What is Prohairesis?

A few years ago, I found myself doom-scrolling through philosophy, reading up on Epictetus, when I came across a quote: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” This research took me to more places than I had hoped and took longer than I expected, but it served its purpose and opened my mind to new ideas that helped shape this endeavor. Prohairesis (Pro-aye-rey-sus) is a concept in Stoic philosophy. Aristotle introduced the term, and Epictetus contributed very influentially to the concept.

‘Moral purpose compels moral purpose.’ ‘The faculty of choice compels the faculty of choice.’

Prohairesis is within us. It encompasses our aversions, desires, judgments, and choices, which, to the Stoics, are the individual’s core. We form prohairesis by habituation and our ability to make choices. For some Stoics, it was a divine faculty and was a piece of the divine within human nature. The makeup of our prohairesis depends on how we choose to live; it may be good or bad, but we always have the choice to change its course, which is not dictated by anyone else. The goal is always to develop our prohairesis and bring it into harmony and accordance with nature. Developing prohairesis is a long and challenging process. For many, it will take a lifetime to bury vices and achieve virtue. It takes considerable work to develop what could be considered ‘good’ prohairesis. The function of prohairesis provides logic and allows us to build on our own personal principles. We can conquer society’s irrational thoughts, rationalize our judgments and choices, and restructure our aversions and desires—rational choice or will, the ability to choose the right action even in the face of adversity.

I do not claim to be a scholar in this field; this is a passion that has derived from personal growth, and this project is merely my interpretation of what prohairesis would look like if practiced in the modern world. Project Prohairesis aims to show the individual how to open themselves up to see the world as it is and help them develop, filtering these stories and ideas through their own interpretation to understand what their life may need. It is not to tell the individual how to live but to be a beacon of self-discovery. My mission is simple: to show others how to find importance within themselves through the selfless acts of those with good prohairesis, which are duplicated around the globe.