The Illusion of Suffering
If we could sum up the essence of this article in one overarching sentiment, it would be captured by this quote from our favourite Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius: “Whatever the Continue Reading
The Great Economic Chain
The Great Chain of Being was once a dominant concept that provided a vertically ranked hierarchical structure to the universe, with God at the top, followed by angels, humans, Continue Reading
The Doctrine of Flux
Heraclitus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Ephesus, in what is now Turkey, around 535-475 BCE. At Standupphilosophers, we embrace his doctrine of flux: Heraclitus believed that everything Continue Reading
The Fragility of Potential: Reflections on Nietzsche’s Acorn
In Friedrich Nietzsche’s aphoristic brilliance, we find a profound meditation on potential and its precarious nature: ‘The most wretched little animal can prevent the mightiest oak tree from coming into Continue Reading
Stoicism vs the Crowd
Recently I’ve been revisiting Seneca’s Moral Epistles which are a letter collection of 124 letters addressed to his friend Lucilius. Among these letters, Letter VII, better known as ‘On Crowds’ has caught my Continue Reading
Contemplations on Space
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin —Matthew 6:28-29 From this passage, Jesus Continue Reading
The Buddha view of Desire
Buddhism is more than just a religion, it’s a philosophy of the mind that’s been offering profound insights since around 500BC—plenty of time for contemplating the mind! What I’d like Continue Reading
The Modern Philistine
There’s an archetype I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now based on my own observations about how certain people behave that includes their beliefs, psychology etc. in regards Continue Reading
Transduction, the neglected weapon of Naturalism
Crack open any neuroscience textbook and you’ll be taught about the processes of the brain and the relationships between sensory organs, neural activity, and even the arising of subjective Continue Reading
A less encumbered philosopher
Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, responded to the news of a shipwreck and the loss of his belongings with a Stoic attitude, remarking that Fortune was advising him to be Continue Reading
Peace of Mind is best Mind!
If getting a happy, peaceful mind were simply distilled into a pill (without side effects), everyone would be on it— and the guy that patented it would be stinking rich! Continue Reading
The Employee’s Persona: The Inauthenticity of Capitalism
Philosophy is a curious thing, able to touch upon areas thought untouchable. One such philosophy is existentialism, it stands as a compelling exploration of human existence, individual freedom, and the Continue Reading
Legacy of Dead Labour
“Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted Continue Reading
Constructing Meaning in a Post-Nihilistic Landscape
The state of grand meaning in this day and age can be encapsulated by one phrase ‘God is dead’, Nietzsche’s notorious proclamation rings like the doctor tasked to bear the Continue Reading
The Duality of Pleasure: Mind over Matter
Since I read the Moral Letters to Lucilius by the Stoic philosopher Seneca a few years ago, there’s one excerpt I wish to share that’s been on my mind ever Continue Reading
From Marcus Aurelius to COVID-19: Stoic Insights on Impermanence
There’s this wonderful German word I like to use—zeitgeist. If you type this word into Google the first definition—which serves as the theme of this article—defines it as: “the defining Continue Reading
Naturalism on existence and essence
Naturalism’s grand philosophical perspective posits with total and wholehearted conviction, that the fundamental reality is the natural world. When it comes to the argument about essence, the naturalist position backs Continue Reading
The Nexus of Labor and Property
In political and philosophical discourse, the nexus between labour and property has been a longstanding focal point. One of the stars who grappled with this longstanding interplay was none other Continue Reading