decision trees essay

decision trees essay

In ethics, decision trees have numerous stems and branches traced back to a single root that describes how people should behave. The routes used by some branches to reach the single root vary in countless ways, yet all reach the specific description of the way people should live. The ‘branch’ discussed in this paper is stoicism. The Merriam-Webster dictionary identifies ‘stoic’ as “one apathetic to happiness or pain.” In the world of ethics, a stoic is described as “a representative of a school of philosophy established by Zeno of Citium about 300 B.C. holding that, an intelligent man should be without emotion, oblivious of happiness or grief, and obedient to natural law.” Stoics do not care about theoretical truth, as to how and why the universe started. However, a stoic believes that the most vital theory is that of recognition in humanity. The origin of stoicism was stirred in the third century when the citizens of Athens begun to discard ideas of Plato and Aristotle. While the views of Plato and Aristotle contrasted on government, they both thought that a good government was essential to ensure stability, happiness, and fairness for its citizens. However, as time progressed, their theories proved to be false because war, hostility, and hunger reigned over Greece. Thus, the people were compelled to look elsewhere for advice. Thus, a stoicism school of thought emerged and stressed that people had the power to generate their happiness (Pigliucci). Thus, people welcomed this notion, and stoicism gained a large popular following, not only in Greece but also in other developing empires like Rome. Over the years, stoicism was adopted in the Roman Empire. It was no longer merely a Greek school, but a semi-official philosophy for the Roman elite. The Romans had by then developed themselves as a great military power where they had established a government and a state religion. Still, they lacked the intelligent thinkers and philosophers that Greece had. Thus, they adopted the ideas of stoicism, which seemed more logic than the theories presented by Plato and Aristotle.

Stoicism resulted in the emergence of Christianity Rome through significant missionaries, like Saint Paul (10-67 CE). Christianity spread out and gained acknowledgment, even though the Roman Empire was mostly pagan during the first century. Ironically, most early Christian writings often seem, on the surface, to reflect Stoic philosophy. Some emperors like Vespasian and Domitian hated it, while others like Marcus Aurelius embraced it (Pigliucci). It later spread to western civilization, which is referred to as modern or modern society that includes Western Europe and North America (Philosophy). Besides its promotion of Christianity, it resulted in the emergence of several main philosophical figures over the centuries, such as Thomas More, Descartes, and Spinoza. In the early 21st century, it resulted in the establishment of practical philosophy related to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and comparable methods. Stoicism was a philosophy predestined to be useful to everyday living, through its focus on ethics that is known as the study of how people should live their lives, that was inspired by what the Stoics called “physics,” which is currently a mixture of natural science and metaphysics. Ethics was also stimulated by “logic” (Pigliucci), which is now a blend of modern logic, epistemology, philosophy of language, and cognitive science In Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, the director unveils a poetic depiction of the philosophy of stoicism. Positioned in the setting of the ancient Roman empire, it commences from the life of the stoic Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius who selects Maximus Decimius Meridius as his true spiritual successor. Maximus, who was the commander in chief of Marcus’ army, was chosen over Commodus, Marcus’ son, who lacked morals. Thus, the movie commences with an illustration of how the key belief of the stoic philosophy that is morality, integrity, and fairness are considered as essential virtues for an ideal life over wealth and power. In the movie Gladiator, Maximus, the main character, embodies the true qualities of a stoic man. The stoic features are depicted through his tolerance of slavery and incidents that cannot be controlled, such as the demise of his family. Even Though he cannot be a slave as a Roman citizen and under the Roman law, Maximus calmly acknowledges his destiny with composure and does not exaggerate with emotions of resentment. Rather, he adjusts his life in line with the commands that are required from him as a Gladiator slave and obeys as he is ordered. Thus, he possesses the traits of a virtuous man. Even though he is strong enough to defy his master, he admits that an act of defiance for freedom would only be temporary. Instead, he will concentrate on attempting to eradicate the regime of Commodus, who is an unfair leader. He signifies the stoic quality of unselfishness as he is more interested in the well-being of Rome than himself. Thus, he acts based on what he considers to be the common good of Rome. Even in the death of his friend emperor Marcus Aurelius, Maximus does not lose his temper during the wave of emotions. He controls his sorrow to concentrate on the major problem of saving his life and that of Rome. Finally, in his quest to maintain his virtue and sacrifice his life to save the honor of Rome, Maximus illustrates the stoic theory of maintaining self-control and social responsibility, which he considered to be the most significant virtues of life. Maximus also depicts a stoic way of life as he eventually begins to adopt with the characteristics of a gladiator and gets over his anxiety of death. He lives each day, keeping in mind that death is inevitable and can occur anytime. Thus, he states, “Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.” In conclusion, stoicism is nearly a practical model of thinking to live by. Nonetheless, it is somewhat exciting to look upon and discuss. The foundations of stoicism and the pillars in which it stands are something that should be drawn from and can be reasonable to cite. As a moral philosophy that requires remission of emotions and living a life ruled by virtue and purpose, stoicism had a positive influence on the intelligent elite in the Roman Empire. It may have perhaps opened the way for the political morals of great statesmen such as Maximus, who exhibited virtuous acts of putting other people’s needs first.