수요일 2026년1월14일	-	Providence

Discourses 1.6.1:

	From everything that comes about in the universe one may
	easily find cause to praise providence if one possesses
	these two qualities, the capacity to view each particular
	event in relation to the whole and a sense of gratitude.
	
Epictetus proceeds to offer the teleological argument for a providential
universe and a stoic theodicy arguing that we could not be good or
exercise the goodness that would come from it without opportunities that
suffering provide.

And yet, despite my inability to believe this, I don't think there is
anything wrong with his recommendation of attempting to understand each
event in relation to the whole or a sense of gratitude. I just don't
think it will lead to the conclusion that Epictetus advocates. Of course,
this immediately prompts me to wonder about my own open-mindedness to
these arguments and the truth.

But I have been here before, questioning myself and wondering whether I
am preventing myself from comprehending the truth. The conclusion I came
to is that I can only try my best, and that expecting more only leads to
neurosis and unattainable epistemic standards. So, I'll continue to just
do what I can to understand the world around me and accept that this
knowledge is incomplete and should be open to future revision, which is
just the scientific method, so I probably don't deserve a lot of credit
there.