Ross Channing Reed, Missouri University of Science and Technology - Why the Greek Virtue of Sophrosyne Matters for Us Today

What is the Greek virtue of sophrosyne and why is it important today?

Ross Channing Reed, assistant teaching professor of philosophy at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, tells us.

Faculty Bio:

Ross Channing Reed was an early practitioner of philosophical counseling in the United States, applying philosophical concepts in inpatient and outpatient mental health settings in the 1980s and 1990s. He has been in private practice since 1998. He is certified in philosophical counseling by the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy with a specialization in existentialism and phenomenology from Loyola University Chicago. His areas of research include existentialism, ethics, philosophical psychology and philosophical counseling, philosophy of religion, addiction and trauma. Dr. Reed is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and conference presentations, as well as The Liberating Art of Philosophy, Mindscapes, and Precarity, Trauma, Addiction, and Love in Philosophical Counseling. He teaches philosophy at Missouri University of Science and Technology. For more information see ORCHID 0009-0007-2140-277X and rosschanningreed.substack.com.

Transcript:

Texting while driving. Bullying others on social media. Buying into the latest conspiracy theory. Passing off AI generated work as your own.This might seem like a random list of 21st-century vices. But I’d argue they’re all examples of the loss of one particular ancient Greek virtue: sophrosyne. For the Greeks, sophrosyne was an intellectual and moral virtue key to self-knowledge, wisdom, and the good life, representing excellence of character, moderation, and self-control. Sophrosyne was connected to phronesis—practical wisdom. Sophrosyne stood in marked contrast with hubris—excessive pride, dangerous overconfidence, and lack of self-insight. As a philosopher and philosophical counselor, my research centers on the intersection of virtue and happiness. I’ve noticed a pronounced connection between sophrosyne and happiness. Evidence indicates that sophrosyne is a requirement for human flourishing.Sophrosyne is not inborn but must be learned through sustained guidance and individual initiative. Aristotle, for example, maintains that you develop sophrosyne like you would learn to play a sport or a musical instrument.The loss of sophrosyne has led to an increase in incivility, a diminished attention span and ability to focus, and is associated with screen addict