Breakfast With Socrates

Breakfast With Socrates takes you through an ordinary day in the company of extraordinary minds, by linking each part of it to the core message of one of several great philosophers throughout history, such as Descartes, Nietzsche, Marx, and even Buddha.

Like most people I used to think philosophy is just for dreamers and primarily concerned with giving yourself a headache from thinking too much. Man, was I wrong.

In the past two months I’ve learned a lot about it from books and I’ve realized that it’s probably the most practical discipline of all. Philosophy isn’t just asking “What’s the meaning of life?” or “Is God real?” – it’s just as much about answering “Should I buy these Cheerios because they’re on sale?” and “Would it be better to walk to work?”

Philosophia in its original, Greek meaning translates to “love of wisdom” and that’s all philosophy is. Wise people can look at the world and see it as it truly is – objective, rational, undistorted – and can therefore accurately reflect on what’s going on. This allows them to make better decisions by asking the right questions.

Yes, asking big questions is also part of the deal, but just some of the time, not all of the time. Philosophy is the practice of thinking critically in your everyday life so you can navigate the world in the best way possible.

I’d ask you if you have a morning routine or not, but in fact, we all do. Lack of a morning routine is a routine in its own way – you either have a process, or you don’t, but chances are if you don’t it’s still the same cycle every morning (like waking up too late, brushing your teeth in a rush, throwing on the first outfit you find and running out the door). Note: One of the best-feeling and most useful morning routines I found last year is The Miracle Morning. I explain it step-by-step here. Which end of the spectrum you fall on depends on the outcome of a battle that takes place in your mind every morning. The battle of the egos. Sigmund Freud defined two opposing forces in our minds in the early 20th century and labeled them the ego and the superego. The ego is your lizard brain, it just wants to live comfortably, without stress or surprises. The superego then comes in and tells you to do what society expects of you. Naturally, these two tendencies clash, and whoever wins defines the progression of your morning. When you stop hitting snooze and climb out of bed, that’s a superego win. When you’re at the breakfast table with plenty of time to spare, that’s…