Notes from discussion group close to what's in the podcast episode:

Thanks for attending today's discussion group with the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia
on the topic of free will through a Stoic Philosophy perspective. I'm Justin Vacula hosting today's
discussion which is the fifth in its series following a general overview and discussion of Stoic
Philosophy; discussion about finding meaning in life; handling adversity; and gratitude. For some video
clips from previous discussions and more please visit my website at JustinVacula.com. After today's
discussion, you're all invited to join me and others downstairs in the cafe area for conversation and
dinner.

I'll begin with a short introduction to Stoic Philosophy, free will, and then introduce some passages
from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and Seneca's Letters to a Stoic. After each passage, I'll welcome
your thoughts and questions so we can have conversation.

Stoic Philosophy was popularized by Ancient Greek and Roman thinkers including Epictetus, Marcus
Aurelius, and Seneca. For the Stoics, a main focus in life is pursuing virtue to attain a well-examined
life through practical applications of Philosophy – acting with good character, using reason to form
accurate careful judgments about the world, and having contentment through casting away anxiety and
certain desires. Stoic writers focus on many perennial human concerns and urge people to take action
applying what they learn to everyday life. Even though many Stoic writers are centuries removed from
us, their wisdom endures and is extremely relevant to our time.

So, with that short introduction to Stoic Philosophy, let's get to today's discussion. The topic of free will
was selected following touching on this topic in previous discussion groups and general member
interest. I think that a fruitful approach for today will be to talk about individual issues within the
umbrella of free will in reference to passages from Stoic writings. We'll explore what may be outside of
our control and inside our control; habits and changing habits; means to attain goals; and the possibility
of changing thoughts and behaviors to better live; and much more.

What do you think of when hearing the term free will?

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Returning to Stoicism, let's start with thoughts from Seneca. We've mostly focused on Epictetus in
previous discussions and started to hear some perspectives from Marcus Aurelius in our last discussion.
We will return to Marcus Aurelius later today.

Seneca's first letter is titled 'On Saving Time.' He encourages people to be mindful of their current
situation in life and make good use of the short time we have for living, to live well and not squander
our existence. Perhaps by paying attention to what's going on around us, using our time well, being
productive, accomplishing a social good, and finding meaning in life is something within our control –
an area of freedom we can exercise rather than being in a mode of auto-pilot letting life pass us by.
More awareness and self-reflection can help us lead a better life and this can be an area we can have
some measure of control over. Seneca writes to his friend Lucilius,

“set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time, which till lately has been forced from
you, or filched away, or had merely slipped from your hands. Make yourself believe the truth of my
words, that certain moments are torn from us, that some are gently removed, and that others glide
beyond our reach. The most disgraceful kind of loss, however, is that due to carelessness. Furthermore,
if you will pay close heed to the problem, you will find that the largest portion of our life passes while
we are doing ill, a goodly share when we are doing nothing, and the whole while we are doing that
which is not to the purpose. What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who
reckons the worth of every day, who understands that he is dying daily. [...] Hold every hour in your
grasp. Lay hold of today's task, and you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow's. While we
are postponing, life speeds by.”

Can we find some measure of freedom, personal accountability, and choice in contemplating the use of
our time and lives?

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Are fears something which may interfere with ideas of free will? Might we be able to rid ourselves of
certain anxieties and fears to better improve our quality of life? Are we powerless when facing certain
thoughts? What can we do, if anything, to maintain a sense of personal freedom? Seneca talks about
fears, mainly the fear of death, in letter four titled 'On The Terrors of Death.' For many Stoic writers
including Seneca, death is merely a natural process – an inevitable end to humans that is not to be
feared, but rather accepted as a cycle of change, that our material bodies and their organs will
eventually die and this will lead to our oblivion. We can have an accurate view of things in order to best
cope with our situation which should lead us to be rid of fears.

In having a proper mindset we can take action and live life fully rather than being downtrodden.
Perhaps this may be difficult to come to terms with and change may not happen overnight, but every
journey must begin with a single step. Rather than giving up hope and surrendering to despair, we can
accept death and value this life we have, even being grateful for it as we spoke about in a previous
discussion.

Seneca writes, “Boys fear trifles, children fear shadows. We fear both. All you need to do is advance;
you will understand that some things are less to be dreaded, precisely because they inspire us with great
fear. No evil is great which is the last evil of all. Death arrives, it would be a thing to dread if it could
remain with you. But death must either not come at all, or else must come and pass away. […] Most
men ebb and flow in wretchedness between the fear of death and the hardships of life; they are
unwilling to live and they do not know how to die. For this reason, make life as a whole agreeable to
yourself by banishing all worry about it. No good thing renders its possessor happy unless his mind is
reconciled to the possibility of loss; nothing however is lost with less discomfort than that which, when
lost, cannot be missed. Therefore, encourage and toughen your spirit against the mishaps that afflict
even the most powerful. […] If we desire to be calm as we await the last hour, the fear of which makes
all previous hours uneasy.”

This is a perspective on death, but we can also analyze other things we fear, examine our worries, and
perhaps find an element of control, some degree of free will in being able to reform our thoughts and
improve our lives. Contemplation can help us better understand the true nature of things and lead to
contentment, an acceptance of what is out of our control while taking measures to focus what is in our
control. We can look at our fears and with hard work, reform our thoughts and better react to that which
can cause us grief.

In letter five, Seneca writes, “the limiting of desires helps also to cure fears,” perhaps too we can come
to terms with our eventual deaths rather than desiring what is not achievable and complaining about
something we can't change. Seneca also writes in letter 13 titled 'On Groundless Fears,' “Some things
torment us more than they ought; some torment us before they ought; and some torment us when they
ought to not torment us at all. We are in the habit of exaggerating, or imagining, or anticipating sorrow”
and “there is no limit to our sorrows if we indulge our fears to the greatest possible extent.”

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What about influence from others, from our environment? Might a sense of free will be compromised
by environmental pressures and association with other people? Seneca writes about this in letter seven,
'On Crowds,' that society influences us and that the unreflective multitudes can present many vices.
Can there be an antidote, a possibility of maintaining a sense of freedom in being above the influence?
Again, mindfulness is helpful here – a sense of vigilance about what is going on around us, recognizing
that it can be easy to conform, to copy the habits of others, and not question what is going on around
us. We can question what other people consider to be good, virtuous, and contemplate if it has any
value. We can also work to avoid certain individuals, but we may still find ourselves among the
presence of people we would rather not associate with.

Seneca writes, “Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say crowds, for
as yet you cannot trust yourself to them with safety. I shall admit my own weakness, at any rate; for I
never bring back home the same character I took abroad with me. […] Certainly, the greater the mob
with which we mingle, the greater the danger. […] Come now, do you not understand even this truth,
that a bad example reacts on its agent? […] The young character, which cannot hold fast to
righteousness, must be rescued from the mob; it is too easy to side with the majority. […] Much harm
is done by a single case of indulgence or greed; the familiar friend, is he be luxurious, weakens and
softens us imperceptibly; the neighbor if he be rich, rouses our covetousness; the companion, if he be
slanderous, rubs off some of his rust upon us, even though we be spotless and sincere. […] You should
not copy the bad simply because they are many, nor should you hate the many because they are unlike
you. Withdraw into yourself as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a better man of you.
Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is mutual; for men learn while they
teach.”

Are there some certain instincts or behaviors we display which might limit our freedom? Perhaps we
can make our best efforts to reduce our reactions to certain events, but still find ourselves succumbing
to certain patterns of behavior...but might we be able to improve or even extinguish certain reactions in
order to maintain a sense of free will? Seneca writes about this in letter eleven titled 'On the Blush of
Modesty.'

“For by no wisdom can natural weaknesses of the body be removed. That which is implanted and
inborn can be toned down by training, but not overcome. The steadiest speaker, when before the public,
often breaks into a perspiration, as if he had wearied or overheated himself; some tremble in the knees
when they rise to speak; I know of some whose teeth chatter, whose tongues falter, whose lips quiver.
Training and experience can never shake off this habit; nature exerts her own power and through such a
weakness makes her presence known even to the strongest. I know this blush too is a habit of sort
spreading suddenly over the faces of the most dignified men. […] Whatever is assigned to us by the
terms of our birth and the blend in our constitutions will stick with us no matter how long or how hard
the soul may have tried to master itself.”
Might freedom be found in progress, in improvement, in being aware of what is happening and
working to reduce or eliminate certain behaviors? Perhaps it can be a fool's errand to completely
eliminate something like nervousness, but with practice, reflection, and experience, we can move from
an extreme of paralysis or inaction to mild anxiety to slight nervousness?

Let's now explore a passage concerning free will from Marcus Aurulius' 'Meditations.' Can we remain
steadfast in face of suffering, what we see in the world as harmful to us or others? Can we have power
to modify our thoughts in order to progress? Can we shed unproductive modes of thinking and take
power over our thoughts and lives? Marcus Aurelius writes in book seven,

“What is badness? It is that which you have often seen. Amidst all that happens, keep in mind that you
have seen it often. Everywhere up and down you will find the same things, with which the old histories
are filled, those of the middle period and those of our own day; with which cities and houses are filled
now. There is nothing new; all things are familiar and short-lived. How can our principles become dead
unless the impressions (thoughts) that correspond to them are extinguished? But it is in your power
continuously to fan these thoughts into a flame. I can form the opinion that I ought to have about
anything. If I am able to do so, why am I disturbed? The things that are external to my mind have no
relation at all to my mind. Let this be the state of your affects, and you will stand erect. To recover your
life is in your power.”

'in your power' – this is a prominent theme in Stoic writings – that we can exercise control over our
thoughts. With careful work in re-framing our thoughts, being mindful of how we react to events
recognizing that they are external to us, and a willingness to change taking personal accountability,
perhaps we can find a measure of free will in many circumstances.

Here's more from Marcus Aurelius on this matter. He writes in book eight, “If you are pained by any
external thing, it is not the thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your
power to wipe out this judgment now. But if anything in your own disposition gives you pain, who
hinders you from correcting your opinion? And even if you are pained because you are not doing some
particular thing that seems to you to be right, why do you not rather act than complain? But some
insuperable obstacle is in the way. Do not be grieved then, for the cause of its not being done depends
not on you.”

Taking action, then, to change circumstances around us where we can, rather than merely complaining,
is Marcus Aurelius' suggestion. If there is something we can't change, well, we can do our best to bear
the circumstances. Complaining, though, either way, do not seem to be a productive course of action.
Perhaps we can recognize something we don't like, something that we would prefer to be changed, to
not have happened, but, again, that is something which can be outside of our control. Perhaps some
measure of free will can be had in reacting properly to circumstances and seeing progress and/or
steadfastness within ourselves?

A passage here to end the discussion:

Seneca writes in letter 16 titled 'On philosophy, the guide of life.' Someone may
say: “What help can philosophy be to me if there is such a thing as fate? What
help can philosophy be if there is a deity controlling all? What help can it be if all
is governed by chance? For it is impossible either to change what is already
determined or to make preparations to meet what is undetermined; either, in the
first case, my planning is forestalled by a God who decrees how I am to act, or, in
the second case, it is fortune that allows me no freedom to plan.‟ Whichever of
these alternatives, Lucilius, is true – even if all of them are true we still need to
practice philosophy. Whether we are caught in the grasp of an inexorable law of
fate, whether it is God who as lord of the universe has ordered all things, or
whether the affairs of mankind are tossed and buffeted haphazardly by chance, it
is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us. She will encourage us to submit
to God with cheerfulness and to fortune with defiance; she will show you how to
follow God and bear what chance may send you. But I
mustn't pass on here to a discussion of the problem what is within our control if
there is a
governing providence, whether we are carried along enmeshed in a train of fated
happenings, or whether we are at the mercy of the sudden and the unforeseeable.