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I question I don't know the answer to....

Plotinus in his Treatise on Beauty in the Enneads, believed that everything is inherently beautiful. Working on this idea, that everything is based on the positive side, people are inherently good. That to be bad or evil is to be less good. Or at least this is the basic idea that I have come across.

I am wondering if "badness" or being evil is a learned trait. Does this mean that when a child is born they are inherently good? That a new born being is the paradigm of good... If so, when we try to reach the higher plain of Godliness, are we really just unlearning all these wrong ideas that have been ingrained within us through our life?

Could a human being, born and raised in complete solitude, in theory possess the ability to be One? I am also wondering if this person could follow a different philosophy and yet reach this One-ness. Is there an element of conversation needed, do people need to interact with each other to better understand the higher forms?

Returning to the baby idea, is it possible that a baby is born in a state of Godliness? 

Maybe these ancient philosophers would not have thought this way, it is possible that these questions do not apply to these theories. A baby or someone raised in solitude would not be able to comprehend these ideas, therefore would not be able to "climb the ladder."

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Plotinus - Enneads

V 2 (11) On the Generation and Order of the Things That Come after the First.

"The One is all things and not one thing. For it is a principle of all things, but not those things, though all things are like it, for they do, in a way, find there way back to the intelligible world, or rather they are not there yet but will be." 

Plotinus, a philosopher from the 3rd century AD, understood the human being as made up of three components the One, the Intellect and the Soul. The One being at the highest and the supreme form of an individual. 

In this quote, Plotinus is explaining the existance of the One. The One is the most pure and the core of every form; the dominant state of his three principles. Plotinus, like all philosophers was searching for the most meaningful way to live out one's life. To be happy, Plotinus believed we all had to reach the highest state of "Godliness" or become the One. 

This seems to get very complicated, because then what is this One? How do we get there? This idea is fraught with opposing answers. The One is everything and everywhere at once, yet it is outside the boundaries of space and time. It is individualized but a whole unity at the same time. It is all very confusing but it must have appealed to many people, for Plotinus' ideas and Neoplatonism became popular even if it seems very complicated..

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Zeno and Epicurus in Three Minute Philosophy

This short video puts many of the core ideas of Stoicism and Epicureanism. 

Life of pleasure vs life of virtue.... 

The video creator actually has made a few videos about various philosophers modern and ancient. 

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Half way there...

I came across this little gem...

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Sextus Empiricus

This man ⇪,Sextus Empiricus, really very important.

Why, You might ask? He was no emperor, not very much is even known about him. But what he offered the modern world is an understanding of Roman and Greek Skepticism. His "Outlines of Pyrrhonism" gives us the most complete account of Skeptic philosophy. Within this work he talks about the "Ten Modes of Pyrrhonism." A number of set beliefs or groups of understood meanings that give one a way to view the world assembled by Pyrrho of Elis. Without Empiricus, important concepts and theories of Ancient Skepticism would not survive the centuries. A lot of this praise is due to nameless monks in europe who took the time to transcribe all these ancient works. 

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Ten Modes of Pyrrhonism part 3

7. Our perception will change due to our relative position to said object.

8. The perception of an object changes as that object experiences changes in either quantity or quality.

9. The more you experience something the less of an impact it will have.

10. Perceptions are relative and don't stand alone, outside factors influence them. 

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Ten Modes of Pyrrhonism part 2

3. "The same impression are not produced by the same objects owing to the differences among senses." Our senses create a presentation that will differ slightly among the different senses, and with contradict each other.

4.  Furthermore, our senses change as we experience changes (such as illness, aging, etc). As the situation changes, our senses with perceive the natural world differently. 

(well I guess not everything changes....)

5. Humanity follows different beliefs, laws and social strata, all of which are deemed true.

6. Objects are relative to change due to outside influences and composition. Like a polar bear looks white due to hollow fur covering it's black skin.

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Ten Modes of Pyrrhonism part 1

These modes force one to suspend judgement. To never assent to a presentation or an idea. The Skeptics would never assent to anything because they felt one could never be 100% certain about such a thing. 

1. “The same impressions are not produced by the same objects owing to the differences in animals.”

This meaning that you can’t believe something because all animals will experience the same thing differently from each other. 

i.e. a dog drinking water

will experience this differently from a cat drinking water

a lame example, but a simple concept non the less. 

2. “The same impressions are not produced by the same objects owing to the differences among human beings.”  

People will always experience and perceive life differently from each other. What one man thinks is beautiful another would not find attractive at all, or one person likes chocolate while the another does not. 

you can be singing in the rain

or you can try to dodge it 

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This video was going around, I just had to post it. 

"You never know for sure if there really is anything in the search, it's just, it's an endless quest without knowing what your quest is."

Pretty smart coming from a nine year old.

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Philosophy = the love of wisdom

Philosophy is the pursuit of knowledge, the search for the answers to everything, from the everyday questions to the big, real understanding of why we are here. Philosophy gives the opportunity to develop one's knowledge of the world around them and themselves. We can map humanities inquisitions back thousands of years in ancient scripture and the earliest forms of religions across the world are focused on explaining the unknown. 

People are hardwired to participate in this search. We crave to understand our purpose and search to fulfill our function in the world. For many this is what separates us from animals. And while many people are content with living their life without delving too deep into philosophical debate, these questions always seem to loom in the background. Hiding just under the surface. It may be that these questions are never answered for anyone, but many people are content with knowing that their way of life is enough to live happily without detriment to others. 

Philosophy and the ancient schools in Athens and later in Rome offered people a manual on how to live one's life. A set path which anyone could follow to obtain happiness. 

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Raphael, School of Athens, fresco, 1509-1511

This masterpiece represents the greatest mathematicians, philosophers and scientists of antiquity all gathered to discuss new ideas and ponder the great questions of life.

Aristotle and Plato stand in the centre, as the core of philosophical thought.   Other great thinkers depicted includes Zeno of Citium (founder of Stoic philosophy), Epicurus (founder of Epicurean philosophy), Pythagoras (important philosopher and mathematician), Heraclitus (pre-socratic philosopher), Socrates and many others. The fresco brings together all the important thinkers of the ancient world from many different time periods and geographical regions.  

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BeardSlap

Okay, here we go. 

slap on a beard 

Engage your brain

Start pacing like a true Stoic

And maybe we can find the answer 

or maybe eventually the question.