An Advertiser's Enemy

Stoicism is a practical philosophy which teaches one to be content with what they have and not desire for more.

This seems like a good idea in theory, however the human condition makes it very difficult to follow through such advice.

I am reminded of the following quote by Bertrand Russell:

'Aristotle maintained that men become friends because each loves the good in his friend; therefore since your friends are those who love you for your sake, seek to be worthy of your friends.'

This is an example of how Stoics would advise one to do things based on their own self-interest rather than society's interests.

I believe this quote is referring to the fact that if one desires friends for their own sake they must seek out people who want to be loved for their own sake. If one does not do this, then they will have a friend who only loves them because of some ulterior motive such as wanting something from them.

This is the problem with formalized philosophies. They do not make any allowance for how society actually works, and they are often too idealistic to function in reality.

Additionally, Stoicism, as with many other philosophies is based upon the assumption that humans are rational beings. However this idea has been proven false again and again throughout history.

Furthermore, and somewhat related to the above point, Stoicism is based on false assumptions about human nature. It assumes that humans are basically good and rational beings which often leads people to do things they normally wouldn't under other circumstances.

Stoicism is a philosophy which denies the fact that humans are imperfect beings who often do things for the wrong reasons. Stoics would say that these actions were still 'right' in some sense because they were done in accordance with nature, and also based on the assumption that it was an inherently good action to begin with.

The late Bill Bernbach, "Advertising Age's" most influential advertising person of the 20th century, once cautioned that "advertising is fundamentally persuasion, and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art."

Advertising stimulates the demand for goods and services. Sometimes, it is condemned for perverting culture by emphasizing more "stuff" as the essence of a life fulfilled. Such criticism infers that people are easily manipulated and must be protected from their own vulnerabilities. This angst seemingly trivializes reason and judgment as guardians against mankind's baser inclinations. However, uncertainty remains whether such criticism is fact-based or the machinations of those who presume to know what is best for other people.

And now when I circle back to the top; Stoicism is a practical philosophy which teaches one to be content with what they have and not desire for more.

Isn't that then advertising's biggest enemy?