Customer Reviews

Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior (Hoover Essays)

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I understand that the reviews are all over the place, you need to know what you are getting. If you are looking for an essay of surviving in the world of Epictetus this is IT, as I was looking for more reading by Stockdale, I was really moved by the "Thoughts of a philosophical fighter pilot" (in which you will find this essay as a chapter). If the essay is all you need to study, go for it, for a little more money go for the "Thoughts..."

This essay is a short, clear introduction to the philosophy of stoicism. It is proof that the ideals of the philosophy can be of real use outside the classroom. It is also an awe inspiring example leadership, patriotism, loyalty, and honour.

as the previous reviewer states, but rather an essay. I mention that just to let you the would be buyer know, that you are getting a 21 page essay in a pamphlet format. It would have made a great book, and a great story. That is what I thougt I was buying. As for the essay itself; having read the sample pages, I was hoping for insights into how he used the philosphies of Epictetus to handle the events of his imprisonment. He does this only in a general sense.

it gives an approach to the war that is not normally available in the words of a ranking officer that lived through the most terrible of experiences.

In 1965, James Bond Stockdale was shot out of the air over North Vietnam, and spent the next 7 years imprisoned. As the most senior officer, he was the focus for brutal interrogations. Through sheer resolve, he managed to not only survive the most horrific conditions imaginable, but walked out better for the experience.

The rather short but informative essay is about how Stockdale, as a Naval Officer at the age of 38, decided to ltake a chance on learning philosophy while in graduate school at Stanford and discovered the Stoic school of philosophy and most namely, Epictetus.

Epictetus believed that external events were beyond our control and thus there was no reason to worry about the things we couldn't control. He believed that people were responsible for their own reactions, and that you could control them through self-discipline. It's a simple enough philosophy, but Stockdale used this to his advantage. After he was shot out of the air, he couldn't control the beatings, but he could control his mental state and serve as an example to fellow POWs.

Philosophy sometimes struggles for practical applications, but reading this essay will make you believe that words written nearly 2000 years ago still hold relevance, and saved lives. The essay also gives you an understanding of Stockdale the man, who was an amazing officer even before the events that led to becoming a POW. Stockdale's list of awards, including the Medal of Honor, show that he is one of our greatest military heroes. This is a well written essay, and is worth reading if you're in the military or a philosopher. I feel richer for having read this, because I got to learn more about someone I wish I could have met.

This pamphlet, published by the "Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace" at Stanford is a reprint of a speech Adm. Stockdale delivered at the Great Hall, King's College, London on Monday November 5, 1993. The pamphlet is 21 pages long.

The booklet begins with Stockade at Stanford as a middle-aged, gray-haired grad student. He bumps into professor Rhinelander, who persuades him to try studying philosophy. Stockdale gets hooked on the Stoic philosophy of Epictetus. Pages 2 - 7 are a synopsis of Epictetus' philosophy. On page 6 Stockdale says that after we returned to duty he always carried with him the Enchiridion and Discourses of Epictetus, the Memorabilia by Xenophon, the Iliad, and the Odyssey.

On page 7 he is shot down and begins discussing the interaction between Stoic teachings and life as a prisoner. I had my 12 year old boy read this pamphlet up to page 13, when it starts to get rough. On page 14 he quotes Epictetus and then relates those lessons to his practice of chanting to himself, "control fear, control guilt, control fear, control guilt," on his way to interrogation. Stockdale explains the psychological aspects of torture and describes some details of how they were tortured.

This is a moving story of how he struggled to be a leader to the rest of the prisoners, how he struggled against the torture, and how he used Stoicism to aid him in his struggles.

I am not sure how I stumbled on the writings of former POW Admiral Stockdale but am so glad I did. Having served a couple tours in Nam myself I have been a forever student of the war and this book, while out of print, should be a best seller.

Stockdale came home and served as President of a couple universities and the book is a compilation of his articles, speeches and writings on the topic of the war. I did not know he was the Commander of the planes who responded to the now infamous Gulf of Tonkin incident. He outlines his personal observations of the event and his utter shock at being sent out to bomb Vihn the next night in retaliation.

If your a student of the war this is a great read.

This is a short article by a squadron leader of the United States Navy, James Stockdale, wherein he explains his life as a POW in Vietnam and how he used the teachings of Epictetus to navigate through that crisis/period in his life (I think Epictetus won't be happy with the word crisis). James Stockdale later retired as a Vice Admiral and also ran as a Vice Presidential candiate with Ross perot. The title says, "Testing Epictetus' Doctrines in a Laboratory ..."; just so that the readers know: the word testing is used to indicate that the author followed the teachings of Epictetus under those harsh conditions and found it useful as a guide of conduct; it's not meant to indicate that some formal testing was done (In the midst of his explanations about his POW story, he has interspersed it with the philosopher's teachings at appropriate places). This article is part of a speech given at King's College, London. If it interests you, you should read Enchiridion also.