THE FIVE-STEP METHOD APPLIED TO THE TWO DISCIPLINES
THE FIVE-STEP METHOD APPLIED TO THE TWO DISCIPLINES
Integrated with Core Stoicism
DISCIPLINE OF DESIRE
Applying the Five Steps to Value Impressions
STEP 1: RECEPTION - The Value Impression Arrives
An impression appears claiming something external is good or evil.
Example: "Someone intruded on my office - this is very bad!"
By Th 7, desires are caused by beliefs about good and evil. The impression arrives already containing the complete judgment: intrusion is evil (value judgment), intrusion occurred (factual judgment), therefore evil has occurred to me.
This is the origin point of desire. Before any emotional response, the impression has already made its judgment about good and evil. By Th 7, this judgment will generate corresponding desire if you assent to it.
The impression carries implicit correspondence claims. It claims to match reality—both factual reality (an event occurred) and moral reality (the event was evil). By Th 10, only virtue is actually good and only vice is actually evil. But the impression claims an external event possesses evil quality.
STEP 2: RECOGNITION - Separate Event from Value Judgment
You recognize that the impression conflates three ontologically distinct things: the external event (intrusion), the impression (mental representation making claims), and prohairesis (you - the rational faculty to which the impression appears).
This separation operationalizes Th 6: the only things in your control are your beliefs and will. The external event is not in your control. But the impression is not the external event—it is a representation. Your response to that representation (assent or refusal) is entirely in your control.
Recognition reveals that the impression "I have been harmed" is already the judgment referenced in Th 7. It is not pre-judgmental experience awaiting evaluation. It has already judged that harm (evil) exists in the external event. Seeing this is seeing the judgment-structure that will generate desire if accepted.
By recognizing the impression as representation rather than reality, you create the logical space required for Th 12 to apply: things not in your control (externals) are never good or evil. The external event cannot be evil. Only the impression claims it is. Recognition separates the claim from what is claimed.
STEP 3: PAUSE - Suspend the Automatic Value Judgment
The impression presses toward assent. By Th 7, if you judge something evil, you desire to avoid it. The impression "I am harmed" carries the judgment "evil has occurred," which will generate defensive or retaliatory desire if assented to.
The pause suspends this automatic movement. By Th 8, desires are in your control because desires are caused by judgments (Th 7) and judgments are in your control (Th 6). The pause is Th 8 becoming experientially real.
By Th 3, all unhappiness is caused by having a desire for some outcome and that outcome not resulting. By Th 4, if you desire something out of your control, you become subject to possible unhappiness. The pause interrupts the chain: impression → automatic assent → judgment of evil → desire for external outcome → vulnerability to unhappiness.
The pause demonstrates that assent is genuinely in your control. By Th 6, beliefs are in your control. But this remains abstract until the pause makes it concrete. The impression can arrive with force, but assent—the rational endorsement of the impression's claim—can be withheld.
This suspension is required for Th 2 to be achievable: if you want happiness, it would be irrational to accept incomplete happiness if you could get complete happiness. By Th 5, desiring things out of your control is irrational (if it is possible to control your desires). The pause is where you exercise that control, making complete happiness possible.
STEP 4: EXAMINATION - Test Against the Foundational Structure
The suspended impression now faces rational testing. By Th 10, the only thing actually good is virtue, the only thing actually evil is vice. The impression claims "I am harmed"—that evil has occurred through an external event.
Examination applies the foundational structure. By Th 11, since virtue and vice are types of acts of will, they are in your control. By Th 12, things not in your control (externals) are never good or evil. The intrusion is an external event. By Th 12, it cannot be evil.
The examination tests correspondence: Does the impression's claim match reality as defined by Th 10-12? The impression says: "External event is evil (has harmed me)." Reality as structured by Stoic axioms says: "Only vice is evil, externals are indifferent." The claims do not match.
By Th 13, desiring things out of your control is irrational since it involves false judgment. Examination reveals the false judgment. The impression judges the external to be evil. This judgment is false by Th 10-12. Therefore assenting to it would be irrational by Th 13.
Examination implements Th 14: if you value only virtue, you will both judge truly and be immune to all unhappiness. The examination is the mechanism of true judgment—testing impressions against the standard of what is actually good and evil (virtue and vice alone).
STEP 5: DECISION - Refuse False Value, Desire Only Virtue
Examination has revealed the impression is false. Now comes the choice: assent to truth or assent to falsehood. By Th 6, this choice is in your control. By Th 15, if you truly judge that virtue is good, you will desire it.
The decision to refuse false assent is itself virtuous. By Th 13, assenting to the claim that externals are evil is irrational. Therefore refusing this false claim is rational—which means virtuous.
You refuse to desire the external outcome (that intrusion didn't happen). By Th 14, you value only virtue. You choose correct judgment (virtue) over the emotional satisfaction that would require judging the external as evil.
By Th 16, if you desire something and achieve it, you will get a positive feeling. You desire virtue (correct judgment). The decision to refuse false assent and maintain true judgment achieves this virtue. By Th 17, if you correctly judge and correctly will, you will have appropriate positive feelings as a result.
By Th 3, all unhappiness is caused by desiring some outcome and that outcome not resulting. The decision refuses to desire the external outcome that did not occur. You desired only virtue (true judgment), which you achieved. By Th 4-5, you have eliminated the possibility of unhappiness by not desiring what is out of your control.
The decision completes the proof of Th 2*: complete happiness is possible. The external event occurred. You experience no unhappiness because you valued only virtue (Th 14), which you achieved through correct judgment. Your happiness is uninterrupted by external circumstances because you desired nothing external.
DISCIPLINE OF ACTION
Applying the Five Steps to Action Impressions
STEP 1: RECEPTION - The Action Impression Arrives
A second impression now appears, suggesting a course of action.
Example: "I should go find out who has been in my office and confront them angrily."
This impression arises AFTER the value impression. It may arise WHETHER OR NOT you refused the value impression. Even if you failed to refuse "intrusion is bad," you can still refuse inappropriate action.
By Th 24, in order to perform an act of will, the act must have some content. The content is the result at which you aim. This impression proposes both the content (confront) and claims it is appropriate.
The impression claims this action is what you SHOULD do. It presents angry confrontation as the appropriate response. This is a moral claim about what action is fitting.
STEP 2: RECOGNITION - Separate Action-Claim from Reality
You recognize this is an impression making a CLAIM about what action is appropriate. It is not self-evidently true. The impression suggests "angry confrontation is appropriate," but this is a proposition requiring examination.
By Th 6, your beliefs and will are in your control. This includes your beliefs about what actions are appropriate. The impression proposes an action, but you can examine whether it's actually appropriate before acting.
Recognition creates the space between impulse and action. The impression pushes toward immediate action, but you can hold it as an object for examination rather than immediately enacting it.
STEP 3: PAUSE - Suspend the Action Impulse
The impression presses toward action. The impulse is to "stalk angrily down the hall." The pause suspends this.
By Th 27, virtue consists of rational acts of will, vice of irrational acts of will. The pause is where you can test whether this proposed action is rational or irrational BEFORE executing it.
The pause demonstrates that action is in your control. Even if desire arose (from failing to refuse the value impression), action does not automatically follow. You can desire revenge but refuse to act on it.
STEP 4: EXAMINATION - Test Against Standards of Appropriate Action
The suspended action-impression now faces testing. By Th 25-26, some things are appropriate objects at which to aim, though they are not genuinely good (life, health, respectful treatment of your office space).
The examination distinguishes: Is investigating what happened an APPROPRIATE object to pursue? Possibly yes. Is ANGRY CONFRONTATION the appropriate means? No.
By Th 28, any act that aims at an external object of desire is not virtuous, since all desires for externals are irrational. The proposed action (angry confrontation) aims at an external outcome: getting revenge, making them feel bad, preventing future intrusions. These are all external outcomes, not genuinely good by Th 10.
By Th 29, virtue consists of pursuing appropriate objects without desiring the external outcomes themselves. You can appropriately seek to understand what happened (appropriate object) without desiring that they be punished or that you feel vindicated (external outcomes).
The test: Is this action RATIONAL?
- Angry confrontation is driven by judging intrusion as evil (false by Th 10-12)
- It aims at external outcomes (punishment, preventing future intrusions)
- It is not rationally calculated to achieve appropriate aims
- Therefore: IRRATIONAL by Th 27
STEP 5: DECISION - Refuse Inappropriate Action, Choose Virtue
Examination has revealed the proposed action is inappropriate. By Th 27, irrational acts of will are vice. Therefore refusing this act is refusing vice.
The decision refuses to act on the external desire (revenge, vindication). By Th 28, you will not aim at external objects of desire.
Instead, you formulate appropriate action: "I will calmly investigate what happened. I will ask if someone needed to use my office. I will secure my office if this is a problem."
This action pursues appropriate objects (understanding, security) by Th 26, but does not desire the external outcome as genuinely good. By Th 29, this is virtuous action: pursuing appropriate objects without desiring external outcomes.
You desire only to act rationally in this situation—to perform the appropriate act of will. This is desiring virtue (Th 15). Whether or not you succeed in preventing future intrusions (external outcome), you have succeeded in acting appropriately (internal outcome).
By Th 16-17, you experience appropriate positive feelings from achieving what you desired (virtuous action), regardless of external results.
By Th 28-29, you have acted virtuously: your act aimed at an appropriate object (investigation) but did not aim at the external outcome (prevention) as if it were genuinely good. Your happiness does not depend on whether future intrusions are prevented, only on whether you acted appropriately—which you did.
THE COMPLETE SEQUENCE
FIRST IMPRESSION - VALUE (Discipline of Desire):
STEP 1: "Someone intruded - this is BAD!"
STEP 2: Recognize this is a value-claim about an external
STEP 3: Pause before assenting
STEP 4: Examine - Is intrusion in my control? No. Therefore not evil (Th 12)
STEP 5: REFUSE false value. Desire only virtue (correct judgment)
RESULT: No desire that intrusion didn't happen. No emotion (anger/fear). Complete happiness maintained (Th 2*).
SECOND IMPRESSION - ACTION (Discipline of Action):
STEP 1: "I should angrily confront whoever did this!"
STEP 2: Recognize this is an action-claim requiring examination
STEP 3: Pause before acting
STEP 4: Examine - Is angry confrontation rational/appropriate? No (aims at external desire, driven by false value)
STEP 5: REFUSE inappropriate action. Choose calm investigation (appropriate means to appropriate object)
RESULT: Virtuous action regardless of outcome. Appropriate positive feeling from acting well (Th 17). Happiness maintained.
THE SAFETY NET
Even if you FAIL the Discipline of Desire:
- You assent to "intrusion is bad"
- Desire arises: "I wish this didn't happen"
- Emotion arises: Anger
You can STILL SUCCEED at Discipline of Action:
- Action impression: "Confront angrily"
- Apply Five Steps to THIS impression
- Refuse inappropriate action
- Choose appropriate action
By refusing to act viciously, you limit the harm of the false value judgment. You don't compound the error with vicious action.
This is Sterling's (b): "If we fail 'a' [refusing false values], don't assent to subsequent impressions that depict immoral responses as being appropriate."
THE INTEGRATION
The Five-Step Method implements the complete logical structure:
DISCIPLINE OF DESIRE (Section 2: Th 10-17):
- Tests value-claims against "only virtue/vice are good/evil"
- Refuses desires for externals as if they were truly good
- Desires only virtue (correct judgment)
- Results in immunity to unhappiness (Th 14)
DISCIPLINE OF ACTION (Section 4: Th 25-29):
- Tests action-claims against standards of appropriate action
- Refuses acts aiming at external objects of desire
- Pursues appropriate objects without desiring external outcomes
- Results in virtuous action and appropriate positive feelings (Th 17)
Both disciplines use the same Five-Step Method applied to different types of impressions:
- DOD: Value impressions claiming externals are good/evil
- DOA: Action impressions claiming certain responses are appropriate
Both prove Th 2*: Complete happiness is possible and in your control through correct use of impressions.
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