"Core Stoicism" translated into executable python code
"Core Stoicism" translated into executable python code:
Claude:
Here's an executable Python implementation of the expanded Stoic philosophy:
```python
class CoreStoicism:
def __init__(self):
# Initial beliefs and state
self.beliefs = {
"happiness_is_desired": True,
"complete_happiness_possible": None, # To be proven
"virtue_is_good": True,
"vice_is_evil": True,
"universe_is_as_it_should_be": True
}
# Categories of things
self.things = {
"in_our_control": ["beliefs", "will", "judgments", "virtue", "vice"],
"out_of_our_control": ["external_outcomes", "others_actions", "wealth", "fame", "health"]
}
# Appropriate aims vs objects of desire
self.appropriate_aims = ["life", "health", "knowledge", "justice", "truth"]
self.current_desires = []
self.current_aims = []
def theorem_1(self):
"""Everyone wants happiness."""
return True
def theorem_2(self, wants_happiness, complete_happiness_possible):
"""It's irrational to accept incomplete happiness if complete happiness is possible."""
if wants_happiness and complete_happiness_possible:
return "irrational to accept incomplete happiness"
return "not irrational to accept incomplete happiness"
def theorem_3(self, desires, outcomes):
"""Unhappiness is caused by unmet desires."""
unhappiness = 0
for desire in desires:
if desire not in outcomes:
unhappiness += 1
return unhappiness
def theorem_4(self, desires):
"""Calculate probability of happiness based on control over desired things."""
uncontrollable_desires = [d for d in desires if d in self.things["out_of_our_control"]]
if not desires:
return 1.0 # No desires means no chance of unhappiness
if uncontrollable_desires:
# Probability decreases exponentially with number of uncontrollable desires
return max(0, 1 - 0.5**len(uncontrollable_desires))
return 1.0 # All desires are controllable
def theorem_5(self, desires_out_of_control):
"""Desiring things out of control is irrational if complete happiness is possible."""
if desires_out_of_control and self.beliefs["complete_happiness_possible"]:
return "irrational"
return "not necessarily irrational"
def theorem_6(self):
"""Only beliefs, will, and their entailments are in our control."""
return self.things["in_our_control"]
def theorem_7(self, belief_good, belief_evil):
"""Desires are caused by judgments about good and evil."""
desires = []
if belief_good:
desires.append(belief_good)
if belief_evil:
desires.append(f"avoid_{belief_evil}")
return desires
def theorem_8(self):
"""Desires are in our control (because they follow from judgments)."""
return "judgments" in self.theorem_6()
def theorem_9(self):
"""Desiring externals is irrational."""
desires_controllable = self.theorem_8()
if desires_controllable and self.beliefs["complete_happiness_possible"]:
return "desiring externals is irrational"
return "premise failure"
def theorem_10(self):
"""Only virtue is good, only vice is evil."""
return {"good": ["virtue"], "evil": ["vice"]}
def theorem_11(self):
"""Virtue and vice are in our control."""
values = self.theorem_10()
for category in values.values():
for value in category:
if value not in self.things["in_our_control"]:
return False
return True
def theorem_12(self):
"""Things not in our control (externals) are never good or evil."""
externals = self.things["out_of_our_control"]
values = self.theorem_10()
for external in externals:
if external in values["good"] or external in values["evil"]:
return False
return True
def theorem_13(self):
"""Desiring externals is irrational as it involves false judgment."""
if self.theorem_12():
return "desiring externals involves false judgment"
return "premise failure"
def theorem_14(self):
"""Valuing only virtue leads to true judgment and immunity to unhappiness."""
if self.theorem_10()["good"] == ["virtue"] and self.theorem_11():
return "immunity to unhappiness"
return "premise failure"
def theorem_15(self):
"""True judgment that virtue is good creates desire for virtue."""
if self.beliefs["virtue_is_good"]:
return "desire for virtue"
return "no desire for virtue"
def theorem_16(self, desire, outcome):
"""Fulfilled desires yield positive feelings."""
if desire and desire == outcome:
return "positive feeling"
return "no positive feeling"
def theorem_17(self):
"""Correct judgment and will lead to appropriate positive feelings."""
if self.theorem_15() == "desire for virtue" and "virtue" in self.things["in_our_control"]:
return "appropriate positive feelings"
return "no appropriate positive feelings"
def theorem_18(self):
"""Some positive feelings don't result from judgments about value."""
return ["taste of good food", "beautiful sunset", "pleasant sound"]
def theorem_19(self):
"""Non-judgment positive feelings are not irrational."""
natural_positives = self.theorem_18()
return f"These are not irrational: {natural_positives}"
def theorem_20(self):
"""The universe is governed by Nature/Providence/God."""
return "universe is governed by providence"
def theorem_21(self):
"""That which is governed by Providence is as it should be."""
if self.theorem_20():
return "world is as it should be"
return "world may not be as it should be"
def theorem_22(self):
"""Regarding the world as it should be creates positive feelings."""
if self.theorem_21() == "world is as it should be":
return "positive feelings from world-acceptance"
return "no positive feelings from world-acceptance"
def theorem_23(self):
"""The Stoic has three sources of positive feelings."""
positive_sources = []
if self.theorem_17() == "appropriate positive feelings":
positive_sources.append("appreciation of virtue")
positive_sources.append("physical pleasures")
if self.theorem_22() == "positive feelings from world-acceptance":
positive_sources.append("appreciation of world as it is")
return positive_sources
def theorem_24(self):
"""Acts of will must have content/aims."""
return "acts of will require content"
def theorem_25(self):
"""Some things are appropriate objects to aim at though not good."""
return "appropriate aims exist"
def theorem_26(self):
"""Appropriate aims include life, health, knowledge, etc."""
return self.appropriate_aims
def theorem_27(self):
"""Virtue is rational will, vice is irrational will."""
return {"virtue": "rational will", "vice": "irrational will"}
def theorem_28(self):
"""Acts aimed at external objects of desire are not virtuous."""
externals = self.things["out_of_our_control"]
return f"Pursuing these is not virtuous: {externals}"
def theorem_29(self):
"""Virtue pursues appropriate aims, not objects of desire."""
return {
"virtuous_pursuit": self.appropriate_aims,
"results_in": "positive feelings without unhappiness risk"
}
def complete_argument(self):
"""Tie all threads together to prove complete happiness is possible."""
# First, establish that complete happiness is possible
correct_judgment = {
"virtue_is_only_good": True,
"externals_neither_good_nor_evil": True
}
if self.theorem_8() and self.theorem_11() and self.theorem_12():
self.beliefs["complete_happiness_possible"] = True
positive_feelings = []
if self.beliefs["complete_happiness_possible"]:
positive_feelings = self.theorem_23()
return {
"complete_happiness_possible": self.beliefs["complete_happiness_possible"],
"requires": "correct judgment",
"leads_to": "virtuous action",
"results_in": positive_feelings,
"conclusion": "Complete happiness is in our control through correct judgment"
}
def apply_to_life(self, situation):
"""Apply Stoic principles to a real-life situation."""
# Analyze the situation
externals = [x for x in situation if x in self.things["out_of_our_control"]]
controllables = [x for x in situation if x in self.things["in_our_control"]]
appropriate_aims = [x for x in situation if x in self.appropriate_aims]
response = {
"focus_on": controllables + appropriate_aims,
"be_indifferent_to": externals,
"recognize_as_it_should_be": externals,
"expected_outcome": "tranquility and appropriate positive feelings"
}
return response
# Demonstration
stoic = CoreStoicism()
# Test the complete argument
result = stoic.complete_argument()
print("Complete Stoic Argument:")
for key, value in result.items():
print(f"{key}: {value}")
# Apply to a life situation
print("\nApplying Stoicism to life situation:")
situation = ["wealth", "health", "beliefs", "will", "knowledge"]
application = stoic.apply_to_life(situation)
for key, value in application.items():
print(f"{key}: {value}")
```
## Possible Uses for This Code:
1. **Personal Development Application**:
- Build a Stoic mindset training app that helps users identify what's in their control vs. what isn't
- Create daily exercises to practice Stoic principles in real-life situations
- Develop a journaling system that applies Stoic analysis to personal experiences
2. **Decision-Making Framework**:
- Use as a structured approach to evaluate decisions based on Stoic principles
- Implement as part of a larger decision support system that helps identify "appropriate aims" vs. externals
- Create a tool for ethical reasoning that distinguishes between virtue and non-virtue based decisions
3. **Educational Tool**:
- Serve as an interactive lesson for philosophy students to understand Stoic reasoning
- Build a simulator that shows consequences of different judgments and desires
- Create visualizations of the logical structure of Stoic philosophy
4. **Therapeutic Application**:
- Support cognitive behavioral therapy approaches that align with Stoic principles
- Help people reframe anxieties and frustrations by identifying what's in/out of their control
- Provide structured exercises for developing emotional resilience
5. **Research Platform**:
- Allow formal testing of Stoic philosophical claims
- Extend to compare with othe philosophical systems (Epicureanism, Buddhism, etc.)
- Create simulated agents that follow Stoic principles to observe emergent behaviors
6. **Daily Practice Guide**:
- Generate Stoic meditations and reflections tailored to specific situations
- Create a system for tracking progress in aligning desires with Stoic principles
- Build a recommendation engine for Stoic practices based on personal challenges
This code could be expanded with a user interface, more robust situation analysis, and practical exercises to make it a truly useful tool for applying Stoic philosophy to modern life.