Aristotle on NoFap

I'm writing an essay on the Ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and it's amazing how relevant some of this stuff is to NoFap.

These aren't new things we're discovering in NoFap, but ancient truths that go back thousands of years. Aristotle is writing in the 4th Century BC!

Below are some relevant quotes on intemperance (willingly engaging in excess pleasure) and incontinence (your feelings/desires overcoming your reason).

I've added explanations since some terms can be confusing, especially for non-native English speakers

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"Now it is possible for someone to be overcome, even by pleasures and pains which most people overcome; and it is possible to overcome even those (pleasures) that overcome most people."

"The person who is prone to be overcome by pleasures is incontinent; the one who overcomes is continent; the one overcome by pains is soft; and the one who overcomes them is resistant."


Explanation: We can become master of pleasure and pain. We can let it control us or we can learn to control it.


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"with pleasures excess is intemperance, and is blameworthy"

"someone is intemperate because he feels more pain than is right at failing to get pleasant things; and even this pain is produced by the pleasure [he takes in them]"

"someone is temperate because he does not feel pain at the absence of what is pleasant, or at refraining from it."


Explanation: We find it difficult when we don't get to PMO, because we've conditioned ourselves to need it. Once we condition ourselves out of this feeling of withdrawal, it won't be so difficult/painful.

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"But there is also someone who because of his feelings abandons himself against correct reason. They overcome him far enough so that his actions do not accord with correct reason, but not so far as to make him the sort of person to be persuaded that it is right to pursue such pleasures without restraint. This, then, is the incontinent person. He is better than the intemperate person, and is not bad without qualification, since the best thing, the principle, is preserved in him."


Explanation: Aristotle distinguishes between being incontinent and intemperate. An incontinent person might have good reason/values (such as being on NoFap) but sometimes his feelings overcome his reason and he feels regret. An intemperate person has no such reason, and willingly gives in to his desires. He makes no effort to control himself!

This is super relevant to NoFap. Sometimes when you relapse it can feel like you're a total failure and it's demotivating. But remember, so long as you pick yourself back up and go for another streak, you're already doing 10x better than the millions who have no such desire to stop being controlled by pleasure!

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If you would like to go read the relevant passage for yourself, it's Nicomachean Ethics Book III, Chapters 10-12.

There should be free versions online.

I'd love to hear any other bits of Philosophy, Ancient or New, that apply to NoFap, feel free to post any below!