long as the current flows through the bulb, it emits light. But, if the bulb is shattered, or the filament breaks, or the current stops, the light stops as well. Where did the light go? It didn't "go" anywhere; the bulb stops emitting it. If our body dies, if the brain is destroyed or stops working, the thoughts cease as well. The "mind" doesn't go anywhere, any more than did the light in the light bulb. It is simply gone. It is the same with the flame of a candle. When the flame is blown out, or the candle is consumed, the light also simply stops. Sure, the wax is still there, the wick is still there, but there is no more light, no more heat.
No soul, no immortality? I look at my little dog. He thinks, in his own way, to his own limits. He dreams when he sleeps: he must have been chasing a cat in his own dreams last night. But some day, his little body will give up, and he will not think, he will not react, he will not dream. Should it be any different with me? I can try to be healthy, I can--and did--lose weight, I can eat right, but some day this 'light bulb' will give up. There is nothing to fear, because "I" will be gone. I cannot prevent myself from dieing, some day, because that is an external event that is out of my control. I can, however, face it with dignity, and still act in accordance, as Epictetus said, with my moral purpose. Should not that be enough?
No soul, no immortality? I look at my little dog. He thinks, in his own way, to his own limits. He dreams when he sleeps: he must have been chasing a cat in his own dreams last night. But some day, his little body will give up, and he will not think, he will not react, he will not dream. Should it be any different with me? I can try to be healthy, I can--and did--lose weight, I can eat right, but some day this 'light bulb' will give up. There is nothing to fear, because "I" will be gone. I cannot prevent myself from dieing, some day, because that is an external event that is out of my control. I can, however, face it with dignity, and still act in accordance, as Epictetus said, with my moral purpose. Should not that be enough?
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