Podcasts about platonists

Recently we've gotten into discussions about artistic taste (see comments on AI Art Turing Test and From Bauhaus To Our House). This is a bit mysterious. Many (most?) uneducated people like certain art which seems “obviously” pretty. But a small group of people who have studied the issue in depth say that in some deep sense, that art is actually bad (“kitsch”), and other art which normal people don't appreciate is better. They can usually point to criteria which the “sophisticated” art follows and the “kitsch” art doesn't, but to normal people these just seem like lists of pointless rules. But most of the critics aren't Platonists - they don't believe that aesthetics are an objective good determined by God. So what does it mean to say that someone else is wrong? Most of the comments discussion devolved into analogies - some friendly to the idea of “superior taste”, others hostile. Here are some that I find especially helpful: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/friendly-and-hostile-analogies-for

We discuss three of the most important thinkers from the final generations of philosophical teaching at Alexandria. One is an upstart Christian. Two are esoteric Platonists of the Golden Chain. One may or may not have been an alchemist.

We discuss how Platonist philosophical teaching played out at Alexandria before Justinian's edict of 529 and in its aftermath. Featuring cameo appearances from the fall of the western Roman empire and Horapollo's Hieroglyphika.

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

Shawna Boren and Dan Kent break down this week's Easter sermon by Greg Boyd titled: "Redeeming Creation." Come join these two Platonists as they ascend into abstract realms. Sermons mentioned:youtube.com/watch?v=t0o-iiFjP2Myoutube.com/watch?v=VUGMB72Qc_8&t=1367s

This episode provides an overview of Middle Platonism, a revival of Plato's philosophy that emerged in the 1st century BC. We explore key Platonist beliefs like the existence of a Supreme Being and divine Ideas. The episode also discusses Platonism's influence on early Christian thinkers. Episode Overview Platonism declined after Plato's death but revived in the 1st century BC as Middle Platonism Middle Platonists believed in a Supreme Being and divine Ideas that were the source of reality They saw the material world as inferior to the spiritual realm of Ideas This philosophy was seen as a journey of the soul toward union with the divine Platonism influenced early Christian thinkers on issues like Christ's divinity and the body/soul distinction Discussion Questions How can we make sure philosophy does not lead us astray from God's truth revealed in Scripture? What does it mean to have Christ as the beginning and end of our philosophy? How does Christ embody divine truth and grace differently than the Platonists' concept of divine Ideas? What are some ways Platonism's negative view of the material world still influences Christians today? How can we have a biblical view of the material world? Why must Christ alone reign supreme in all our reasoning and thinking? What are practical ways we can ensure this? For other questions and comments, feel free to reach out to Jared at thechurchhistoryproject@gmail.com. For more content, visit the podcast ⁠website ⁠or wherever you find your podcasts. To join The Church History Project Facebook group to engage in more discussion about released episodes and other fascinating nuggets of church history, you can visit the page ⁠here⁠. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/church-history-project/message

Click Here for VideoJust because I'm sharing a part of history, and the earlier dominant views of people from one era or another doesn't mean I'm promoting their position. It means I find it interesting, and I explore topics of interest. Knowing our past helps to explain the mess we are in. And every bit of data that points to some sort of atrocity against people who were a threat to the establishment we should examine to see if there's at least some elements of truth in what they stood and died for.Get KRATOM HERE: https://klaritykratom.com/?ref=BaalBustersDR MONZO CODE for 15% off: BaalBusters15. Click the Image at https://SemperFryLLC.comSubmit Questions: https://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustersHave you tired TRY BLUE? https://tryblue.refr.cc/baalbusters for 17% Off!Get Healthy with DR PETER GLIDDEN, ND https://leavebigpharmabehind.com/?via=pgndhealthGet an Advocate! https://graithcare.vitafyhealth.com/code/BBRESCUETHIS CHANNEL IS INDEPENDENT and has no sponsors but YOUPatreon: https://patreon.com/DisguisetheLimitsFUNDRAISER: https://GiveSendGo.com/BaalBusters Equipment List Itemized on GSGOR https://buymeacoffee.com/BaalBustersor JOIN Locals by Clicking the JOIN Button Beneath the video.RED PILL Expo Event and Livestream Tickets: https://redpilluniversity.org/expo-homepage/ref/179/ code: busterSHIRTS & MERCH https://my-store-c960b1.creator-spring.com/AWESOME Hot Sauce: https://SemperFryLLC.com Use Code at site for 11% Off qualified purchasesTwitter: https://twitter.com/DisguiseLimitsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/baalbusters/Telegram: https://t.me/BaalBustersStudiosFREE Roku TV channel: https://channelstore.roku.com/details/a44cff88b32c2fcc7e090320c66c4d09/baal-busters-broadcastThe Host, Daniel Kristos, is a US Coast Guard veteran, author, a father, small business owner, researcher, personal trainer, avid reader, and independent historian.Click Here for Video Version

Machine Alignment Monday, 7/24/23 Intelligence explosion arguments don't require Platonism. They just require intelligence to exist in the normal fuzzy way that all concepts exist. First, I'll describe what the normal way concepts exist is. I'll have succeeded if I convince you that claims using the word “intelligence” are coherent and potentially true. Second, I'll argue, based on humans and animals, that these coherent-and-potentially-true things are actually true. Third, I'll argue that so far this has been the most fruitful way to think about AI, and people who try to think about it differently make worse AIs. Finally, I'll argue this is sufficient for ideas of “intelligence explosion” to be coherent. https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/were-not-platonists-weve-just-learned  

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

What links Vajrayana Buddhism and Vajrayogini to Alistair Crowley and the neo-Platonists? A topic of speculation, desire and imagination, the Subtle Body, also known as the energy body, is an odd phenomena with deep roots in Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but many are unaware that it has a rich history in European thought too. Simon Cox traces its roots in his recent work entitled The Subtle Body: A Geneology (Oxford UP, 2021). In our conversation we tackle multiple themes. Is it real or merely imaginary? Is it a feature of non-dual ontologies, or is more complex than that? Does Buddhism innovate the technology and practices of the subtle body? What happens to the subtle body in the New Age? Panpsychism, Monosomatic Normativity, Henri Bergson, Nietzsche, and much more. Simon Paul Cox, PhD, is an independent scholar and translator who works primarily in Chinese, Tibetan, and Greek. His research focuses on mysticism and the body. He is also a teacher of Chinese Martial Arts and collaborator at the Esalan Institute. He also has something common with me. Listen to the end to find out. Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What links Vajrayana Buddhism and Vajrayogini to Alistair Crowley and the neo-Platonists? A topic of speculation, desire and imagination, the Subtle Body, also known as the energy body, is an odd phenomena with deep roots in Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but many are unaware that it has a rich history in European thought too. Simon Cox traces its roots in his recent work entitled The Subtle Body: A Geneology (Oxford UP, 2021). In our conversation we tackle multiple themes. Is it real or merely imaginary? Is it a feature of non-dual ontologies, or is more complex than that? Does Buddhism innovate the technology and practices of the subtle body? What happens to the subtle body in the New Age? Panpsychism, Monosomatic Normativity, Henri Bergson, Nietzsche, and much more. Simon Paul Cox, PhD, is an independent scholar and translator who works primarily in Chinese, Tibetan, and Greek. His research focuses on mysticism and the body. He is also a teacher of Chinese Martial Arts and collaborator at the Esalan Institute. He also has something common with me. Listen to the end to find out. Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

What links Vajrayana Buddhism and Vajrayogini to Alistair Crowley and the neo-Platonists? A topic of speculation, desire and imagination, the Subtle Body, also known as the energy body, is an odd phenomena with deep roots in Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but many are unaware that it has a rich history in European thought too. Simon Cox traces its roots in his recent work entitled The Subtle Body: A Geneology (Oxford UP, 2021). In our conversation we tackle multiple themes. Is it real or merely imaginary? Is it a feature of non-dual ontologies, or is more complex than that? Does Buddhism innovate the technology and practices of the subtle body? What happens to the subtle body in the New Age? Panpsychism, Monosomatic Normativity, Henri Bergson, Nietzsche, and much more. Simon Paul Cox, PhD, is an independent scholar and translator who works primarily in Chinese, Tibetan, and Greek. His research focuses on mysticism and the body. He is also a teacher of Chinese Martial Arts and collaborator at the Esalan Institute. He also has something common with me. Listen to the end to find out. Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

What links Vajrayana Buddhism and Vajrayogini to Alistair Crowley and the neo-Platonists? A topic of speculation, desire and imagination, the Subtle Body, also known as the energy body, is an odd phenomena with deep roots in Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but many are unaware that it has a rich history in European thought too. Simon Cox traces its roots in his recent work entitled The Subtle Body: A Geneology (Oxford UP, 2021). In our conversation we tackle multiple themes. Is it real or merely imaginary? Is it a feature of non-dual ontologies, or is more complex than that? Does Buddhism innovate the technology and practices of the subtle body? What happens to the subtle body in the New Age? Panpsychism, Monosomatic Normativity, Henri Bergson, Nietzsche, and much more. Simon Paul Cox, PhD, is an independent scholar and translator who works primarily in Chinese, Tibetan, and Greek. His research focuses on mysticism and the body. He is also a teacher of Chinese Martial Arts and collaborator at the Esalan Institute. He also has something common with me. Listen to the end to find out. Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha).

What links Vajrayana Buddhism and Vajrayogini to Alistair Crowley and the neo-Platonists? A topic of speculation, desire and imagination, the Subtle Body, also known as the energy body, is an odd phenomena with deep roots in Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism, but many are unaware that it has a rich history in European thought too. Simon Cox traces its roots in his recent work entitled The Subtle Body: A Geneology (Oxford UP, 2021). In our conversation we tackle multiple themes. Is it real or merely imaginary? Is it a feature of non-dual ontologies, or is more complex than that? Does Buddhism innovate the technology and practices of the subtle body? What happens to the subtle body in the New Age? Panpsychism, Monosomatic Normativity, Henri Bergson, Nietzsche, and much more. Simon Paul Cox, PhD, is an independent scholar and translator who works primarily in Chinese, Tibetan, and Greek. His research focuses on mysticism and the body. He is also a teacher of Chinese Martial Arts and collaborator at the Esalan Institute. He also has something common with me. Listen to the end to find out. Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part 3 of the Early Church History class. Today we begin to look at the second century. We'll start by considering Jewish Christian movements, including the Nazarenes and the Ebionites. Next we'll shift gears and explore the cultural pressure of asceticism and how it began infiltrating Christianity. We'll briefly survey the influence of Marcion and his followers before sketching out the various christologies of second century. This episode is a hodgepodge of unrelated topics that overlap in the same time period. This will serve as a good introduction before we get into other topics in the second century. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxFkeSR6LGg&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2lk3B0I7Pa77hfwKJm1SRI&index=3 —— Links —— More Restitutio resources on history More classes here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Notes —— Outline Jewish Christianity Asceticism Marcion Gnostics Christologies in the 2nd c. Jewish Christianity Patricia Crone: “Originally, the bastion of law-observing Christianity was the Jerusalem church, the undisputed center of Christianity until the first Jewish war with Rome (AD 66–70). When this war broke out, the Jerusalem Christians reportedly fled to Pella (Ar. Fiḥl) in the Decapolis in Transjordan, and though some returned to the devastated city in 70, they were expelled again after the suppression of Bar Kokhba's revolt in 135, when Hadrian forbade Jews to reside in Jerusalem. Thereafter, Jewish Christians were concentrated in the Aleppo region in northern Syria, in the Decapolis around Pella…and in the Dead Sea region, as we know from Epiphanius (d. 403) and Jerome (d. 420). They would seem also to have been present in the Golan, where excavators of an abandoned village have found lintels decorated with a combination of crosses, menorahs, and other mixed Jewish and Christian symbols, probably indicating that the building was a Jewish Christian synagogue. After Epiphanius and Jerome, however, we have no certain evidence for the existence of Jewish Christians in Greek, Latin, or Syriac sources written before the rise of Islam.”[1] For Nazarenes see Epiphanius, Panarion 29.7.1-6; 29.9.2-4 For Ebionites see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.27.1-6 Asceticism ἄσκησις, askesis = exercise, training asceticism is the rigorous pursuit of discipline in avoiding bodily pleasures Examples Acts of Paul and Thecla Proto-Gospel of James Acts of John Marcion of Sinope Lived from 85 to 164 Founded his own churches God of the OT is not the God of the NT Docetism: Jesus only appeared human Canon: list of books in the Bible Gnostics believed in pre-creation myth they were Platonists who accepted his creation account, called Timaeus Valentinus streamlined Gnostic religion and brought Jesus to a more central role followers attended mainstream churches on Sunday, but then studied “deeper truths” during the week Christology in the 2nd Century Dynamic Monarchians (Ebionites, Nazarenes, Didache, 1 Clement, Hermas, Theodotus of Byzantium) Docetists (Marcion, Gnostics, Valentinus) Logos Subordinationists (Psuedo-Barnabas, 2 Clement, Justin, Irenaeus) Modalistic Monarchians (Praxeas) [1] Patricia Crone, “Jewish Christianity and the Qurʾān (Part One)”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol 74, no 2 (October 2015), 226.

Summary  In this episode, Dr. Peter reviews the limitations of current Catholic resources on anger, and then reviews secular resources, including interpersonal neurobiology and the structural theory of dissociation.  We examine the role of the body in anger responses, and discuss more wholistic ways of working constructive with parts that experience anger, rather than trying to dismiss anger, suppress it or distract from it.   Lead-in William Blake, A Poison Tree: I was angry with my friends; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.  We've all experienced anger and we've all experienced angry people  We know it's a problem.  And global data suggest that it's getting worse.   Gallup world poll from 2021: 140 countries  Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about anger?  17% of US respondents agreed 26% of women worldwide up from 20% from 10 years ago  20% of men -- flat from 10 years ago.   Harm can come from anger Mark Twain “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”  CCC 2302  By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."   "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."  And who hasn't been angry -- including Jesus himself?.  We have got to unpack this There is so much misunderstanding about anger in the Catholic world, so much of the way that Catholics have approached anger has been limited, misinformed, and misguided When I think about why the Catholic Church in the US, in Canada, in Europe and Australia, in the entire Western World, there are many factors.   Brandon Vogt  New Stats on Why Young People Leave the Church  based on his book Return:  How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church One critical factor is that cradle Catholics, especially young Catholics do not believe that the Church can help them with their problems.  Diocese of Springfield Exit Surveys (2014)  68% – Spiritual needs not met67% – Lost interest over time Only 7% of Millennials raised Catholic still actively practice their faith today (weekly Mass, pray a few times each week, say their faith is “extremely” or “very” important) 6.5 people leave the Catholic Church for every one that joins 66% of “nones” agree that “religion causes more problems than it solves” That's why so many fall away from the Faith.  The Church doesn't seem relevant to them because she doesn't seem like she has the answers to the real issues they face. 10% of American adults are former Catholics Nearly half of those who fall away from the Church become "nones"  And another quarter become Evangelical Christians.   79% of former Catholics leave the Church before age 23.   50% of Millennials raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic today  And it's about topics like anger -- we are not doing a good job meeting the needs that Catholics have today, human formation needs.   Intro I am Dr. Peter Malinoski, a.k.a. Dr. Peter, clinical psychologist, trauma therapist, podcaster, blogger, cofounder and president of Souls and Hearts -- but most of all I am a beloved little son of God, a passionate Catholic who wants to help you to taste and see the height and depth and breadth and warmth and the light of the love of God, especially God the Father and  Mary our Mother, our spiritual parents, our primary parents.  To really absorb your identity as a little child of God and Mary.   I want you to enter much more deeply into an intimate, personal, loving relationship with the three Persons of the Trinity and with our Lady. That is what this Interior Integration for Catholics podcast is all about, that is what Souls and Hearts is all about – all about shoring up the natural foundation for the spiritual life of intimacy with God, all about overcoming the natural human formation deficits and obstacles to contemplative union with God our Father and our Lady, our Mother  We are on an adventure of love together. And one thing, one major, big, huge thing that gets in the way of being loved by God and Mary and loving in return is anger.  Anger.   This is Episode 103 of Interior Integration for Catholics.  Interior Integration for Catholics is part of Souls and Hearts, our online outreach, check us out at soulsandhearts.com.   Anger: one of the seven deadly sins, one the lethal vices that can kill your soul.  Anger.   So much confusion about anger.  The Burden of Anger:  June 10, 2021 Catholic-daily-reflections.com The first level of sin is simply to be “angry” interiorly. The sin of anger is an interior attitude of disgust toward another. Jesus says that the consequence of having anger toward another is that you will be “liable to judgment.” Humility.  I could be wrong.    The offerings from Five Catholic writers on anger are a case in point.   The most popular book Fr. T.G. Morrow, Overcoming Sinful Anger  303 Amazon Review, mostly positive, #16  on the list of bestsellers in Catholic Theology, put out by Sophia Press in 2015 And it's not very good.  I can't recommend it.   First off, Fr. Morrow admits that he doesn't understand why people get angry We've all encountered people who explode when they feel angry. It baffles me how often the sort of anger rears its ugly head in marriages – even in allegedly Christian marriages. (p. 9).   I am often surprised to discover Christians who pray ardently, receive the sacraments regularly, we've and attend Mass daily, and yet have an anger problem. (p. 10) Presumes a homogeneous, single personality.   Easy to explain with part.   Why do people explode in anger? There are many reasons, but I think the top three are power and control, a refusal to take responsibility, and habit. (p. 13). Very simplistic view of psychology, and no consideration of neurology, traumatology,  Confusion about the causal chain in anger.  Where anger fits in a sequence of events  Little genuine interest in anger.  Anger is something to essentially get rid of.   Not much consideration of the unconscious and unconscious anger.  Acknowledges that suppressing anger is problematic, but there still is an assumption that if I'm not feeling anger, it's not there.  Disconnect.   "Irrational anger"   Very focused on the will and will training -- naïve assumptions about sympathetic arousal. Nike Spirituality -- Just do it.   Romans 7:15:  I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.   Spiritual Bypassing  Definitions John Welwood: American clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, teacher, and author, known for integrating psychological and spiritual concepts  Using “spiritual ideas, words and practices to sidestep or avoid personal, emotional ‘unfinished business,' to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, psychological wounds and developmental tasks.”  Blogger Rose Hahn:  Spiritual Bypassing: What It Is & How To Avoid It  Bypassing occurs when spiritual ideals get elevated to the realm of absolute truth in such a way that our real, lived experience is somehow denied. Rather than doing the work of healing deep wounds, we may use these ideals to deny, devalue, or avoid meeting our more human needs – such as emotional bonding, love, and esteem. In other words, rather than risk opening ourselves to real human connection, and possibly get hurt, we adopt a more enlightened, spiritual way of relating to the world that doesn't rely on human relationship.  Not a lot from a specifically Catholic perspective, but this is from Katharina, who styles herself "The Bohemian Catholic" We are supposed to uplift each other, and treat each other with love and respect - like icons of Christ, as God's creation… BUT if you find yourself trying to tell someone that their faith should keep them "happy" all the time, then you aren't helping them.  Using spiritual words, spiritual means, spiritual concepts -- all to whitewash or put a Band-Aid on significant psychological or emotional problems in the natural realm  Bypassing the natural realm and going to the spiritual realm.   Essentially saying -- You should not feel this way.  Which is what Fr. Morrow is saying.  He promises to "I will offer some ideas, which I consider quite novel, on how to avoid angry explosions." (p.4) Tips So, as a first step in overcoming passive-aggressive anger keep reminding yourself that you want to be a Christian, and therefore you can't take revenge anymore. (p. 9).  First, take the time to calm down and figure out why you're angry…. One of the tactics often recommended is to count to ten before deciding what to do. (p. 20).  Better still, say a short prayer before acting. The next step is to ask yourself if your angry feeling is been caused by something significant. Most angry fights in marriage are caused by trifling things. (p. 20).  Or perhaps use humor to make your point.(p. 20).  Offering your angry feeling as a sacrifice is not suppressing it but doing something with it. It is making a bad situation into a beneficial one. That is what it means to embrace the cross. (p. 23-24).  If we can forgive others, we can pull the rug out from beneath our anger most of the time. Unforgiveness is the main culprit behind anger. (p. 25).  … Refocus your thoughts away from the things that made you angry to some very positive thoughts. For example, thank God for the beautiful weather for the ability to read or buy things you need. (p. 30).  I often encourage people with an anger problem to daily for humility. It works. (p. 36).  Chapter 7: Thanking God, praising God  Consider your future. One key way to change her behaviors to work on in your mind just what your life will be like if you don't change your angry behavior. (pp. 72-73)  If you struggle with an anger problem write on an index card all the negatives of continuing your anger and read that list several times a day. (p. 74).   Fr. Joseph Esper, Saintly Solutions to Life's Common Problems  99 reviews on amazon.  #138 in Roman Catholicism.  2001 Book -- First Chapter is on anger.   St. Thomas of Villanova: "Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little." (p. 7) "St. Francis de Sales advises that, to avoid the sin of anger, you must quickly ask God to give peace to your heart when you're angered and then turn your thoughts to something else. Don't discuss the matter at hand or make decisions or correct other person while you're angry. When a person angers you, St. Francis advises, consider the person's good qualities rather than the words or actions you find objectionable." (p. 7) When we have to speak to someone with whom we are angry, we should first pray for the Lord's guidance and help. It's often more effective to speak in terms of asking favors, rather than making demands or giving orders…" (p. 5-6) ...rehearse possible responses and evaluate which ones which might help you. (p. 7) Tommy Tighe St. Dymphna's Playbook: A Catholic Guide to Finding Mental and Emotional Well-Being 2021 book,  #57 in Christian Pastoral Counseling, 66 reviews, mostly positive.   Doesn't discuss anger.  Discusses irritability as a symptom of depression and resentment as a problem in relationships "However, the more I have experienced depression in my own life and in my work as a clinician, the more I have seen the symptoms of irritability and anger is predominant features of depression." (p. 13).  That's one way, not the only way.   So often depression results from  Recommendations "…go for a walk, take some time to meditate, watch or read something that lightens our mood. (p. 13)  "Keeping a diary of our emotions and reactions to those emotions is a great place to start… Look back on a situation, slow it down, and examine what exactly happened….We might ask ourselves: What is it that has led to my irritability? Is it because I'm depressed and trying to stuff that feeling down rather than address it? What am I thinking in that situation? (p. 15).  "We draw this all out on paper, examine what was really behind our emotional response, and then explore ways of thinking that will restructure our reactions and response. And we write these down! Simply thinking about these things isn't going to help. The whole point is to get them out of our head and onto paper so that we can work them out. Consider it an emotional "show your work" kind of exercise." (p. 15).  Then, after a really brief introspective process, we can catch that the real reason for our irritability is our depressed mood, and we can interject coping skills for depression to stave off our irritability. (p. 16).  Changing the focus of our thinking is key when we try to battle against depression and irritability that inevitably rears its ugly head. You've probably heard people suggest keeping a gratitude list to help you feel more positive, much along the same lines as St. Paul's advice. It works. (p. 18).   Steps in the process Visualize yourself from the perspective of compassionate observer.  Notice from the outside whole feelings xare upsetting you and how they are reflected in your appearance.  Try to let the warm feeling of compassion and desire to help arise within you.  Say to yourself: "It is understandable that you feel that way. You are experiencing a natural response to depressing thoughts. But I'm going to help you."  Visualize putting your hand on your shoulder or hugging yourself to soothe and comfort yourself. Give yourself a friendly smile.  Think about if there are other things you want to tell yourself that would energize and encourage you to cheer up.  Taking time to say those things. When you feel it is appropriate, begin saying goodbye to yourself and remind yourself that you come back anytime you want. (p. 16-17). For resentment: Active listening  Tommy Tighe: to fend off resentment, we have to communicate with things are important to us and why. We can't expect our partner to read her mind. We have to tell them the things we value, what things we have grown to expect in relationships because of our past experiences and we have to tell them why. (p 113)   Rhonda Chevrin Taming the Lion Within: 5 Steps from Anger to Peace 2017  16 ratings  is a Catholic author, international speaker and Professor of Philosophy. She is the author of over 60 books concerning the matters of Catholic thought, practice and spirituality,  Take a secure thought -- use your imagination to think of ways out of annoying or enraging situations   Avoid exceptionality.  Accept the averageMove your musclesHumor is your best friendF.I.S.T.  Feelings, Impulses, Sensations, Thoughts:  What it signifies is that we can control our immediate impulses and sensations when hurt or frustrated, but if we control our thoughts we can control her impulses.Put your mental health firstPeace over power:  Many times you can't win, and it doesn't matter if you lose.  It's not worth the effort to put up a fight.  They are not doing it to you; they're just doing it! – Much is not done on purposeNot a 911  Not everything is an emergency,.Be Group minded Anger at GodForgiveness  Fr. Spitzer Angry with God? Here's Fr. Spitzer's Advice on How to Overcome Anger God understands your anger.  Don't dwell on it.  Don't go there.   Choose instead to: Three step process in the YouTube clip Angry with God:   Stop comparing to the way you once were.   Stop comparing yourself to others.   Stop having expectations for your suffering.   Offer it up.  Stop the questioning.   Saints' behaviors  Meg Hunter-Kilmer - published on 09/28/17Aleteia September 28, 2017, What We Probably Don't Know about St. Jerome Is Just What We Need to Know St. Jerome was known to carry around a stone that he would hit himself with every time he lost his temper.     If these are helpful to you, great.  I don't want to put up roadblocks.  Might be helpful to many people.   As a Catholic psychologist, I am not comfortable recommending any of these Catholic sources Very simplistic view of psychology, and no consideration of neurology, traumatology,  Confusion about the causal chain in anger.  Where anger fits in a sequence of events  Little genuine interest in anger.  Anger is something to essentially get rid of.   Very focused on the will and will training -- naïve assumptions about sympathetic arousal.  And they don't get that anger has a protective function -- to protect us against shame.  Not one of those sources connects anger to shame.  And that's the primary connection we need to understand if we want to resolve anger, not just try to shoo it away.   What are we talking about when we discuss anger -- let's get into definitions of Anger Focused on vengeance secondary to a desire -- more than an emotion.   Written discussions of anger in the western canon go back as far as fourth-century BC in Greece when the philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) argued that anger is a rational and natural reaction to being offended and thus is closely associated with reason. In the Rhetoric (1991, p. 1380) he defined anger as “a belief that we, or our friends, have been unfairly slighted, which causes in us both painful feelings and a desire or impulse for revenge.” 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia:  Anger:  The desire of vengeance. Its ethical rating depends upon the quality of the vengeance and the quantity of the passion. When these are in conformity with the prescriptions of balanced reason, anger is not a sin. It is rather a praiseworthy thing and justifiable with a proper zeal. It becomes sinful when it is sought to wreak vengeance upon one who has not deserved it, or to a greater extent than it has been deserved, or in conflict with the dispositions of law, or from an improper motive. The sin is then in a general sense mortal as being opposed to justice and charity. It may, however, be venial because the punishment aimed at is but a trifling one or because of lack of full deliberation.  Likewise, anger is sinful when there is an undue vehemence in the passion itself, whether inwardly or outwardly. Ordinarily it is then accounted a venial sin unless the excess be so great as to go counter seriously to the love of God or of one's neighbor.   CCC 2302  By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."  Contradiction that aggression (or vengeance) and anger have to go together  Lot of research to tease about anger and aggression: Ephesians 4:26:  Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger   APA Dictionary of Psychology: an emotion characterized by tension and hostility arising from frustration, real or imagined injury by another, or perceived injustice. It can manifest itself in behaviors designed to remove the object of the anger (e.g., determined action) or behaviors designed merely to express the emotion (e.g., swearing). Anger is distinct from, but a significant activator of, aggression, which is behavior intended to harm someone or something. Despite their mutually influential relationship, anger is neither necessary nor sufficient for aggression to occur.  Psychologist Paul Ekman. (1999). Basic emotions. In T. Dalgleish & M. J. Power (Eds.), Handbook of cognition and emotion (pp. 45–60). John Wiley & Sons Ltd  Due to its distinct and widely recognizable pattern of face expression, anger has always been included in the repertoire of basic emotions.   Benefits of Anger  Farzaneh Pahlavan Multiple Facets of Anger: Getting Mad or Restoring Justice?  Chapter 3:  The Neurobiology of RAGE and Anger & Psychiatric Implications with a Focus on Depression Daniel J. Guerra1, Valentina Colonnello and Jaak Panksepp As a basic emotion, anger emerges early in life and has a unique adaptive function in motivating, organizing, and regulating behavior. No other emotion can match the consistency and vigor of anger in mobilizing high-level energy and sustaining goal-directed activity. Anger serves a variety of regulatory functions in physiological and psychological processes related to self-defense as well as to interpersonal and societal behaviors. Through socialization processes, it plays an important role in the development of personality and individual differences in responding to environmental challenges, which can be more or less adaptive.  (p. v).   Aristotle:  Aristotle: Nichomachean Ethics: It is easy to fly into a passion – anybody can do that – but to be angry with the right person into the right extent and at the right time and with the right object in the right way – that is not easy, and it is not everyone who can do it  In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will….It belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by reason. CCC 1767  CCMMP: Catholic-Christian Meta-Model of the Person  DMU Paul Vitz, William Nordling, Paul Craig Titus.    p. (294)  to remain in the virtuous middle ground requires being disposed to a righteous anger that will stand up to injustice, and use a good measure of anger in ways that are corrective of the evil, preventive of further injustice, and indicative of a balance to mean between extremes. Emotions are good when, as reactions antecedent to reasoning, they make us conscious of reality and prepare us for a more complete reaction and moral action. Emotion and choice then serve moral flourishing (e.g., when we have an appropriate spontaneous reaction of anger at injustice). Second, emotions are good as felt reactions that also follow the intellectual evaluation of the situation. Emotions can be expressive of rational decisions. Emotions can thus participate in our life of reason and will (Gondreau, 2013). For example, when we choose to rectify and injustice, a balanced expression of anger can help us to act decisively will being restrained enough that we do not overreact. Through a righteous or just expression of anger, we entered rectify injustice, will finding a just and rational mean between excessively weak or exceedingly strong emotional displays. (p. 650). Emotions are viewed as informing people about their cares and concerns. To prepare the body for action, directing our thoughts to ways that will appropriately address the issues at hand. They can signal and manipulate other people in ways that suit the person's emotional needs (Parrott, 2001). Being disconnected from emotional experience, therefore, means being cut off from adaptive information (Pos et al., 2003). (pp. 650-651). Digression into justification of secular sources Question may arise, "OK, Dr. Peter, as you already noted, anger has been recognized for a long time, going all the way back to Aristotle and way before that in Sacred Scripture.  You emphasize that you are a Catholic psychologist, so why are you even looking at these secular sources like the American Psychological Association? There is a lot about anger in Scripture, in the Church Fathers and the saints about anger in the spiritual life.   Discalced Carmelite Abbott Marc Foley in his excellent book The Context of Holiness: Psychological and Spiritual Reflections on the Life of St. Therese of Lisieux "One…misconception is that the spiritual life is an encapsulated sphere, cloistered from the realities of daily living….we have only one life composed of various dimensions.  Our emotional life, intellectual life, social life, work life, sex life, spiritual life are simple ways of speaking of the different facets of our one life.  (p. 1).  We have one life.  One life.  We don't have a spiritual life that is separate from our emotional life.  We have one life.  If we are angry, that affects our whole life.   The Church herself encourages us to look to all branches of knowledge and glean what is best from them in order to live our one life better.  From the CCC, paragraph 159  "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." "Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are." And from the Vatican II document, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, paragraph 62 reads:  In pastoral care, sufficient use must be made not only of theological principles, but also of the findings of the secular sciences, especially of psychology and sociology, so that the faithful may be brought to a more adequate and mature life of faith. Remember that we are embodied beings -- we are composites of a soul and a body. The 17th Century Philosopher Rene Descartes' popularized what is called mind-body dualism.  Mind-body dualism is the idea that the body and the mind operate in separate spheres, and neither can be assimilated into the other.  And that is false.  Demonstrably false in a lot of ways, be we so often assume it to be true.  We have one life.   In the last several years we are realizing just how much of our mental life and our psychological well-being is linked in various ways to our neurobiology -- the ways that our nervous systems function.  And the relationship between our embodied brain and our minds is reciprocal -- each affects the other in complex ways that we are just beginning to understand.  In other words, brain chemistry affects our emotional states.  And our emotional states and our behaviors affect brain chemistry.  It's not just our minds and it's not just our bodies and it's not just our souls -- it's all of those, all of what makes me who I am, body, mind, soul, spirit, all of it.   And since Scripture, the Early Church Fathers, the Catechism and so on are silent on neurobiology, neurochemistry, neurophysiology and so many other areas that impact our minds and our well-being, as a Catholic psychologist I am going to look elsewhere, I'm going to look into secular sources.  I just don't think it's reasonable to expect the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops or the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican to be experts in these areas -- it's not their calling, it's not their expertise.  St. John of the Cross in his  Prologue of Ascent of Mt. Carmel: "I will not rely on experience or science…[but] I will not neglect whatever possible use I can make of them.  Fr. Marc Foley, OCD : The Context of Holiness:  As St. Thomas wrote of St. Augustine's use of Platonic philosophy in the Summa: "whenever Augustine, who was imbued with the doctrines of the Platonists, found in their teaching anything consistent with the faith, he adopted it and those things which he found contrary to the faith he amended." (ST I, q. 84,a. 5) p.4 And St. Thomas himself drew on so much of Aristotle's thought in his writings, bringing it into his body of work.   Abbot Marc Foley.  In short, we should never swallow the school of thought whole; we should sift the wheat from the chaff, separate truth from falsehood. p.4 We want the best from all sources.   Emphasis on biological processes:   From Heidi Crockett Anger Management with Interpersonal Neurobiology  Discussed Interpersonal Neurobiology at length in  Episode 92 of this podcast Understanding and Healing your Mind through IPNB In interpersonal neurobiology, anger as an emotion is viewed from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. And cognitive neuroscience states that cognition and emotion are dynamically combined with physical arousal. When anger is induced as an emotion in humans, it can unconsciously affect physiological and neural resources. Affective states of anger are subsequently expressed in the brain as well as the body, and these neural and physiological changes can influence the cognitive processes. Many studies and resources have been expended on studying the emotions of happiness, sadness, and fear, which align with psychopathological states of hypomania, depression, and anxiety. Kathy Steele, Suzette Boon, Onno van der Hart:  Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Practical, Integrative Approach:  Anger is an affect to derived from activation of the sympathetic nervous system, geared to energize the body for maximum effort to fend off perceived danger. Psychologically, it protects from awareness of vulnerability and lack of control, and therefore from shame. And fight mode, we are all primed to perceive cues of danger rather than cues of safety and relational connection. In such a heightened state of arousal, it is easy to misunderstand the intentions of others. (p.332). Polyvagal theory and anger  A critical period for experience-dependent development of the feelings of safety during early infancy: A polyvagal perspective on anger and psychometric tools to assess perceived safety  Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience July 2022 article   Andrea Poli, Angelo Gemignani, Carlo Chiorri and Mario Miccoli Brief primer here on some neurology.  Don't worry.  I will keep it simple.   Neurons are specialized cells that receive and send signals to other cells through fragile and thin cellular extensions called axons. Myelination:   a membrane or a sheath around the axons on neurons.   Myelinated axons often have a larger diameter Myelinated axons are insulated Myelination allows for much faster transmission of electric impulses Presence of safety during the critical period (first year of life).   Decreased unmyelinated/myelinated cardioinhibitory fibers ratio in adulthood Ventral Vagal complex is able to have a greater impact on reducing the Sympathetic Nervous System arousal -- decreasing anger  VVC is able to have a greater impact on reducing Dorsal Vagal Complex fear and shutdown responses -- the freeze response.   Greater capacity for self-regulation.   Absence of safety during the critical period  Increased unmyelinated/myelinated cardioinhibitory fibers ratio in adulthood Ventral Vagal complex has a lesser impact on reducing the Sympathetic Nervous System arousal -- less able to decrease sympathetic arousal, including anger  VVC has a lesser impact on reducing Dorsal Vagal Complex fear and shutdown responses -- less able to reduce the freeze response.   Less capacity for self-regulation.   Dampened VVC activity reduces the capacity of adaptive inhibition of SNS and DVC (Dorsal Vagal Complex), and emotional self-regulation. Hence, environmental detection of unsafety cues may preferentially trigger SNS-mediated anger in order to avoid DVC-mediated immobilization with fear. Young children exposed to five or more significant adverse experiences in the first three years of childhood face a 76% likelihood of having one or more delays in their language, emotional or brain development. (6) As the number of traumatic events experienced during childhood increases, the risk for the following health problems in adulthood increases: depression; alcoholism; drug abuse; suicide attempts; heart and liver diseases; pregnancy problems; high stress; uncontrollable anger; and family, financial, and job problems. (6) 7 ways childhood adversity changes a child's brain Donna Jackson Nakazawa Acestoohigh.com website September 8, 2016 Epigenetic Shifts  gene methylation, in which small chemical markers, or methyl groups, adhere to the genes involved in regulating our stress response, and prevent these genes from doing their jobs.  Size and Shape of the Brain stress releases a hormone that actually shrinks the size of the hippocampus, an area of our brain responsible for processing emotion and memory and managing stress.  Chronic neuroinflammation can lead to changes that reset the tone of the brain for life   Brain connectivity:  Dr. Ryan Herringa, neuropsychiatrist and assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, found that children and teens who'd experienced chronic childhood adversity showed weaker neural connections between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. Girls also displayed weaker connections between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal-cortex-amygdala relationship plays an essential role in determining how emotionally reactive we're likely to be to the things that happen to us in our day-to-day life, and how likely we are to perceive these events as stressful or dangerous. Including anger.   Wiring of the brain and nervous system matter -- they matter a lot Brain activation in anger  Distinct Brain Areas involved in Anger versus Punishment during Social Interactions  Olga M. Klimecki, David Sander & Patrik Vuilleumier Scientific Reports 2018. 25 men fMRI study anger induced in an in inequality game designed to be unfair.   In the present study, we found that the intensity of experienced anger when seeing the face of the unfair other was parametrically related to activations in amygdala, STS (superior temporal sulcus), and fusiform gyrus (related to facial recognition). The STS has been shown to produce strong responses when subjects perceive stimuli in research areas that facial recognition   Farzaneh Pahlavan Multiple Facets of Anger: Getting Mad or Restoring Justice?  Chapter 3:  The Neurobiology of RAGE and Anger & Psychiatric Implications with a Focus on Depression Daniel J. Guerra1, Valentina Colonnello and Jaak Panksepp Rage emerges when specific environmental stimuli arouse the neural circuitry of the RAGE system. Even if the anger-thoughts and the related expression are modulated and regulated by higher cortico-cognitive areas, the human basic circuitry of anger is still subcortical. Since the early description of rage in decorticated cats (Dusser De Barenne, 1920) and dogs (Rothmann, 1923) and their responses to inoffensive stimuli, it was clear that the rage expression is i) dependent on subcortical areas, i.e. the ancient regions play a crucial role more than the higher neocortical regions; ii) independent of an intact cortex. p. 11  Among the higher limbic regions of this network, the medial nucleus, the basal complex, and central and lateral nuclei of the amygdala play a key role in the modulation of RAGE.  p. 1   All this happens far away from the frontal cortex in the limbic system of your brain.   Kathy Steele, Suzette Boon, Onno van der Hart:  Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Practical, Integrative Approach   Why of Chronic anger.   Anger is the primary emotion of the "fight" defense.  When (parts of) the patient become stuck in this defense, anger becomes chronic.  Thus, the first intervention is safety.  332 As long as a fight reaction remains unresolved, anger will remain chronic. (p.332).  Almost no one seems to understands that anger is a defense against fear and shame.  It's a way of trying to protect oneself.   There are several reasons that anger and hostility become chronic in dissociative patients. First, patients typically have been severely invalidated, ignored, heard, betrayed, and sometimes even tortured over extended periods of time, while helpless to stop it. In itself, this is enough to generate enormous rage in anyone as part of the naturally occurring fight defense. Second, as children, patients often had little to no help in learning how to regulate and appropriately express normal anger, much less how to cope with it. Often it was unacceptable for many patients to express any kind of anger as children, while the adults around them were uncontained and highly destructive with their anger. Others had no limit set on their angry behaviors. (p. 330). Angry dissociative parts are feared and avoided internally by most other parts, particularly those that function in daily life. After all, angry behaviors toward self and others may interfere with functioning in a variety of personal and social ways. An ongoing vicious cycle of rage and shame ensues internally: the more patients avoid their angry and destructive dissociative parts, the angry these parts become, and the more they shame other parts and are shamed by them. (p. 331). … Angry parts have a deep shame and are highly defended against the strong belief that they are very bad. Their defense is reinforced by the shame of patients that such parts of themselves even exist. These parts of the patient are terrified of attachment to the therapist and you the relationship is dangerous, mainly because they are afraid that the therapist will never accept them. (p. 331-332). Whether the anger is part of a fight response or not, it is often a secondary emotion that protects the patient from feelings of sadness, extreme powerlessness, shame, guilt, and loss. (p. 333).  (add grief) Parts of the patient that developed  controlling-punitive strategies will be angry with others to get what they need,  while those that have controlling-caregiving strategies will punish themselves for being angry or having needs. (p. 333).  This is often the case in hostile parts such as those of self-injure or encourage other parts to self-harm, prostitute themselves, abuse drugs or alcohol, or engage in other self-destructive behaviors. They are often stuck in destructive and harmful behaviors that are an "attack self" defense against shame. (p.333). Finally, the rage of the perpetrator is often an embodied experience from which patients cannot yet escape without sufficient realization and further integration. Some dissociative parts imitate perpetrators internally, repeating the family dynamics from the past with other parts in a rather literal way. (p.333). "Getting the anger out" is not really useful, as the problem is that the patient needs to learn how to effectively express anger verbally rather than physically, and in socially appropriate and contained ways, so the patient can be heard by others. It is less the fact that patients express anger, but how they do so and whether that expression allows him to remain grounded in the present, to retain important relationships, and to avoid being self-destructive. (p. 334). Expression of anger is not necessarily therapeutic in itself. It is how (parts of) the patient experience and express it that is important; whether it is within a window of tolerancex in a socially appropriate and safe. Therapist must learn when expression of anger is therapeutic and when containment of anger is more helpful. (p. 334). Working with anger an angry parts (p.335). Take the time to educate the patient as a whole about the functions of anger and angry parts. Although they may seem like "troublemakers," they can be understood as attempting to solve problems with ineffective or insufficient tools.  Encourage all parts of the patient understand, accept, and listen to angry parts, instead of avoiding them.  Make efforts to understand what provokes angry parts. There are many potential triggers.   Not direct quotes Do all parts feel the same way as the angry part?  If not, can those parts listen to and accept angry parts perspective?  Would the angry part be willing to listen to the other internal perspectives?  Invite other parts to watch and listen if possible.  Can set limits with the angry part  the angry part and all parts need to learn that healthy relationships do not include punishment, humiliation, or force  Use titration, helping the person experienced as a small amount of anger will remain grounded in the present   Parts and imitate a perpetrator often literally experience themselves in our experienced by other parts as the actual perpetrator. Thus they understandably induce fear and shame within a patient as a whole, and sometimes fearing the therapist. (p. 345). The functions of perpetrator-imitating parts are (1) protect the patient against threats of the perpetrator, which continue to be experienced as real in the present; (2) defend the patient against unbearable realizations of being helpless and powerless as a child, (3) re-enact traumatic memories from the perspective of the perpetrator, as mentalize by the child; (4) serve as a defense against shame through attacking the patient and avoiding inner experiences of shame; (5) provide an outlet for the patient's disowned sadistic and punitive tendencies; and (6) hold unbearable traumatic memories. (p. 346). Suzette Boon, Kathy Steele, Onno van der Hart 2011 book  Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation: Skills Training for Patients and Therapists Destructive expressions of anger include persistent revenge fantasies or actions, hurting self or others, "taking it out" on innocent people (or animals), or destruction of property. (p. 265).  Dissociative parts of a person that are stuck in anger may experience this feeling as vehement and overwhelming, often without words. They may have irresistible urges to act aggressively and have great difficulty thinking and reflecting on their feelings before acting. Angry parts have not learned how to experience or express anger and helpful ways. There are two types of anger dissociative parts. The first are parts that are stuck in a defensive fight mode, ready to protect you. Their anger at original injustices may be legitimate and naturally accompanies a tendency to strike out and fight, which is an essential survival strategy. However, such parts have become stuck in anger, unable to experience much else. They rigidly perceived threat and ill-will everywhere and they react with anger and aggression as their only option of response. Although these parts of you may not yet realize it, anger is often a protection against vulnerable feelings of shame, fear, hurt, despair, powerlessness, and loss. The second type of angry part may seem very much like the original perpetrator. They imitate those who hurt them in the past, and they can be experienced internally as the actual perpetrator. This experience can be particularly frightening, disorienting, and shameful. But be assured this is a very common way of dealing with being traumatized. In fact, although these parts may have some similarities to those who hurt you, they also significant differences: they are parts of you as a whole person, who is trying to cope with unresolved traumatic experiences. (p. 267)   Tips for coping with anger (p, 269 to 271) recognize how to make distinctions among the many gradations of anger, from mild irritation to rage, so that you can intervene more rapidly.  Understand your tells around anger, which may include a tight or tense feeling in your body, clenched jaw's or fists, feeling flushed or shaky, breathing heavily, heart racing, a feeling of heat, a surge of energy.  Empathize with her angry parts, recognizing they have very limited coping skills, and very limited vision. They've been shunned by other parts, left alone with their hurt, fear, shame, in isolation. This does not mean you have to accept their impulses toward inappropriate behavior  Once you start feeling some compassion toward these parts you can begin to communicate with them, listening with an intention, with curiosity to understand what lies underneath the anger  Angry parts have a strength, that they could transferred to use and more positive ways  Become more curious about why anger is happening.  Try creative and healthy nonverbal ways of expressing your anger, such as writing, drawing, painting, making a collage  Physical exercise may help as an outlet for the physical energy generated by the physiology of anger  Work on understanding your anger, by reflecting on it, rather than just experiencing it, being immersed in it. You might imagine observing yourself from a distance, and getting curious about why you feel the way you do.  Give yourself a time-out, that is, walk away from the situation if you're getting too angry. Counseling to 10, or even 200 before you say or do something you might regret later.  Calm breathing may help  Listen to each part of you, about what might help that part with anger. You can have in her conversations with parts of yourself about anger and how to express it. Small and safe ways to express anger can be negotiated that are agreeable to all parts of you  Watch safe people in your life and seal they handle their own anger. Do they accept being angry? Are they are respectful and appropriate with her anger? Are there particular strategies that they use that you could practice for yourself?  Healthy anger can get positive strength and energy. It can help you be appropriately assertive, set clear boundaries, and confront wrongs in the world. Anger can pave the way to other emotions, leading to the resolution relational conflicts.  We learn the most common triggers of your anger. Once you learn these triggers, you can be more aware when they occur and more able to prevent an automatic reaction of anger. Establish intercommunication among parts of yourself to recognize triggers and negotiate possible helpful strategies to cope with them rather than just reacting.  You can try allowing yourself to experience just a small amount of anger from another part of yourself: a drop, a teaspoon, 1% or 2%. In exchange you can share with angry parts feelings of calm and safety.  Inner safe spaces can be very helpful for childlike parts that feel terrified   My parts Feisty Part-- defends against shame -- Melancholio.   Good Boy  Challenger  Creative-distracting me.   Closing Mark your calendars.  Next Live Experience of the IIC podcast will be on Friday, January 13, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern time on Zoom (repeat) -- All about Anger -- dealing with your anger.  Going beyond what books can do.  Experiential exercise.  Links to register have gone out in our emailed Wednesday Reflections.  Can get the link on the IIC landing page as well, SoulsandHearts.com/iic  December 28, 2022  Reflection at soulsandhearts.com/blog  From Rejecting to Embracing Aging Reach out to me Crisis@soulsandhearts.com  Conversation hours:  cell is 317.567.9594 conversation hours 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time Every Tuesday and Thursday.   Resilient Catholic Community -- you do not have to be alone.   Why a deep intimate personal relationship with God our Father, Mary our Mother -- spiritual parents   By claiming our identity as beloved daughters and sons of God the Father and Mary our Mother. Identity is freely given.   How By dealing with the natural level issues we have, the human formation issues we have that have spiritual consequences.  Grace perfects nature  So many spiritual problems have their roots in the natural realm, in human formation.   If this kind of exercise is helpful to you, we have nearly 100 of them in the Resilient Catholics Community.   120 Catholics like you already on board, already on the pilgrimage -- just had 47 apply for the December 2022 cohort, excited to get to know our new applicants.   Closed December 31 -- wait list should be up soon for the June 2023 Cohort.   Get to know your own parts Get to love your own parts If interested, contact me.   Crisis@soulsandhearts.com 317.567.9594 conversation hours 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time Every Tuesday and Thursday.    

Highlights:     “Unfortunately for Fry, when it comes to the great classical conceptions of God – whether they be Jewish, Christian, the Platonists, the Islamic tradition, Hindu, Buddhist -- God is emphatically not ‘A' being. He's not a kind of being, God IS being itself.” “Fry is a huge fan of abortion. For him, abortion is a fundamental human right. The freedom to choose is a good that ought not to be infringed! And yet, when this supposed God that he's beating up on does the same thing, when GOD makes choices about life and death, suddenly this God is evil!” “These atheists think they're wholly separate and distinct from religion, and Peterson masterfully confronts them with their own unconscious and yet undeniable thoroughly religious instincts.”   Timestamps:        [01:11] Refuting Fry's idea that God is ‘such a being' or ‘that kind of being that people worship'    [04:50] Fry using the ‘argument from evil' that was famously employed in the novel The Brothers Karamazov [07:17] How the clenched fist against God --- the resentment and anger from all the pain and evil actually makes things even worse [09:37] How Peterson revealed to Fry that his yearnings for God are closer than he ever imagined     Resources:  The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky 1209 Jordan Peterson Leaves Atheist Sam Harris SPEECHLESS on God!!! Build a fortress to withstand any or all storms that might arise in the current unpredictable world with Food Supply at Http://GetReadyWithSteve.com Download Dr. Steve's FREE Patriot Blueprints at https://www.drsteveblueprints.com 1222 Ted Cruz HUMILIATES ‘The View' as Studio Audience EXPLODES!!! Learn how to protect your life savings from inflation and an irresponsible government, with Gold and Silver. Go to http://www.turleytalkslikesgold.com/ Get Over 66% OFF All of Mike Lindell's Products using code TURLEY: https://www.mypillow.com/turley Join Dr. Steve's Exclusive Membership in the Insiders Club and watch content he can't discuss on YouTube during his weekly Monday night show!: https://insidersclub.turleytalks.com/welcome Get Your Brand-New PATRIOT T-Shirts and Merch Here: https://store.turleytalks.com/ It's time to CHANGE AMERICA and Here's YOUR OPPORTUNITY To Do Just That! https://change.turleytalks.com/ Fight Back Against Big Tech Censorship! Sign-up here to discover Dr. Steve's different social media options …. but without censorship! https://www.turleytalks.com/en/alternative-media.com   Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode.  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and/or leave a review. Do you want to be a part of the podcast and be our sponsor? Click here to partner with us and defy liberal culture! If you would like to get lots of articles on conservative trends make sure to sign-up for the 'New Conservative Age Rising' Email Alerts.

Welcome to Episode One Hundred Forty-Five of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the only complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world.Each week we'll walk you through the ancient Epicurean texts, and we'll discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where you will find a discussion thread for each of our podcast episodes and many other topics.This week we will start a series of podcasts intended to provide a general introductory overview to Epicurean philosophy. For organization purposes we will use the topic structure employed by Norman DeWitt in his "Epicurus and His Philosophy," but we will not bind ourselves to the text. For the first episode we will begin in Chapter One:The Historical Background of Epicurean Philosophy* It is important to emphasize that at one and the same time Epicurus was both the most revered and most reviled of all founders of Greco-Roman philosophical schools.* For seven hundred years Epicurus was very popular throughout the Greco-Roman world. His images were displayed, his handbooks memorized and carried by students, and on the twentieth of every month his followers assembled in his name.* Throughout the same period Epicurus' enemies ceaselessly reviled him, and he was attacked by Platonists, Stoics, and Christians, and his name was an abomination to the Jews.* Therefore much of what has been written about Epicurus in both the ancient and modern world is wrong.

How did the Platonists and Neoplatonists view the world? How did they view our relationship with it and what is our responsibility to it? I explore this issue in this video using the philosopher David Fideler.

What does it mean for a number to exist? In the philosophy of mathematics, there are two general camps when it comes to numbers: there are the Platonists—or the “realists”—who think numbers somehow really exist, and there are the constructivists, who think they're the products of mathematical activity. In this episode of “What Is X?” Justin invites on the Columbia University mathematician Michael Harris to try to figure out what the ontological status of numbers is. Are they the ultimate abstractions, or is there something "more real" to numbers than even our physical world? If we ran into them in outer space, would aliens understand numbers as we've conceived of them here on earth?  Over the course of the hour, you'll get to listen in on: a  discussion of the relationship between numbers and culture, a true story that sounds like a joke about three mathematicians who walk into a bar, and a back-and-forth about why certain philosophers are obsessed with mathematics (hint: its unmediated access to truth).

Falls euch cogitamus gefällt, lasst bitte ein Abo da und/oder empfehlt uns weiter. Abonnieren könnt ihr uns auch auf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2YdZ5ryFQ32Zd75m2AW5cw Unterstützen könnt ihr uns ebenfalls: paypal.me/cogitamus oder cogitamus@posteo.de. Schaut auch mal auf UNCUT vorbei: https://www.uncut.at/. Konterrevolution nach Spinozas monistischem Atheismus (Special #18)! Die Cambridge Platonists berufen sich auf die mittelalterliche Funktion der Philosophie als Stütze für die Theologie und versuchen Gott wieder an die Spitze der substantiellen Ordnung zu holen. Wir geben insbesondere Anne Conway (1631-1679) eine Plattform, beschreiben ihr Leben und ihre Philosophie. Wo sieht sie einen Vitalismus, eine der Natur innewohnende Lebenskraft? Wie verträgt sich dies mit Gott an der Spitze der Substanzstufen? Wie grenzt sie sich gegenüber Descartes und Spinoza ab (Ontologie, Mechanismus, kosmologischer Gottesbeweis, Freier Wille)? Nächste Folge der Reihe Existenz & Sprache: Sprache und Diskriminierung Nächste Spezialfolge: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz und seine Monaden Timemarker 00:00 Intro & Kontextualisierung 06:02 Mitglieder & Leben Anne Conways 14:21 Philosophie 31:33 Zusammenfassung Literatur/Links/Quellen Vorlesungen Uni Wien & Wikipedia https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik/department/equality/women_and_physics/history/anne_conway.html?msclkid=c29418ecc22f11eca3720dcd1c65e886 https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/conway/ Conway, Anne (1996): The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy. Übersetzt von Allison P. Coudert. Herausgegeben von Allison P. Coudert und Taylor Corse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press René Descartes - Prinzipien der Philosophie (Erstdruck unter dem Titel „Principia philosophiae“, Amsterdam 1644. Text nach der Übersetzung durch Julius Heinrich von Kirchmann von 1870) Bild: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Samuel_van_Hoogstraten_-_Perspective_View_with_a_Woman_Reading_a_Letter_-_66_-_Mauritshuis.jpg

Alex and Benjamin talk about Michael Psellos, an 11th century Greek thinker who advised a series of Byzantine emperors. We compare Psellos with earlier Platonists and discuss some of the problems the Byzantine Empire faced throughout his career.

We're in the eighth circle of hell, INFERNO's vast landscape of fraud. And we're way down in the eight of the evil pouches (the malebolge) that make up this most mucky and disgusting place--which holds one of the most noble and revered figures from classical poetry: Ulysses. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we get our first glimpse of Ulysses, trapped inside a tongue of fire with his compatriot, Diomedes. Virgil offers us an explanation for their damnation. We'll explore that bit first before we find out the ways Virgil gets it wrong. Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:21] My English translation of the passage: INFERNO, Canto XXVI, lines 49 - 63. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, visit my website, markscarbrough.com. [04:18] What do we make of the pilgrim Dante's eagerness in this passage? [07:04] What can we make of this divided flame and the classical reference to Eteocles? [11:33] Dante does not know Homer's works but he knows about Ulysses (or Odysseus) from many other sources. [13:22] What can we make of the reference to the vendetta theme in this passage? [14:47] What can we make of the reference to the Trojan horse and the insemination metaphor that follows this reference in Dante's poem? [20:41] What can we make of the reference to Daidamia and Achilles? [24:44] What is the Palladium that Ulysses and Diomedes stole? [27:19] Not every source Dante knew condemned Ulysses. Take Horace and Cicero, for examples. [29:19] Christian neo-Platonists used Ulysses as an allegory for the soul's journey, an interpretation Dante knew well. [32:13] Rereading the passage: Inferno, Canto XXVI, lines 49 - 63.

This lecture discusses key ideas from the early medieval philosopher and theologian, Augustine of Hippo's work, The City of God. It focuses specifically on his discussion in book 19 bearing on whether the virtues - prudence, justice, courage, and temperance - are the supreme good for human beings or whether they are instead something that can lead us towards the supreme good and happiness. In examining this, Augustine is criticizing ancient pagan virtue ethics, in particular those of the Stoics, but also those of Aristotelians and Platonists. One of his main arguments is that, in this life, virtues carry out a perpetual war with their opposed vices, and that they do so within us. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 1500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Purchase Augustine's City of God - amzn.to/2GJGM0s

What are numbers? Are the real entities out there in the world? In some other realm? Should we be Platonists about numbers? How can abstract mathematics be so applicable to our everyday existence? These are some of the questions Dr. Mark Colyvan and I discuss in this episode of the Parker's Pensées Podcast. Find more of Mark's work here: http://www.colyvan.com/ If you like this podcast, then support it on Patreon for $3, $5 or more a month. Any amount helps, and for $5 you get a Parker's Pensées sticker and instant access to all the episode as I record them instead of waiting for their release date. Check it out here: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parkers_pensees If you want to give a one-time gift, you can give at my Paypal: https://paypal.me/ParkersPensees?locale.x=en_US Check out my merchandise at my Teespring store: https://teespring.com/stores/parkers-penses-merch Check out my blog posts: https://parkersettecase.com/ Check out my Parker's Pensées YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYbTRurpFP5q4TpDD_P2JDA Check out my other YouTube channel on my frogs and turtles: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParkerSettecase Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/trendsettercase Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkers_pensees/ Time Is Running by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6203-time-is-running License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/parkers-pensees/support

Borja the Modern Platonist joins me in advance of the Pagan Futures conference in London on 25th June to discuss the same issues we shall address at the event; The question of transhumanism, salvation through technology, faith in 'progress' rather than cyclical time and how these ideas conflict with traditional pagan beliefs. To what extent are modern technophiles neo-Gnostics? How do their beliefs conflict with those of Platonists and other pagans?Tickets for the conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/survive-the-jive-live-pagan-futures-tickets-313306266477

We introduce Iamblichus, known to later Platonists as ‘the Divine', ‘the Great Iamblichus', Platonist philosopher and wonder-working holy-man. Come for the basic biographical summary and discussion of the Iamblichean corpus of writings, stay for the levitation and miraculous apparitions.

We discuss other subtle-body theories in antique esoteric literature from the Hermetica, the Platonists, Basilides, Origen, and other esoteric Christians, looking at theories of astral accretions, counterfeit spirits, resurrection-bodies, and more.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: 37 Ways That Words Can Be Wrong, published by on the LessWrong. Some reader is bound to declare that a better title for this post would be "37 Ways That You Can Use Words Unwisely", or "37 Ways That Suboptimal Use Of Categories Can Have Negative Side Effects On Your Cognition". But one of the primary lessons of this gigantic list is that saying "There's no way my choice of X can be 'wrong'" is nearly always an error in practice, whatever the theory. You can always be wrong. Even when it's theoretically impossible to be wrong, you can still be wrong. There is never a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card for anything you do. That's life. Besides, I can define the word "wrong" to mean anything I like - it's not like a word can be wrong. Personally, I think it quite justified to use the word "wrong" when: A word fails to connect to reality in the first place. Is Socrates a framster? Yes or no? (The Parable of the Dagger.) Your argument, if it worked, could coerce reality to go a different way by choosing a different word definition. Socrates is a human, and humans, by definition, are mortal. So if you defined humans to not be mortal, would Socrates live forever? (The Parable of Hemlock.) You try to establish any sort of empirical proposition as being true "by definition". Socrates is a human, and humans, by definition, are mortal. So is it a logical truth if we empirically predict that Socrates should keel over if he drinks hemlock? It seems like there are logically possible, non-self-contradictory worlds where Socrates doesn't keel over - where he's immune to hemlock by a quirk of biochemistry, say. Logical truths are true in all possible worlds, and so never tell you which possible world you live in - and anything you can establish "by definition" is a logical truth. (The Parable of Hemlock.) You unconsciously slap the conventional label on something, without actually using the verbal definition you just gave. You know perfectly well that Bob is "human", even though, on your definition, you can never call Bob "human" without first observing him to be mortal. (The Parable of Hemlock.) The act of labeling something with a word, disguises a challengable inductive inference you are making. If the last 11 egg-shaped objects drawn have been blue, and the last 8 cubes drawn have been red, it is a matter of induction to say this rule will hold in the future. But if you call the blue eggs "bleggs" and the red cubes "rubes", you may reach into the barrel, feel an egg shape, and think "Oh, a blegg." (Words as Hidden Inferences.) You try to define a word using words, in turn defined with ever-more-abstract words, without being able to point to an example. "What is red?" "Red is a color." "What's a color?" "It's a property of a thing?" "What's a thing? What's a property?" It never occurs to you to point to a stop sign and an apple. (Extensions and Intensions.) The extension doesn't match the intension. We aren't consciously aware of our identification of a red light in the sky as "Mars", which will probably happen regardless of your attempt to define "Mars" as "The God of War". (Extensions and Intensions.) Your verbal definition doesn't capture more than a tiny fraction of the category's shared characteristics, but you try to reason as if it does. When the philosophers of Plato's Academy claimed that the best definition of a human was a "featherless biped", Diogenes the Cynic is said to have exhibited a plucked chicken and declared "Here is Plato's Man." The Platonists promptly changed their definition to "a featherless biped with broad nails". (Similarity Clusters.) You try to treat category membership as all-or-nothing, ignoring the existence of more and less typical subclusters. Ducks and penguins are less typical birds than robins and pigeons. Interestingly, a between-groups expe...

Storytime  I want to take you back, back in time to a hot June night in 1980 and tell you a story about that time. [cue sound effect] I'm 11 years old and I'm recovering from a third spinal surgery after two previous cervical fusions failed.  I'm feeling terrible.  I'm in a dark, cold hospital room in a university hospital, just out of post-op and back on the pediatric unit 104 miles from home, immobilized in a full body cast and halo brace, recovering from puking from the general anesthetic, afraid that this surgery failed like the other two.  My confidence in surgeons is at a low ebb.  The room smells of antiseptic and isolation.   Back in those unenlightened days, visiting hours were really limited, so my parents aren't there.  But I'm not alone.  My sick toddler roommate is lying face down in his crib, sobbing inconsolably.   No one comes for him.  “Nothing can be done for him -- this will pass,” the professionals had told me when I pressed the call button for him.   So I don't bother with the call button anymore.  I can't think of anything to do for him either.  I feel like he does.  We're both miserable.  I am in the darkest hour of my life to that point.  I'm beginning to wonder if the rest of my life will be a series of horrible, painful, failed surgeries, nighttime isolation and helplessness.   So what does little Petey Guy do at the point?  My aunt Marlene always used to call me Petey Guy when I was that age.  Petey Guy starts to sing.  Yes, that's right, I start singing.  Do you know what I was singing?  Was the 1959 Julie Andrews version of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music?  No it wasn't.   The Beatles" 1969 classic "Here comes the Sun" by George Harrison?  It was not.   Was it the 1977 show tune "The Sun will Come out Tomorrow" from the musical Annie?  Nope.  Guess again.   Gloria Gaynor's smash hit in 1977 "I will survive"?  Wrong.   "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, also in 1977?  No.   How about "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey -- that was it, right.  Come on, people.  "Don't Stop Believin" came out in 1981.  We're in 1980. So chronologically, that wouldn't make sense.    No, I was singing a different song, a darker song than any of those,  a 1970 song with lyrics written by 14 year old Michael Altman, put to music by his father Robert Altman and sung by Johnny Mandel.  A song written for the 1970 movie MASH.  Some of you may be following this now.  I was singing a song called Suicide is Painless.   You're probably familiar with the tune.  After the surprise success of the movie, Robert Altman chose it to be the instrumental opening for the hugely popular MASH comedy-drama series that ran on CBS from 1972 to 1983.  So even though you know the tune, you might not be familiar with the gaunt, haunting, despairing lyrics.  Here's the opening stanza: Through early morning fog I see   Visions of the things to beThe pains that are withheld for meI realize and I can seeThat suicide is painlessIt brings on many changesAnd I can take or leave it if I please So a little backstory.  My Grandpa Roberts had a magnus chord organ  1960's very popular, lots on the second hand market.  Chords press a button with left hand, keyboard with the right.  We had one too.   Grandpa Roberts had a songbook of popular tune to play on the Magnus Chord Organ --- including Suicide is Painless   I recognized the theme from MASH, and it was one of very few songs I learned to play on the Magnus Chord Organ, and I sang the lyrics as I played.  But they didn't particularly resonate with me until that post-surgical night in 1980, in the dark, sick, and alone with the crying toddler when my 11 year old heart was so burdened and breaking.   Nobody noticed my singing about suicide in the night -- my toddler roommate didn't seem to care.  And it wasn't until almost 40 years later that I ever told anyone about it.   Intro Welcome to the podcast Interior Integration for Catholics, thank you for being here with me.   I no longer go by "Petey Guy," I am better known as clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski  The reason this Interior Integration for Catholics podcasts exists is to help you toward  loving God, neighbor and yourself in an ordered, healthy, holy way. -- It's about tolerating being loved, and about loving about living out the two great commandments to the hilt, with all of our being, it's about overcoming the natural obstacles to reaching more of our potential, both in the natural and the spiritual realms.   Because we take on the tough topics in this podcast, today we are getting into the difficult and complex topic of suicide/  Suicide.  Even the word can send shivers up the spine.   This episode is titled IIC 76  The Black of Suicide -- What Do the Secular Experts Say? and it's released on July 12, 2021  Today we are looking at the best of current psychological and sociological research --  Episode 73.  St. Augustine De Doctrina Christiana. Chapter 40   is a theological text on how to interpret and teach the Scriptures. Moreover, if those who are called philosophers, and especially the Platonists, have said anything that is true and in harmony with our faith, we are not only not to shrink from it, but to claim it for our own use.  all branches of heathen learning have not only false and superstitious fancies and heavy burdens of unnecessary toil, which we ought to abhor and avoid; but they contain also liberal instruction which is better adapted to the use of the truth, and some most excellent precepts of morality; and some truths in regard even to the worship of the One God are found among them. Now these are, so to speak, their gold and silver, which they did not create themselves, but dug out of the mines of God's providence which are everywhere scattered abroad   In future episode, we will bring in a lot more of the wisdom of the Catholic Church . And in future episodes, we will bring in more Internal Family Systems thinking about our parts and suicide, fascinating stuff there And in future episodes we will be discussing the impact of suicide on parents, spouses, siblings, children and friends who experienced suicide through the death of a loved one.   So we are at the beginning of a series of episodes on suicide.  This is a critical topic -- A 2017 Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey of 1000 American Adults finds that 55%  know someone who has committed suicide. One from my 8th grade graduating class  One for two classes behind me in high school     Let's do an etymological analysis of the word suicide -- you know how much I like to break down words on this podcast, so it's Time for Word Lore [cue sound effect]  Where does the English word Suicide come from? "deliberate killing of oneself," 1650s, from Modern Latin suicidium "suicide," from Latin sui "of oneself" (genitive of se "self") + -cidium "a killing," from caedere "to slay" or to strike oneself.   How serious is suicide?  Lets look the research, let's look at suicide this by the numbers [cue sound effect]  Fast Facts How many suicides worldwide each year?  About 800,000.   About 10 in 100,000 people die each year from suicide Worldwide, suicide accounts for 1.4% of all deaths.   Wide range of suicide rates.  98.3 per 100,000 in Greenland, 1.56 per 100,000 in Jamaica.  63X higher.   How many suicides in the US?  Drawing from CDC and NIMH According to the Center for Disease Control in 2020 -- 44.834 recorded suicides  14.5 deaths per 100,000 population  US Men more than 3X as likely as US women to suicide  Women 1.4X likely as men to attempt suicide -- use less lethal means  Long trend up from 1999 to 2017, leveled off and trending down over last three years.   How do people suicide Just a hair over 50% use a firearm  29% are by suffocation  13% are by poisoning   Catholics and suicide  Data from over the last century consistently reveal that Catholics have a lower suicide rate than Protestants.  Not a huge effect, but a persistent one, going all the way back to early social science measurement efforts in 1897 -- Emile Durkheim's work..  Even when controlling for a lot of variables, the denominational effect persisted.  Various factors proposed Fear of Hell, mortal sin -- Protestants more accepting of suicide  More communitarian approach than individualistic approach to religion and faith   Types of Suicide  Emile Durkheim -- French philosopher and early sociologist in the late 19 and early 20th Century -- principal architect, along with Max Weber of modern social sciences.  He created a normative theory of suicide focusing on the conditions of group life. Proposing four different types of suicide, which include egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic, Durkheim began his theory by plotting social regulation on the x-axis of his chart, and social integration on the y-axis. Drawing from a blog post on the Management Development Institute of Singapore website by Dr Amir Singh from March 30, 2020  Egoistic suicide corresponds to a low level of social integration. When one is not well integrated into a social group it can lead to a feeling that they have not made a difference in anyone's lives.  when a man becomes socially isolated or feels that he has no place in the society he destroys himself. This is the suicide of self-centered person who lacks altruistic feelings and is usually cut off from main stream of the society. It is committed by individuals who are social outcast and see themselves as being alone or an outsider. These individuals are unable to find their own place in society and have problems adjusting to groups. They received little and no social care. Suicide is seen as a solution for them to free themselves from loneliness or excessive individuation.   Altruistic suicide corresponds to too much social integration. This occurs when a group dominates the life of an individual to a degree where they feel meaningless to society.  Altruistic suicide occurs when social group involvement is too high. Individuals are so well integrated into the group that they are willing to sacrifice their own life in order to fulfil some obligation for the group. Individuals kill themselves for the collective benefit of the group or for the cause that the group believes in. An example is someone who commits suicide for the sake of a religious or political cause, such as the infamous Japanese Kamikaze pilots of World War II, or the hijackers that crashed the airplanes into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania in 2001. During World War II, Japanese Kamikaze pilots were willing to lay down their own lives for their countries in the hope that they will win the war. These pilots believed in their nation's cause and were willing to sacrifice their lives. Similarly, suicide bombers around the world were willing to give up their lives in order to make a political or religious statement because they firmly believed in their group's cause.   Anomic suicide occurs when one has an insufficient amount of social regulation. This stems from the sociological term anomie, meaning a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises from the inability to reasonably expect life to be predictable.  This type of suicide is due to certain breakdown of social equilibrium, such as, suicide after bankruptcy or after winning a lottery. In other words, anomic suicide takes place in a situation which has cropped up suddenly.  Anomic suicide is caused by the lack of social regulation and it occurs during high levels of stress and frustration. Anomic suicide stems from sudden and unexpected changes in situations. For example, when individuals suffer extreme financial loss, the disappointment and stress that individuals face may drive them towards committing suicide as a means of escape.   Fatalistic suicide results from too much social regulation. An example of this would be when one follows the same routine day after day. This leads to a belief that there is nothing good to look forward to. Durkheim suggested this was the most popular form of suicide for prisoners.  This type of suicide is due to overregulation in society. Under the overregulation of a society, when a servant or slave commits suicide, when a barren woman commits suicide, it is the example of fatalistic suicide.  Fatalistic suicide occurs when individuals are kept under tight regulation. These individuals are placed under extreme rules or high expectations are set upon them, which removes a person's sense of self or individuality. Slavery and persecution are examples of fatalistic suicide where individuals may feel that they are destined by fate to be in such conditions and choose suicide as the only means of escaping such conditions. In South Korea, celebrities are being put under strict regulations. There was a case where, a singer committed suicide due to exhaustion to keep up with society's rules and regulations. In 2017, celebrity Kim Jonghyun ended his life due to severe depression and the pressure of being in the spotlight as he felt that he  could not fulfil the society's expectations  of his performance (Lee, 2018).   Inadvertent or accidental Suicide  Example -- the Choking Game AKA Pass out challenge, flatlining, space monkey -- people strangle themselves to experience a euphoric high -- autoerotic asphyxiation.  Discussed this briefly in Episode 69.   Example -- drug overdose, heroine laced with fentanyl.   Example -- Driving while impaired with alcohol   Indirect Suicide -- not taking care of oneself -- poor health habits Smoking  Poor diabetes management  Risky driving  Excessive alcohol or drug use   Assisted Suicide -- also known as Mercy killing Risk Factors for Suicide  Commonly cited risk factors  VeryWell Mind By Nancy Schimelpfening reviewing recent research findings February 19, 2021  Mental Illness Most common -- severe depression -- blue deepening into black  Bipolar disorder -- the orange  Borderline Personality Disorder  Eating Disorders  Schizophrenia  I have a very different understanding of what's going with these conditions.   Traumatic Stress  Substance Use and Impulsivity   Loss or a fear of Loss Academic failure  Being arrested or imprisoned  Bullying, shaming, or humiliation, including cyberbullying   Financial problems  End of a close friendship or romantic relationship  Job loss  Loss of friends or family acceptance due to revealing your sexual orientation  Loss of social status   Hopelessness  Chronic Pain or Medical Illness  Feeling like a burden to others  Social Isolation  A Cry for Help -- not a cry for attention  Accidental Suicide   From Suicide Prevention Resource Center website Prior suicide attempt(s)   Misuse and abuse of alcohol or other drugs   Mental disorders, particularly depression and other mood disorders  Access to lethal means  Knowing someone who died by suicide, particularly a family member  Social isolation  Chronic disease and disability  Lack of access to behavioral health care   Precipitating factors are stressful events that can trigger a suicidal crisis in a vulnerable person.  Examples include: End of a relationship or marriage  Death of a loved one   An arrest    Serious financial problems Robin Hood investor   Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) Office of Suicide Prevention  -- Myths and Facts of Youth Suicide Sources    National Mental Health Association    Youth Suicide Prevention Education Program    The Trevor Project MYTH: Talking about suicide or asking someone if they feel suicidal will encourage suicide attempts. FACT: Talking about suicide provides the opportunity for communication. Fears shared are more likely to diminish. The first step in encouraging a person with thoughts of suicide to live comes from talking about those feelings. A simple inquiry about whether or not the person is intending to end their life can start the conversation. However, talking about suicide should be carefully managed. MYTH: Young people who talk about suicide never attempt or die by suicide. FACT: Talking about suicide can be a plea for help and it can be a late sign in the progression towards a suicide attempt. Those who are most at risk will show other signs apart from talking about suicide. If you have concerns about a young person who talks about suicide:     Encourage him/her to talk further and help them to find appropriate counseling assistance.    Ask if the person are thinking about making a suicide attempt.    Ask if the person has a plan.    Think about the completeness of the plan and how dangerous it is. Do not trivialise plans that seem less complete or less dangerous. All suicidal intentions are serious and must be acknowledged as such.    Encourage the young person to develop a personal safety plan. This can include time spent with others, check-in points with significant adults/ plans for the future. MYTH: A promise to keep a note unopened and unread should always be kept. FACT: Where the potential for harm, or actual harm, is disclosed then confidentiality cannot be maintained. A sealed note with the request for the note not to be opened is a very strong indicator that something is seriously amiss. A sealed note is a late sign in the progression towards suicide. MYTH: Suicide attempts or deaths happen without warning. FACT: The survivors of a suicide often say that the intention was hidden from them. It is more likely that the intention was just not recognized. These warning signs include:  These are really important     The recent suicide, or death by other means, of a friend or relative.    Previous suicide attempts.    Preoccupation with themes of death or expressing suicidal thoughts.    Depression, conduct disorder and problems with adjustment such as substance abuse, particularly when two or more of these are present.    Giving away prized possessions/ making a will or other final arrangements.    Major changes in sleep patterns - too much or too little.    Sudden and extreme changes in eating habits/ losing or gaining weight.    Withdrawal from friends/ family or other major behavioral changes.    Dropping out of group activities.    Personality changes such as nervousness, outbursts of anger, impulsive or reckless behavior, or apathy about appearance or health.    Frequent irritability or unexplained crying.     Lingering expressions of unworthiness or failure.    Lack of interest in the future.    A sudden lifting of spirits, when there have been other indicators, may point to a decision to end the pain of life through suicide. MYTH: If a person attempts suicide and survives, they will never make a further attempt.FACT: A suicide attempt is regarded as an indicator of further attempts. It is likely that the level of danger will increase with each further suicide attempt. MYTH: Once a person is intent on suicide, there is no way of stopping them.FACT: Suicides can be prevented. People can be helped. Suicidal crises can be relatively short-lived. Immediate practical help such as staying with the person, encouraging them to talk and helping them build plans for the future, can avert the intention to attempt or die by suicide. Such immediate help is valuable at a time of crisis, but appropriate counseling will then be required. MYTH: People who threaten suicide are just seeking attention.FACT: All suicide attempts must be treated as though the person has the intent to die. Do not dismiss a suicide attempt as simply being an attention-gaining device. It is likely the young person has tried to gain attention and, therefore, this attention is needed. The attention they get may well save their lives. -- Thinking of it as calling out for help.  Pejorative -- drama queen.   MYTH: Suicide is hereditary.FACT: Although suicide can be over-represented in families, attempts are not genetically inherited. Members of families share the same emotional environment, and the death by suicide of one family member may well raise the awareness of suicide as an option for other family members. MYTH: Only certain types of people become suicidal. -- My exampleFACT: Everyone has the potential for suicide. The evidence shows disposing conditions may lead to either suicide attempts or deaths. It is unlikely those who do not have the predisposing conditions (for example, depression, conduct disorder, substance abuse, feeling of rejection, rage, emotional pain and anger) will die by suicide. MYTH: Suicide is painless.  -- Remember the Song? FACT: Many suicide methods are very painful. Fictional portrayals of suicide do not usually include the reality of the pain.  Maybe 14 year old Michael Altman wasn't entirely correct. MYTH: Depression and self-destructive behavior are rare in young people.FACT: Both forms of behavior are common in adolescents. Depression may manifest itself in ways which are different from its manifestation in adults but it is prevalent in children and adolescents. Self-destructive behavior is most likely to be shown for the first time in adolescence and its incidence is on the rise. MYTH: All young people with thoughts of suicide are depressed.FACT: While depression is a contributory factor in most suicides, it need not be present for a person to attempt or die by suicide. MYTH: Marked and sudden improvement in the mental state of an attempter following a suicidal crisis or depressive period signifies the suicide risk is over.FACT: The opposite may be true. In the three months following an attempt, a young person is at most risk of dying by suicide. The apparent lifting of the problems could mean the person has made a firm decision to die by suicide and feels better because of this decision. MYTH: Once a young person thinks about suicide, they will forever think about suicide.FACT: Most young people who are considering suicide will only be that way for a limited period of their lives. Given proper assistance and support, they will probably recover and continue to lead meaningful and happy lives unhindered by suicidal concerns. MYTH: Young persons thinking about suicide cannot help themselves.FACT: While contemplating suicide, young people may have a distorted perception of their actual life situation and what solutions are appropriate for them to take. However, with support and constructive assistance from caring and informed people around them, young people can gain full self-direction and self-management in their lives. MYTH: The only effective intervention for suicide comes from professional psychotherapists with extensive experience in the area.FACT: All people who interact with adolescents in crisis can help them by way of emotional support and encouragement. Psychotherapeutic interventions also rely heavily on family, and friends providing a network of support. MYTH: Most young people thinking about suicide never seek or ask for help with their problems.FACT: Evidence shows that they often tell their school peers of their thoughts and plans. Most adults with thoughts of suicide visit a medical doctor during the three months prior to killing themselves. Adolescents are more likely to 'ask' for help through non-verbal gestures than to express their situation verbally to others. MYTH: Young people thinking about suicide are always angry when someone intervenes and they will resent that person afterwards.FACT: While it is common for young people to be defensive and resist help at first, these behaviors are often barriers imposed to test how much people care and are prepared to help. For most adolescents considering suicide, it is a relief to have someone genuinely care about them and to be able to share the emotional burden of their plight with another person. When questioned some time later, the vast majority express gratitude for the intervention. MYTH: Break-ups in relationships happen so frequently, they do not cause suicide.FACT: Suicide can be precipitated by the loss of a relationship. MYTH: Young people thinking about suicide are insane or mentally ill.FACT: Although adolescents thinking about suicide are likely to be extremely unhappy and may be classified as having a mood disorder, such as depression, most are not legally insane. However, there are small numbers of individuals whose mental state meets psychiatric criteria for mental illness and who need psychiatric help. MYTH: Most suicides occur in winter months when the weather is poor.FACT: Seasonal variation data are essentially based on adult suicides, with limited adolescent data available. However, it seems adolescent suicidal behavior is most common during the spring and early summer months. MYTH: Suicide is much more common in young people from higher (or lower) socioeconomic status (SES) areas.FACT: The causes of suicidal behavior cut across SES boundaries. While the literature in the area is incomplete, there is no definitive link between SES and suicide. This does not preclude localized tendencies nor trends in a population during a certain period of time. MYTH: Some people are always suicidal.FACT: Nobody is suicidal at all times. The risk of suicide for any individual varies across time, as circumstances change. This is why it is important for regular assessments of the level of risk in individuals who are 'at risk'. MYTH: Every death is preventable.FACT: No matter how well intentioned, alert and diligent people's efforts may be, there is no way of preventing all suicides from occurring. MYTH: The main problem with preventive efforts is trying to implement strategies in an extremely grey area.FACT: The problem is that we lack a complete understanding of youth suicide and know more about what is not known than what is fact.  Going deeper: The reaction trio -- these do not just spring up spontaneously-- in the middle of a causal chain.  Recognize their impact -- but also see what causes them.    Despair -- failure of hope This is an effect and a cause -- what caused the despair   Desperation --  Rage -- rage is a reaction -- can lead to  Seeking to Punish God Seeking to punish others Other Reason -- these are the core reasons.  Attachment needs not met -- Episode 62 A felt sense of safety and protection, deep sense of security felt in the bones  Feeling seen and known heard and understood -- felt attunement  Felt comfort, reassurance  Feeling valued, delighted in, cherished by the attachment figure  Felt support for the best self   Integrity Needs not met All of the above.  Each one of us needs help to develop our sense of self, our identity  I exist  my existence is separate from others --  I exist in my own right, a separate personIs bounded, has boundaries  My identity is stable over time and across different situations -- there is a continuity  I can regulate myself -- I have some self-control.   Is integrated -- coherent interconnections inside between aspects of experience -- self-cohesion  Is active, with agency, can effectively function in the world  Is morally good -- ontologically or essentially good and thus has intrinsic value and worth, apart from others' opinions.   I can make sense of my experience and the world around me  Mission and Purpose in life  We also need to make good choices -- seek what is good, true and beautiful in life   Suicide Prevention Current secular "wisdom" and teaching on the topic  Protective factors are personal or environmental characteristics that help protect people from suicide  VeryWell mind article By Nancy Schimelpfening reviewing recent research findings February 19, 2021 Effective behavioral health care  Connectedness to individuals, family, community, and social institutions  Life skills (including problem solving skills and coping skills, ability to adapt to change)  Self-esteem and a sense of purpose or meaning in life  Cultural, religious, or personal beliefs that discourage suicide   Here's what I think: Let's start way back in the causal chain.   Attachment needs met  -- see episode 62 Unmet Attachment Needs and Unmet Integrity Need Integrity Needs Met Future focus We really looked at the secular literature in this episode  In the next episode -- looking at the juncture of the psychological and the spiritual What does the wisdom of the Catholic Church say about suicide.  How does that fit with what the secular experts are saying   And what's really exciting we will get into suicide from a parts perspective.   The role of exiled parts in suicide, the role of firefighter parts, the role of manager parts.  Seeing in more dimension. Most of the conceptualizations we discussed today assume a homogenous personality.  One personality.   We will also get into Others' Experience of Suicide -- parents, spouses, friends.  Intense reactions  Came from the blue Very understandable -- especially with the impulsive kind.   Pain, shame guilt  It was my fault  Really natural -- we have parts that want to hold on to the fantasy that we can make everything ok if we just always do the right thing Jesus could not prevent Judas' suicide without violating his free will.   Action Items If you are having suicidal thoughts or know of someone who is, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.  Catholic's Guide to Choosing a Therapist  Let people know about this episode -- many of you know other Catholics who have experienced loss of loved ones through suicide -- may benefit.  Take the chance, reach out.  Episodes 76, 77 and 78.  Interior Integration for Catholics  All the major platforms Soulandhearts.com/iic -- initials for Interior Integration for Catholics This episode can help equip you to have those conversations, to be able to reach out.   Waiting list soulsandhearts.com/rcc -- benefits -- email once per month, free gifts  Conversation hours T, R  Pray for me and for the other listeners   Patronness and patron Blurb for Transistor:  Through stories and examples, Dr. Peter reviews the best of secular approaches to understanding suicide.  He discusses suicide statistics, the different kinds of suicide, the risk factors for suicide, the warning signs for suicide and myths about suicide.  He covers the "reaction trio" and then the deep roots of suicide, the first causes.  

Introduction The Goals:  We Catholics are to love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.   With every fiber of our being, every last little bit of ourselves.   To love God in every internal experience -- every thought, emotion, body sensation, intention, impulse attitude, belief, assumption, every desire -- every internal experience oriented toward loving God.  Nothing within us oriented any other way.  That's the challenge, that's what that commandment means.    Fr. Jacques Phillipe:   Searching for and Maintaining Peace  -- may be my most favorite book   In order that abandonment might be authentic and engender peace, it must be total.  Must put everything, without exception, into the hands of God, not seeking any longer to manage or” to save” ourselves by her own means: not in the material domain, nor the emotional, nor the spiritual.  We cannot divide human existence and the various sectors: certain sectors where it would be legitimate to surrender ourselves to God with confidence in others where, on the contrary, we feel we must manage exclusively on her own.  And one thing we know well: all reality that we have not surrendered to God, that we choose to manage by ourselves without giving carte blanche to God, will continue to make us more or less uneasy.  The measure of our interior piece will be that of our abandonment, consequently of our detachment.  Page 37 No-go Zones.  Wikipedia A "no-go area" or "no-go zone" is a neighborhood or other geographic area where some or all outsiders either are physically prevented from entering or can enter only at risk.  God doesn't come in here.  Compartmentalization, lack of integration.   Recreational time -- not when I'm watching football, not when I'm playing poker, not when I'm gossiping with my friends.   Work life -- dog eat dog world, highly competitive business, sometimes we have to do things we're not proud of… Sex life -- caught between my partner and my beliefs My private attachments -- drinking, flirting, shopping -- whatever we are attached to.   Deep shame.  Deep rage.  Deep Sadness,  Deep fear.  Inner darkness.   Trauma Zones -- betrayal, abandonment, terror, --attempts to seal that all off, from everything and everyone in order to keep functioning, to keep on with daily activities.   Intro -- Welcome to Interior Integration for Catholics  I'm clinical psychologist Peter Malinoski and I am here to help guide you toward  loving God, neighbor and yourself in an ordered, healthy, holy way.  And how do I do that?  By focusing on your natural level impediments, your psychological obstacles to tolerated being loved and to loving God, neighbor and ourselves in the best ways possible  it's all about your human formation  It's all about shoring up your natural foundation for the spiritual life  So many of our spiritual problems are really rooted in our human formation, our natural foundation for the spiritual life   This is Episode 73,  Released on June 21, 2021 and titled  Is Internal Family Systems Really Catholic? I get this question a lot -- Internal Family Systems or IFS has exploded on the therapy scene, especially in the last 10 years and especially as a modality for working with trauma.  It makes sense -- we don't want anything to keep us from God.   Great contribution --  Synthesis of two paradigms  Plural mind -- we all contain many different parts A mind in conversation with itself denotes a non-unitary, relational mind  Internal dilemmas   Systems thinking -- Dick was a therapist trained in family systems Bringing systems thinking inside is a tremendous advance for therapy  On a par with Freud's popularization of the unconscious.   God can reveal the glory of creation to people from all kinds of backgrounds Watson and Crick Discoverers of DNA -- very hostile toward Catholicism.   A core self, protected from harm rich in all kinds of naturally endowed resources.   But Richard Schwartz -- raised in an atheistic home, culturally Jewish -- he writes in the forward of Jenna Riemersma's Book "Altogether You."   My father was a scientist who taught us that religion was at the root of many of the world's conflicts and slaughters .  I maintained a skepticism about anything spiritual until I began exploring my clients' inner terrains and encountered their self Phenomenological approach Definition Phenomenology is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view .-- an approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience.   Setting aside preconceived notions -- "privileging data over pride" p. 19 IFS Therapy 2nd ed.  We can enter the unconscious and interact with it directly, asking questions about the desires, distortions, and agendas of the inner system.  In response, our parts will answer clearly, take the client directly to crucial scenes from the past, and explain what is most important about their experience, removing the need for us to speculate, reframe, interpret, or instruct.   This podcast -- authentically Catholic  Necessity for grounding our understanding of psychology and the human person in a Catholic anthropology Define Catholic anthropology  Wikipedia In the context of Christian theology, Christian anthropology is the study of the human ("anthropology") as it relates to God. It differs from the social science of anthropology, which primarily deals with the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity across times and places.  I am responsible for my words and my teaching.   Scripture verse about teaching Woe to anyone who leads little ones astray   My day of particular judgement  What I teach and what I don't teach.  Omissions.   Catholic with a small c:  The word is from the Greek katholikos, universal, literally in respect of (kata) the whole (holos); St. Augustine De Doctrina Christiana. Cjapter 40   is a theological text on how to interpret and teach the Scriptures. Moreover, if those who are called philosophers, and especially the Platonists, have said anything that is true and in harmony with our faith, we are not only not to shrink from it, but to claim it for our own use.  all branches of heathen learning have not only false and superstitious fancies and heavy burdens of unnecessary toil, which we ought to abhor and avoid; but they contain also liberal instruction which is better adapted to the use of the truth, and some most excellent precepts of morality; and some truths in regard even to the worship of the One God are found among them. Now these are, so to speak, their gold and silver, which they did not create themselves, but dug out of the mines of God's providence which are everywhere scattered abroad.   What is the cost of not exploring this? Omissions vs. Comissions.   Confidence in God -- we can try things Like little children  Can we trust we will be redirected -- or do we have parts that believe there are only offramps on the road to heaven, no onramps.   Harmonizing IFS with Catholicism, not the other way around Catholicism is a revealed religion.    Catherine Beyer learnreligions.com:   A revealed religion is one based on information communicated from the spiritual world to humanity through some sort of medium, most commonly through prophets. Thus, spiritual truth is revealed to believers because it is not something inherently obvious or something one could naturally conclude.  The Judeo-Christian religions are all strongly revealed religions. The Old Testament includes many stories of those whom God used to transmit knowledge of himself and his expectations. Their appearance comes at times when the Jewish people have significantly strayed from God's teachings, and the prophets remind them of his commandments and warn them of impending disaster as punishment. For Christian, Jesus arrived as God incarnate to directly minister to the community.  Church as the guardian of the deposit of faith CCC 889 In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a share in his own infallibility. By a "supernatural sense of faith" the People of God, under the guidance of the Church's living Magisterium, "unfailingly adheres to this faith."417 890 The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church's shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals.  Issues Spiral learning.  Definition  of Parts:  Separate, independently operating personalities within us, each with own unique prominent needs, roles in our lives, emotions, body sensations, guiding beliefs and assumptions, typical thoughts, intentions, desires, attitudes, impulses, interpersonal style, and world view.  Each part also has an image of God and also its own approach to sexuality.  Robert Falconer calls them insiders.   Gave examples of my ten parts in episode 71.  Examples also in episode 61.   Parts govern these nogo zones.  They defend these territories in an effort to help us -- actions can be really misguided Definition of Self  The core of the person, the center of the person.  This is who we sense ourselves to be in our best moments, and when our self is free, and unblended with any of our parts, it governs our whole being as an active, compassionate leader.   Issues --Bill Richardson's article Internal Family Systems Therapy Meets Evangelical Christianity: Integration of Diverse Communities and Theories 2007  Multiplicity  Trinitarian God.  God is one unity in three distinct Persons.  -- Unity and multiplicity And we are made in the image and likeness of God.   Self-relationship We can self-witness  We can communicate within ourselves   We are to love ourselves We have consciousness of self.   Example James 4:1:  Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? Example:  Romans 7:15-23  15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is go0 od. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.  In IFS, the self is "Seat of consciousness"   Self=soul  Really unclear how to compare the "self" with the soul.  This is a thorny question  Self is perfect, undamaged, in no need of development My read is that in IFS, the self is the redeemer of the parts   only the parts are in need of redemption -- the self needs no redemption Self as an internal attachment figure.  Attachment taken inside.   Peace, harmony and love reign internally when the self is leading the system   Originally straight out of the Enlightenment -- central focus on man. Secular Humanism   Self is occluded and overwhelmed by parts with burdens and extreme roles  And so the self is essentially rendered helpless -- IFS does not emphasize this, but it seems to be a correct inference.   Agency seems to be located in the parts, not in the self Parts need to willingly unblend to allow the self to be free  "We can't…command ourselves to be curious rather than contemptuous of our vulnerable parts.  We can't force ourselves to feel compassion, no matter how much we believe its benefits.   Self as Redeemer --  Self is capitalized Agency:   The self is the one who is to govern our whole systems, an active inner leader But the self often lacks agency, sometimes almost completely in IFS parts get to decide when and how to unblend  Negotiating with the parts   What happens when a part just won't cooperate Like a child not wanting to go to take necessary medicine or not wanting to go to bed.  So to Catholic ears, the self can sound like it's dominated by the passions.    Self as the agents Each part has a subparts and a self.   Infinite regress. Self=soul, so this means that each person has multiple souls, one soul -- the self, and a soul for each of his parts.  And because parts have subparts, there might even be subsouls.   Parts can be conflicted -- that is common Because I've been trained for decades in the study of personality, I can locate those conflicts within the personality of a part -- no need to invoke other parts.     Openness to Spiritual World IFS as a spirituality -- Frank Rogers -- IFS as a Compassionate Spiritual Path   Richard Schwartz:  2010 in Introduction to "The Spirit-Led Life" by Mary Steege I gradually shifted my view of what I called the Self from being an innate human capacity for self-healing to a being a spiritual essence comparable to Buddha Nature, Atman, the Tao, or the Ground of Being.  Correspondingly, my view of IFS evolved from being a form of psychotherapy to being an integration of spirituality and psychology, or even to being a form of spiritual practice.  (p. xi)  Shift from secular humanism to spirituality.   Lack of an understanding of sin Evil is acknowledged in IFS, origins are not explained.   Harm exists,  Committed by parts that blend with us.  They don't know better, they are seeking the good as they understand it but there is a lack of vision Acting out of self-protection  No possibility of malevolence, of freely saying no to the good.  Although Augustine's Christian forbears  believed that we are born blessed, Augustine chose to focus on a Biblical allegory of minor importance at the time, which his contemporaries considered embarrassing.   Poorly researched and written 11 page book chapter -- Richard Schwartz and Robert Falconer 2017 -- rife with errors.   Pearls such as  "Jesus wasn't a highly discipline ascetic"  How could he have suffered the Passion. The Eastern Christian Church never accepted original sin In general, Christianity has misidentified parts as sinful urges or tempting thoughts and has encouraged followers to develop managerial parts to fight them.   Confidence.  Confidence in who?  Confidence in Self vs. confidence in God.   Self has many gifts.  Natural level Clarity -- vision is clear when we see through the eyes of Self and it is distorted when we see through the eyes of extreme parts.  Role for revelation?  Wisdom? Lots of Buddhism.   Parts having varying levels of access to the faculties of the intellect and the will Parts having varying access to other faculties and Passions.   Social and Political Positions.   Bill Richardson:  The IFS trainers were definitely neither religiously nor politically conservative, nor evangelical believers.  Their world view was farther left than most of us knew existed.   Very LGBTQ+ friendly Political positions -- very progressive politically Patriarchy Driving with the headlights on - we see what we need to My experience -- desiring to have a philosophy and theology background.  God's response  Confidence in God.   If we are seeking in earnest -- Seek and ye shall find.   I could be wrong about a lot of these things.  In humility I have to admit that.   Talents So is IFS Catholic Two answers -- if you're looking for a model of therapy or human formation that you as a Catholic can embrace unthinkingly, without reservation, without any scrutiny or critical thinking -- just swallowing it whole. Lock, stock and barrell, IFS is not for you.   If you are willing to really make distinctions, parse out what is consistent -- absolute gold mine.    Implications for therapy   Aids  Two dissertations One from DMU, I am on the dissertation commuttee as a reader for that one.  DMU  Philosophers Cafe   Recommended reading Bill Richardson's article  Internal Family Systems Therapy Meets Evangelical Christianity:Integration of Diverse Communities and Theories 2007 Reformed Presbyterian tradition, heavily influenced by Calvin  -- total depravity Two Books Boundaries for Your Soul -- Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller  Altogether You Jenna Riermersma  Molly LaCroix Restoring Relationship: Transforming Fear into Love Through Connection   Possible Exercise.   Communities Blurb  Join Dr. Peter as in a deep look at how Internal Family Systems approaches to therapy and to human formation are consistent and inconsistent with the perennial teachings of the Catholic Church.  We explore the multiplicity and unity of the human psyche, the role of the core self, the nature of "parts" and the question of sin in this episode.      

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

“Bertrand Russell, the famous British philosopher, once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said, “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on?” “You're very clever, young man, very clever,” said the old lady. “But it's turtles all the way down! Two millennia ago, while the Stoics, and the Platonists, and the Aristotelians were holding forth about the motions of the planets and the stars and the observable universe, in the back of the room, a little old man stands up, and clears his throat, and says something so preposterous you’d hardly believe it: it’s love all the way down.”

A quote by the Mathematical Association of America says, “It's time for all members of our profession to acknowledge that mathematics is created by humans and therefore inherently carries human biases.” This intriguing statement makes us think what math is and its role in general. To help us answer these questions, Patrick Donohoe brings on  in a series of episodes that revolve around the principles of math and how math specifically relates to finance. Todd is one of Patrick's original mentors and the CEO and Founder at Numbers Analytic, Inc. Today, they discuss why most of the significant innovations resulted from accidents and also touch on the importance of mathematics and curiosity. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Join The Wealth Standard community today:

Tom Brown III is back. In this episode, we delve into the importance of nature to our well-being and into how to live and thrive as the human animal that we are. Tom's bio: Tom, otherwise known as “T3”, has been a practitioner and teacher of primitive living skills, wilderness survival, tracking, and nature observation from an early age. Growing up in New Jersey at the Tracker School, he was raised with deep reverence and respect for wild places and the skills our ancestors used to live close to the land. After graduating high school, he spent a few years wandering the country, practicing the skills he learned as a child in both urban and wilderness environments. He eventually returned to Tracker School and after a few years became head instructor and director of operations. In 2009 he left Tracker School to start the Primitive Arts Collective, an outdoor education program that sought to teach people in small groups in many different states across the country. In 2016 Tom moved to Oregon and now works with Trackers Earth. Tom’s role at Tracker’s Earth involves being both the land steward and an adult educator. His unique insight and first-hand knowledge about how large groups of people interact with the landscape help him and the Tracker’s team ensure healthy land management practices. These pratices will benefit not only the students but also the wild things that are the centerpiece of these rural locations. Tom loves all things wild and free. During his downtime, you can find him on a river somewhere fly-fishing for steelhead with his Spey rod and exploring all the beautiful things the PNW has to offer. He is also the Foraging/Homesteading Coordinator and contributor for Anchored Outdoors. Tom's bio on Trackers Earth: https://trackerspdx.com/staff.phpTom's Instagram: Tom_brown3Tom's Website: www.tombrown3.com Contact Michael:1. ccerpodcast@aol.com2. http://www.goldams.com 3. https://www.facebook.com/EpistemeRx/4. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/External links to what we discussed and to further research:1. Biophilia: our love for and connection to naturea. "Humans have always been drawn to, dependent on, and fascinated by the natural world. Biophilia, which literally translates to “love of life,” is the idea that this fascination and communion with nature stem from an innate, biologically-driven need to interact with other forms of life such as animals and plants." (from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/biophilia)b. "a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature " (from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biophilia)c. the biophilia hypothesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesisd. The book Biophilia by E.O. Wilson will give you more information if you want to dig deeper: https://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Biophilia-Diversity-Naturalist-Library/dp/1598536796/2. Our need for naturea. "What is Nature-Deficit Disorder?" by Richard Louvhttp://richardlouv.com/blog/what-is-nature-deficit-disorder/b. "No More 'Nature-Deficit Disorder' " by Richard Louvhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/people-in-nature/200901/no-more-nature-deficit-disorderc. Nature Deficit Disorderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_deficit_disorderd. The book "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder" by Richard Louv will give you more information if you want to dig deeper: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Woods-Children-Nature-Deficit/dp/156512605X/e. The book "The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative" by Florence Williams will give you more information if you want to dig deeper: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Fix-Happier-Healthier-Creative/dp/0393355578/3. Health and Fitness"Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases" by Boothe, Roberts, and Layehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4241367/4. Aristotle and biologya. the stars for ancient Platonists seem to be like modern technology for too many moderns: it distracts them from and pulls their attention from life, the earth, and reality. Aristotle calls us to focus on life and this earth, and to be real. b. A quote about Darwin and Aristotle: "Charles Darwin's famous 1882 letter, in which he remarks that his ‘two gods’, Linnaeus and Cuvier, were ‘mere school‐boys to old Aristotle’, has been thought to be only an extravagantly worded gesture of politeness. However, a close examination of this and other Darwin letters, and of references to Aristotle in Darwin's earlier work, shows that the famous letter was written several weeks after a first, polite letter of thanks, and was carefully formulated and literally meant. Indeed, it reflected an authentic, and substantial, increase in Darwin's already high respect for Aristotle, as certain documents show. It may also have reflected some real insight on Darwin's part into the teleological aspect of Aristotle's thought, more insight than Ogle himself had achieved, as a portion of their correspondence reveals." (https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199287956.001.0001/acprof-9780199287956-chapter-15)c. . Prof. Armand Marie Leroi (Imperial College London), who wrote "The Lagoon: how Aristotle invented science," talking about Aristotle and biology (a beautiful and fascinating video):i. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN8ortM4M3oii. same as above, but in four parts starting with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW77zp-1Onsiii. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYro4kkPxiAd. Aristotle and biology (article for philosophers or the "intelligent, studied layperson"): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-biology/5. Health and COVIDa. "Low Vitamin D Levels Tied to Odds for Severe COVID"https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200925/low-vitamin-d-levels-tied-to-higherb. "Obesity And Covid Death Rate Closely Linked In New Study"https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/03/04/obesity-and-covid-death-rate-closely-linked-in-new-study/?sh=4b606fa46436. Some info on social media and suicide.a. "Social media, internet use, and suicide attempts in adolescents" by Sedgwick, Epstein, et. al. https://journals.lww.com/co-psychiatry/Fulltext/2019/11000/Social_media,_internet_use_and_suicide_attempts_in.12.aspxb. "Suicide and Social Media" by Libby Mitchellhttps://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2017/08/suicide-sm.phpc. "Social media use can be positive for mental health and well-being" https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/?fbclid=IwAR30NPrm6xKKludWyssYkwCf0WyEikExyTqrE88n58ysWxxrLYMuFFPOQagd. Suicide in the US: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_the_United_States7. Embracing the cold -- in a smart mannera. The dialogue in "ICE SWIM | Feeling the power from the cold" is deep, beautiful, and poetic.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEDmZlVCCzcb. "Explained: How Tibetan Monks Use Meditation To Raise Their Body Temperature" by Jessica Bush: https://www.buzzworthy.com/monks-raise-body-temperature/c. "Harvard Study Confirms Tibetan Monks Can Raise Body Temperature With Their Minds" by Alex Kasprak: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/harvard-study-confirms-tibetan-monks-can-raise-body-temperature-with-their-minds/d. "Wim Hof, The Iceman Cometh | HUMAN Limits"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6XKcsm3dKse. Wim Hoff's Website: https://www.wimhofmethod.comf. Wim Hoff bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof8. "The Science of Wool" https://weatherwool.com/pages/the-science-of-wool/9. Breathinga. How to breathe | Belisa Vranich | TEDxManhattanBeachhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sgb2cUqFiYb. box breathing: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321805#takeawayc. another about box breathing: https://www.healthline.com/health/box-breathing#getting-startedd. How to breath properly:i. https://www.coreexercisesolutions.com/belly-breathing/ii. https://yurielkaim.com/belly-breathing/10. Walking and running wella. "Kelly Starrett & the 12 Steps to Running without Pain" (podcast episode)https://lifeafterpain.com/info/posture/kelly-starrett-pain-free-running/b. "How Kelly Starrett and Japan Fixed My Running Form"https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/how-kelly-starrett-and-japan-fixed-my-running-form-w209367/c. The podcast "Foot Function with Mobility Wod’s Kelly Starrett" (The Barefoot Movement Podcast 16 July 2019) is interesting and good. https://overcast.fm/+OOePzyCXMd. "Ready to Run" by Kelly Starretthttps://www.amazon.com/Ready-Run-Unlocking-Potential-Naturally/dp/1628600098e. "Becoming a Supple Leopard" by Kelly Starretthttps://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837/f. The podcast "Natural Running with Dr Brett Hill" (The Barefoot Movement Podcast 28 June 2019) is interesting and good. https://overcast.fm/+OOeO-qNmUg. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seenby Christopher McDougall, Fred Sanders, et al.: https://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189/h. Natural Born Heroes: Mastering the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance by Christopher McDougall: https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Born-Heroes-Mastering-Endurance/dp/0307742229/11. Rewildinga. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rewilding_(conservation_biology)b. https://rewildingeurope.com/what-is-rewilding/12. The ecological role of mosquitoesa. https://animals.mom.com/mosquitoes-valuable-ecosystem-8494.htmlb. https://science.thewire.in/environment/the-ecological-importance-of-mosquitoes/c. https://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.htmlImage and bio courtesy Tom Brown III

This week, i welcome author DeAnne Loper. She's written a humdinger of a book exposing the secrets of Kabbalah, and she stops by to give us the lowdown. Join us as she explains hidden symbolism, and the roots of this occult belief system we go, and be sure to check out the links in the show notes. Here we go again on another dive down the rabbit hole, far beyond the mainstream! Thank you   Cheers, and Blessings   Kabbalah Secrets Christians Need To Know-DeAnne Loper https://www.amazon.com/Kabbalah-Secrets-Christians-Need-Know-ebook/dp/B07QYXRXTW DeAnne Loper Website https://www.kabbalahsecretschristiansneedtoknow.com/?m=1 DeAnne Loper FACEBOOK  https://mobile.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1424052419 What Is The Chamber Of Hewn Stone? https://youtu.be/8y5NYKtBr7A Beware Of Noahide Laws http://www.bewareofthenoahidelaws.followersofyah.com/ DeAnne Loper On “Now You See TV” (The Midnight Ride) https://youtu.be/LWfI0hcyWmg Kabbalah (Hebrew: קַבָּלָה‎, also spelled Qabbalah, Kabalah, Kabala, or Cabala) literally means "receiving". It is a body of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between an unchanging, eternal and mysterious Ain Soph and the mortal and finite universe. Chabad is an inter¬pretation of reality based on the Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Tarot, Astrology, Reincarnation, & Humans Becoming Their Own Gods, Are Tenants of Kabbalistic Teachings. The Terms, Illumination, & Enlightenment Are Directly Related.  Kabbalah And The New Age Movement https://grandmageri422.me/2019/03/01/kabbalah-and-the-new-age-movement-setting-the-stage-for-antichrist-and-the-deception-of-israel/ Hegel, Theosophy, & Kabbalah  https://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/occult/boehme.htm Kabbalah and Theosophy, in reality, represent two interpretations or representations of the same inner, mystical teachings of the universal, ancient wisdom religion, even though Theosophy is generally being referred to as having an Eastern source, whereas Kabbalah is being considered the Western equivalent, based on the mystical “mouth to ear” teachings of the Hebrews, dating back to 13th century Spain (Moses de Leon), but more likely derived from the ancient “Chaldean Book of Numbers” (626 BC) or earlier Eastern scriptures. http://www.theosophycanada.com/kabbalah-and-theosophy.php Freemasonry Is Kabbalah  https://ehpg.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/freemasonry-is-kabbalah/ “Kabbalah teaches that we will return to this world in many incarnations until we achieve complete transformation. Work left uncompleted in this life is undertaken again in a future life until the task of transformation is done. Reincarnation is a fundamental tenet of Kabbalah. The world and our place in it cannot be understood without this key principle. As always, what is true for a single human soul is also true for all humanity. As long as any one of us falls short of transformation, we will continue to participate in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth - as will humanity as a whole - until the critical mass of truly enlightened people comes into being to eradicate pain and death forever.” kabbalah.com/en Helena Blavatsky On The Kabbalah  https://theosophyproject.blogspot.com/2015/01/blavatsky-and-kabbalah-1-sefer-yetzireh.html Kushner Foundation Gives $342K to Chabad https://forward.com/news/359482/kushner-foundation-gives-342k-to-chabad-still-surprised-about-jared-and-iva/ Trump's daughter, son-in-law visit Lubavitcher Rebbe https://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-daughter-son-in-law-visit-lubavitcher- rebbe/ Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Visit Rabbi's Grave for Pre-Election Blessing https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/78078/new-idf-video-use-krav-maga-not-guns-female-terrorists-watch/ Jared Kushner and the White-Haired Mystic Whose Dad ‘Got a Ride' From a Dead Sage https://forward.com/news/361035/jared-kushner-and-the-white-haired-mystic-whose-dad-got-a-ride-from-a-dead/ Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's choice of neighborhood narrows the focus on Chabad https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/01/05/ivanka-trump-and-jared-kushners-choice-of-neighborhood-narrows-the-focus-on-chabad/ Jared Kushner' at Tisha B'Av Services in Washington DC's Chabad Synagogue http://jewishbreakingnews.com/2017/07/31/photo-jared-kushner-tisha-bav-services-washington-dc-chabad-synagogue/ Presidential daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump on Friday participated in Lulav Benching (shaking the four species) at the White House, along with some 30 White House officials and staff, in an event organized by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friend of Lubavitch (Chabad) https://www.jewishpress.com/tag/jared-kushner/ Categories of Kabbalah The practical Kabbalah was a kind of white magic, dealing with the use of techniques that could evoke supernatural powers. It involved the use of divine names and incantations, amulets and talismans, as well as chiromancy, physiognomy and astrology. https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380405/jewish/Three-Categories-of-Kabbalah.htm Qabalah and Thelema (Alleister Crowley)Put simply, Qabalah is a sine qua non in the practice of Thelemic magick. Aleister Crowley summarized the importance of Qabalah in "The Temple of Solomon" http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Qabalah Chabad Center Kabbalah Month https://www.chabader.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/356582/jewish/Kabbalah-Month.htm Chabad Center Kabbalah, & Mysticism https://www.chabadwi.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/462469/jewish/Kabbalah-and-Mysticism.htm Chabad Teaches Kabbalah https://www.sunnychabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/453858/jewish/Kabbalah.htm Kabbalah (Cabala, Kabala, Qabalah) The mysticism of classical Judaism, and part of the foundation of the Western magical tradition. Kabbalah is derived from the Hebrew word QBL (Qibel), meaning "to receive" or "that which is received." It refers especially to a secret oral tradition handed down from teacher to pupil. http://occult-world.com/magic/kabbalah/ The Platonists and Pythagoreans were also strongly attracted to a form of divination which is similar to certain aspects of the Jewish Kabbalah. https://witchesofthecraft.com/tag/kabbalah/     Odd Man Out Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theoddmanout       Patreon-Welcome to The Society Of Cryptic Savants https://www.bitchute.com/video/C4PQuq0udPvJ/     All Odd Man Out Links https://linktr.ee/Theoddmanout
   

“Their Order Is Not Our Order!



Are the liberal arts necessary for the Christian? How did St. Augustine simultaneously embody and critique liberal learning? In this conversation, Prof. Tom Harmon, a scholar of St. Augustine, takes up the Bishop of Hippo's vision of liberal education from a variety of perspectives. If Augustine were rewriting the “Allegory of the Cave,” how would his account be different? Along the way he also considers the difference between Cicero's and Augustine's vision of oratory, the role of the Platonists in Augustine's conversion, and the temptation to pride that is an occupational hazard for Christian academics. Links of Potential Interest: Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo: A Biography Marshall McLuhan, The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion Works by Augustine: Confessions On Christian Teaching (De Doctrina Christiana) The Augustine Catechism: Enchiridion On the Happy Life Tractates on the Gospel of John

Hi and welcome to episode 22: discussing Jacques Derrida’s Beast and the SovereignAlex is on his annual pilgrimage to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, but while he’s away our good friend and former colleague Maria joins us. Maria was with us during that fated Shakespeare and Sovereignty seminar that shaped so much of our intellectual formation during graduate school. Maria is another essential member of this mosaic of intellectuals that were in and around Houston a decade ago. In many ways Maria has been a silent partner from this show’s inception. I began talking with Maria about the show in early March and her feedback and perspective has shaped the show in countless ways. Now that we have a new intellectual project and purpose for the show, it’s fitting that we can formally integrate Maria into the fabric of this project.Having Maria on also provides another vantage point to revisit the intellectual culture that made our Shakespeare seminar so great, and also invites us to reflect on the nature of seminar discussions in general. In many ways this show is our attempt to capture a little bit of the energy that can spark during a great seminar discussion. At their best seminars provide occasion to build knowledge in real time and can train a certain kind of intellectual and rhetorical endurance. When the right pieces come together a seminar can become a crucible to forge a high performance team. This seminar was one such crucible and it is for this reason that we continue to talk about it nearly a decade after it was held. It’s fitting that for Maria’s first episode we go back to one of those texts that shaped our thinking back then. This week we discussed Jacques Derrida’s first lecture from his seminar The Beast and the Sovereign.This lecture comes from the end of Derrida’s career, just months after the September 11 attacks. Derrida is turning the entire arc of his career and his intellectual project to understand the interval between the attack and the response. Today, almost 20 years into wars that seem to have no clear end, the noise of international conflict is merely a nagging hum. For Derrida, the moment provided occasion to ask questions about the nature of politics and war itself. This episode provides us an opportunity to introduce the work of Jacques Derrida and post-structuralism more broadly. Derrida is one of the boogey-men of poststructuralist theory. Often read, always misunderstood. The reasons for this are myriad and byzantine. In an effort to demystify some of the aura that surround’s Derrida’s work, we approach Derrida in the same way that he approaches his subjects: slowly, methodically, carefully. Rather than jump to the conclusions, let’s see if we can build the arguments and test them along the way. And so we begin our discussion of post structuralism by outlining a set of questions pertaining to knowledge, the use and purpose of knowledge, and how it relates to language and perception. If Derrida’s work broadly belongs to a movement of thought known as post-structuralism, then what was structuralism? And why do we need to move beyond it? Structuralism as an intellectual movement provides a means of interpreting cognition, culture, culture, and behavior based on a system of internal relationships. The word “tree” is a conflux of word and the image that it produces in your mind. Furthermore, the word itself is only meaningful within the context of the English language. Structuralism asserts an essential quality to the system itself, but grants that the specific set of signs is arbitrary. Different languages have different words for tree, and in fact the pronunciation and spelling of words evolves over time into completely new languages. In this way there is nothing “essential” about the word tree.One of the most important concepts to emerge from structuralism is the binary. Binaries have existed long before structuralism, but in structuralism you have a focused use of the binary as a vehicle for meaning. One trajectory of this binary-based thinking is computing and binary codes. One a seemingly different (although not really) axis you have something like Carl Jung’s collective unconscious and all the angels and demons that inhabits his Mythos. The most common mistake that casual critics and thinkers make is to assert that the work of post-structuralism exists to undermine or invalidate the arguments of structuralism. If that was the primary task of this work, then we ought to simply become Platonists or religious zealots. The post-structuralists take seriously the arguments of structuralism, but they go deeper into them. What is the true nature of the binary relationship. Are binaries really opposites? What makes a binary, a binary? What is the structure of structure itself? Derrida’s writing is so difficult because it’s asking questions that rarely, if ever are asked. In fact, the questions themselves are so foundational to the way that we think that we hardly even recognize them as such. Although Derrida was trained as a philosopher and much of his work engages with philosophical texts, his intellectual work is much more in line with literary critics. Similar to how we framed Heidegger before him, Derrida accepts a premise that a certain tradition of philosophical work has ended and that the labor of intellectual practice must continue within a discourse that considers philosophy, culture, history, literature, expression, political theory, theology, media theory; moreover, Derrida insists through his work that the only method fit to work in this multidiscursive and polysemous landscape is close-reading or textual explication. The Beast and Sovereign are two different images of political power. They appear mirrored, in the sense that they are equal and opposite. The sovereign is the king or the head of state; the beast is the rogue state or the terrorist. Derrida observes that these two figures are united in their existence outside of the law. Each acts and moves in a way that no one else in a society can mimic. From this initial Carl Schmidt inspired observation comes a careful reexamination of the binary relationship between sovereigns and beasts. Derrida is careful to point out that the two are not the same, but they each rely on each other in a number of essential ways. You cannot have sovereigns without beasts, you cannot have beasts without sovereigns. The Take-AwayStarting with this episode, we’re going to try and highlight one core idea that emerges from the text. Our take-away this week comes late in the seminar. Derrida asks:“How can we tell the difference between a civil war, and a war in general?”The insight here is that the justification for war is always a mask that hides the fact that every war is a way against man. Or put another way, every act of violence is an act against ourself. This observation is both literal and figurative. Literal in the sense that war involves killing people and figurative that the modern concept of the nation state is built upon the metaphor of a living, rational being (according to Hobbes’ Leviathan). If there is a sense of “mankind,” then we can think of every war as a civil war: to wage war is to kill ourselves. The bonds that we use to distinguish ourselves from one another (nation, religion, creed) are arbitrary when cast against this more fundamental truth. This core insight strikes at the very beginning of written culture. The Abrahamic religions teach that violence begets violence. If this is true, then isn’t the outcome of every war more war? More contemporary thinkers like Nietzsche drew upon this insight in order to provide a different way of understanding morality, namely as a system of vengeance that one generation or culture enacts on a former oppressor. The cycle of oppressed to oppressor appears endless. Against this eternal recurrence Derrida dares to imagine the possible ways that one could break the cycle. However, the cycle cannot be broken until we understand the nature of the cycle itself. The take-away this week is not only about the nature of war, but the about the nature of the mask that hides the truth of violence from us. Get on the email list at beautifullosers.substack.com

For this episode of The Alchemical Mind, we switch gears from the dark cosmology of the Sethians to the Gospel of Phillip and the Valentinians. Valentinus was educated in Alexandria and set up his school in Rome and was largely influential in early Christianity by introducing the original concept of a triune god. Apparently through his discontent of not becoming bishop of Rome, Valentinus set up his school with a curiously non-dual view of the nature of god that was deeply influenced by the Platonists, Hermeticists, and Eastern ideology. In The Gospel Of Philip, we learn about the Valentinian view of the nature of god, the sacraments, the divinity of Christ, the creation of the world, and most importantly, the importance of words and symbols and their interpretations. If you'd like to check in touch, follow the podcast on Twitter, @MindAlchemical, or just leave a voicemail directly on Anchor.fm. I will now be posting these episodes on Youtube so subscribe there as well! If you haven't subscribed yet, be sure to do so on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a review, and share with a friend. Music provided by Kabbalistic Village. Huge thanks! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-alchemical-mind/support

A webinar lecture with Douglas Hedley (University of Cambridge, originally delivered August 4, 2020. Part of our summer webinar series on "Reason and Beauty in Renaissance Christian Thought and Culture," presented in collaboration with the American Cusanus Society. The Cambridge Platonists are the first modern Platonists. They are a group of English philosophers around the University of Cambridge in the seventeenth-century, in the context of reformed theology and the English Civil War. Yet while accepting the New Science of Copernicus and Galileo, they offer a fierce protest against mechanism and naturalism. Their notion of aesthetics and beauty--as historian Ernst Cassirer correctly saw--was one of the sources of the later Romantic movement. Their aesthetics has a theological foundation. As one of the Cambridge Platonists, Benjamin Whichcote (d. 1683) wrote: “There is that in God that is more beautiful than power, than will and Sovereignty, viz. His righteousness, His good-will, His justice, wisdom and the like'. In this webinar, Professor Douglas Hedley will discuss the Cambridge Platonists' thought on beauty and its theological dimension that is tied to a distinctly Platonic theory of enthusiasm or inspiration and that came to be a shaping force in 18th century thought.

Talia talks to the smart and charming Maris Kreizman of the literary podcast the Maris Review about a curious and wonderful chapter, "The Mast-Head," about standing watch on a whaleship; the dangers of reverie; and scurrilous young Platonists. We also meditate about what Melville would write about a Disney cruise, obelisks and erections, and the purposes of pyramids.

Here scholar, theologian, and teacher Father Matthew Fox explores the writings and wisdom of this electrifying saint and speaks of Aquinas’ timeless wisdom to a postmodern world. Fox encourages all spiritual warriors and activists to grow our vision and our courage. He speaks of some of the positive things that the coronavirus has brought to us as we shelter in place.  Father Matthew Fox is a priest and was a member of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church for thirty-four years. For speaking out on women’s rights, gay rights, and Native American rights, he was silenced for a year and later expelled from the Dominican Order under the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He then joined the Episcopal Church to work with young people to create postmodern forms of ritual and worship known as the “Cosmic Mass” that incorporates dance, DJ, VJ, rap, and other postmodern art forms. He is the co-founder of the Order of the Sacred Earth and, since Mother’s day 2019, has offered free daily meditations. He holds a doctorate in History and Theology of Spirituality and is founder of the University of Creation Spirituality. He is the author of more than thirty-five books including Original Blessing (Tarcher 2000), Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times (Nameste Publishing 2012), Occupy Spirituality (co-author Adam Bucko) (North Atlantic Press 2013) and The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times (iUniverse 2020)Interview Date: 4/30/2020  Tags:  Matthew Fox, Plato, Platonism, dualism, nondualism, non-dualism, Platonists, theology, Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Augustine, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic, Dominican order, misogyny, feminism, joy, original sin, creation centered, coronavirus pandemic, Heartmath, Pagan, Paganism, interfaith, magnanimity, Rabbi Heschel, anger, Julian of Norwich, History, Spirituality, Religion, Philosophy, Social Change/Politics

Here scholar, theologian, and teacher Father Matthew Fox explores the writings and wisdom of this electrifying saint and speaks of Aquinas’ timeless wisdom to a postmodern world. Fox encourages all spiritual warriors and activists to grow our vision and our courage. He speaks of some of the positive things that the coronavirus has brought to us as we shelter in place. Father Matthew Fox is a priest and was a member of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church for thirty-four years. For speaking out on women’s rights, gay rights, and Native American rights, he was silenced for a year and later expelled from the Dominican Order under the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He then joined the Episcopal Church to work with young people to create postmodern forms of ritual and worship known as the “Cosmic Mass” that incorporates dance, DJ, VJ, rap, and other postmodern art forms. He is the co-founder of the Order of the Sacred Earth and, since Mother’s day 2019, has offered free daily meditations. He holds a doctorate in History and Theology of Spirituality and is founder of the University of Creation Spirituality. He is the author of more than thirty-five books including Original Blessing (Tarcher 2000), Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times (Nameste Publishing 2012), Occupy Spirituality (co-author Adam Bucko) (North Atlantic Press 2013) and The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times (iUniverse 2020)Interview Date: 4/30/2020 Tags: Matthew Fox, Plato, Platonism, dualism, nondualism, non-dualism, Platonists, theology, Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Augustine, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic, Dominican order, misogyny, feminism, joy, original sin, creation centered, coronavirus pandemic, Heartmath, Pagan, Paganism, interfaith, magnanimity, Rabbi Heschel, anger, Julian of Norwich, History, Spirituality, Religion, Philosophy, Social Change/Politics

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

EP297 Theology Augustine Claimed To Adopt From The Platonists by Christopher Fisher

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

Some time ago, I was asked by listener Sarah Rumsey to do a podcast on composition theory. That’s a doozy of a topic, so I read a lot, I poked around, even pulled together a couple drafts, but couldn’t find the balance of breadth and depth to do this subject justice. So I gave up.   Ah, clever listener, you know I didn’t really give up, because this is Mere Rhetoric, the podcast for beginners and insiders about the ideas, people and movements who have shaped rhetorical history and I am Mary Hedengren and instead of trying to capture the entire depth of rhetorical theory thought I could just rip off someone who did.   Granted, the “did” in this case happened way back in 1982, when rhetoric and composition was still a young discipline, but the “someone” is James A Berlin, namesake of the Conference on College Composition and Communication Jim Berlin pub crawl. In addition to, I guess, being a man who could hold his liquor, Berlin was a composition historian and in 1982, he took stock of the current field of composition in an article titled “Contemporary Composition: the Major Pedagogical Theories.”   Now before I dive into this major theoretical typology, let me say that the article has been accused of being a little simplistic and a little...strawman-ish. Berlin himself acknowledges his bias in the article, stating, “My reasons for presenting this analysis are not altogether disinterested. I am convinced that the pedagogical approach of the New Rhetoricians is the most intelligent and most practical alternative available, serving in every way the best interests of our students” (766). Well, in that case, why even worry about other theories? And why should Sarah be taught all of these competing pedagogical theories in her composition classes? Why not just settle down with one intelligent and practical one without holding up competing theories? Won’t that just confuse would-be instructors and, worse, muddle students who must adapt from one instructor’s theory to another as they progress through their classes: freshman comp with a classicist and advanced writing with an expressionist?   Well, for starters, you might not agree with Berlin’s conclusions about which is best. And, even is so, Berlin fears that most people don’t think consciously about their overall theory of writing and learning at all “ many teachers,” he says, “(and I suspect most) look upon their vocations as the imparting of a largely mechanical skill, important only because it serves students in getting them through school and in advancing them in their professions. This essay will argue that writing teachers are perforce given a responsibility that far exceeds this merely instrumental task” (766).   Okay then, what are the theories Berlin posits for how “writer, reality, audience and language--are envisioned”(765)?   First are the Neo-Aristotelians or Classicists. You might suspect, they echo the philosophies of Aristotle, but Berlin claims that actually they are “opposed to his system in every sense” (767). Okay, then, what does Aristotle posit and what do these wannabes do? Aristotle, if you remember from that famous fresco by Rafael, is the one pointing down to the earth. Berlin describes Aristotle’s view that reality can be “known and communicated with language serving as the unproblematic medium os discourse. There is an uncomplicated correspondence between the sign and the thing” (767). Aristotle’s rhetorical writings are among the most complete we have from the ancient world and emphasize reasoning, but also acknowledge that sometimes it takes a little appeal to emotion, too, to get the job done.   Then Berlin says, in essence, okay, but what those so-called Neo-Aristotelians actually do is Current-traditional or Positivist. [For those keeping track at home, this means that there are two terms (Neo-Aristotleian or Classicist) to describe the general theory and then two (Current traditional and positivist) to describe the way that people botch it up and sometimes still call themselves NeoAristotlean.] So in what ways have Current traditionalists been mucking up Aristotle’s ideas on rhetoric?  Well, for starters they abandon deductive reasoning altogether and embrace exclusively induction, emphasizing only experiment and then they also “destroy” a distinction between dialective and rhetoric, “rhetoric becomes the study of all forms of communication: scientific, philosophical, historical, political, eval and even [gasp] poetic” (769). Additionally, “truth is to be discovered outside the rhetorical enterprise--through the method, usually the scientific method of the appropriate discipline, or as in poetry and oratory, through genious” (770). Instructors in this theory move beyond persuasive to “discourse that appeals to the understanding--exposition, narration, description and argumentation” and is “concerned solely with the communication of truth that is certain and empirically verifieable--in other words, not probablistic” (770).   The second band Berlin identifies are the neo-Platonists or expressivist. Let’s think back on that fresco by Rafael--Aristotle pointed to the ground and Plato pointed to the sky. If neo Aristotleans see themselves as focused on the empirical, the neo Platonists  head in the opposite direction “truth is not based on sensory experience since the material world is always in flux and thus unreliable. Truth is instead discovered through an internal apprehension, a private world that transcends” (771). Because of this, for our writing instructors, “truth can be learned by not taught” (771). The expressionists then “emphasizes writing as a ‘personal’ activity as an expression one’s unique voice” (772). Berlin objects that, like that neo-Aristotleans, these Expressionists have strayed far from Plato’s precepts--”Their conception of truth,” he says “can in no way be seen as comparable to Plato’s transcend world of ideas.” Non of them,” he objects “is a relativist...all believe in the existence of verifiable truths and find them, as does Plato, in private experience” (772). Further, although expressivists may encourage freewriting and journaling, they also emphasise workshopping and peer review, practices that, accord to Berlin will “get rid of what is untrue to the private vision of the writer” (773). This peer practice to purify private truths is not about communication to others, to expunge insincerities. There is a very Dead Poets Society vibe to the whole thing.   So, to summarize where we end up, the Current-traditionalists who think they are Aristotlean are dropping “personal and social concerns in the interests of the unobstructed perception of empirical reality” while the expressivist Neo-Platonists are finding reality only within and using an audience only as a “check to the false note of the inauthentic” and some lingering true NeoAristotleans or classicalists are emphasizing rational structures and only occasionally acknowledging things like “emotion”  (775).   Then there is New Rhetoric. You can almost feel Berlin heave a sigh of relief at finding something sensible. “In New Rhetoric the message arises out of the interactions of the writer, language, reality and the audience. Truths are operative only within a given universe of discourse, and this universe is shaped by all of these elements, including the audience” (775). In other words, if Rafeal were painting the school of Athens now, Aristotle might point towards the objective earth and Plato towards the transcendent heavens, but New Rhetoric (personified, let us say, by Berlin himself) would be pointing outwards towards you--towards the viewer and also towards the painter. The writer creates truth, doesn’t just discover it in the world or within herself, but actually creates it.   And what does that mean for composition? Everything, says Berlin. “In teaching writing we are not simply offering training in a useful technical skill that is meant as a simple complement to more important studies in other areas. We are teaching a way of experiences the world, a way of ordering and making sense of it” (776).   And that’s why learning theory is important. When you’re teaching students to write, are you teaching them to just “write down their observation” about the outside world as though it were uncomplicated? Are you asking them to just “write whatever comes into your mind” about a topic as sincerely and unrestrained as possible? Or are you asking them to create meaning with their audience and, in the same sense with language?   I confess that reading this article in 2019, I’m less twitterpated with the idea that people can make up whatever truths they want. Although no one would ever describe themselves as a Current Traditionalist, some of these ideas--writing in the disciplines, using mixed research methods, even including belleliteristic writing seem very comfortable to me. Things have changed since 1983, not least of which is composition theory.   And I guess this means that this ccan’t be my only podcast on theory. Ah, rats.  

Born in 103, he was a philosopher from the Samaritan town of Shechem in Palestine, who had devoted his life to the search for truth, trying many philosophical schools and sources of human wisdom: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally the Platonists. One day an old man (whose name and origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the Faith, but he would not be baptised or call himself a Christian until he had tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all with his wisdom. In Rome he also witnessed the martyrdom of Sts Ptolemy and Lucian; this moved him to write an Apologia for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor Antoninus and the Senate. They were so moved by this document that the Emperor ordered that persecution of Christians should cease.   For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's garb. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.   Eventually he was imprisoned following the false accusations of Crescens, a jealous Cynic philosopher. He died (one source says by beheading, another by poison) in Rome in 167 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, successor to Antoninus.

  In this Episode we talk to Edward Butler of https://henadology.wordpress.com/ Mr Butler tests the limits of understanding with some profound insight, and wonderful commentary on later Platonists such as Proclus. We cover so many interesting topics such as the nature of the Forms, the Logoi, the Ineffability of the Gods, Idiotes, the infrastructure of Being, Daimons, Zeus as Nous, the principal of the One, the relationship of the Henads to the One and the procession of Being, and much more. You know, some light topics... Some of Mr Butler's work: https://newschool.academia.edu/EdwardButler   Outro song by the artist Eivør  

Mathematics is the backbone of all sciences, no theories or hypotheses are proven unless there is math to back it up. But there are many who believe that math isn't real. In today's video, we'll break down the arguments. From the Mathematical Physicalists to the Platonists to the Mathematical Fictionalists, we look at all the theories behind whether numbers actually exist, and what they mean.

In today's episode of Pints With Aquinas we ask Thomas about knowledge and stuff (that sounded smart right? "and stuff"). --- Thanks to the following awesome people who are supporting Pints With Aquinas on Patreon: Tim Davolt, Chris Reintjes, Tom Dickson, Jack Buss, and Sean McNicholl. James Boehmler, Laura Suttenfield, John Hipp, Kathleen Cory, Sarah Jacobs, Fernando Enrile, Travis Headly, Matthew Lafitte, Russell T Potee III, Jed Florstat, Phillip Hadden, and Katie Kuchar, and Matthew Anderson (twitter.com/Matt317A). If you want to do that, you can do it here! --- On this point the philosophers held three opinions. For Democritus held that "all knowledge is caused by images issuing from the bodies we think of and entering into our souls," as Augustine says in his letter to Dioscorus (cxviii, 4). And Aristotle says (De Somn. et Vigil.) that Democritus held that knowledge is cause by a "discharge of images." And the reason for this opinion was that both Democritus and the other early philosophers did not distinguish between intellect and sense, as Aristotle relates (De Anima iii, 3). Consequently, since the sense is affected by the sensible, they thought that all our knowledge is affected by this mere impression brought about by sensible things. Which impression Democritus held to be caused by a discharge of images. Plato, on the other hand, held that the intellect is distinct from the senses: and that it is an immaterial power not making use of a corporeal organ for its action. And since the incorporeal cannot be affected by the corporeal, he held that intellectual knowledge is not brought about by sensible things affecting the intellect, but by separate intelligible forms being participated by the intellect, as we have said above (Articles 4 and 5). Moreover he held that sense is a power operating of itself. Consequently neither is sense, since it is a spiritual power, affected by the sensible: but the sensible organs are affected by the sensible, the result being that the soul is in a way roused to form within itself the species of the sensible. Augustine seems to touch on this opinion (Gen. ad lit. xii, 24) where he says that the "body feels not, but the soul through the body, which it makes use of as a kind of messenger, for reproducing within itself what is announced from without." Thus according to Plato, neither does intellectual knowledge proceed from sensible knowledge, nor sensible knowledge exclusively from sensible things; but these rouse the sensible soul to the sentient act, while the senses rouse the intellect to the act of understanding. Aristotle chose a middle course. For with Plato he agreed that intellect and sense are different. But he held that the sense has not its proper operation without the cooperation of the body; so that to feel is not an act of the soul alone, but of the "composite." And he held the same in regard to all the operations of the sensitive part. Since, therefore, it is not unreasonable that the sensible objects which are outside the soul should produce some effect in the "composite," Aristotle agreed with Democritus in this, that the operations of the sensitive part are caused by the impression of the sensible on the sense: not by a discharge, as Democritus said, but by some kind of operation. For Democritus maintained that every operation is by way of a discharge of atoms, as we gather from De Gener. i, 8. But Aristotle held that the intellect has an operation which is independent of the body's cooperation. Now nothing corporeal can make an impression on the incorporeal. And therefore in order to cause the intellectual operation according to Aristotle, the impression caused by the sensible does not suffice, but something more noble is required, for "the agent is more noble than the patient," as he says (De Gener. i, 5). Not, indeed, in the sense that the intellectual operation is effected in us by the mere impression of some superior beings, as Plato held; but that the higher and more noble agent which he calls the active intellect, of which we have spoken above (I:79:4) causes the phantasms received from the senses to be actually intelligible, by a process of abstraction. According to this opinion, then, on the part of the phantasms, intellectual knowledge is caused by the senses. But since the phantasms cannot of themselves affect the passive intellect, and require to be made actually intelligible by the active intellect, it cannot be said that sensible knowledge is the total and perfect cause of intellectual knowledge, but rather that it is in a way the material cause. ST I, Q. 84, A. 6. --- Here's what Thomas said in response to what we now call idealism: This is, however, manifestly false for two reasons. First, because the things we understand are the objects of science; therefore if what we understand is merely the intelligible species in the soul, it would follow that every science would not be concerned with objects outside the soul, but only with the intelligible species within the soul; thus, according to the teaching of the Platonists all science is about ideas, which they held to be actually understood [I:84:1]. Secondly, it is untrue, because it would lead to the opinion of the ancients who maintained that "whatever seems, is true" [Aristotle, Metaph. iii. 5], and that consequently contradictories are true simultaneously. For if the faculty knows its own impression only, it can judge of that only. Now a thing seems according to the impression made on the cognitive faculty. Consequently the cognitive faculty will always judge of its own impression as such; and so every judgment will be true: for instance, if taste perceived only its own impression, when anyone with a healthy taste perceives that honey is sweet, he would judge truly; and if anyone with a corrupt taste perceives that honey is bitter, this would be equally true; for each would judge according to the impression on his taste. Thus every opinion would be equally true; in fact, every sort of apprehension. Therefore it must be said that the intelligible species is related to the intellect as that by which it understands: which is proved thus. There is a twofold action (Metaph. ix, Did. viii, 8), one which remains in the agent; for instance, to see and to understand; and another which passes into an external object; for instance, to heat and to cut; and each of these actions proceeds in virtue of some form. And as the form from which proceeds an act tending to something external is the likeness of the object of the action, as heat in the heater is a likeness of the thing heated; so the form from which proceeds an action remaining in the agent is the likeness of the object. Hence that by which the sight sees is the likeness of the visible thing; and the likeness of the thing understood, that is, the intelligible species, is the form by which the intellect understands. But since the intellect reflects upon itself, by such reflection it understands both its own act of intelligence, and the species by which it understands. Thus the intelligible species is that which is understood secondarily; but that which is primarily understood is the object, of which the species is the likeness. This also appears from the opinion of the ancient philosophers, who said that "like is known by like." For they said that the soul knows the earth outside itself, by the earth within itself; and so of the rest. If, therefore, we take the species of the earth instead of the earth, according to Aristotle (De Anima iii, 8), who says "that a stone is not in the soul, but only the likeness of the stone"; it follows that the soul knows external things by means of its intelligible species. ST I, Q. 86, A. 2.

Happiness is the attainment of the Perfect Good. Whoever, therefore, is capable of the Perfect Good can attain Happiness. Now, that man is capable of the Perfect Good, is proved both because his intellect can apprehend the universal and perfect good, and because his will can desire it. And therefore man can attain Happiness. This can be proved again from the fact that man is capable of seeing God, as stated in I, 12, 1: in which vision, as we stated above (Question 3, Article 8) man's perfect Happiness consists. --- A certain participation of Happiness can be had in this life: but perfect and true Happiness cannot be had in this life. This may be seen from a twofold consideration. First, from the general notion of happiness. For since happiness is a "perfect and sufficientgood," it excludes every evil, and fulfils every desire. But in this life every evil cannot be excluded. For this present life is subject to many unavoidable evils; to ignorance on the part of the intellect; to inordinate affection on the part of the appetite, and to many penalties on the part of the body; as Augustine sets forth in De Civ. Dei xix, 4. Likewise neither can the desire for good be satiated in this life. For man naturally desires the good, which he has, to be abiding. Now the goods of the present life pass away; since life itself passes away, which we naturally desire to have, and would wish to hold abidingly, for man naturally shrinks from death. Wherefore it is impossible to have true Happiness in this life. Secondly, from a consideration of the specific nature of Happiness, viz. the vision of the Divine Essence, which man cannot obtain in this life, as was shown in the I, 12, 11. Hence it is evident that none can attain true and perfect Happiness in this life. --- If we speak of imperfect happiness, such as can be had in this life, in this sense it can be lost. This is clear of contemplative happiness, which is lost either by forgetfulness, for instance, when knowledge is lost through sickness; or again by certainoccupations, whereby a man is altogether withdrawn from contemplation. This is also clear of active happiness: since man's will can be changed so as to fall to vicefrom the virtue, in whose act that happiness principally consists. If, however, the virtueremain unimpaired, outward changes can indeed disturb such like happiness, in so far as they hinder many acts of virtue; but they cannot take it away altogether because there still remains an act of virtue, whereby man bears these trials in a praiseworthy manner. And since the happiness of this life can be lost, a circumstance that appears to be contrary to thenature of happiness, therefore did the Philosopher state (Ethic. i, 10) that some are happy in this life, not simply, but "as men," whose nature is subject to change. But if we speak of that perfect Happiness which we await after this life, it must be observed that Origen (Peri Archon. ii, 3), following the error of certain Platonists, held that man can become unhappy after the final Happiness.   ST I-II. Q5. A 2,3,4.   www.pintswithaquinas.com 

Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss ancient Greek philosophy in the latest of the Science Set Free podcast series. They explore how the ideas and way of life of the Stoics, Platonists and others can help us today bridge supposed divides between science and spirituality. They also look at how Christianity adopted and developed older perceptions of reality and what this means for modern therapies and insights. The conversation is prompted by the publication of Mark's new book, The Idler Guide to Ancient Philosophy.

This lecture has a focus on Augustine and his Neoplatonic quest. Augustine struggled with the idea that God became flesh. Augustine did not find in the Platonists what he found in the Bible. All truth is God's truth. Consider that Christians can plunder the writings of the ancients for truth. To possess the humble Jesus you must become humble yourself. Augustine wanted to be identified with Christ and the Church.

Guilio Paolini came to international note as a leading member of the arte povera group in Italy in 1967. Like the others, he uses found materials and often introduces historical and literary references into his imagery. Works such as this have a poetic quality that is common with arte povera and yet there is a strong conceptual and critical streak that is not normally associated with the group. Many of his installations directly critique assumptions about art history and play with the rules of perspective to disclose their paradoxical illusionism. ‘L’altra figura’ (the other figure) is a deceptively simple play on the classical theme. The two heads raised on plinths to the height of a modestly sized viewer are identical plaster casts of a Roman copy of an earlier Hellenistic bust. The busts show the heads slightly at an angle to the body, their faces turned to reflect each other precisely. This slightly sideways glance lends a degree of animation to what would otherwise be a static mirroring. It is as if they have both just turned to catch the other's gaze; perhaps it is the dramatic incident that has just occurred between them. On the floor surrounding the two plinths is the manifest evidence of a minor disaster. Another bust that seems to have crashed to the floor, shattering into multiple pieces of plaster, is just barely recognisable as the third of a kind. The twins may be thought of as a related pair or a mirroring of one but three is the beginning of an indefinite number, suggesting infinite reproducibility or endless cloning. A common theme of Paolini’s work investigates representational strategies in art since the Renaissance, including modernist aspirations to find the essence of things. Mirroring is the most immediate form of mimetic representation so it is reasonable to begin to see this as a work that follows this line. The Greco-Roman heads also incline us to suspect narratives from antiquity. Could the smashed figure lying on the ground, in a more-or-less circular arrangement, be the rippled effect of the reflection in a pool disturbed by Narcissus reaching out to caress his own loved image? This would certainly be a poetic take on the impossibility of possessing the desired object in representation. The degree of fragmentation of the third head also suggests a fall from a great height; could this be the mythical Icarus, who ignored his father’s warning not to fly too close to the sun? This pragmatic warning masks a greater peril since the sun is Apollo riding across the sky in his chariot. Apollo for Plato was the ultimate source of pure form, something representation could never capture, although neo-Platonists and modernists dreamt of doing so. Poor Icarus got carried away and soared towards this great source but was struck down by the jealous god for his presumption. © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006

Guilio Paolini came to international note as a leading member of the arte povera group in Italy in 1967. Like the others, he uses found materials and often introduces historical and literary references into his imagery. Works such as this have a poetic quality that is common with arte povera and yet there is a strong conceptual and critical streak that is not normally associated with the group. Many of his installations directly critique assumptions about art history and play with the rules of perspective to disclose their paradoxical illusionism. ‘L’altra figura’ (the other figure) is a deceptively simple play on the classical theme. The two heads raised on plinths to the height of a modestly sized viewer are identical plaster casts of a Roman copy of an earlier Hellenistic bust. The busts show the heads slightly at an angle to the body, their faces turned to reflect each other precisely. This slightly sideways glance lends a degree of animation to what would otherwise be a static mirroring. It is as if they have both just turned to catch the other's gaze; perhaps it is the dramatic incident that has just occurred between them. On the floor surrounding the two plinths is the manifest evidence of a minor disaster. Another bust that seems to have crashed to the floor, shattering into multiple pieces of plaster, is just barely recognisable as the third of a kind. The twins may be thought of as a related pair or a mirroring of one but three is the beginning of an indefinite number, suggesting infinite reproducibility or endless cloning. A common theme of Paolini’s work investigates representational strategies in art since the Renaissance, including modernist aspirations to find the essence of things. Mirroring is the most immediate form of mimetic representation so it is reasonable to begin to see this as a work that follows this line. The Greco-Roman heads also incline us to suspect narratives from antiquity. Could the smashed figure lying on the ground, in a more-or-less circular arrangement, be the rippled effect of the reflection in a pool disturbed by Narcissus reaching out to caress his own loved image? This would certainly be a poetic take on the impossibility of possessing the desired object in representation. The degree of fragmentation of the third head also suggests a fall from a great height; could this be the mythical Icarus, who ignored his father’s warning not to fly too close to the sun? This pragmatic warning masks a greater peril since the sun is Apollo riding across the sky in his chariot. Apollo for Plato was the ultimate source of pure form, something representation could never capture, although neo-Platonists and modernists dreamt of doing so. Poor Icarus got carried away and soared towards this great source but was struck down by the jealous god for his presumption. © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006

Guilio Paolini came to international note as a leading member of the arte povera group in Italy in 1967. Like the others, he uses found materials and often introduces historical and literary references into his imagery. Works such as this have a poetic quality that is common with arte povera and yet there is a strong conceptual and critical streak that is not normally associated with the group. Many of his installations directly critique assumptions about art history and play with the rules of perspective to disclose their paradoxical illusionism. ‘L’altra figura’ (the other figure) is a deceptively simple play on the classical theme. The two heads raised on plinths to the height of a modestly sized viewer are identical plaster casts of a Roman copy of an earlier Hellenistic bust. The busts show the heads slightly at an angle to the body, their faces turned to reflect each other precisely. This slightly sideways glance lends a degree of animation to what would otherwise be a static mirroring. It is as if they have both just turned to catch the other's gaze; perhaps it is the dramatic incident that has just occurred between them. On the floor surrounding the two plinths is the manifest evidence of a minor disaster. Another bust that seems to have crashed to the floor, shattering into multiple pieces of plaster, is just barely recognisable as the third of a kind. The twins may be thought of as a related pair or a mirroring of one but three is the beginning of an indefinite number, suggesting infinite reproducibility or endless cloning. A common theme of Paolini’s work investigates representational strategies in art since the Renaissance, including modernist aspirations to find the essence of things. Mirroring is the most immediate form of mimetic representation so it is reasonable to begin to see this as a work that follows this line. The Greco-Roman heads also incline us to suspect narratives from antiquity. Could the smashed figure lying on the ground, in a more-or-less circular arrangement, be the rippled effect of the reflection in a pool disturbed by Narcissus reaching out to caress his own loved image? This would certainly be a poetic take on the impossibility of possessing the desired object in representation. The degree of fragmentation of the third head also suggests a fall from a great height; could this be the mythical Icarus, who ignored his father’s warning not to fly too close to the sun? This pragmatic warning masks a greater peril since the sun is Apollo riding across the sky in his chariot. Apollo for Plato was the ultimate source of pure form, something representation could never capture, although neo-Platonists and modernists dreamt of doing so. Poor Icarus got carried away and soared towards this great source but was struck down by the jealous god for his presumption. © Art Gallery of New South Wales Contemporary Collection Handbook, 2006