Stoicism 101

Nature endows us with the ability to reason, and we seek to employ this reason to understand the world, meet the challenges, and make our lives better.

Generations of Stoic philosophers discovered, developed, refined, and expanded this concept into a formal school of thought. This heritage is our guide and not dogma. All points are open to debate, and, in fact, this is the best way to learn, understand, and appreciate the concepts that many have used on their path toward happier, more psychologically healthy lives.

Through theory and practice, the Stoic philosophy offers:

• A way to think about how to live and whether your wants help or hinder your happiness.
• A way to understand which goals to set to help you live your best life.

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”
Seneca

In other words, if you don't know where you'd like to head in life, then how will you know if you're making progress?

Stoicism is a philosophy of life, and its goal is spiritual well-being — i.e., to allay the sufferings of humanity and become the best human you can be.

The ancient Greek philosophical schools shared a common goal: eudaimonia. The literal translation is “having a good spirit,” but it can also mean “well-being” or “thriving.” Some philosophers believed eudaimonia was bodily pleasure, while others thought it was avoiding pain or clinging to beliefs. Aristotle's followers believed people needed both virtue and luck to flourish. The Stoics, though, believed virtue alone was both necessary and sufficient for eudaimonia.

The Stoics noticed that we can't control everything that happens to us. After all, you can't always avoid pain, get pleasure, or be lucky. Also, unlike the Skeptics, the Stoics thought it was possible to know things. This ruled out Skepticism for the Stoics. So, what's left? The Stoic answer is virtue. The Greek word for virtue is arete, which means “excellence.”

The Stoics focused on virtue for two reasons. First, virtue is a prerequisite for using the luck you get in life. For example, if you're wealthy, you could use your wealth to help others and yourself, but only if you're wise. You could also use it to harm others or yourself if you're not wise.

The same is true for health and the other things people tend to value that don't relate to character. This shows that while we can use things for good or bad purposes, it is the wisdom and skill with which we use them that matters. Being an “excellent” person is always useful in every circumstance.

The second reason the Stoics focused on virtue was that they believed it was entirely within our control. Our judgments and the choices that follow from them are always up to us. Through effort and repeated practice, we can improve our thinking and habits to become better people in any circumstance, whether or not luck is on our side.

So, because being virtuous is always useful and under our complete control, it is sufficient to do well in any circumstance. Whatever befalls us, doing the right thing always is its own reward.

Stoics began by first learning theory, then moving on to practice. The theory consisted of learning:

• Logic — how to reason well
• Physics — how the world works
• Ethics — how to live well

Stoics train and practice in three areas related to the theoretical studies above.

• Discipline of Assent (logic) — developing the ability to think critically, objectively, and logically
• Discipline of Desire (physics) — training to accept the world as it is and focus on what's in one's control
• Discipline of Action (ethics) — practicing how to act well and justly

They had a metaphor for how these worked together: logic is the fence of a garden, in which the crop of ethics sprouts from the soil of physics. Learning how to live (ethics) is what you ultimately harvest, but how to live well depends on how the world works (physics) and is protected by good reasoning (logic).

Through an understanding of Stoic principles and training in its exercises and practices, many find a way of life that gives them inner strength, peace, and freedom, even in the face of adversity — in short, a path to a good and worthwhile life.

According to the philosophy, this is within everyone's reach and part of our heritage as rational beings.

“Therein is the secret of cheerfulness, of depending on no help from without and needing to crave from no man the boon of tranquility. We have to stand upright ourselves, not be set up.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.5

Several people are working to bring Stoic practice into the modern world, and the philosophy is enjoying a modern renaissance. Searching social media and the larger internet will reveal many more sources to help you learn how to apply Stoicism to your life. You can also attend meetups and join online groups, such as the Stoic Fellowship Network, to learn more!

Very few ancient Stoic documents survive today. Here is a list of some that do:

• Letters of Seneca the Younger — a wealthy Roman Senator who wrote several essays and public letters about Stoicism, many of which survive to this day.
• Discourses of Epictetus — a former slave turned Stoic teacher, whose teachings were recorded by his student, Arrian.
• Meditations of Marcus Aurelius — a well-respected Roman emperor whose main surviving Stoic work was a diary used as a Stoic exercise to remind himself of his Stoic principles.