The Problem With Stoicism

 In the previous post, I raised a few problems with Stoicism, as presented by William Ervin. My overall judgment was that Ervin presents a "philosophy" that doesn't compete well with other self-help strategies such as Covy's "Seven Habits". Here, I want to drill a bit deeper and present more fundamental objections.

We have "rational" arguments throughout Ervin's presentation for whatever habit of mind is recommended. The problem is that nobody can define "reason," and these days, we see the frontal lobes of the brain as mainly suppressing more basic instincts. Ervin's image of the brain is almost like a mechanical calculator that always comes up with the right answer based on logic alone. 

I started skimming when Ervin was finding reasons why sex should be confined to the procreation of children. In later chapters, he laments the unpopularity of Stoicism. In this case, as in most others, he doesn't entertain "reasonable" objections to his suggested approach. Especially in the light of his entreaty to follow nature, how "reasonable" is this advice? To put a finer point on it, is sex only for the procreation of children? Surely a case may be made that there is more to sex, but such a case would not come from professional philosophers, which brings up a second point. Ervin is out of his lane when he dismisses psychology and psychiatry from the viewpoint of a philosopher. 

For example, he ridicules the practice of "grief counseling". Just what is his suggested alternative? Reason I guess. I would guess that such counseling is needed precisely because reason is not helping. Why would that be? Because the brain's purpose is not to calculate away feelings of devastating loss.

Ervin is also "out of his lane" when he tells us what's wrong with, for example, Zen.  Zen, Stoicism, and Buddhism all recognize that our mental processes cause us grief. However, the mental process in general are the target of Zen meditation, including the "rational" ones. Zen doesn't rely on "explanations" it emphasizes experience. The idea is to "reign in the ox". To avoid letting feelings take control, especially leading you to action.