Practical Philosophy

What is Practical Philosophy?

Practical Philosophy can be defined as the study of the bases of philosophy (theory of knowledge, logic and metaphysics) for “practical thinking”, with emphasis on understanding and improving values and virtues, attitudes and norms of behavior for Life.

What is Practical Philosophy for?

The practice of Philosophy serves to answer the fundamental questions: Where did we come from? Who are we and what is our purpose? Where are we going or do we want to go? Answering the fundamental questions of our existence and guiding ourselves in our life project, through the use of Practical Philosophy for our self-development and personal growth, requires the focus on three fundamental aspects: 
 
1. GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF 
The first focus should be the ‘knowledge of oneself’ for access to self-knowledge and understanding of the World. This first step is indispensable to start a path of learning and transformation. Self-knowledge is a task for a lifetime, but any effort in this sense allows us to achieve a greater degree of awareness, independence, freedom and security. 
 
2. UNDERSTAND AND BE IN TUNE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE 
The second focus should be the learning that in nature there is a harmony with which we must enter into harmony. There are laws of the universe that we can tune into and that help us move towards the goals we have. Ignoring or resisting the Laws means easing a path with more difficulties and obstacles.    
 
3. HAVING A MEANING FOR LIFE 
The third focus should be the will to have a meaning for life. The meaning for Life is the cornerstone of the human condition itself. It is not enough to live, to spend the days in countless tasks. We want to live a Life that makes sense, that is worthwhile, that has value in itself. A life with meaning is fundamental to a full Life. To build it we must exercise our best innate abilities such as: willpower, love and empathy, creativity, courage and resilience, attention and service to others. The practice and improvement of virtues and the correction of defects, proper to the human being, give a meaning for each one to fulfill his purpose, the meaning for and of his Life.

Cardinal Virtues are essential for human relations and organization in society. Deriving from the Latin word “thistle”, it means that they are the main or fundamental virtues. These four Virtues need to be perfected through our intelligence and will. The four cardinal virtues are as follows: 
 
1. PRUDENCE: (originally “wisdom” which in Latin means knowledge or wisdom), has the reason to discern, in all circumstances, the true Good and to choose the just means to achieve it. This Virtue leads to others, indicating to them the rule and measure”, being therefore considered the human mother virtue.  
 
2. JUSTICE: which is a constant and firm will to give others what is due to them. 
 
3. FORTITUDE: which ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the search for good. 
 
4. TEMPERANCE: which moderates the attraction of pleasures, ensures the mastery of the will over instincts and provides balance in the use of the created goods.

 

Stoic Philosophy presents itself with a unified view of the world through three fundamental concepts:
 
1. Live according to nature.
2. The practice of three disciplines: the discipline of desire, the discipline of action and the discipline of acceptance. 
3. The dichotomy of control.
 
 
1. LIVE ACCORDING TO NATURE: For Stoic Philosophy, the best way to live our lives, that it is worth living and finding a meaning or purpose, is to live it according to nature – human nature. In practice, this meant studying three interrelated themes:
 
I. THE ‘PHYSICS’: stoics understood physics as the study of natural sciences, as well as metaphysics. Understand how everything is organized in the world.
II. The ‘LOGIC’: the concept of ‘logic’ for the Stoics included what is now the study of rationality, psychology and rhetoric, as well as everything that would be necessary to communicate correctly.
III. THE ‘ETHICS’: for the Stoics it was not only discerning between good and evil, but the study of how to provide life with meaning.
 
To decide the best way to live (ethics), it is necessary to understand how the world (physical) works and reason properly about all this (logic).
 
 
2. THE PRACTICE OF THREE DISCIPLINES: Living according to our human nature requires the practice of three disciplines: the discipline of desire, the discipline of action and the discipline of assent.
 
2.1. THE DISCIPLINE OF DESIRE:the practice of this discipline teaches us the best desire. What should be our goals? How and where do we channel our energy, time and resources? 
 
2.2. THE DISCIPLINE OF ACTION: this practice teaches us how we should act in the social sphere. What kind of behavior should we have with us and others? 
 
2.3. THE DISCIPLINE OF ASSENT: the practice of this discipline helps us to form more appropriate judgments about adversities and obstacles along our journey. Should we be upset with this person? Shall we give ourselves to this pleasure?
 
3. THE DICHOTOMY OF CONTROL: The dichotomy of control is one of the fundamental concepts of Stoic Philosophy. What does that mean? Very simple. There are events that depend on us and others that don’t. For this, the fundamental practice must be to put our energy into the events that we can control and move as far away as possible from those we cannot control. Of course it’s easy to say but hard to practice. For this reason, repeated practice is indispensable for it to be internalized.
 
 
‘Of all existing things some are in our power, and others are not in our power. In our power are thought, impulse, will to get and will to avoid, and, in a word, everything wich is our own doing. Things not in our power include the body, property, reputation, office, and, in a word, everything which is not our own doing.’
 
Epictetus