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Philosophy isn’t a parlor trick or made for show. It’s not concerned with words, but with facts. It’s not employed for some pleasure before the day is spent, or to relieve the uneasiness of our leisure. It shapes and builds the soul, it gives order to life, guides action, shows what should and shouldn’t be done - it sits at the rudder steering our course as we vacillate in uncertainties.”
Seneca, Moral Letters, 16.3
Devil’s advocate.
I freakin’ hate that shit.
I used to attend a Meetup wherein the “facilitator” would do nothing but throw out controversial topics, and then no matter where his actual opinion was on the spectrum, he always opposed the flow of the greater discussion, and “played” devil’s advocate. I took opportunities to speak to him about it privately, offering techniques that would better lend themselves to dialogue instead of the usual devilish advocacy. Needless to say, nothing changed, which is why I used to attend that Meetup.
To the disciplined mind, the idea of spending time and energy playing rhetoric games, idly bantering about an issue that holds deep meaning for many, or offering support to contradictory morals is an absurd waste of time, and a gross misuse of the power of one’s mind. It’s a maneuver directly out of ego’s playbook… and thinking oneself clever in the midst of egoic foolishness is the ultimate stupidity.
Our power to reason and think isn’t a game. That power is a tool for life itself.
It’s not for a trick… it’s evolved beyond that.
Perhaps all those advocates of the devil should stop trying to sound clever and do the same.
(See y’all tomorrow)
I freakin’ hate that shit.
I used to attend a Meetup wherein the “facilitator” would do nothing but throw out controversial topics, and then no matter where his actual opinion was on the spectrum, he always opposed the flow of the greater discussion, and “played” devil’s advocate. I took opportunities to speak to him about it privately, offering techniques that would better lend themselves to dialogue instead of the usual devilish advocacy. Needless to say, nothing changed, which is why I used to attend that Meetup.
To the disciplined mind, the idea of spending time and energy playing rhetoric games, idly bantering about an issue that holds deep meaning for many, or offering support to contradictory morals is an absurd waste of time, and a gross misuse of the power of one’s mind. It’s a maneuver directly out of ego’s playbook… and thinking oneself clever in the midst of egoic foolishness is the ultimate stupidity.
Our power to reason and think isn’t a game. That power is a tool for life itself.
It’s not for a trick… it’s evolved beyond that.
Perhaps all those advocates of the devil should stop trying to sound clever and do the same.
(See y’all tomorrow)
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