philosophers – Red Angel Sophia's Blog

“The ‘God’ Word” reviewed – Atheism in Alcoholics Anonymous

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020 sophia_my_blog

Alcoholics Anonymous has a book titled “The ‘God’ Word – Agnostic and Atheist Members in A.A.” While this book has some great things about it, there are also somethings about this book that make it problematic.

Onion Layers and Stoicism

July 8, 2018 sophia_my_blog

Loose ends in Stoic philosophy can be resolved by visualizing your locus of control as layers of an onion. Click here to see this video’s YouTube page.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A Vulcan looks upward and to our left and beholds a raging Klingon. However, thought-bubbles from the Vulcan's head indicates that the Vulcan is failing to perceive a Klingon, but is instead perceiving a fellow Vulcan. This image was written for the article title "The Galileo Spock fallacy" that appeared in this blog (virtualstoa.org) in 2018-03.

The Galileo Spock fallacy

March 28, 2018 sophia_my_blog

Obviously your reasoning is flawed if you assume that someone is going to behave reasonably in a particular situation without due cause for that assumption. But what do you call that fallacy? In the Star Trek episode, Galileo Seven, a Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A cross, a Torah scroll, and a Buddha statue are all tossed into a cardboard box with the symbol of agnostic atheism drawn on it's outside. This images is for articles on my blog (virtualstoa.org) that deal with my renunciation of religion.

Is it possible to uphold Christian values without believing in God?

March 22, 2018May 1, 2019 sophia_my_blog

While some of the attitudes encouraged in Christianity are unhealthy (even if not all such values require a belief in God per-se) there are a lot of values which Christianity shares with other religions and which are also good values Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: We see one of those turkeys drawn in the style that we learned to draw them in grade school based around a hand's outline. Behind it burns the flame which represents the Logos, which is the spirit of logic and reason. This image is made for writing on this site (virtualstoa.org) that connects Stoicism to the holiday of Thanksgiving.

#9: A Stoic Thanksgiving with the Emperor Marcus Aurelius

November 23, 2017 sophia_my_blog

Though you may not realize it, Thanksgiving Day can be a very Stoic holiday. The Emperor Marcus Aurelius shows us how this can be. [powerpress /] This piece is Episode 9 of the podcast: Philadelphia Stoic Thouhts By the normal Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A purple hollow-triangle with the extentions of the "mars symbol" and the "venus symbol" is featured in the foreground. This is one of the symbols of the transgender community. Behind it is the fire that represents the Logos. This image is for articles in this blog (virtualstoa.org) that pertain to transgender issues and how Stoicism applies to them.

#5: Stoicism – Personal Power for Transgender Folk

September 8, 2017 sophia_my_blog

One group of people for whom Stoicism can be a very powerful philosophy is those, such as myself, who are on the transgender spectrum. [powerpress /] This piece is Episode 5 of the podcast: Philadelphia Stoic Thouhts Today is Friday, Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: An open book with writing represents a journal - specifically, a meditative journal, which is an ancient time-honored ingraining technique. Above it and to the left, a chain of Death Beads used in a very recently-devised ingraining technique. Above the book and to the right (slightly overlapping) is a blue silhouette of someone running - a symbol of exercise - as the ingraining techniques are key philosophical exercises for Stoicism. Above all that are, in big red letters, the words "EVERY DAY" highlighting the importance of making it an every-day practice to use whatever regimen of ingraining techniques are found to be appropriate for you. This image is for articles in this blog pertaining to Stoic ingraining techniques - whether they be ingraining techniques that we get from the Classical Stoics, or whether they be those developed in modern times by Modern Stoics.

#4 Locus of Control – The Onion Will Model

September 1, 2017 sophia_my_blog

In the ancient Stoic texts, the only things mentioned as being beyond our control are things outside of the mind. However, modern understanding requires us to accept that even some things within our mind aren’t ours to command. The best Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A skull (symbolizing death) is in front of a flowing hourglass (symbolizing the passage of time). This image is for articles focused on the inevitability of our death - an issue very central to Stoic philosophy.

What If You Die Tonight?

July 6, 2017 sophia_my_blog

Much like the Samurai of feudal Japan – the Stoics of ancient Greece and Rome realized that the eventuality of our deaths isn’t something to hide from – but something that we should stare right in the face. [powerpress /] Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A strange liquid boils and bubbles in an Erlenmeyer flask. To the right of it, two test-tubes sit on a rack. And to the right of it, slightly above, is an image of what is perhaps, for Stoics, the most painful reminder of scientific advance - the atom. Behind all that burns the flame that represents the Logos. This image is for articles on this site (virtualstoa.org) that pertain to the relation between Stoicism and science.

Stoicism in the Age of Science

June 29, 2017 sophia_my_blog

While ancient Stoics no doubt held some views that are at odds with modern science, proper understanding of Stoicism requires that we differentiate the actual principles of the philosophy from context-specific influences in the ancient writings. Upon doing this, we Read more

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Two mouths - one slightly-above to the right, and one slightly-below to the left. From the mouth on the left come a few straight lines representing honest speech. From the mouth on the right come a few crooked lines representing deceptive speech. Behind the honest mouth (the one on the left) burns the flame which represents the Logos. This image is for articles in this blog (virtualstoa.org) which deal with cases in which the true words of the philosopher meet with untrue words of baser society.

Epictitus Shows us How to Stand Up to Hate Speech Without Compromising our Resilience to Insults

June 15, 2017 sophia_my_blog

While the Stoic advice to embrace insults may seem at times to put us in conflict with our obligation to stand up to societal injustice, Epictetus gives us a great way to resolve this dilemma. One thing is abundantly clear Read more