"Know Thyself" objectivism vs "I am a 10" unconditional positive self-regard

Aristotle vs Plato.

Everything philosophically comes down to Aristotle vs Plato, especially personal growth.

Plato gave us the cave and the perfect Forms: the ideal versions of things that exist in a higher realm, of which our ordinary lives are only imperfect shadows. Aristotle rejected that separate realm. He was the empiricist, the realist who insisted we start with what is actually in front of us.In our own development we face the same choice. We can take the Aristotelian path: clear-eyed, empirical, sometimes hard on ourselves, working with the person we actually are. Or we can lean Platonic and reach for the perfect version of ourselves that seems to exist somewhere beyond our current reality.

Neither is universally right. People have different tolerances for unvarnished truth. Some need the bracing realism of Aristotle. Others need the aspirational fire of Plato. That is why I distrust one-size-fits-all personal growth systems. You have to experiment. You have to stay relentlessly curious until you find the philosophy that actually fits your particular mind, body, and spirit.

In this interview, a throwdown between Aristotelian and Platonic philosophy of personal growth, with Steve Barton, a Gestalt psychology-trained High-Performance Executive Coach, and he’s the author of The Father, the Son, and the Aha Moment--which I read as I’m a new-ish dad.

I read Steve’s book, which is really about mindset, and while it has some good insights, I really disagreed with a few of its fundamental suppositions. It’s a bit too Platonic for my tastes, but I invited Steve on the podcast for a bit of friendly disagreement.

Mentioned in this interview

Infographic: The Game of Ten® vs Game Often Played

I reveal all the sordid details of our digital betrayal trauma episode and how I rebuilt trust: I forgot what D’Artagnan taught me and got my dick BURNED by a LASER and How to Stay Loyal to Your Woman - 6 steps to resilient sexual-spiritual risk mitigation

My experiences with psychopaths: I Did Business With Insane People and Live Fast. Die Young

Dissection of an epically toxic relationship: Red pills on relationships with Stephen Paul Edwards, author of “Venus Fly Trap”

Adult ADHD Cured! The Four Pillars of Maintaining Focus, Motivation, and Memory

Fear is fossil--Biohack it

Rhodiola - the King of adaptogens

Mindfulness practice: meditation or brain training with Dual N-Back

Books

Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend

A Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson

Self-Discovery Questionnaire: Are you “off 10?”

My conversation with Steve inspired this song about philosophy and personal growth...

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