Open Thinkering

Opinions and preferences

Posted on August 1, 2020August 2, 2020 by Doug Belshaw

If there’s one thing that my family and friends can rely on me for, it’s an opinion.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines an opinion as:

A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

But is everything that we have a view on actually opinions? Are some things mere preferences?

The OED defines a preference as:

A greater liking for one alternative over another or others.

Recently, I’ve been doing some introspection about my preferences. This is, in part, due to the work that I’m doing while on loan to Outlandish from my home co-op.

Diagram showing 'preference' circle inside larger 'range of tolerance' circle

Outlandish use Sociocracy to make decisions, and the above diagram was part of my induction.

Sociocracy, also called dynamic governance, is a system of governance which seeks to create harmonious social environments and productive organizations. It is distinguished by the use of consent, rather than majority voting, in decision-making, and of discussion by people who know each other.
Wikipedia

What I like about Sociocracy is that it gives everyone a voice through the use of ’rounds’, recognises that emotion is an important part of decision-making, and (crucially) tackles preferences head-on.

This was particularly useful to me recently with some decisions we had to make about the colour scheme part of We Are Open’s rebrand. I realised that, while I’ll happily express an opinion on anything, these are usually based on mere preferences.

This realisation was more liberating than I expected it to be. As a result, I’ve resolved to check whether I’m expressing an opinion or simply a preference when interacting with others. I have a feeling that, most of the time, it will be the latter.

This post is Day 19 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com

Musonius Rufus on meat

Posted on July 31, 2020July 31, 2020 by Doug Belshaw

Further to yesterday’s post, I’ve continued reading the Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus. It seems like he was a cool guy.

On the subject of food he used to speak frequently and very emphatically too, as a question of no small significance, nor leading to unimportant consequences, indeed he believed that the beginning and foundation of temperance lay in self-control in eating and drinking.
Musonius Rufus, ‘That One Should Disdain Hardships’

It would appear that he didn’t eat meat.

On the other hand he showed that meat was a less civilized kind of food and more appropriate for wild animals. He held that it was a heavy food and an obstacle to thinking and reasoning, since the exhalations rising from it, being turbid, darkened the soul. For this reason also the people who make larger use of it seem slower in intellect.
Musonius Rufus, ‘That One Should Disdain Hardships’

Having just come back from a beach barbecue this is top of mind at the moment. Thankfully, with friends and family we’re past the inane questions about the smell and taste of bacon butties. Yes I like the taste of meat. Yes I’ve realised it’s cruel to kill animals and eat them. No I’m not tempted just this once. No I’m not virtue signalling.

It’s worth noting that I do eat fish, although I try not to think too much about this, as I don’t have strong arguments as to why I’m pescetarian rather than vegetarian. To be quite honest, it’s a matter of convenience, as it makes me easier to cater for, and affords me more options when we go out for dinner.

This post is Day 18 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com

Living a good life is not a theoretical exercise

Posted on July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 by Doug Belshaw

At another time the problem rose among us whether for the acquisition of virtue practice or theory is more effective, understanding that theory teaches what is right conduct, while practice represents the habit of those accustomed to act in accordance with such theory.
Musonius Rufus, ‘That One Should Disdain Hardships’

My go-to reading on Stoicism is Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, probably in that order. I hadn’t read Musonius Rufus before, despite seeing him referenced in Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic.

Picking up a copy of That One Should Disdain Hardships, I found that Musonius Rufus was a reasonably progressive thinker for his time on, for example, whether women should study philosophy. Like Epictetus and Socrates, it’s actually his students writing down what they’ve learned.

In one of the early chapters, Musonius Rufus explains that practice is more important than theory when it comes to virtue. He uses three examples to illustrate his points: physicians, sailors, and musicians. In each case he pits someone who knows the theory and can speak well about the subject against one who is practically skilled — but cannot speak well on the subject, and perhaps doesn’t know the theory. His interlocutors agree in each case that practical skill is better than theoretical knowledge and rhetorical ability.

How, now, in view of these conclusions, could knowledge of the theory of anything be better than becoming accustomed to act according to the principles of the theory, if we understand that application enables one to act, but theory makes one capable of speaking about it?
Musonius Rufus, ‘That One Should Disdain Hardships’

I have spent much of my adult life studying Philosophy, either formally at university or informally through reading and discussing. But living a good life is not a theoretical exercise, and that is why my Mastodon bio simply quotes Epictetus in saying:

Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.
Epictetus

This post is Day 17 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com