In today’s society, scholars often question a liberal arts education, not realizing the knowledge, wisdom, or virtue it could provide. The path to virtue is through a lifestyle in which harmony is achieved by the guidance of Divine Will or the Law of Nature. The effects of virtue, as stated in Seneca’s “Liberal and Vocational Studies” are represented by temperance, loyalty, and bravery. Seneca does not believe that the study of liberal studies can lead to virtue; only intrinsic factors, prompted by Divine Will and the Law of Nature, can achieve this goal.
In the times of Seneca, the popular belief was that the liberal studies were the path to salvation; however, Seneca did not agree with that belief. Seneca was a stoic – an individual who could endure pain without expressing it emotionally or physically. Seneca stressed on how one must overcome adversity: “you must remove therefrom all superfluous things…Let all other things be driven out, and let the breast be emptied to receive virtue” (Seneca 28). These quotes represent an internal decision to
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avoid hindrances to virtue and to drive out and empty one’s soul in order to perceive virtue. Seneca believed that intrinsic factors and internal decisions are crucial to the salvation of the soul through virtues. One effect of virtue is temperance, which would prohibit a “virtuous soul” from indulging in human desires.
Seneca explains, “Temperance knows that the best measure of the appetites is not what you want to take, but what you ought to take” (Seneca 27). This suggests that one should refrain from corrupting the soul through vices, which would impede individual salvation. Stoics like Seneca believe that greed & addictions inevitably corrupt the soul, so one ought to seek what is essential for survival and avoid indulging in these vices. “Temperance controls our desires; some it hates and routs…” (Seneca 27). As human beings, we often succumb to our wants before satisfying our needs. We are not yet virtuous, according to Seneca, and therefore leading a life of this kind would not satisfy the soul. In his writing, Seneca stresses that in order to become virtuous, one must accept temperance and steer away the vices of
life. The next effect of virtue is loyalty, which is having a strong feeling of support or allegiance for one’s fellow man. Seneca writes “Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart…it is bribed by no rewards” (Seneca 27), believing that an important step in becoming virtuous is by honoring not only oneself but also society as a whole. According to Seneca, being loyal would prevent oneself from indulging in sin that might lead to greed or addiction. One must keep his honor by maintaining his word to his fellow man and society as part of his path to salvation. “I shall not betray my trust: and the more urgently torture shall seek to find my secret, the deeper in my heart will I bury it” (Seneca 27). Seneca explains that one must preserve others’ trust by not indulging in vices, which might compromise one’s judgment, and raise concerns about reliability. According to Seneca, others may need to resist a temptation to reveal a secret, even at the cost of their life. In order to maintain the relationship established by the Law of Nature, Seneca believes one must support his fellow man through the virtue of loyalty. Another effect of virtue is bravery, in which an individual is courageous in behavior or character. Seneca mentions, “Bravery is a scorner of things which inspire fear; it looks down upon, challenges, and crushes the powers of terror and all that would drive our freedom under the yoke” (Seneca 27). According to Seneca, one should not fear adversity but instead seek bravery. Bravery removes the content of fear, thus protecting freedom. Seneca notes an important question regarding bravery: “But do ‘liberal studies’ strengthen this virtue?” (Seneca 27). He explains that ‘liberal studies’ cannot obtain virtue; therefore bravery, like all virtues, must be learned through understanding the Divine Will and Law of Nature. In conclusion, through his writing, Seneca expresses his stoic beliefs by explaining how to achieve virtuosity. Temperance, loyalty, and bravery are key principles by which Seneca believes the soul could attain virtue. Failure to become virtuous, as Seneca argues, could result by indulging oneself in the studies of the liberal arts. This would prevent one from obtaining knowledge of wisdom, and most importantly help recognize the true path to becoming virtuous.
The value attributed to the first virtue, wisdom, whose essence lay in “the perception of truth and with ingenuity,” concerns the comprehension of the nature of justice (7). In fact, Cicero asserts, within the public sphere, “unless learning is accompanied by the virtue that consists...
Shiffman believes that the drop in interest in the humanities results in the inability of students to have clear bearings amid life’s uncertainties. He believes that only by studying the humanities will students be able to introspect and recognize that endless achievement may not add up to a meaningful life (Shiffman 5). However, Shiffman fails to realize that this form of reflection need not be done solely by those majoring in the humanities. It can be done by all who try, their fields of study are no limitation. In fact, it may be this same reflection that leads to an individual’s decision to prioritize practicality. Not all those who choose the practical path are doing it for themselves. Many may do it for their families, as a safe and stable means of supporting their loved ones. Others may take this opportunity to give back to their community through the ways they are most skilled. Instead of pursuing a single interest in a certain field, they choose to follow their various callings. Doing solely what an individual loves is a self-centered view of the world. While it is important to chase happiness, it is also important to reflect on what one is doing to spread happiness to the rest of the world. One must find something that they are good at, and put that into the world. They should contribute to others and help the world be better, in addition to following their passions. An individual’s acts of service may just become one of their many passions.
In the 1997 article, “On The Uses of a Liberal Education: As a Weapon In the Hands of the Restless Poor,” published by Harper’s Magazine, the social critic Earl Shorris described how political power could be achieved by a rather non-vocational educational discipline, the humanities. He emphasizes on how the knowledge of a liberal Education can be used as a form of weapon within the lives for the poor.
“A high school graduate who has acquired Hirsch’s core knowledge will know, for example, that John Stuart Mill was an important 19th-century English Philosopher who was associated with something called Utilitarianism and wrote a famous book called On Liberty. But learning philosophy in college, which is and essential component of a liberal education, means that the student has to be able to read and understand the actual text of On Liberty”. (Murray
Seneca has a strong opinion on the liberal arts and the liberal study’s in general. He thinks students are only focused on the worldly skills, and not the skills of life. Students are lacking the common knowledge on how to treat others and losing sight in what it takes to become a decent human being. In “Liberal Studies and Education” by Seneca, the path to virtue is through self-awareness. Throughout Seneca’s letter he states his views on liberal education and how important it is in life, students can’t just focus on worldly things, they need to focus on the things we take with us after death. The mind is important, but in Seneca’s letter, he feels the soul should get the most attention in the education field, virtue being his main idea. The effects of virtue are illustrated through the characteristics of, kindness, love for the common man, and inner strength.
More specifically, Stoicism is a moral guide for humans. Though nature is absolute and perfect through God, the human thought is the one and only feature of life that is controlled and changed by people. Humans have the ability to reason and to know that everything in life is determined. For every event that they encounter, humans are able to acknowledge the fact that it is a part of their life plan. Therefore, a person can control whether he/she accepts that the action is unchangeable. Many humans think that they have a choice for all that they do and all that happens to them. But in Stoic reality, natures plan has one path with no possible differences. Thus, good is not defined by what a person does; but, by a per...
The commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace in the autumn of 2005, is a very deep speech that examines the whole idea of a Liberal Arts education at an extremely deep and intellectual level. In the 22 minute long speech Wallace talks about how higher education not only teaches you to think but “how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” (Wallace). Wallace later in his speech stresses the importance of this level of thinking by saying “if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed” (Wallace) What he means by saying this is that if you cannot think at a higher level and make sense of real world problems your life will become meaningless and you will become dead inside your head.
According to Roman philosopher Seneca, “It is easier to exclude harmful passions than to rule them, and to deny them admittance than to control them after they have been admitted.” Seneca uses repetition of the word “admit” to emphasize his belief that humans are in control of what they allow to enter lives. Seneca explains that it is easier to avoid sins than to limit the sins after they have already been committed. Huxley exemplifies this belief through John the Savage who symbolizes the values and culture of the reader’s society. John tried to remain celibate in a society with promiscuous habits. In order to avoid sin, he avoided his source of impure thoughts, Lenina. When the presence of Lenina seemed inevitable, John would punish himself to avoid sin. Overwhelmed by profligacy of wrongdoings, John eventually committed suicide in order to avoid temptation.
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Letters From a Stoic. Translation and Introduction by Robin Campbell. New York: Penguin, 1969.
...Epicureans and Stoics] offered a conception of the world and human nature which drew its support from empirical observations, reason and a recognition that all men have common needs” (6). Though both views opposed each other in various ways, they both provided man with a way to live and to care for oneself.
...nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with your present activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which you utter, you will live happy'; (Aurelius 514). This perfectly describes the Stoic lifestyle; do what you have to do without any expectations or fears of what is to come, and do it with integrity, then life is happiness.
... and it does make sense. Stoics believed that by mastering their thoughts they could master their feelings. Aurelius gave the example of a man being hurt into an involuntary loss of control by injustice. Then on the other side a man’s desires move him to do wrong of his own volition. Both are emotions and as a stoic you control your feelings to achieve happiness, thus it contradicts itself.
The current inquiry considers some of the chief notions of the Stoics, but more specifically it focuses upon one important question: what does it mean to follow nature for the Stoics? To answer this question, the testimonies of several of the Stoics are pooled and examined together in the end. Not only does this inquisition illustrate chief attributes of Stoicism, but those attributes are eventually evaluated in light of their coherence as well.
In comparing the ethical theories of the Epicureans, Aristotle, and the Stoics it’s found that they possess three separate ideas. These ideas are different in their individual beliefs; yet attempt to accomplish the same goals of creating an inner peace and sense of well being in their followers. Generally these three disciplines had distinctly separate ideas on how to set about accomplishing these goals; the Epicureans felt that the pursuit of pleasure was the correct path to enlightenment, while the Stoics had the idea that the conformation to strict laws regarding virtue was the proper path, and as for Aristotle, he held the middle ground in this debate of the minds, feeling that moderation was the key to complete happiness.
The liberal arts are becoming increasingly rare in schools and universities. However, Saint Catherine University makes it a priority to teach its students the core benefits to the liberal arts college. It requires students to take the course “The Reflective Woman” along with “Global Search for Justice” as an introduction and conclusion to a liberal arts education. Throughout this semester I became more knowledgeable on what the liberal arts truly are, honed my reflective judgment, developed my writing skills, and I now have a deeper and defined sense of self.