Evans’ basic conclusion is that we don’t have answers to the ‘big questions’ of life, so our best bet is to take a moderate and eclectic approach, which draws on all of the schools of ancient thought, but retains an open mind and doesn’t dogmatically adhere to any of them.
Notes
- One of our biggest inherent problems is that our subconscious mental processes (which include emotional components) can cause us to do dumb things. So we need to pay attention to what we’re doing, detect when we’re on the verge of doing dumb things, and preventatively override that tendency through rational conscious thought, thus exercising increased self-control. By doing this repeatedly, and emulating good role models, we can gradually do less dumb things and more right things until it becomes a matter of habit, but recognize that it can take a long time to adequately ingrain good habits, and habits can fade if not regularly reinforced.
- Developing improved self-control makes us more resilient. Learning to endure physical hardships can also foster mental resilience.
- Find a balance between being individualistic versus social, in-the-moment versus long-term, austere versus materialistic, skeptical versus credulous, idealistic versus pragmatic, abstract versus concrete, etc. In other words, moderation is nearly always better than extremism. Moderates will likely agree with that view, and extremists likely won’t!