From the archive
The Figs in Winter archive is deep, here are some choice bits
Figs in Winter now has several hundred articles on a wide range of topics, including various approaches to living a meaningful life (ethics), examinations of pseudoscientific claims (science), and essays on practical reasoning (logic). This occasional series is meant to remind my readers of some of this material for their enjoyment and use. All articles linked below are free.
The crucial question of burden of proof. Not long ago I was spending a few minutes on the Notes feature of Substack, which pretty much works like an internal Twitter. Unlike that latter infamous platform, though, the level of discussion on Notes is significantly higher, probably because it is populated by people who either pay to be there or at the very least are genuinely interested in following a number of favorite writers. Anyway, one of the posts that kept showing up on my Home feed concerned “experiments” with psychedelic drugs. I have to admit that I am pretty skeptical of the use of any mind-altering substance beyond very minimum levels. That’s because Stoics value very much the integrity of their faculty of judgment, which is impaired by definition when your mind is artificially altered. … (18 August 2023)
Should we not be disturbed by the death of a loved one? Epictetus was a slave-turned-teacher who lived at the end of the first and beginning of the second centuries of the modern era. He influenced Marcus Aurelius, several Christian theologians throughout the Middle Ages, as well as a number of the Founding Fathers of the American Republic. Still today he is one of the towering figures in practical philosophy, and the one who hooked me into Stoicism. Yet, read the following passage and see how you react. … (1 September 2023)
Going to the Stoic mind gym. Stoicism is a philosophy of life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy. The latter began with the work of Albert Ellis in the 1950s, and Ellis was directly inspired by Stoic writings, especially those of the second century slave-turned-teacher Epictetus of Hierapolis. In particular, Ellis was motivated by a crucial passage in Epictetus’s Enchiridion, or manual for a good life. He cites this passage in the second edition of his book, The Practice of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. … (29 September 2023)
A visit to the Cryptozoology Museum. A few weekends ago I went with my wife and two dear friends to Portland, Maine, for a bit of rest and relaxation. We visited the lighthouse, walked by the waterfront, checked out the art museum, and ate and drunk more than usual in some of the fine local establishments. Also, we went to the International Cryptozoology Museum. Given my interest in pseudoscience, I just couldn’t resist, and my friends happily went along for the ride. … (6 October 2023)
Profiles in skepticism: Cicero. Regular readers of Figs in Winter know that I’m partial to Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman advocate, statesman, and philosopher who contributed so much to the understanding and popularization of philosophy in the ancient world. So he couldn’t possibly be missing from this short series on ancient skepticism. There is one aspect in particular of Cicero’s philosophy, however, that is not widely appreciated even though it is arguably of fundamental importance, just as much now as it was in Cicero’s time: his contribution to the debate about the ethics of belief. … (16 October 2023)
Thanks, friend.