1. The document discusses different philosophies of life from various philosophers such as Epictetus, Epicurus, Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle. 2. It explores ideas around controlling emotions, identifying true pleasures, shaping one's unconscious mind through self-talk, experiencing absolute truth, and finding purpose. 3. The key message is that examining our beliefs and developing philosophical understanding can help us gain greater control over our thoughts, emotions, and actions to live better lives.

1. CE 30
1.B.1
FROM PHILOSOPHY FOR LIFE AND OTHER DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BY JULES EVANS
UNDERSTANDING
PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE

2. BASIC IDEAS OF PHILOSOPHY
1) We can know ourselves.
2) We can change ourselves.
3) We can create new habits of thinking, feeling and
acting.
4) We can use philosophy to create better lives.
• What, then, is a ‘better’ life?

3. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO CONTROL
YOUR EMOTIONS INSTEAD OF BEING
CONTROLLED BY THEM?
Usually we presume that the way people act is a result
of events in their lives.
•event –> Person -> reaction

4. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO CONTROL
YOUR EMOTIONS INSTEAD OF BEING
CONTROLLED BY THEM?
• Epictetus: ‘Men are disturbed not by events, but by
their opinions about events’.
• In other words, our interpretation of events creates
an emotion (disturbance) out of which we act. Our
interpretations are shaped by our beliefs.

5. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO CONTROL
YOUR EMOTIONS INSTEAD OF BEING
CONTROLLED BY THEM?

6. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE
FALSE BELIEFS?
• We interpret events wrongly, we feel in ways which
don’t match the situation, we react inappropriately.
• Change our beliefs, we change our interpretation,
which changes our emotions, which changes our
actions.

7. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE FALSE
BELIEFS?
For example, if I say hello to someone and they do not
say hello back:
If I do not examine my beliefs, I might be rude to them
the next time I see them.

8. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE FALSE
BELIEFS?
• If I do examine my beliefs, I might see the following:
• They did not say hello -> I believe they do not like
me -> I interpret their action as a rejection of me -> I
feel hurt and angry -> I react rudely.

9. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE FALSE
BELIEFS?
• I might look at my belief and realize I have no
reason to believe they do not like me – instead,
there are more likely possibilities: they did not
recognize me, I did not speak loudly enough, they
were preoccupied with some concern of theirs.
• Now, my belief is that the person likes me, but
something else prevented them from returning my
hello – perhaps something difficult and consuming.
• Same event, now interpreted as a signal something
is wrong, making me feel curious and
compassionate, prompting me to go back and ask
how they are doing

10. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE
FALSE BELIEFS?

11. WHAT IF YOU WERE FREE TO ENJOY
EVERY MOMENT?
Epicurus looked around and noticed a few things
about life.
•we actually don't need that much to survive and
experience pleasure
•if we focus on what gives pleasure without also
causing pain, we can easily be happy
•instead, though, we hold false beliefs that keep us
from pursuing pleasure

12. WHAT IF YOU WERE FREE TO ENJOY
EVERY MOMENT?
• So we should discover what gave the most pleasure
without also giving pain. Then do it.
• Epicurius saw that, while wine gave momentary
pleasure, it gave even greater pain the next
morning.
• So wisdom was about identifying what pleasures
were really "worth it“.

13. WHAT IF YOU WERE FREE TO ENJOY
EVERY MOMENT?

14. WHAT IF YOU WERE NEVER FOOLED BY
SOMEONE ELSE’S FALSE BELIEF?
• Skeptics point out how easy it is for the mind to cling
to false beliefs.
• Skeptics use aggressive
questioning to suggest there is
practically no knowledge
which is sure.
• Even the closest we have
to pure knowledge, science,
needs to be radically
questioned.

15. WHAT IF YOU WERE NEVER FOOLED BY
SOMEONE ELSE’S FALSE BELIEF?
• Along with questioning belief, Cynics questioned
how we accept society’s expectations without
thinking.
• For Cynics, freedom and health come from
rejecting ‘acceptable’ behavior and living as one
wishes.
• Comforts, politeness, manners are all inventions of
society – if they don’t work for you, chuck ‘em.

16. WHAT IF YOU WERE NEVER FOOLED BY
SOMEONE ELSE’S FALSE BELIEF?
• Diogenes went whole hog – lived in a barrel, wore
rags, did his business in front of strangers.
• When Alexander the Great came by to see him
and offered to grant him anything he asked for,
Diogenes said, “Step sideways; you’re blocking the
sunlight.”
• Cynics don’t want to look good to strangers; they
want to be good according to their own personal
code.

17. WHAT IF YOU WERE NEVER FOOLED
BY SOMEONE ELSE’S FALSE BELIEF?

18. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO SHAPE
YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND?
• We like to think our minds are rational – yet the vast
majority of choices we make unconsciously, and
even irrationally.
• That is, we make choices without thinking, and even
when we think, our thinking is not logical.

19. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO SHAPE
YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND?
• One thing we do is tell ourselves things we believe –
now we call it ‘self-talk’
• “I’m no good at that.” “I could never do that.”
“They would never like me.”
• These are examples of negative self-talk.

20. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO SHAPE
YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND?
• What Pythorgas (the triangle guy!) taught was that
our minds listen to everything we think and say.
• So if we think and say negative things, we become
negative; if we think positively, we become positive.
• Therefore, Pythogoras taught his students to
memorize maxims.

21. SOME MAXIMS:
• “Know yourself”
• “No one can harm you without your permission.”
• “Nothing to excess.”
I know it sounds like a cat poster,
but it’s true.

22. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO SHAPE
YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND?
• Modern research has confirmed Pythagoras’s
insight: when we think in certain ways, we become
what we think.
• “Power Phrases” or “Affirmations” are other words
for these “maxims”

23. WHAT IF YOU WERE ABLE TO SHAPE
YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND?

24. WHAT IF YOU COULD TOUCH
PERFECTION?
• Plato believed in the reality of absolute Truth,
Beauty and Justice, and thought the world we see
only palely imitated true reality.
• If we put things in their proper order, including
developing our minds to control our desires and
emotions, we could experience true reality.

25. WHAT IF YOU KNEW YOUR PURPOSE?
• Aristotle believed our minds could shape our desires
and emotions, towards virtue: the ability to do the
right thing at the right time.
• He believed humans find happiness in fulfilling the
purpose they are designed for. While human
purpose is distinct from tree purpose, every person
in every moment has unique purpose.

26. What if you could touch
perfection?
What if you knew your
purpose?