The tension between determinism and possibility for change in the ourselves and the world is something I've been thinking very deeply about and is worthy of much more than I can put here in a comment. However, I will say this- I think there is truth and merit in both ideas and each is more or less helpful depending on the situation. In my mind, the truth of a thing is no guarantee of its usefulness or helpfulness in a given moment.
When contemplating what to do in a given circumstance, or making decisions about what actions to take in the future, I find reflection on the notion that I may simply be a biological puppet acting out programming that I had no say in creating to be mostly unhelpful, regardless of its truth. Here I think it more helpful to consider that choices have consequences. Regardless of what conscious control I may (or may not) ultimately have over such choices, I believe that they matter, and should be made carefully.
However, when thinking about the past actions of myself or others, I find a certain determinism (they/I didn't know any better or at least could have acted no differently) imminently helpful in finding compassion and forgiveness for myself and others.
Although late to the party, here, I've been reading Meditations for some time. Context. I think the context of Marcus Aurelius matters- MA was an emperor of the largest empire ever at that time. He was chosen, not born of the previous emperor and had 15 years of instruction. When he takes the position, he splits his power with his brother. He also presided during plagues, war, and destitution having to sell his wife's clothing and his own "emperor stuff" to help pay for deep deficits of the state. If that were not enough his own general tries to take over his empire. When that general fails, MA chooses to forgive the man. His meditations seem to me deeply personal. Although they may have grander themes, I think the context matters most when reflecting on the meditations - how he chose to write in greek his own personal thoughts so few could read what he held private in the journal of "Meditations." Maybe they are somewhat cyclical - general reminders of pausing before acting, managing his own emotions, and using the challenge before us as the solution to the challenge - these ideas seem pretty pragmatic. I'm excited to get into Aristotle!
The tension between determinism and possibility for change in the ourselves and the world is something I've been thinking very deeply about and is worthy of much more than I can put here in a comment. However, I will say this- I think there is truth and merit in both ideas and each is more or less helpful depending on the situation. In my mind, the truth of a thing is no guarantee of its usefulness or helpfulness in a given moment.
When contemplating what to do in a given circumstance, or making decisions about what actions to take in the future, I find reflection on the notion that I may simply be a biological puppet acting out programming that I had no say in creating to be mostly unhelpful, regardless of its truth. Here I think it more helpful to consider that choices have consequences. Regardless of what conscious control I may (or may not) ultimately have over such choices, I believe that they matter, and should be made carefully.
However, when thinking about the past actions of myself or others, I find a certain determinism (they/I didn't know any better or at least could have acted no differently) imminently helpful in finding compassion and forgiveness for myself and others.
Although late to the party, here, I've been reading Meditations for some time. Context. I think the context of Marcus Aurelius matters- MA was an emperor of the largest empire ever at that time. He was chosen, not born of the previous emperor and had 15 years of instruction. When he takes the position, he splits his power with his brother. He also presided during plagues, war, and destitution having to sell his wife's clothing and his own "emperor stuff" to help pay for deep deficits of the state. If that were not enough his own general tries to take over his empire. When that general fails, MA chooses to forgive the man. His meditations seem to me deeply personal. Although they may have grander themes, I think the context matters most when reflecting on the meditations - how he chose to write in greek his own personal thoughts so few could read what he held private in the journal of "Meditations." Maybe they are somewhat cyclical - general reminders of pausing before acting, managing his own emotions, and using the challenge before us as the solution to the challenge - these ideas seem pretty pragmatic. I'm excited to get into Aristotle!