I don't think you're on the same page. The tautology: X=X comes from our biological capacity to grasp identity. It is a representation/model of one way in which humans understand and navigate the world. THE way really.

I get it's puzzling but just remember, tautologies are interpretations of phenomena, not the other way around.

Also, to define something is to define its opposite. To make a distinction is to say X is seperate from Q, Y, Z , etc. Thereby, you are separating X from every other object you can. The implication is then that X does not equate to any value but its own. X=X. A philosophy prof. can explain this way better and clearer than I can

I disagree that they are opposites.

oh I thought we were on the same page. So by distinction I assume you mean something is seperate from another. Correct me if I'm wrong.

yep

Distinction works. x=x is just a representation of that fact.

Once again, it is undisputed in biology that humans and other animals evolved a sense of individuality and an ability to differentiate bodies in their environment. The best way we rationalize this is through the expression: x=x. And it just so happens that it works.

This is basic biology. Identity is not a universal concept. Mammals (In our case) evolved to understand ourselves and other things as individuals. Babies take a long time to develop the awareness that they are themselves. This self-awareness is represented by the the mathematical equation: x=x. No, we cannot deduce this truth, but it remains simply because other accurate mathematical representations of the world are based in it. In other words, as a model of our world, x=x works whether or not you can wrap your mind around it.

They are very related. And dependent in this case.

Your are just saying it's bad philosophy, and yet it's the reason we can do math. If there were no property of identity, the human could exist as it does. This notion is so obvious in us but that's only because it was one of our earliest evolutionary adaptations.

Lots, of conclusions here, and sadly no proof.

I don't see much "proof" here at all. Just how you feel about the way things are and have been.

too deep. the prop of identity is necessary for basic human function. to know that you are yourself is something we take for granted but is necessary for us to do the simplest of tasks.

I mean yeah, all of mathematics and logic is contingent on the the property of identity. but it's a pretty solid bet. And a pretty necessary one.

Congrats! You just discovered the property of identity.

solid hahaha

I think you are looking too deeply into the purpose of stoicism. Stoicism is a way of trying to stay content and in control of one's self in a world that is discontent and out of one's control. I think cultivating this skill, while difficult, is a necessary step toward mapping the chaos of the world. Embracing the chaos at an individual level makes the nature of world issues uninterpretable.

Who said there isn't a treacherous road to deserving or-let alone-outright obtaining happiness? In order to grasp and gain this abstract concept, unhappiness is necessary.