Perioche

The Stoic practice of radically distilling an impression to its essential core through rational reduction, in order to eliminate false value judgments.

Perioche (Greek periechin: 'to encompass', 'to contain') refers in Stoic philosophy to the practical technique of reducing a thought, situation, or emotional reaction until all extraneous attributions and projections have been stripped away. Its aim is to lay bare the naked physical or rational reality of a thing — for example, seeing precious wine as 'fermented grape juice' or imperial robes as 'dyed sheep's wool'. This is not a cynical act, but a methodical purification of judgment (katharsis) that allows the hegemonikon to operate free from doxa hamartanē (erroneous judgments) and to work with essentials alone.