Every century lives on the shadows of the past century. That is to say the present is very much influenced by the past. You yourself where you are you are very much influenced by your past life, early childhood. Beginning from birth, the human child uses his inherited biological constitution and social experiences to construct a self concept for him. (See George Kelly, Personality as a Self Construct.)
By age twelve, the self concept, also called personality, is, more or less, in place. Once established, it becomes stable and is difficult to change. The individual at age sixty three is pretty much who he was at age thirteen. That is to say that the self concept and personality is stable over time. It is trauma to the brain, accidents, organic disease issues and religious conversion that changes people’s basic personality types.
Something big happened during the 20th century. The 20th century gave birth to two twin children that were to mark a complete disconnection with the past history. It was during the 20th century that saw the birth of modern psychology. That is one child. The other child born in the 20th century is a philosophy that was to be known as existentialism.
Those are the twin children that cut us from our evolution. The glamore towards modern psychology saw the suppression and sublimation of classic philosophy that was handed to us through centuries. The fascination with existentialism ensured that people no longer look at the bigger picture but are concerned with the self with concepts such as being and nothing bandied around or what Sartre says that existence precedes essence. These statements are the source of all mental degradation and mental disorders we see all around us. If you say existence precedes essence (the person) you mean the human is irrelevant. There lies the depression.
We have established this website to help us build ourselves with sound history and philosophy. Stoicism philosophy has the balm that balm people and enabled people to live above the turmoil and absurdities of life. Sound history gives us gravitas.
From the great history of Eugen Weber, (a man regarded at the weightest historian in our times) we have distilled an audio program which serves as a powerful introduction to Stoicism philosophy. You get to hear Eugen Weber himself teaching, not a voice over artist. The audio program traces the background, the seeds and development of Stoicism until that it was influenced by Christianity and Christianity influenced it.
Please order it below *your order keeps us going as use your resources to maintain this work.
