Philosophy

The Sovereign Individual (2): The Information Revolution

The Information Revolution as a Historic Phase Change and the Inevitable Decline of the Nation-State The world is currently undergoing a “phase change” in social organization as profound and disruptive as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. This is not merely an incremental development or an acceleration of existing trends; it is a fundamental transformation into a fourth stage of human society: the Information Society. The authors argue that this revolution, driven by the microprocessor, is fundamentally altering the megapolitical landscape by making the nation-state—the dominant institution of the modern era—anachronistic and unsustainable. Just as the Gunpowder Revolution made the feudal

The Sovereign Individual (1): The Megapolitical Framework

The Megapolitical Framework — How the Logic of Violence Shapes Society At the core of The Sovereign Individual lies a powerful and unconventional theory of history and social change, a framework the authors refer to as “megapolitics.” The central thesis of this framework is that the fundamental structure of human society—its political institutions, economic organization, and even its moral codes—is ultimately determined by the prevailing “logic of violence.” This logic is not about who is right or what is just; it is a brutal calculus of the costs and rewards of projecting force and defending against it. When fundamental shifts occur in

Letters from a Stoic (1)

Argument 1: The Sovereignty of the Mind and the Indifference of External Events One of the most foundational and recurring arguments in Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic is the radical division of the world into two distinct domains: that which is within our control, and that which lies outside of it. For Seneca, the only realm where a human being can exercise true and absolute power is the inner world of the mind—our judgments, our intentions, and our character. Everything else, which constitutes the entirety of our external existence, belongs to the domain of Fortune. This category of “externals” is vast and

Letters from a Stoic (2)

Argument 2: The Stewardship of Time and the Art of Living in the Present Following the foundational argument that our inner mind is the only true domain of our control, Seneca presents a second, intensely practical and urgent thesis that serves as the engine for all Stoic practice: time is our sole, true possession, and it is the most precious yet most squandered of all human assets. For Seneca, the vast majority of humanity lives in a state of self-inflicted poverty, not of money or property, but of time. We allow it to be stolen by others, we give it away carelessly,

Letters from a Stoic (3)

Argument 3: Living According to Nature: The Rejection of Luxury and the Embrace of Simplicity Building upon the foundational principles of mental sovereignty and the stewardship of time, Seneca advances a third, highly practical and socially critical argument that forms the ethical core of his daily philosophy: the happy life is achieved by living in accordance with Nature, which necessitates a conscious and rational rejection of luxury and an embrace of simplicity. For Seneca, luxury is not merely an indulgence or a matter of personal taste; it is a profound sickness of the soul and a corruption of society. It creates false

Letters from a Stoic (4): Philosophy as a Practical Art

Philosophy as a Practical Art: Deeds, Not Words Philosophy is not an abstract intellectual discipline but a practical art of living; its value is measured not by the subtlety of its arguments or the eloquence of its expression, but by its direct and observable impact on a person’s character and actions. Seneca wages a relentless war against what he perceives as the corruption of philosophy into a mere academic game—a collection of clever syllogisms, pretentious jargon, and rhetorical performances designed for applause. For him, philosophy is a medicine for the soul, a form of training for the battle of life, and

《The State of Affairs》（五）

一段婚外情不必是關係的句點，它可以是一次徹底的重塑契機。經歷風暴後的伴侶，可以選擇不只是「存活」，而是有意識地利用這場危機，共同創造出一段更誠實、更具韌性、也更充滿活力的「第二段婚姻」。 這是 Est…

《The State of Affairs》（四）

面對不忠的普遍性與現代婚姻的困境，我們不應僅僅停留在「如何預防」或「如何修復」的層面，而應當勇敢地「重新思考一夫一妻制」，探索更多元的關係模式，並將「忠誠」的定義從狹隘的「性排他性」擴展到更豐富的內涵…

《The State of Affairs》（三）

外遇並不總是婚姻失敗的「症狀」，有時它反而是對「令人窒息的成功」的反叛。許多在「幸福」婚姻中的人出軌，並非為了逃離伴侶，而是為了逃離那個在關係中逐漸僵化的「自我」，去追尋一種失落的生命力與未曾活過的人…

《The State of Affairs》（二）

主要論點二：不忠的定義已不再固定，現代婚姻理想的演變與數位科技的普及，共同創造出一個充滿模糊性與個人主觀詮釋的灰色地帶，這使得「什麼是背叛」本身成為當代關係中一個核心的衝突來源。 現在，我們再次運用費…

羅素《哲學問題》（二）：物質的存在

物質存在的論證——基於簡潔性原則與本能信念 在第一章，羅素讓我們對日常事物的「真實性」打上了一個大大的問號，區分了我們直接感知的「現象」（感覺材料）和推測其存在的「實在」（物理客體）。現在，在第二章 …

羅素《哲學問題》（三）：感覺材料

好的，我們繼續羅素的哲學之旅。在上一部分，我們跟隨羅素，透過對「桌子」的仔細審視，認識到我們直接感知的「現象」（比如桌子的顏色、形狀）和那個可能獨立存在的「實在」（真實的桌子，或稱為物理客體）之間存在…

羅素《哲學問題》（四）：觀念論

好的，我們繼續深入羅素的《哲學問題》。在前面幾章，羅素引導我們質疑了對外部世界的樸素看法，區分了「現象」與「實在」，並論證了相信獨立於我們感知的「物質」存在的合理性。然而，他也強調，我們透過感官所能認…

羅素《哲學問題》（六）：歸納法

好的，我們現在進入羅素《哲學問題》的第六章 〈論歸納法〉 (On Induction) 。在前面幾章，羅素仔細分析了我們知識的直接來源——「親知」（對感覺材料、記憶、內省內容以及可能的自我和共相的直接…

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