Today we read this in Seneca: "However, that I may not draw you into digressions, I will pass over the opinions of other philosophers, because it would take a long time to state and confute them all: take ours. When, however, I say "ours", I do not bind myself to any one of the chiefs of the Stoic school, for I too have a right to form my own opinion."
This is the balance we must seek as we learn. Especially when we learn philosophy. In some areas, like math, there is very little that we need to refute or reject as we learn the discipline. In literature, you can reject MANY things without worrying about rejecting the truth, since most work in literature is subjective and one form works as well as another, as in many arts like painting or music. But in areas like philosophy, it's important to walk the balance between learning the thoughts of other men on one hand, and forming our OWN thoughts and opinions on the subject on the other hand.
So let's take Seneca's advice behind his advice, and learn to form our own thoughts confidently while still opening our minds to the wisdom of other people. Kind of like we're doing - right now.
See you tomorrow!
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