ThePhilosophyCenter: Stoicism

 Hello!

The death of Aristotle began an era of philosophy where there were two major philosophies in the western world: the less popular Epicureanism and the more widely accepted Stoicism. Stoicism not only shown appeal to the Greeks that first found it but to the Romans who adopted some Greek culture and philosophy. The most important and the first Stoic philosopher is Zeno of Citium.

Now there are two Zeno(s) in philosophy. Zeno of Elea lived before Socrates. He was influential but not our main interest today. But who was Zeno of Citium?

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CHARACTER PROFILE: ZENO/CITIUM

Born: 334 BC. Citium, Cyprus.

Died: probably 262 BC. Athens, Greece. 

Works: "Republic" by Zeno. Much of the information about Stoicism we know he spoke about was from later writers.  

Ideas: Pantheism, Stoicism

Text Intro: Zeno, born  341 BC, is an influential Stoic philosopher and one of the most important Greek (some say he was Phoenician)  philosophers after the death of Aristotle (d. 322 BC). He was a wealthy merchant and knew several languages outside of Greek. He studied philosophy and began to teach philosopht, and he developed the Stoic school of philosophy.

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Stoicism has some influence from the Cynicist philosophy. One of the major Cynic philosophers was Diogenes of Sinope. Diogenes believed we should reject material pleasures (for example: money) and one who has the least material possession is the most content. Socrates had reccomended this statement but Diogenes practiced it to the absolute.

Zeno of Citium studied with one of Diogenes' disciples, and thus his philosophy was influenced by the Cynic. Zeno believed that we have been given a rational soul which can exercise free will. We should use this free will to put aside things we don't have control of (Zeno believed in a "supreme lawgiver"  who gave natural laws for the  cosmos. Some of these "natural laws", he says are cruel and unjust.) such as wealth, pleasure and pain. Zeno gives the choice to either do this (ignore certain conditions) or to not. He says if we pursue the first of which our life is in harmony with nature. 

Basically, Stoicism says we have free will and we should use it to go pursue the goal of living in accordance with nature (Zeno believed in pantheism, that being the universe is god) by putting aside things. 

When the Romans conquered Greece, Stoicism would spread and gain appeal in Rome, so much so that the effective emperor Marcus Aurelius became a Stoic philosopher. He said we should live carefully and orderly he says happiness needs little to attain.

Stoicism had many other philosophers throughout its history. It's goal is resilience, happiness, virtue, and wisdom. It tells us in a way to live more simply and to reject unchangeable conditions and strong emotions. 

But what are we to say about stoicism? Certainly there are some statements in Stoicism and Christianity that conflict but some are harmonious. In the late 1500s a philosopher named Justus Lipsius started a movement called Neostoicism. It tried to synthesize Christianity and Stoicism. So definitely there are overlapping truths. Which ones are they?

The truths that do overlap include: monotheism. Stoicism believes in some kind of "supreme lawgiver". Both believe in a "Logos". In Greek philosophy before Christianity, logos is an universal force of reason that is all powerful. Heraclitus believed in this logos and so did Zeno of Citium and the Stoics. 

Both Stoicism and Christianty pursues the serving of the will of the Logos. But there are alao differences. Christianity, the Logos was made flesh (incarnate) and has came down. But the Stoics think the Logos is more distant. Stoicism, however, does also conflict with the idea of prayer (as it believes we should do things ourselves and help comes from within). As Christians, we should still help ourselves but also pray.

So we can also say this:

Philosophical "Logos": distant

Christian "Logos": close

Next Week Topic: Confucianism

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