Practical Philosophy

Ataraxist Practical Philosophy / Wellness

Ataraxist practical philosophy or praxis is based on insights that have been inspired by modern psychology and psychotherapy (chielfy Albert Ellis’ REBT), and various philosophical schools of thought—primarily, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Buddhism.

Ataraxist Practice

To practice a philosophy of life one ought to do more than just learn about the philosophy—it is necessary that one also incorporate the insight and values of the philosophy into their daily life—that is, to develop a practical philosophy based on one’s philosophy of life. One way to do this is through the recitation and memorization of vows. The following Ataraxist vows draw upon our core principles and ethical commitments in order to create a practical guide for living.

The Ataraxist Vows (PEACE)

Phronesis (practical wisdom): I vow to develop and live by practical wisdom.

Phronesis is the ancient Greek term for practical wisdom. The Ataraxist view of practical wisdom can be described as mindful rationality (more on this below). Mindful rationality is a multi-faceted concept that entails the development of various skills, such as: developing greater awareness and attention (learning to be less distracted by extraneous or tangential thoughts); decreasing identification with automatic thoughts and emotions and decreasing automatic reactivity to automatic thoughts and emotions; and developing greater present focus. Importantly, Ataraxist practical wisdom involves the following concepts, which allow us to develop an increased ability to critically evaluate our thinking, as well as greater clarity and adherence to our ethical views

Engage in Rational Thinking: I vow to use my capacity for rational thought as a guide in investigating the world and in critically examining my own thinking.

Our understanding of the world is most reliable when we have formed our views through applying reason and logical analysis to the best available evidence. Subjecting our views to critical discourse and critical thought allows us to use the dialectical process to move further toward reliability and balance or moderation. Following from this principle, we reject speculative metaphysics and ground our metaphysical views in the general consensus of science. In more specific epistemological terms, our view might be best described as a form of evidentialist reliabilism.

We are in agreement with the Stoic / REBT view that a great deal of our psychological suffering and strife is caused by irrational or self-defeating thinking, and that we can achieve mental wellness through disputing these ways of thinking and replacing them with hepful / rational ways of thinking.

Acceptance: I vow to develop and practice unconditional acceptance.

The Ataraxist view of acceptance is derived from the concept of unconditional acceptance used in rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Unconditional self-acceptance (USA) and unconditional other acceptance (UOA) means accepting oneself and others as flawed and fallible, but deserving of respect, love and kindness; unconditional life acceptance (ULA) means accepting that life is complicated, messy, and imperfect.

In life there are things which we can influence and things which we cannot. By fostering a mindset of acceptance toward the unchangeable we learn to direct our attention toward constructively engaging with what can be influenced. By doing so we are able to turn emotional thinking (automatic thinking that is based on our emotions) responses like anxiety and fear into rational responses like caution or preparation. Directing our attention away from that which is outside our control and toward what is rational and actionable fosters equanimity.

Unconditional acceptance does not mean that we have to like or agree with the way things are, rather it means that we understand that there are many things which we cannot change or cannot currently change. Unconditional acceptance ensures that our expectations conform with reality, and it keeps us present-focused (since we cannot change the past and we can only influence the future to varying degrees). Unconditional acceptance also allows us to be more understanding—and therefore more compassionate and forgiving (see Compassion below).

Compassion: I vow to cultivate unconditional compassion and to stand in unconditional solidarity with all sentient beings.

All sentient beings essentially want the same things—to live as long as they find life worth living, to avoid intense involuntary suffering, to pursue their vision of happiness, and to be free from unjust constraint on their activity. Ataraxism holds that all sentient beings are deserving of compassion, kind treatment, and respect—regardless of how different they appear from ourselves, or how much we may disagree with their beliefs or actions. Ataraxists regard the basic needs and desires (see the sentiocentric principle #2) of others as being just as important as their own. Entailed in the statement “…all sentient beings” above is the the commitment to extend this same unconditional compassion toward ourselves—which entails self-respect, self-kindness, and learning from our mistakes or failures, rather than shaming or guilt-tripping ourselves for them.

Ethical Commitment: I vow to act according to the commitments of Ataraxist ethics, to the best of my ability. I vow to live courageously and authentically (in accordance with my well-thought-out beliefs and values).

The SLOW Technique to Develop Mindful Rationality

Mindfulness can be summarized as a type of awareness (or meta-awareness) and attention that allows us to think and act intentionally, rather than automatically.

Mindfulness helps us to:

  • Regulate our nervous system.
  • Stop identifying with our emotions and automatic thoughts, to see emotions and automatic thoughts as transient events in the mind that do not accurately reflect the self or reality.
  • Reduce impulsive reactivity to emotions and automatic thoughts.
  • Engage in metacognition—thinking about our thinking—to support more critical and deliberate reflection and action.

  • Act with clear intention, according to our beliefs, values, and goals.

The following acronym provides a simple way to learn and remember the core aspects of mindfulness and mindful rationality.

  • S — Slow Down / Signal: When you feel stressed, emotional, or overwhelmed, take time to slow down, pause, and reflect. Resist the urge to act impulsively or to judge yourself for how you’re feeling. Use distressing or potentially harmful emotions and ways of thinking as a signal to wake up and get off of autopilot.
  • L — Let Go: Take a deep breath and let go of tension in your body. Breathe in deeply through your nose for 4 seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 seconds; repeat this. Notice the tension in your body and how breathing deeply can help relieve it. Keep breathing this way until you feel relaxed and calm.

  • O — Observe: Take note of your thoughts, urges, emotions, and other feelings or bodily sensations without acting on them and without. First, simply observe your mental contents without judgement and label everything that is there. Second, introspect on the causes of these things to develop insight.

  • W — Wise Response: Use your wisdom — your values, goals, your practical principles for living, and your capacity for rational thought as a guide to plan your action.

SLOW Technique — Additional Info

Notes on S:

By slowing down, we are getting off of “autopilot”—that is, our automatic manner of doing things without thinking carefully first. In psychological jargon, when we slow down, we are “reducing reactivity” (automatic emotional and behavioral reactions) to internal and external events.

Notes on L:

By using deep breathing, or an alternative grounding or stress management technique (see Stress Management and Grounding Techniques document), we are helping our bodies to relax and get out of automatic physiological states, like fight-or-flight-or-freeze mode. This helps the part of our brain that is capable of rational thought to engage.

Notes on O:

When observing your thoughts, urges, emotions, and other feelings/bodily sensations try to do this like a dispassionate scientific observer would. Simply take note of what is there without evaluating or judging what you find. For example, instead of saying “I am angry,” and then judging yourself for feeling anger, simply note “There is a feeling of anger.” In psychological jargon, by observing our thought processes, feelings, etc., we are creating metaphorical distance from our thoughts, emotions, urges, sensations. Secondly, we are developing the capacity for meta-awareness (awareness of layers of experience and the process involved, rather than just awareness of having experience); and we are learning to engage in meta-cognition (that is, to think about our thinking).

Notes on W:

Wisdom involves many aspects, but at its core, it means staying grounded in your values, long-term goals, and the use of reason. These guiding commitments can help prevent thinking errors that lead to irrational behavior or unhelpful emotional states. The mnemonic VaLoR—Values, Long-term goals, and Reason—and the PEACE mnemonic above may be useful for remembering these commitments. Trusting in the path that these commitments set you on is key.

When thinking rationally about how to proceed, consider the thoughts and feelings you took note of in the O step above. Remember the phrase: “Don’t believe everything you think, don’t trust everything you feel.” Just because you are thinking something doesn’t mean it is true; just because you are feeling a certain way doesn’t mean you have to act on that feeling or believe what it is telling you. Our initial perceptions and our automatic thoughts or feelings are not always accurate, rational, or helpful. Think about whether you have good reasons or evidence to support your beliefs; think about why you are feeling the way you feel and if you are rationally justified in feeling the way you feel.

By thinking rationally, we are overriding our purely automatic and emotional way of thinking and acting. It is important to note that our goal is not to suppress emotion but to allow reason to investigate our emotions and determine whether we want to follow our emotional impulses or challenge them.

Lastly, focus on what you can control, and let go of what you cannot control. Entailed in the concept of focusing on what we can control is being “present-focused”. We cannot change the past and we usually cannot reliably predict the future. When we focus on the present, we get out of ruminating on the past and worrying about the future. There is no sense worrying about things we cannot change, and focusing on what we can actually do something about allows us to transform unhelpful emotional states like fear or panic into practical actions, such as preparation or caution.

Other examples of transforming unhelpful emotional states into helpful action:

Anger –> assertive communication; working for change; defensive action

Hatred –> unconditional acceptance

Lust (engaging in, or having an urge to engage in sexual acts which contradict our values) –> evaluation of the appropriateness of our desire based on our values; redirection of our desire to non-harmful outlets.

Sadness –> gratitude; focus on our sense of purpose or our ethical commitments

One final note:

Practice this technique in low-stakes situations and when you are not very emotionally dysregulated. To use the analogy of a video game, you wouldn’t want to start on one of the final bosses—you would want to practice with easier opponents first. Similarly, in life, we don’t want to try using these techniques only when we need them in our most difficult moments. If you try to use these techniques without practicing in less intense situations you are likely to fail. So, use the SLOW technique when you can for minor annoyances and frustrations (e.g., waiting in line at the store, dealing with unwanted phone calls, etc.), that way you will be prepared for when you are in a really difficult situation.

Ataraxist daily practice

As with any life philosophy, implementing the core teachings and developing positive changes in one’s life takes patience and dedication. We encourage those interested in Ataraxism to contact us to get involved in the community, and to read (or recite if you choose) the Ataraxist Ethical Vows every day. You may choose to do this at a regular time if it helps you to be consistent in your practice. You may also choose to read or recite the Ataraxist Vows anytime you become distressed, as this may help you ground yourself and regulate your emotion.

As you read or recite these vows, give thought to how you might better implement each vow into your life. Reflect on how you might do better at living according to these vows. Use a journal if you find this helpful.

Daily introspection and practical mindfulness are some of the best ways we can improve our daily lives. These practices help us to develop decentered awareness (objective detachment), which will allow us to gain insight into our problematic emotions, beliefs, thoughts or desires. Our insight into these phenomena will allow us to spot destructive tendencies and challenge any underlying beliefs or thought processes that may be erroneous or self-defeating. Mindfulness also allows us to stop reacting automatically to our thoughts and emotions, and to stop identifying with negative thoughts and emotions.