Lovely thoughts, Brittany. I like your suggestion of 'kinning.' I've also been mulling over how to translate 'oikeiosis.' In Letter 66, Seneca remarks that Odysseus missed his beloved, rocky island of Ithaca, as much as Agamemnon missed his great palace...with the truly Stoic lesson that we love our homes because they are own, not for any other, 'indifferent' reason (e.g. their beauty). So 'oikeiosis' is, among other things, extending what is our own, our 'home,' outwards.
Hi Brittany, very nice idea that definitely helps to get a better grasp of the ancient concept of oikeiosis. I was just stumbling over the following sentence:“The ancient Stoics felt that humans were set apart from nature, and were superior to it, because of our rationality.“. I am not sure, I would agree to that statement, as the Stoics, as far as I understand them, believed that our rationality was modeled after the rationality of the cosmos and that we are always connected to the cosmos via the principle of „sympatheia“. Have I misread your sentence or do you have a different understanding with regard to that part of the Stoic understanding of the human condition or are you referencing here the implications of the „scala naturae“? Best wishes Alexander
Great point! Both of these ideas are present in Stoicism. The ancient Stoics recognized that we are made of similar materials (matter and pneuma) as other elements of the universe and so are part of the scala naturae; but they believed our rationality (our higher "tension") puts us at the same level as the gods rather than other animals. So, for example, Chrysippus basically said that pigs exist just for humans to eat them. They didn't think we have an obligation to take care of other animals in the same way we take care of other humans.
So this is definitely something we want to change in modern Stoicism. Chris Gill and I actually address this whole issue in a chapter of our new book, so I hope that will provide some more details. Let me know what you think after you read it!
Hi Brittany, right, now I understand what you were getting at, with that sentence. Thanks for clarifying that point. You are absolutely right in highlighting this lack of environmental awareness in the old Stoics. I would like to think that one could interpret this in part as a cultural issue of the ancient culture and in part as a philosophical weakness of the Stoic system. The second issue would have to be developed further on and I am very much looking forward to reading what steps you have taken together with Chris Gill in you new book. Thanks Alexander
Absolutely, this was a part of Greek culture and it's not necessary to keep this type of anthropocentrism in Stoicism today. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this topic soon!
Hi Brittany, Love this concept. To encourage psychological connection with the planet, I like to think of kinning also as connecting to the long line of our ancestors who enjoyed nature as we do, and nurtured and cared for their children in turn to then enable our own lives. By thinking of the long line of our antecedents, it increases our feeling of belonging and also a connection to the many people who share our DNA. Small project but I'm trying to write up accounts of ancestors so the grandchildren will feel hopefully respect, gratitude and sense of belonging to ions of this planet
Thanks, Lynne! I love that and I completely agree. I think indigenous traditions have always known the importance of feeling connected to your ancestors, but many in Western societies have forgotten this. I've just started reading a book called What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be, which takes this same perspective. I can't comment on it yet because I just started, but I'm really looking forward to digging into this idea.
Your exploration of 'kinning' in Stoicism was great! I loved how you connected ancient philosophy with modern ecological ethics. It's a powerful reminder of our relationship with nature and each other. Thank you for another thoughtful piece!
Lovely thoughts, Brittany. I like your suggestion of 'kinning.' I've also been mulling over how to translate 'oikeiosis.' In Letter 66, Seneca remarks that Odysseus missed his beloved, rocky island of Ithaca, as much as Agamemnon missed his great palace...with the truly Stoic lesson that we love our homes because they are own, not for any other, 'indifferent' reason (e.g. their beauty). So 'oikeiosis' is, among other things, extending what is our own, our 'home,' outwards.
I love that idea of extending our home outwards! Thank you for this reference!
Hi Brittany, very nice idea that definitely helps to get a better grasp of the ancient concept of oikeiosis. I was just stumbling over the following sentence:“The ancient Stoics felt that humans were set apart from nature, and were superior to it, because of our rationality.“. I am not sure, I would agree to that statement, as the Stoics, as far as I understand them, believed that our rationality was modeled after the rationality of the cosmos and that we are always connected to the cosmos via the principle of „sympatheia“. Have I misread your sentence or do you have a different understanding with regard to that part of the Stoic understanding of the human condition or are you referencing here the implications of the „scala naturae“? Best wishes Alexander
Great point! Both of these ideas are present in Stoicism. The ancient Stoics recognized that we are made of similar materials (matter and pneuma) as other elements of the universe and so are part of the scala naturae; but they believed our rationality (our higher "tension") puts us at the same level as the gods rather than other animals. So, for example, Chrysippus basically said that pigs exist just for humans to eat them. They didn't think we have an obligation to take care of other animals in the same way we take care of other humans.
So this is definitely something we want to change in modern Stoicism. Chris Gill and I actually address this whole issue in a chapter of our new book, so I hope that will provide some more details. Let me know what you think after you read it!
Hi Brittany, right, now I understand what you were getting at, with that sentence. Thanks for clarifying that point. You are absolutely right in highlighting this lack of environmental awareness in the old Stoics. I would like to think that one could interpret this in part as a cultural issue of the ancient culture and in part as a philosophical weakness of the Stoic system. The second issue would have to be developed further on and I am very much looking forward to reading what steps you have taken together with Chris Gill in you new book. Thanks Alexander
Absolutely, this was a part of Greek culture and it's not necessary to keep this type of anthropocentrism in Stoicism today. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this topic soon!
Hi Brittany, Love this concept. To encourage psychological connection with the planet, I like to think of kinning also as connecting to the long line of our ancestors who enjoyed nature as we do, and nurtured and cared for their children in turn to then enable our own lives. By thinking of the long line of our antecedents, it increases our feeling of belonging and also a connection to the many people who share our DNA. Small project but I'm trying to write up accounts of ancestors so the grandchildren will feel hopefully respect, gratitude and sense of belonging to ions of this planet
Thanks, Lynne! I love that and I completely agree. I think indigenous traditions have always known the importance of feeling connected to your ancestors, but many in Western societies have forgotten this. I've just started reading a book called What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be, which takes this same perspective. I can't comment on it yet because I just started, but I'm really looking forward to digging into this idea.
Your exploration of 'kinning' in Stoicism was great! I loved how you connected ancient philosophy with modern ecological ethics. It's a powerful reminder of our relationship with nature and each other. Thank you for another thoughtful piece!