Philosophy and other aids

Jaybird
Jaybird Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
in Everyday life
Hi there.

My name's Jay, I'm 27 years old and I suffer heavily from BPD, fibromyalgia and ME. I want to ask: are there any philosophers that have inspired you to find quality of life as a disabled person, or comforted you in any way?

All edges of the philosophical spectrum welcome. 

Comments

  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,714 Championing
    edited February 2021
    Hello and welcome @Jaybird How are you today?

    What an interesting question you pose!  I have to admit, my knowledge of philosophy is minimal at best but during my time at university I was introduced to the work of Foucault and instantly loved it.  His work around how power regimes keep us self-policing our behaviour in line with the norm opened my mind.  In-fact, my favourite essay was one based upon Discipline and Punish!  

    I'd love to know more about your philosophical preferences.  Who inspires you and how?
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    I find an eclectic mix of Buddhism, stoicism and Catholicism helps me a lot. ?
    buddhism and stoicism help a lot with everyday life, Catholicism is fascinating as well from a spiritual point of view. It’s probably just me ...
  • Jean Eveleigh
    Jean Eveleigh Scope Member Posts: 186 Empowering
    I don't have a specific philosophical preference but I find within my online friendship circle lots of "inspirational" memes and quote often come up sometimes on days I really need them, if so or if they speak to me or I think they are going to help a friend I screenshot them and keep them in a folder on my computer I have 18 so far.
  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    As far as self worth and validation is concerned I have found that the only one who can give you deep meaningful long lasting feelings of self worth is...you. ?
  • Francis_theythem
    Francis_theythem Online Community Member Posts: 120 Empowering
    Hey, I'm Frances. I study philosophy at undergraduate level! I also suffer badly from ME, also PoTS, autism, and unspecified dissociative disorder.
    Virtue Ethics! Aristotle's Ethics put in perspective what matters in life - obviously for him it is eudaimonia, achieved through being virtuous. It was nothing to do with not being able to be as productive as others, which I've suffered from for a long time, but about how I respond to it.
    If you're not aware of her, there's a chronically ill philosopher called Havi Carel, and having that understanding at research level felt quite good. For my own reflection, Lao Tzu is important to me also.
    What about you?

  • forgoodnesssake
    forgoodnesssake Online Community Member Posts: 512 Empowering
    Very interesting question!  I must fess up that I am not a disabled person but my son is (complex CP, no speech, student...) and I am also the holder of an MA in Philosophy!  And I have to say that my most frequently referenced philosopher is Thomas Nagel and "what is it like to be a bat?"  Which is essentially about how impossible it is to imagine, truly and completely, what it is like to be anything other than what you are.  And I do think this resonates with a lot of disability related issues inasmuch as, for example,  just covering your mouth for a day, or using a wheelchair for a couple of hours, in no way really reflects lived life as an AAC user, or a wheelchair user (but too often people seem to think that it does...)

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