Understanding Stoic Philosophy

Stoicism is a philosophical current from the Hellenistic period. It is named after the Stoa Poikile, a painted portico in Athens where its founder, Zeno of Citium, taught.

Core Concepts: Logos, Fate, and Determinism

Stoic ethics is based on their cosmic determinism. For the Stoics, the law governing the universe is the Intelligent Fire itself, or the divine Logos (Reason). Given this cosmic determinism, the only wise attitude is to accept fate, as everything is governed by the providence of the Logos.

Stoic Ethics: Virtue and Living According to Nature

According to Stoic ethics, to achieve happiness (eudaimonia), one must practice virtue. Virtue lies in the intention to live according to Nature, and because our nature is rational, this means living according to Reason (Logos).

Since physics is the foundation of ethics, the moral maxim of the Stoics is summarized as "live according to Nature" or, equivalently, "follow the divine Logos." Compliance with this law distinguishes Stoicism from hedonistic conceptions and creates the foundation for an ethic of duty. This duty is intellectually understood, and its fulfillment is possible only for the wise person, who knows the Logos.

By accepting destiny, one can achieve the peace of mind characteristic of the sage. The sage must remain impassive (apathetic), free from disturbing passions.

Passions and Apathy (Apatheia)

Unrest comes from the passions, which cause reason to err by desiring things to be contrary to the designs of Providence or destiny.

Stoicism proposes apathy (apatheia) – a state of being free from disturbing passions – as the opposite of being ruled by passions. Apatheia leads to serene joy and eudaimonia (happiness or flourishing).

Virtue, which involves the removal of disturbing passions and the acceptance of the order of Nature, should be maintained even at the expense of one's life. Therefore, Stoic sages advised suicide rather than being forced to act contrary to duty.

Practical Applications and Social Views

Despite this apparent ethic of resignation, Stoics actively participated in politics and defended theses opposed to tradition.

Since they considered that everything in Nature is governed by a universal Reason from which nothing escapes, the logical, rational approach is to accept that Reason and act according to it, breaking free from the passions.

By asserting that Nature is the foundation of all laws, they argued that by their physis (nature), all humans should be governed by the same law, which led them to advocate for the abolition of slavery.

Evolution and Key Figures

There are usually considered to be three stages in the evolution of Stoicism:

• Old Stoicism (founded by Zeno)
• Middle Stoicism
• New Stoicism (Imperial Stoicism, c. 1st-3rd century AD)

Its most characteristic figures were Cicero, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius.