The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) by Donald Robertson

Author:Donald Robertson [Robertson, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9780367219871
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2019-11-26T16:00:00+00:00

Being observed by the sage

The Epicureans were less ambiguous than the Stoics about the sage, whom they explicitly identified with the founder of their own school. They repeatedly refer to practises involving Epicurus himself as a supreme role model. The Stoics appear to recognize this as one of many practical techniques that they basically shared with their rival school. “This advice from Epicurean writings: to think continually of one of the men of old who lived a virtuous life” (Meditations, 11.26). Although the Stoics had at first named themselves “Zenonians” after their founder, they changed their name to the place where they met because they did not consider Zeno, or any other mortal, to be perfectly wise. Nevertheless, they considered it helpful to model the traits in others that they considered admirable and worthy of emulation.

This basic method allows a surprising number of variations to be developed. One interesting modification was the practise of imagining oneself actually to be in the physical presence of the sage, that is, being observed by them. Like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca was happy to import contemplative techniques into Stoicism from its rival school, Epicureanism, which emphasized the technique of students’ imagining that Epicurus was always present, observing both their thoughts and actions.

“We need to set our affections on some good man and keep him constantly before our eyes, so that we may live as if he were watching us and do everything as if he saw what we were doing”. This, my dear Lucilius, is Epicurus’ advice, and in giving it he has given us a guardian and a moral tutor – and not without reason, either: misdeeds are greatly diminished if a witness is always standing near intending doers. The personality should be provided with someone it can revere, someone whose influence can make even its private, inner life more pure. Happy the man who improves other people not merely when he is in their presence but even when he is in their thoughts! And happy, too, is the person who can so revere another as to adjust and shape his own personality in the light of recollections, even, of that other.

(Letters, 11)

According to Hadot, this practise may explain the importance placed by followers of Epicurus on the possession of his portrait or rings bearing his image (Hadot, 2002, p. 124). The Stoics were more flexible in their approach, being willing to consider a number of exemplary figures. Seneca, therefore, adds the following advice on choosing a sage or hero to model one’s behaviour upon:

Choose someone whose way of life as well as words, and whose very face as mirroring the character that lies behind it, have won your approval. Be always pointing him out to yourself either as your guardian or as your model. There is a need, in my view, for someone as a standard against which our characters can measure themselves. Without a ruler to do it against you won’t make the crooked straight.

(Letters, 11)

In this approach, the sage can be viewed as a kind of internal critic, or rational conscience, for the philosophical student.

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