Stoicism and Slave Mentality
Stoicism is a sordid philosophy of grim forbearance in the face of a rigidly deterministic fatalism devoid of all agency or hope. People who have no hope gravitate to it, for it offers no hope, but only the promised power to endure. Unfortunately it seeped through Christianity, and through all of Western civilization. We are still saddled with its heavy baggage of fatalism, passivity, apathy and repression. This must be thrown off.
Nietzsche was wrong. The true slave mentality is not Christianity, or morality, or compassion, but certain ignorant misinterpretations of them, along with Confucianism, Marxist-Leninism, all ideological justifications for oligarchy, authoritarianism, fascism, and other forms of elite rule, and Stoicism, which is the archetypal philosophy of slaves, and of emperors who want to rationalize slavery or gross inequality, and uphold them through enforced necessary illusions of powerlessness, futility and inevitability.
Stoicism is the philosophy, in essence, that says, “Know your place, shut up and do what you’re told.” In that, it mirrors Confucianism, the Hindu caste system of India, and the ideologies of fascism, Marxist-Leninism, the Soviet Union and Communist China.
People are attracted to Stoicism in dark times when they lose all hope, just as some turn to messianic or apocalyptic thinking, some to strident and aggressve fundamentalsm (religious or secular), others to narcissism and nihilism, and others to chronic escapism, or to slow or rapid self-destruction. The courageous seek to help others and work for positive social change. But those drawn to secret despair turn to one of these dark paths. From Stoicism, they hope not for hope, but merely to endure. It is as grim a philosophy as it is pathetic.
Further, Stoicism urges people not only to reject anger, greed and hate, as the Buddhists do, and which is sensible and sane; and to seek peace and calm abiding within, as the Buddhists do, which is also sensible and sane; but Stoicism also advises people to reject love, pleasure and joy, as well as all efforts to improve the life for himself or others, which is senseless and insane. The ideal Stoic therefore is fatalistic, resigned to fate and circumstance, apathetic and repressed. Great philosophy – for a rock, or a fence post, or lump of clay!
No wonder Marcus Aurellius, one of the “Good Emperors” (a contradiction in terms) violently persecuted the Christians for not upholding the state religion of pagan Stoicism, which he considered to be politically essential. Indoctrinating the people to be fatalistic, apathetic and resigned to their fate, is a key strategy of empires and power-mongers, because it simply works.
But all empires fall. And dead philosophies, such as Stoicism, should be left in their graves, and not dug up and traipsed around as informed and intelligent opinion. It is neither. It is a carcas, and it represents living death, not any form of salvation or liberation.
A meagre, but recently faddishly popular ancient philosophy, Stoicism is nevertheless interesting to study. I would say, though, if you want inner peace or fortitude, which seems to be the appeal, there are far more intelligent approaches than Stoicism, which is an impoverished and impoverishing view and approach to life. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Indigenous and Shamanic traditions, Celtic traditions and Christianity are all superior by far to Stoic philosophy. But to each his own. Some people like being fatalistic, subservient and repressed.
J. Todd Ring,
March 25, 2021
History of Western Philosophy: Ch. 28 STOICISM (Bertrand Russell)
https://youtu.be/D-AwNBYt8aE via @YouTube
Writings of J. Todd Ring 
March 25, 2021 at 8:17 pm
Stoicism, Nietzsche and slave mentality – all demolished…. Clearing the fog and clearing the ground for a resurgence of the perennial philosophy.
On the perennial philosophy of non-duality, see: Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy; Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces; Joanna Macy, World As Lover, World As Self; and Allan Wallace, Choosing Reality, as an excellent start.
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March 25, 2021 at 8:59 pm
Read Murray Bookchin’s, The Ecology of Freedom, Joanna Macy’s World As Lover, World As Self, and my first two books, Enlightened Democracy, and The People vs The Elite, to see how the philosophy of non-duality, the perennial philosophy, which asserts as did Martin Luther King Jr., that, “No man is an island”, is applied to political philosophy and the world we live in.
Yes, we are our brother’s keeper – and that means that empire, authoritarianism, war, poverty, and extremes of inequality, must be shattered and overcome, so that the people can live in freedom, dignity, and in peace.
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March 25, 2021 at 10:52 pm
It sounds like they are on the right track with this article from Greenpeace in Yes magazine (linked below), recognizing the need for a paradigm shift, a shift in consciousness, in how we view the world; and in the recognition that we need a view of the world that sees and recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things. That is promising to see that such ideas, which have been around for millennia, and were the monomyth of humanity for 195,000 of the past 200,000 years, are beginning to reach the mainstream. However, the article starts out by giving a gloss to the new US government, which in reality is corporate-run, war-mongering, imperialist, genocidal, ecocidal, and rabidly classist, like the previous governments since at least Reagan; and by affirming the War on Covid narrative and the authoritarian response as legitimate, or at least giving that, too, a gloss. The sad fact is, until we can see what is staring us in the face, which is a global bi-partisan corporate fascist coup, and address the ruling corporate-state oligarchy, we will have zero hope of seriously addressing, much less resolving, either our profound social or ecological crises. But, awareness is growing rapidly, and that is a very good sign. The metaphysics and cosmology are coming into view – now to deal with the concrete political-economic realities.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/ecological-civilization/2021/02/16/what-does-ecological-civilization-look-like/#
I would urge people to read these 10 books to understand what is going on and what needs to be done:
Oneness vs The 1% – Vandana Shiva
The Ecology of Freedom – Murray Bookchin
World As Lover, World As Self – Joanna Macy
Choosing Reality – Allan Wallace
The Hero With A Thousand Faces – Joseph Campbell
Yea 501: The Conquest Continues – Noam Chomsky
Necessary Illusions: Thought Control In Democratic Societies
– Noam Chomsky
A Short History of Progress – Ronald Wright
and my first two books:
Enlightened Democracy, and, The People vs The Elite
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March 26, 2021 at 1:16 pm
More alternatives to the rotting bog of Stoicism:
On Jung and the Kabbalah
He’s not propounding an atheist or idealist view in this podcast linked below. It’s just a bad title for an exceptionally great talk – on the parallels and connections between the great psychologist Carl Jung and the Jewish mystical tradition of the kabbalah. The macrocosm does reflect and contain the microcosm, however, and since no duality exists, each contains the whole of the other, there really being no self-other division at all. That is, as the Jewish mystics say, “God is the only reality.” They echo the archetypal Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart, who said, “There is nothing that I can point to that is not God. God is within me, and God is all around me.” And they echo Plotinus and Spinoza, the two greatest Western philosophers, in my view, as well. All of the cosmos is an emanation of God, the body and breath of God. That means all the beauty and sacredness is also within you, as well as spread throughout the cosmos. Or you can put it in non-theistic terms if you prefer. All is Tao, which is one, non-dual. All is Buddha Mind, Universal Mind, Wisdom Mind, Big Mind. And, “Thou art that.”
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March 26, 2021 at 1:55 pm
Knowledge vs Opinion
Two levels, there are, in everything: there is the question of how to live and to construct a society that is just, good, or intelligent, which is the worldly aspect, pertaining to moral, social and political philosophy; then there is the ultimate question of the true nature of being and reality. Extremely few people do a good job in addressing either one, only a handful have done a good job in addressing both. This is an important thing to realize and to bear in mind.
Here is a good introduction to epistemology, ontology and metaphysics, or the question of what is the true nature of appearances versus reality. It is only an introduction, however. Russell does not answer the question here, but merely sets the stage for the investigation, which is itself important, though incomplete. See Plato’s Parable of the Cave, Descartes, Spinoza, and finally, the Buddha and Nagarjuna.
Note that BR is among the best in terms of political philosophy, and among the worst for metaphysics.
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March 26, 2021 at 2:22 pm
Or start with my book, which synthesizes the best of East and West, ancient and modern, the philosophical and the political: Enlightened Democracy. Then read Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts Allan Wallace, Joanna Macy, Ken Wilber, and the other major figures listed above.
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March 26, 2021 at 6:22 pm
What Must Be Done
Open letter to friends of freedom:
Hi folks,
People are beginning to realize that we need a different attitude and view with regards to how we see nature, life, humanity, and ourselves. Very few get past rudimentary first steps, however. Since this shift in paradigms and consciousness is essential and urgently needed, I would urge you to consider the following thoughts, which I just penned.
In short, what we need to do is two-fold: 1. Unite the people, inspire them to embrace their power, take the power back from the billionaire usurpers, and restore and renew constitutional democracy. No positive change is possible until that first step is done. 2. Rediscover the interconnectedness and interdependence, and kinship and unity, of all beings and things; which means, rediscover the Perennial Philosophy, of the non-dual nature of being and reality. It is simpler and easier than that sounds, by the way, in terms of both steps, which are not sequential, but are most powerful when brought together. The gist is, as John Donne said, and Martin Luther King Jr. quoted: “No man is an island.”
When the finger painting of preschoolers is no longer satisfying, we may decide to look more deeply. If you want to know what is, as opposed to what appears to be, look into the Perennial Philosophy. Plotinus, Spinoza, Shankara, Lao Tzu, Pico della Mirandola, the Kabbahla, Meister Eckhart, Nagarjuna and the Buddha expressed it. Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, Ken Wilber, Joanna Macy, Allan Wallace and Joseph Campbell all corroborated, espoused and wrote about it. My own writings have conveyed it in pith and elaboration as well, and expressed the implications and concrete applications in terms of social and political philosophy, and in terms of specific actions and a concrete policy platform, and vision, for real, substantive, positive social change, and the healing of our world.
(See my first two books: Enlightened Democracy, and, The People vs The Elite, and watch for my new book: From Bankers Ruling The World, To The People Ruling The Bankers; And Rebuilding and Healing Our World In The Process, coming this spring.)
Warm regards,
J. Todd Ring,
March 2021
Brilliant, high level talk here, on this podcast below. Skip the pablum. Listen to this.
Sent from my iPad
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March 28, 2021 at 1:57 pm
Raising Consciousness & The Cloud of Unknowing
Ideology is neither salvation nor liberation
As important as a paradigm shift, a shift in world view, or a shift in consciousness and perspective, clearly is, we must understand this. It is not ideas or ideology that will save us. Belief never saved anyone. Faith is trust, or you could say confidence. Belief is dogma. Faith and dogma are not only different, they are opposite poles. They can combine, but they are definite opposite polarities. Some degree of trust, confidence, or faith is needed, or at least helpful. But even these terms mislead people. What is needed is openness. If your faith, belief or dogma closes you – which is usually what they do – then you are going backwards, or are at least remaining stagnant. What we need is not a new religion, theology or ideology, but simply a fresh perspective. We need to open our eyes, and take a fresh look at things, as they are, and not through the filters and lens or our ideologies and fervently held beliefs.
This is the challenge. And there are proven methodologies or practices which can help us do that – which can open us up to life, the world, nature, and our deeper selves, which means opening to the sacred in the process.
There is prayer – and especially prayer that is an opening into stillness and receptivity, rather than making requests, which are fine, but insufficient, as spiritual practice. There are numerous practices for contemplation. There is meditation, which is powerful far beyond most people’s wildest imagination, though it generally works slowly, and is not something akin to a microwave pizza, that’s done in two minutes.
There is yoga, t’ai chi, chi gong, sweat lodges and saunas. There is pilgrimage. There is the simple but powerful, and sometimes very challenging path, of what in the East is called karma yoga, or in the West is called service to others, where you open your heart and give of yourself for others’ benefit.
And there are many ways, from simple to elaborate, for opening yourself up, simply and in solitude, to nature, so that the sacred presence which is omnipresent, fills, and awakens that radically fresh perspective, arising out of simple, naked openess, which brings ecstasis: the ability to see things freshly and as they more truly are; which is both refreshing and healing, and at once liberating and revelatory, enlightening.
The point here is that we must learn to unlearn: we must strip away preconceptions and ideologies, or at least set them aside for periods of silence and inner stillness, where our chattering minds filled with presumed “knowledge” can become quiet enough that we can truly know, by truly seeing for the first time.
Ideas, concepts, theories, words and beliefs can be helpful. But if we cannot at least set them aside for periods of inner stillness, devoid of conceptual frameworks of preconceived beliefs, then we will see nothing, and know nothing, and we will live in darkness forever, forever to be the dwellers of Plato’s cave of shadows, filled with self-righteous and self-presuppossing dogmas and beliefs, while the Earth and our society burn.
Seeing is what we need, not ideology. Do not go to the extreme of trying to banish ideology, philosophy, theory or belief: that will only make you nihilistic, and more deeply lost. But take your cherished beliefs with a little more lightness, and do not cling to them like they are salvation. They are not. A little humility and openess, combined with dignity and confidence, will open the door to to heart, and free the mind from its shackles, its prison, and its chains.
Remember what Augustine said: “The final obstacle to God is our ideas about God.” Meditate and reflect on that deeply. And know that it applies to enlightenment, liberation, reality and truth, no matter what your world view may be. The map is not the terrain.
(See Gregory Bateson, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Shakara, The Cloud of Unknowing, Vine Deloria, Thomas Merton, Meister Eckhart, Mathew Fox, the Gospel of Thomas, Joseph Campbell, Chogyam Trungpa or Zen, among many other sources, for further elaboration on stillness and seeing vs ideology and belief.)
Seeing is enlightenment, not theory, ideology or belief. And remember that we do not need everyone to become enlightened right away. What we need is a loosening of the rigidities of mind, so that a sufficient freshness of perspective can arise that we can begin dealing with reality. Then three things will happen. We will become refreshed, re-energized, enriched and empowered. We will be on our way to enlightenment, because we have made some inner space for it. And we will be able to deal with reality, so that we can heal ourselves, our communities, and our world. And that is no small thing. That is achievable, and neccessary – right now. There is no time for delay. Pause for stillness, focus and clarity, then, let us together heal our troubled world. And in healing our world, we will find own our healing and liberation in the process.
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March 26, 2021 at 6:25 pm
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8711877-spinoza-and-the-deep-ecology-movement?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=zZYuuxuy5O&rank=12
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March 26, 2021 at 6:31 pm
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March 26, 2021 at 7:32 pm
The fear of mysticism among many “scientists” is that it is not empirical, but they are radically mistaken. They should re-read Hume, William James, and read Allan Wallace, Choosing Reality.
The fear of mysticism among fundamentalists is the fear of egotism. A rightful fear in general, but misplaced with regard to mysticism. Mysticism is the path to union with God, or the Infinite, in non-theistic terms; and it requires the dissolutikn of the illusion of separateness which is the ego fiction. They should read Joseph Campbell, Karen Armstrong, or Thomas Merton, as a start. Their fears are misplaced.
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March 26, 2021 at 9:28 pm
Spinoza has been called the prince of philosophers. He is also, however, notoriously challenging to read, so this talk may not make much sense at first. Don’t worry, it’s not just you. It is challenging stuff. As Captain Picard said, “Nothing challenges the mind like philosophy.” And Spinoza is more challenging than most. Learning the vocabulary is a big part of the process, in itself. Ontology, epistemology, cosmology and metaphysics have a set of terminology of their own. You have to learn the language. To make it more difficult, different philosophers use the same terms in different ways. Substance for Spinoza is different than for Democrates or Descartes, for example.
Read Joseph Campbell first, understand the gist, and he is very accessible and easy to read, though lacking in no depth, breadth or precision. Then you can read the more challenging works and begin to understand them more easily.
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