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John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of sixteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024),

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All Episodes

6:58

Schopenhauer and the meaning of life

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/28

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) built his philosophy step by step, starting with a central concept (the theory of the will), and adding layers of explanations. His physics, epistemology, logic and morality revolve around the theory of the will, and so do his views on the meaning of life. According to Schopenhauer, the will (“life force”) drives all living creatures to secure their survival and reproduction; at the same time, the will prompts them to seek pleasure but doesn’t pay attention to the

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8:34

Schopenhauer’s key concepts

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/28

The key concepts in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) connect it to Ancient Stoicism and existentialism. Let us pass review to those concepts, which Schopenhauer first outlined in “The world as will and representation,” a book that he published in 1818. Schopenhauer built his philosophy around the theory of the will (“life force”). He viewed the will as the driver of all living creatures. It is a wild, irrational, eternal driver that prompts all creatures to secure their survival and

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8:08

The revival of Aristotle’s views on education

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/28

The twentieth century has generated three serious initiatives to revive the educational philosophy put forward by Aristotle (384-322 BC), or similar to his. In essence, revival initiatives aim at prioritising the student’s individual development. Let’s review these three attempts and see the extent to which they have remained loyal to Aristotelian education. Let’s assess if they have grasped the philosophy outlined in the “Eudemian Ethics” and the “Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle. John Dewey

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7:07

Schopenhauer and the role of reason

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/28

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) rejected the unshakeable optimism of his contemporaries about the power of reason. He acknowledged that all individuals are potentially able to think, but pointed out that few people make the effort to assess facts accurately and draw logical conclusions. His book “On the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1814) defends the thesis that events can be traced to a particular cause in each case. Nothing happens by chance. Also human decisions can be

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5:29

Aristotle’s influence on Western philosophy

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/28

The historical influence of Aristotle (384-322 BC) rests on the labours of one man, namely, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). I find it remarkable that Aquinas made Aristotle’s philosophy popular even though he had never intended to do so. Aquinas was an Italian Dominican monk and theologian, who aimed at spreading Christian ideals. He could not care less about Aristotelian ideas as such, but he had read Aristotle and realized that Aristotelian philosophy is true. The validity of Aristotelian philosophy

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9:35

Analysis of Schopenhauer’s views on the role of reason

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/28

The views of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the role of reason differ from those of prior philosophers. On the one hand, Schopenhauer is more realistic. He does hold reason in high regard, but acknowledges the strong influence of impulses in human decisions. On the other hand, Schopenhauer observes that it takes substantial effort to use reason assiduously. The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-271 BC) had in part anticipated Schopenhauer’s views on the role of reason. He favoured the

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8:06

Michel de Montaigne and moral relativism

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/23

The search for happiness relies on certainty in reasoning and effectiveness in action. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) coined a brand of moral relativism that, he assumed, could help us reduce mistakes in reasoning. Montaigne’s arguments give us abundant food for thought, in particular when it comes to making crucial decisions. How much can you trust your perceptions and logic? What mistakes are typically made by people under pressure? All in all, these discussions aim at improving one’s chances of

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6:38

Critique of Michel de Montaigne’s moral relativism

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/23

We all need clear philosophical principles to make accurate, quick decisions. In the absence of principles, decisions depend on emotions, prejudice and superstition. The essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) asked himself how to make good decisions, and recorded his reasoning in detail. Montaigne was puzzled by the wide variety of opinions that people hold when confronted with the same facts. He devoted his essay “That what’s called good and evil mostly depends on our opinions” to analysing this

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6:47

Michel de Montaigne and cultural relativism

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/23

Many people today ask themselves if all cultures are equal, or if some cultures are superior to others; the question is as old as humanity, and the answer is crucially important. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) asked himself this same question in the sixteenth century, and examined in great detail the arguments from both sides. His careful philosophical analysis is still worth reading nowadays. In the sixteenth century, intellectuals regarded Europe as the leading culture. They took for granted that

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6:33

Consequences of Montaigne’s moral and cultural...

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/23

The question of cultural relativism has profound, wide- and long-reaching implications. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) emerged in the sixteenth century as the most prominent defender of moral and cultural relativism, but never grasped the full impact of his arguments. For instance, Montaigne failed to grasp the implications of seemingly anodyne statements such as “pleasure can never be pure, because it is always mixed with some negative emotions” or “every joy in life is accompanied by some measure

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4:52

Michel de Montaigne and the nature of truth

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/23

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) devoted twenty years of his life to writing essays on everything under the sun. He chose questions that he found intriguing, researched them thoroughly, and enumerated the arguments in favour and against. Although Montaigne deployed massive efforts to research, he seldom reached definite conclusions on anything. He gave a detailed overview of facts and their possible interpretation, but refrained from taking sides, arguing that the truth is subjective. Montaigne’s

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7:58

Schopenhauer’s main ideas

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/21

Despite his extensive writings, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) produced a rather limited set of ideas. His philosophical system revolves around the theory of the will (“life force”) that he regarded as the prime mover of all living entities. Let's review Schopenhauer's main ideas. First and foremost, Schopenhauer rebelled against the ideas of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), and Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814). They dominated mainstream philosophy at that time. I find it

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6:04

The path of Aristotle’s influence on Western philosophy

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/21

The influence of Aristotle (384-322 BC) on Western ideals, philosophy and society has been a slow and difficult process. I tend to choose direct ways when it comes to business, learning, and problem solving but Aristotelian ideas survived and spread only indirectly. Before Aristotle’s works became popular in twelve-century Europe, they had been preserved in Eastern countries. Without the studies made by Avicenna (990-1037), I am convinced that some works by Aristotle would have been definitively

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6:38

Schopenhauer’s views on wisdom

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/21

For Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), wisdom is an effect of philosophy. I define wisdom as practical ethics, that is, a set of principles that enables humans to make quick decisions in all life’s situations. Wisdom is not necessarily sophisticated, but it must rest on sound philosophical footing. According to Schopenhauer, wisdom is a practical outcome from philosophical study, especially from the study of the will (“life force”), which he regarded as the driving force of living creatures. In his

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5:29

Aristotle’s theory of the prime mover

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/21

In his work “Metaphysics,” Aristotle presents the concept of the prime mover. Philosophers have also called it the unmoved mover, the prime cause, the prime mover, or the first cause. All those terms have the same meaning, namely, the idea that there is a single entity responsible for everything that happens. Aristotle (384-322 BC) was not the first philosopher to put forward the theory of a single force driving the cosmos, but he kept the inventor’s glory because he wrote down his thoughts about

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6:27

Happiness and Michel de Montaigne’s views on the...

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/16

Can a person become happy if he refrains from taking sides, making decisions, and pursuing clear objectives? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) addressed this subject in his essay “On Moderation,” where he praises moderation as a crucial virtue. Montaigne defines “moderation” as the contrary to “extreme ideas and behaviour.” Thus, he is giving a subjective definition where “moderation” means the middle of the road between two points arbitrarily chosen. According to Montaigne’s definition, all strong

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5:01

Michel de Montaigne and human nature

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/16

Seldom has a philosopher devoted so much effort to writing about human nature. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) spent two decades doing research about philosophy and psychology, gathering lessons about happiness. Montaigne’s objective was to identify the best patterns of behaviour, those that promote individual and social happiness. He read everything about Socrates (470-399 BC), as recorded by Plato (427-347 BC) in his dialogues, trying to draw advice applicable to his own life. Most sources

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6:11

Michel de Montaigne’s key lesson about human nature

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/16

For twenty years, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) wrote incessantly about human nature. He did extensive research and addressed a myriad of individual and societal issues. What is the main lesson that he drew from his philosophical studies? Montaigne presented this lesson in his essay “On pedantry,” but I must first explain what he meant by “pedantry.” In the sixteenth century, the word “pedantry” had a wider meaning. It denoted people who focus on elaborate, rigid, irrelevant details but have

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6:01

Michel de Montaigne’s thoughts on friendship

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/16

Inflation in usage has devalued the word “friend.” In today’s parlance, “friend” doesn’t even mean acquaintance. People call “friends” individuals they have never met and with whom they have little in common. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) wrote extensively about friendship, which he rightly viewed as one of the greatest joys in life. His essay “On friendship” is known to students of the French language because of its high literary and philosophical value. However, I must first of all state that

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6:30

Michel de Montaigne and the concept of virtue

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/14

Ethical aspects are often underrated by individuals seeking personal growth. Psychology discussions tend to focus on pre-conceptions, personal history, and logical errors rather than on virtue. As a result, happiness is randomly defined, haphazardly pursued, and serendipitously achieved. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) held a different view. At an early age, he had discovered the strong connection existing between virtue and happiness, and when he started to write his essays, he gave priority to

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