Introduction to Stoicism

This blog kind of jumped right into things, because I was writing for myself. I still am (this blog has virtually no readership at the time of this post), but in case someone does stumble upon it, a summary of Stoic thought might be helpful.

First, I'm not an expert. Second, the Wikipedia entry is a fine place to begin. That entry is a well-rounded article, but here I am only presenting a very short summary of the facts that I find interesting.

The history of Stoicism starts with Zeno the Stoic at around 300 B.C., and became popular among the Greeks, and later, the Romans, being eclipsed by the adoption of Christianity not long after the death of the most famous Stoic, Marcus Aurielius. Most of the writings we have are from the later period of Roman Stoicism.

Modern usage defines Stoicism as a sort of dour unshakability. The unshakability part is right, but Stoics are really supposed to be joyful. I'll explain why shortly.

Stoic philosophy is based on logic. We have to really understand the truth, the reality of all we experience, and we do this based on logic and knowledge. From that logic, the Stoics have figured out a way of life that is designed to maximize our morality and our serenity.

The key insight promoted by the Stoics is to realize that we have no control of our destiny, and therefore by desiring things we cannot control, we invite unhappiness, anger, envy, and more. Because of this, we should not desire things that we cannot be guaranteed of having. Instead, we should desire only correct behavior from ourselves, and this is indeed within our reach (although difficult). So, for example, if you are filled with greed, instead of asking how you can become rich, it's better to ask how you can learn to decrease your dependence on money.

The Stoics take pains to point out how empty everything we work for. Fame is transitory; even the most famous will one day be forgotten. Money can only buy things, and the truth is that we don't need much.

Furthermore, we should prepare ourselves from the blows of life. We will eventually part with everything we love, because either we or they will be destroyed. Change is constant, and nothing we treasure will remain. Emotions such as grief are not to be suppressed, but neither should they grow beyond what is healthy. To be consumed beyond reason with grief is as bad as to give in to lust or avarice.

The Stoics invited us to detach ourselves from our fate, but they also wanted us to be involved in society. They were not hermits and were only somewhat ascetic. This is not a religion, although the Stoics tended to be religious. There are no sacrifices to be made here, except your desires.

According to the Stoics, accepting and practicing their philosophy will allow us live in morality and tranquility, whatever happens.

That's the basics. For a more thorough treatment, I highly recommend William B. Irvine's writings. From there, you can start to read the works of the Stoics themselves.