To Philosophize Is to Learn How to Die, Because Life Is Complex and Complicated
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.
For this blogpost, it’s worth noting that the American Psychological Association (APA) defines death as “the permanent cessation of physical and mental processes in an organism.” As well, the APA thusly defines philosophy:
[T]he intellectual discipline that uses careful reasoned argument to elucidate fundamental questions, notably those concerning the nature of reality (metaphysics), the nature of knowledge (epistemology), and the nature of moral judgments (ethics).
As such, it provides an intellectual foundation for many other disciplines, including psychology. Psychology as a scientific discipline has its roots in the epistemological preoccupations of 18th- and 19th-century philosophy and continues to be influenced by philosophical ideas.
Additionally, the APA defines learning as “the acquisition of novel information, behaviors, or abilities after practice, observation, or other experiences, as evidenced by change in behavior, knowledge, or brain function.” With this clarity, consider that Epictetus stated (page 365):
Philosophy does not claim to get a person any external possession. To do so would be beyond its field. As wood is to the carpenter, bronze to the sculptor, so our own lives are the proper material in the art of living.
When providing psychoeducational lessons on REBT to the clients with whom I work, I receive mixed responses when advocating use of philosophy. Specifically, I’ve discovered many people believe that one preferably must seek a degree in philosophy in order to practice. No!
People can practice philosophy on their own. There’s no need for appealing to authority, seeking the approval of erudite know-it-alls in the halls of the academy, as philosophy may be practiced by the least among us! Regarding this matter, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 365):
Philosophy is not some idle pursuit appropriate only for academics or the rich. Instead, it is one of the most essential activities that a human being can engage in.
Its purpose, as Henry David Thoreau said a few thousand years after Epictetus, is to help us “solve the problems of life [the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body], not only theoretically but practically.” This aligns nicely with Cicero’s famous line: “To philosophize is to learn how to die.”
What does it mean to “learn how to die”? Isn’t death simply something that occurs to each and every one of us? The permanent cessation of physical and mental processes in an organism isn’t necessarily a complex or complicated matter, is it? Perhaps death is relatively simple.
However, life is both complex (a group of obviously related units of which the degree and nature of the relationship is imperfectly known) and complicated (difficult to analyze, understand, or explain). Thus, philosophy addresses this matter, as authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 365):
You’re not reading these quotes and doing these thought exercises for fun. Though they may be enjoyable and help you lighten up, their aim is to help you sculpt and improve your life.
And because all of us have but one life and one death, we should treat each experience like a sculptor with his chisels, carving until, to paraphrase Michelangelo, we set free the angel in the marble.
You can learn how to die by using philosophy for addressing the complexity and complicatedness of life. There’s no college or university degree necessary for this approach to rational living. In closing, authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 365):
We are trying to do this difficult thing—living and dying—as well as we can. And to do that, we must remember what we’ve learned and the wise words we’ve been given.
Even as I’ve taken issue with much of what authors of The Daily Stoic have stated in their book, I appreciate being able to think critically about their perspective. After all, to philosophize is to learn how to die, because life is complex and complicated, as I invite you to practice philosophy.
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
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