"A lot of people these days are pleasure-seekers. They organize life around obtaining the most satisfying experiences possible of food, drink, travel, and leisure. We even hope to find our work satisfying so that doing our jobs feels like play. Sometimes, this is tied up with implicit competition with online friends: Whoever can post photos depicting the most pleasurable experiences wins the game."
"One of the things that's interesting and valuable about philosophy is that it challenges us to entertain different viewpoints. This includes unconventional ones that we wouldn't otherwise even have dreamt of. In doing this, philosophy challenges us to become more self-aware by understanding the reasons why we do what we do. Thinking philosophically, it is natural to ask: What alternative viewpoints are there to the one according to which life should be lived in pursuit of pleasure?"
"In the service of living a life of virtue, Stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius exemplified a willingness to shun worldly comforts. Aurelius wasn't just a philosopher who sat in an armchair, becoming lost in a world of ideas. Instead, he used philosophy for life. He was the ruler of the Roman Empire between 161 and 180. His famous work, the Meditations, is thought to have been composed between 170 and 180. He wrote it as he planned military campaigns."
Many people prioritize pleasurable experiences such as food, drink, travel, leisure, and satisfying work, sometimes competing online to showcase the best moments. Philosophy encourages entertaining diverse and unconventional viewpoints and promotes self-awareness by examining motives for actions. Philosophical inquiry prompts questioning the assumption that life should revolve around pleasure. Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius endorsed shunning comforts to pursue virtue, using philosophy as a guide for action. Aurelius practiced austerity from a young age and applied Stoic principles while ruling Rome and planning military campaigns. Reframing discomfort as opportunity can foster persistence, risk-taking, and resilience.
Read at Psychology Today
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