The Philosopher’s Ten Commandments

1. Do not fear Death. Do not hate Death. To hate death is to hate life, since one entails the other.

2. Pursue all things in moderation, save wisdom. Follow the Golden Mean.

3. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

4. Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.

5. Seize the day. Enjoy what you can, endure what you must.

6. Do not weep. Do not wax indignant. Understand.

7. Know Thyself. The proper study of mankind is man.

8. Know what things are in your power, and what things are not in your power.

9. Question Everything. Know what you know, and know what you do not know

10. Make your quest for knowledge both a means to an end, and an end in itself.

Notes: Broadly speaking, the first five commandments deal with the moral virtues, while the second five deal with the intellectual virtues. According to Aristotle, if someone possesses both moral and intellectual virtue, they possess complete expertise in the art of living, in both a practical sense and a theoretical sense. Commandment Number 1 relates to courage and is based on the Epicurean teaching about death. Overcoming the fear of death is the key to living courageously. Commandment Number 2 is based on Plato’s teaching about the virtue of moderation. Number 3 is the Golden Rule, the essence of morality and justice, found in all societies. Number 4 is from Oscar Wilde. It deals with love, compassion and charity – which is the one great virtue missing from the traditional Greek list of the four cardinal virtues. Number 5 is a combination of an Ancient Roman axiom, and a quote from Goethe, dealing with prudence or wisdom – completing the list of the cardinal virtues. This quote from Goethe combines what is best in Stoicism (“endure what you must”) with what is best in Epicureanism (“enjoy what you can”). Commandment number 6 is from Spinoza – and deals with the power of knowledge to reduce suffering. Number 7 is from Socrates. Number 8 is from the great Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Number 9 is from the Socratic: “I know only that I know nothing”. The 10th commandment is an exhortation to be curious at all times, since, according to the philosopher Hobbes: “Desire to know why, and how - curiosity, which is a lust of the mind - exceedeth the short vehemence of any carnal pleasure.” Commandments 9 and 10 complement each other – the wise man is neither an extreme skeptic, nor an extreme dogmatist – he pusues the Golden Mean in all things.