Definition of Stoicism
Stoicism, or Stoic philosophy, is a philosophy of personal ethics and a methodology for seeking practical wisdom in life. A key principle of the ancient Stoics was the belief that we don’t react to events; we react to our judgments about them, and the judgments are up to us. They also advised that we should not worry about things beyond our control as everything in life can be divided into two categories – things that are up to us and things that are not.
“Stoicism is not so much an ethic as it is a paradoxical recipe for happiness.”
Paul Veyne, Historian
Foundation
- Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens around 300 BC.
- The name is derived from the “Stoa Poikile” (“Painted Porch”) where Zeno taught from.
- Stoicism was one of the major schools of philosophy from the Hellenistic period through to the Roman era.
- The history of Stoicism is usually divided into three phases: Early Stoa (3rd century BC), Middle Stoa (1st and 2nd century BC), and Late Stoa (1st and 2nd century AD).
Virtues
The four cardinal virtues of Stoicism are wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.
- Wisdom is subdivided into good sense, good calculation, quick-wittedness, discretion, and resourcefulness.
- Courage is subdivided into endurance, confidence, high-mindedness, cheerfulness, and industriousness.
- Temperance is subdivided into good discipline, seemliness, modesty, and self-control.
- Justice is subdivided into piety, honesty, equity, and fair dealing.
Prominent Stoics
- Stoic philosophers from the Early Stoa phase included Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, Chrysippus, Diogenes of Babylon, and Antipater of Tarsus.
- Stoic philosophers from the Middle Stoa phase included Cato the Younger, Panaetius and Posidonius.
- Stoic philosophers from the Late Stoa phase included Seneca The Younger, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.
Modern Day Application
Stoic techniques which William B. Irvine describes particularly well in his popular book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy:
- Negative Visualization – The Stoics recommended that we spend time imagining that we have lost the things we value. That our wife has left us, our car was stolen, or we lost our job. Doing this, the Stoics thought, will make us value our wife, our car, and our job more than we otherwise would.
- Dichotomy of Control – distinguishing between the things over which we have complete control and the things over which we have no control at all.
- Internalize Goals – Stoics found a way to retain their tranquility despite their involvement with the world around them: They internalized their goals. Their goal was not to change the world, but to do their best to bring about certain changes. Even if their efforts proved to be ineffectual, they could nevertheless rest easy knowing that they had accomplished their goal: They had done what they could.
- Fatalism towards the Past & Present – The Stoics advocated for fatalism towards the past and present, there are things you can change and act on in the future. The past has already happened, it can’t be changed. You don’t have complete control over the present in this very moment.
- Self-Denial – As an extension of negative visualization, “Besides contemplating bad things happening, we should sometimes live as if they had happened.”
- Stoic Meditation – regularly assessing your own progress in your practice of Stoicism.
What Stoicism Is Not
- Stoicism (upper case ‘S’) is not the same thing as stoicism (lower case ‘s’).
- This causes confusion in that people often wrongly think that Stoics seek to be passive and unemotional.
- Stoicism was not an elitist philosophy only intended for powerful Romans – it was embraced by people from many different walks of life.
- Stoicism is not an individualistic philosophy focusing only on self-discipline. It focuses on the social responsibility of loving one’s neighbour, forming virtuous relationships, and helping others.
What Is Stoicism? – Common Questions
Here are some useful resources that help answer common questions about Stoicism:
- Where can I read a digestible introduction to Stoicism?
- This post consists of 101 short sentences covering the key concepts of Stoic philosophy.
- This post details a brief timeline of the origins of Stoicism and includes a handy infographic for reference
- What are the Stoic virtues and what do they mean?
- This post explains the four cardinal Stoic virtues and includes a handy infographic for reference
- What are the best Stoicism books?
- This post is an extensive compilation of both introductory and advanced books on Stoicism
- What are the best Stoicism podcasts?
- This post is a compilation of the best Stoicism podcasts, who hosts them, and where to find them
- What are the best Stoicism courses?
- This post is a compilation of the best Stoicism courses you can take, both free and paid
- Where can I find Stoicism groups to join?
- This post is a compilation of the best Stoicism groups you can join, both online and locally
- How can I apply Stoicism to my daily routine?
- This post details a full example Stoic daily routine which makes the benefits of having a philosophy of life clearer.
- Where can I find practical exercises inspired by the Stoics?
- This page lists a collection of simple practical exercises that anyone can do and benefit from
- How do modern Stoics apply the philosophy to their lives?
- This page lists all interviews conducted with modern Stoics
- This page is a compilation of every interview guest’s answer to the question: “In terms of what the philosophy means to you, what is Stoicism?”