“Sometimes, the best investigative reporting and outing of the truth comes from freely given statements, and the all-too-transparent agenda of the speaker.” — Desmond Shang

Recently saw Des’s post in the comments of a certain controversial blahg, and boy, did that ring a bell

Give ‘em enough rope, and let ‘em hang themselves

What does it mean, exactly?

avocatio - Latin - to call away, diversion

virtualis - medieval Latin - being so in essence or effect, although not formally or actually.

So, this is essentially a diversion, but not in reality

On to something else:

I also was inspired by this book, Virgil, Philodemus, and the Augustans, in particular a piece about Lucretius and Philodemus called “Avocatio and the Pathos of Distance” which described well the idea of detachment and the use of visualisation therapy. A lovely bit of review of that section of the book follows from Bryn Mawr Classical Review:

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2005/2005-04-64.html

Frederic Schroeder’s “Philodemus: Avocatio and the Pathos of Distance in Lucretius and Vergil” offers a straightforward look at the creation of “detachment” or “distance” in the poetry of Lucretius and V as potentially influenced by the writing of P. Schroeder’s observation that P’s use of envisioning in his therapy (in both the De Ira and the De Morte) leads him to deduce a direct line of influence between P and Lucretius. His exempla are well chosen, and he allows suggestions rather than assertions of indisputable influence to make his case. Yet, Schroeder devotes significantly more attention to Lucretius than V, and while he offers an insightful view of how V’s philosophical training may be visible into his poetry, he does not as thoroughly develop a connection between P and V.

I have always maintained this was a feature in Epicureanism that was faintly reminiscent of other Asian schools practicing the arts of meditation. In Epicureanism, this is noted in Diogenes Laertius 10:31 about the Kanon as the focusings of thought into an impression. It is not credited directly to Epicurus, so it remains to wonder which philosopher in the Epicurean school actually came up with it.  A David Sedley translation follows (from “The Hellenistic Philosophers”)

Thus Epicurus, in the Kanon (”Yardstick”), says that sensations, preconceptions, and feelings are the criteria of truth. The Epicureans add the “focusings of thought into an impression”.

I love linguistic trivia - and I just thought I would note something funny about the nature of the word “Kanon”, as it literally means the Yardstick. I thought about it every time in my Zen class as my teacher wielded exactly such a stick to check posture and depth of meditation.

So I will end this little rambling sermon with a bit of poetry from Lucretius, to round it out.

How sweet it is, when whirlwinds roil great ocean
To watch, from land, the danger of another
Not that to see some other person suffer
Brings great enjoyment, but the sweetness lies
In watching evils you yourself are free from.
How sweet, again, to see the clash of battle
Across the plains, yourself immune to danger.
But nothing is more sweet than full possession
Of those calm heights, well built, well fortified
By wise men’s teaching, to look down from here
At others wandering below, men lost
Confused, in hectic search for the right road.

De rerum natura 2.1-10, Rolfe Humphreys translation