Stoicism 101

connotation != philosophy

The difference here between the Epicurean and our own school [of Stoicism] is this: our wise man feels his troubles but overcomes them, while their wise man does not even feel them. We share with them the belief that the wise man is content with himself. (Seneca 1974, “Letters from a Stoic”, p. 48)

Other Ancient schools: Cynicism, Skepticism, Hedonism, …

The philosophy of Stoicism

Notable “Greeks”

Zeno (334–262 BCE): shipwrecked merchant

We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say. (Wikiquote 2020)

Epictetus (“Aquired,” 50–135 ACE): limping slave

External things are not within my power; choice is within my power. Where am I to seek the good and the bad? Within myself, in that which is my own. (Epictetus 2014)

Notable Romans

Seneca (4 BCE–65 ACE): famed orator, forced to suicide by Nero

Provided that one’s thinking has not been adding anything to it, pain is a trivial sort of thing. (Seneca 1974, “Letters from a Stoic”, p. 134)

Marcus Aurelius (121–180 ACE), last of the Five Good Emperors, sickly with chronic pain

7.27. Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours. At the same time, however, beware lest delight in them leads you to cherish them so dearly that their loss would destroy your peace of mind. (Aurelius 180/2005, p. 924)

Concept mnemonics??

logos: reason (and in accordance with nature) (Sulprizio 2015)
ataraxia: “imperturbability, literally ‘without trouble,’ sometimes translated as ‘tranquillity’ (Pigliucci 2015)
eudaimonia: human flourishing (often “contented happiness”) (Parry 2014)
oikeiosis: ethical duties and relationships of belonging (Sulprizio 2015)

Practices

Remember the big picture

4.43. Time is a river, the resistless flow of all created things. One thing no sooner comes in sight than it is hurried past and another is borne along, only to be swept away in its turn. (Aurelius 180/2005, 4.43)

How quickly all things disappear: in the universe the bodies themselves, but in time the memory of them; (Aurelius 180/1997, 2.12)

Premeditatio malorum

Consider the worse case in advance.

Nothing, whether public or private, is stable; the destinies of men, no less than those of cities, are in a whirl… We should therefore reflect upon all contingencies, and should fortify our minds against the evils which may possibly come…

Exile, the torture of disease, wars, shipwreck—we must think on these. (Seneca 1917/2009, XVIII:7-8)

Letting go

ex. Apply the trichotomy??

In a small group, imagine a role (e.g., author or student) and apply the trichotomy and what Epictetus would advise.

Self-denial

Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: “Is this the condition that I feared?” (Seneca 1917/2009, XVIII:5)

Moderation

Philosophy calls for simple living, not for doing penance, and the simple way of life need not be a crude one. The standard which I accept is this: one’s life should be a compromise between the ideal and the popular morality. (Seneca 1974, “Letters from a Stoic”, p. 37)

Our moment

Why now??

“self-help trends of mindfulness and gratitude”
an alternative to organized religion
- doesn’t demand “an all-or-nothing view of God”
- doesn’t “project a sense of self-righteous certainty”
- “champions goodness and reason”
“calm yet confident” in hard times
- emphasis on reason/logos is simple and assuring
- “focus on being our best selves, no matter who or what rules the cosmos”
- “fosters our empathy toward each other”
- “promotes a sense of justice that transcends our own self-interest” (Sulprizio 2015)

Concerns with Stoicism?

Maria: “Stoic followers learn to avoid processing emotions and underestimate themselves.””
Marina: “individualism, personal responsibility over one’s happiness, mindfulness and veering away from centralized religion”
Grey: “it focuses only on things we are in control of. We are constantly living in a state of constant change”
Serena: “put off by Irvine’s confession that he had exaggerated some of the techniques”

Guru Analysis (Gdoc)

values, moment, & assumptions; authority, relatability, & tropes?

Conclusion

Stoicism in the face of uncertainty

Stoicism is an ancient, secular philosophy of copying with uncertainty, which itself is a feature of modernity.

The Enlightenment project of replacing arbitrary tradition and speculative claims to knowledge with the certainty of reason proved to be essentially flawed. The reflexivity of modernity operates, not in a situation of greater and greater certainty, but in one of methodological doubt. (Giddens 1991, p. 83)

Wrap up

List the elements of Stoicism you find appealing and unappealing.

Finding Meaning

Our question(s)