Prohairesis

What is Prohairesis?

A few years ago, I found myself doom-scrolling philosophy, reading up on Epictetus, when I saw a quote to use for a friend’s wedding I was officiating: “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 up more time 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 influential to the conjecture.

‘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, is the individual’s core. We form prohairesis by habituation and our ability to make choices. For some Stoics, it was of 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 achieve. It takes much work to grow into what is considered good prohairesis or what others may associate with our higher self. Prohairesis provides logic to think these matters through and allows us to build on ethics. 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. The four virtues of Stoicism are wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice, which is why prohairesis was such a prominent concept for Stoic philosophers.

Project Prohairesis aims to show the individual how to open themselves up to see the world as it is and help them develop themselves—filtering these stories and ideas for their interpretation to understand their life needs. 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 that are duplicated around the globe.