Ron Hall - Secundum Naturam (According to Nature)

Ron Hall

Nempe propositum nostrum est
secundum naturam vivere.

Our motto, as you know, is live according to nature.

MMXXI, Stoic Therapy, LLC. Omnia iura reservatis.
2021, Stoic Therapy, LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Stoic Therapy, LLC
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Farmington, CT 06034
www.StoicTherapy.com

Editio Secunda, MMXXI
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X

Second Edition, 2021
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This book, Secundum Naturam, began formally on 2015-12-25. This work is an exploration of the idea that Stoicism is a logical philosophy, that its ethical and natural crafts(Greek: or techns) are themselves merely apprehensionsfrom the application of Stoic logic.

Prior to publishing, this was a private work for my understanding. Most of it has been written without any intention of an audience. After deciding to publish it, the intended audience consists of serious students of Stoicism. Those who are both interested in and new to Stoicism may become overwhelmed with details, having not anticipated that Stoicism is extensive. This is not written for the masses or for profit, and a gentle introduction is not provided. Expect the presentation of this material to be technical and dense. It is hoped that readers familiar with Stoicism enjoy this interpretation and summary of the philosophy.

This work is not intended for clients of Stoic Therapy, LLC, though any such client is certainly welcome to read it. Instead, it is a formalization of my interpretation of Stoicism, as well as my exploration of it.

The reason that I am publishing this previously-private exploration is because I am confident that it is, in the main, the correct interpretation of Stoicism, and that it is beneficial for anyone to reason accordingly. Through the years, I have become more and more confident in this interpretation because the data better fit this interpretation than others. This work is also novel; there is not a similar work available on Stoicism. It presents a more thorough reconstruction of Stoic logic than ever before; this should lead the reader to question modern mathematical logic, induction, probability and statistics, and empirical science. Reason benefits, and Stoic logic would clearly benefit each of us, and consequently our formal education, society, animals, our planet, and so on.

Herein, I refer to my own hypotheses as conjectures to prevent confusion between these terms, and so that the reader may consider any assumptions. My conjectures are for the purpose of providing a coherent, consistent, and practicable rendering of this logical philosophy.

Regarding ancient Greek, my preferred source has become the Liddell, Scott, Jones Ancient Greek Lexicon( ).

It has become obvious that I may continue to write and edit this work for the rest of my life, and so I have decided to publish a fair amount of what I have put together. Quite a bit has been withdrawn, and will appear in future editions. For example, everyone knows my appreciation for Stoic logic has led me to collect all sorts of argument schemata, later to appear when ready. To me, the passions and virtues feel more like outlines than finished products. In short, I will continue to craft and refine this work. There is much to be done.

I wish sincerely that you benefit from Secundum Naturam.

Ron Hall