Skilled seduction: Lubbock and a Classical Grounding of the Art of Seduction

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Space Monkey
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Skilled seduction: Lubbock and a Classical Grounding of the Art of Seduction​

1. Introduction​

Taking some inspiration from one of @Chase 's later postings, I’d like to make a separate post on a classical grounding of a skill-based approach to seduction, and learning in general. Chase has recommended that we read old books, and that we use Lubbock's reading list as a starting point. Some of the works from that list will be mentioned.

The "Art" in "the Art of seduction" comes from the classical Greco-Roman concept of craft or skill [techne]. I think that grounding the concept of skill in this tradition can open up broader avenues of application of a skills-based approach to learning, and can also help us in practicing more reflectively and deliberatively, and with less recourse to fixed mindset-thinking.

2. Art as skill​

This forum is named 'Skilled Seducer'. So skill is the central focus in its approach to seduction. As a starting point, this could be distinguished from a) a focus on talent, and b) a focus on theory without reference to practice. It’s a skill, not just theoretical knowledge. Interestingly, or some might say obviously, this notion of seduction as skill is fundamental to the modern pickup movement (even if some schools swear by natural game). And this is also expressed by its usage of the word "art":

Robert Greene has written «The Art of Seduction», and Mystery has written «The Venusian arts» (The Art of Love). And the community used to call themselves pickup artists. Both Greene and Mystery are influenced by the classical Greco-Roman tradition in their use of the word 'art'. In modern times, the word 'art' is usually understood in terms of the fine arts of painting, etc, and might be associated with beauty. Historically, however, art simply meant craft or skill, and was distinguished from «science».
A ‘science’ is simple enough because it comes from the Latin word ‘scientia’ meaning knowledge. A science is therefore a body of knowledge that a person might master.
….
An ‘art’ however is not a body of knowledge but an ability to create or produce something. So, for instance, a person who has mastered the art of architecture, will have the ability to design sound and esthetically pleasing buildings. ... ‘art’ [is] a “state of capacity to make [something], involving a true course of reasoning”
So the way to train in an art is not just to accumulate knowledge, but rather through «praxis». Praxis is «a synthesis of theory and practice in which each informs the other». So we can see that «skilled seduction», and «the art of seduction» have the same origin, and we can ground this skill-based approach in the Classical tradition.

3. The Classical tradition – broadening the scope of practical resources​

Now, how can we make use of this grounding of the concept of skill/art in the classical tradition? One approach would be to look to broaden one’s approach to include different skills of relevance to seduction - or taking a skill-based approach to a broader set of aspects of one's life. A possibility is to look to Massimo Pigliuci’s «Quest for Character», where he talks about the Greco-Roman approach to virtue through skill and imitation: "virtue is a little bit like, let’s say, learning how to play an instrument, right? It’s the kind of thing that requires a little bit of theory. You want to… You wanna know a little bit about musical theory and musical notation if you want to be successful at playing an instrument, but mostly, it requires a lot of practice".

We also find other similar art-based approaches to different subjects in the Greco-Roman world, like Cicero's Art of Friendship», the «Art of Oratory», the "Martial Arts", the "Art of Love", and the broad virtue ethical approach to living, exemplified by the Stoic «Art of Living», life is a skill. For a wider view of the Greco-Roman tradition’s focus on philosophy as art – as a practical way of life, I can recommend Pierre Hadot’s «Philosophy as a Way of Life». We also find similar thoughts in the East. @Chase has recommended Confucius’ Analects: "the way he teaches, and the lessons he imparts are very similar to what we focus on here: focus on building your skills, study those who are good at what you want to be good at ..." Modern examples are the «Art of Conversation», and the «Art of Manliness». The focus on techne/craft can also give us a renewed appreciation of some types of self-development literature, for example, Steve Andreas – New Technology of Achievement, which implements many of these principles, and also includes an approach to taking on the identity of a role-model, potential increasing the speed of one’s behavioral change.

4. The Classical tradition: praxis - a self-conscious approach to acquiring skill​

Grounding our concept of art and skill can also help us refine our approach to actually acquiring skill/mastery in a given art. Robert Greene describes the art of apprenticeship in his "Mastery". Pigliucci gives some suggestions in the last chapter of his book, including imitating role models and reflecting on one’s mistakes. Pre-Sectarian Buddhist Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s approach to skillful action helps us ask ourselves the right questions, and Chase demonstrates the same general approach in the post I linked above. Old and new approaches to skill-building can also be combined, like the guys at EdRen do.

Aristotle explains this latter approach in his Nikomachean ethics, and calls it «deliberation»: the manifestation of «practical rationality». I believe this is an untapped potential for personal empowerment for many of us. So we start by a focus on trying to act skillfully, and then we add in a focus on the method of practical rationality itself. As exemplified by Practical Intelligence and the Virtues by Daniel C. Russell:
Russell argues that the key ... is an understanding of the cognitive and deliberative skills involved in the virtues. If right action is defined in terms of acting generously or kindly, then these virtues must involve skills for determining what the kind or generous thing to do would be on a given occasion. ...This book develops an Aristotelian account of the virtue of practical intelligence or "phronesis"—an excellence of deliberating and making choices
See also other practical works on practical reasoning, like this, and this.
 
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