Rationalizing Self-Destructive Behavior Through Counterfeit Values (Seneca: Letter #123 - On the Conflict Between Pleasure and Virtue)

The Stoic Jew

Synopsis: In today’s episode we read an example of a particularly insidious form of rationalization – one in which your yetzer ha’ra uses a counterfeit version of the value system you’ve embraced and persuades you to engage in self-destructive behavior, thinking that you’re making progress. And when this rationalization is promoted by the people you spend time with every day, then the potential for catastrophe is even greater.

Sources:
- Seneca, Letter #123: On the Conflict Between Pleasure and Virtue
- Rambam: Mishneh Torah, Sefer ha’Mada, Hilchos Deios 3:1
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Stoic texts:
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Letters from a Stoic Master (Seneca)
The Discourses of Epictetus
The Enchiridion (Handbook) of Epictetus
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