Stoicism and Politics

If you hate Trump, read this. If you love Trump, read this.

Steven Yates

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Photo by Ernie Journeys on Unsplash

At the start of this month, close to 150 million Americans voted in what “everyone” said was “the most important election of our lifetimes.” Funny how every election is “the most important election of our lifetimes.”

Typically, both candidates make promises they either won’t be able to keep or don’t plan to keep. Both have large contingencies that see them as savior.

Political figures aren’t saviors. They’re human beings with flaws, like all of us. They’re not heroes (or heroines). They just happen to be a lot more ambitious than the rest of us. And maybe living proof that ambition unbridled is not a good thing.

Why We’re So Fascinated by Politics.

Why are we so fascinated by politics? If indeed we are. Not everybody is.

Well, for one thing, we’re social beings. This means figuring out how to get along with one another. Neat trick, if we can do it?

Many have looked to sacred texts such as the Old and New Testaments. Regardless of what your religious convictions are — or aren’t — you might find good ideas in such works, a few rules and best practices. Modified for today: don’t steal. Don’t covet. Don’t hurt people. Don’t curse at…

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Steven Yates
Steven Yates

Written by Steven Yates

I am the author of What Should Philosophy Do? A Theory. I write about philosophy (especially the Stoics), health and systems, and the future if we have one.

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