An Indifferent Spectator

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Photo credit, fair use

As a child, I saw depictions of angelic and demonic beings on the shoulders of people, serving as visual metaphors for internal conflict when a person considers two opposing forces—the desire for moral and ethical behavior versus the urge for immoral and unethical actions.

A moral is a person’s standard of behavior or belief concerning what is and isn’t acceptable for the individual and other people. As such, morals generally relate to what’s considered good, bad, right, wrong, or otherwise acceptable or unacceptable.

An ethic is a set of moral principles, especially those relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct. Whereas morals relate to what is thought of as pleasing or displeasing behaviors and beliefs, ethics (based on morals) are the social rules by which one pledges to live.

Regarding the depiction of angelic or demonic beings on one’s shoulders, I see no evidence of such guidance existing in life. Still, not all elements in life are evidenced by verifiable features. Nevertheless, consideration of this topic pertains to the psychotherapeutic modality I practice.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

Stoic philosophers focused on otherworldly elements like deities. I, too, used to believe in such beings. Although I’m currently agnostic in this regard, I can appreciate that authors of The Daily Stoic quote ancient Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger who stated (page 86):

We can remove most sins if we have a witness standing by as we are about to go wrong. The soul should have someone it can respect, by whose example it can make its inner sanctum more inviolable. Happy is the person who can improve others, not only when present, but even when in their thoughts!

Unlike self-disturbing forms of absolutistic or conditional shoulds, which serve as deified commands from angelic or demonic beings (e.g., you absolutely should cheat on your spouse), Seneca uses flexible forms of a recommendatory or preferential should belief.

For instance, it’s recommended or preferred that you should have someone or something to help you to make balanced decisions in life. Regarding these types of helpful recommendations and preferences, authors of The Daily Stoic add (page 86):

Cato the Younger, a Roman politician best known for his self-discipline and for his heroic defense of the Republic against Julius Caesar, appears constantly throughout Stoic literature—which is interesting because he didn’t write anything down. He taught no classes. He gave no interviews. His bold and brave example is what made him such a commonly cited and quoted philosopher.

Seneca tells us that we [recommendatorily or preferentially] should each have our own Cato—a great and noble person we can allow into our minds and use to guide our actions, even when they’re not physically present. The economist Adam Smith had a similar concept, which he called the indifferent spectator. It doesn’t have to be an actual person, just someone who, like Seneca said, can stand witness to our behavior. Someone who can quietly admonish us if we are considering doing something lazy, dishonest, or selfish.

One imagines an angelic being as representing what authors of The Daily Stoic advocate when suggesting use of an indifferent spectator. However, “indifferent” is defined as being marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something.

Inherently, an angelic being would attempt to sway an individual toward a moral, ethical, or good direction. This isn’t a matter of indifference. Thus, there remains an obvious contradiction of terms when advocating use of an “indifferent spectator” or one capable of admonishment.

All the same, authors of The Daily Stoic conclude, “And if we do it right, and live our lives in such a way, perhaps we can serve as someone else’s Cato or indifferent spectator when they need it” (page 86). What’s advocated by the authors is clearly a moral arbiter.

Contrarily, as I advocated in a blogpost entitled Mental Defense Attorney, I encourage people to use an indifferent spectator that values critical thinking. This isn’t the same concept as having a metaphorical angelic or demonic being on one’s shoulders.

Instead of telling what one should or shouldn’t do (i.e., you absolutely should cheat on your spouse, you preferably shouldn’t cheat on your spouse, etc.), an indifferent spectator in the form of a mental defense attorney would ask, “Why should or shouldn’t you cheat on your spouse?”

This is genuinely a matter of indifference which promotes critical thinking. In closing, I don’t know if there are actual angels or demons. Nevertheless, I do know that one can think critically about matters and arrive at conclusions which may serve one’s own interests and goals.

This isn’t a matter of selfishness as much as it regards enlightened self-interest. If you’d like to know more about this concept and how an indifferent spectator may better serve what you want and the end toward which your effort is applied, then I look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

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Holiday, R. and Hanselman, S. (2016). The daily stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Penguin Random House LLC. Retrieved from https://www.pdfdrive.com/the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-art-of-living-d61378067.html

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