The habit of ethics

"LEARNING NEW HABITS Neuroscientists have a word for this remarkable ability of the human brain to change itself: "plasticity." The ancient Greek and Roman philosophers were early champions of plasticity. In the words of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus: "there is nothing more tractable than the human psyche." 14 They understood, as we are beginning to understand, how much of our moral character is made up of malleable habits: indeed, the word "ethics" comes from the Greek word ethos, meaning "habit." Contemporary psychologists like Daniel Kahneman suggest we have "dual processor" brains, with one thinking system that is mainly automatic and habit-based, and another thinking system capable of more conscious and rational reflection. The conscious-reflective system is slower and more energy-intensive than the automatic system, so we use it a lot less. If philosophy is going to change us, it needs to work with both systems. And that was what ancient Greek philosophy did. It involved a two-fold process: first make the habitual conscious, then make the conscious habitual. First, we bring our automatic beliefs into consciousness through Socratic examination to decide if they are rational. Then we take our new philosophical insights and repeat them until they become new automatic habits. Philosophy is not merely a process of abstract reflection, but a practice. "We acquire the virtues by practice," Aristotle wrote. We cannot "take refuge in theory, like patients that listen attentively to their doctors but do none of the things they are told to do." 15 Philosophy is a training, a set of daily mental and physical exercises that become easier with practice. Greek philosophers often used the metaphor of gymnastics: just as we strengthen our muscles by repeated practice, so we strengthen our "moral muscles" through repeated practice of certain exercises. After enough training, we naturally feel the right emotion in the right situation, and do the right thing. Our philosophy becomes "second nature" and we achieve what the Stoics call "a good flow of life." 16 This is not an easy process. It takes a lot of energy and courage to change our automatic habits of thinking and feeling, and it also requires humility: no one likes to admit their way of seeing the world might be wrong. We cling to our beliefs, even when they drown us."

— Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Ancient Philosophy for Modern Problems by Jules Evans