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Questions tagged [stoicism]

an ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified with Fate and Providence) that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.

An ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified with Fate and Providence) that governs nature, and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.

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What's the point of this quote from Seneca (Stoicism)?

If anyone says that the best life of all is to sail the sea, and then adds that I must not sail upon a sea where shipwrecks are a common occurrence and there are often sudden storms that sweep the helmsman in an adverse direction, I conclude that…
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How does Stoicism deal with human interdependence?

Well as humans are inherently social animals we tend to rely on each other for the specific duties which are sometimes voluntarily accepted or sometimes prescribed strictly. For e.g. the duty of a soldier to man military posts is a prescribed duty…
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Similarities between Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life and Stoicism

I was wondering if these two paths have similarities in their implementation or if they are two different paths that lead to the same place? Peterson is very interesting in doing something meaningful in life and taking responsibility. Stoicism seems…
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Stoicism: How can you be calm and uncaring and rush to do your best at the same time?

I've been studying stoic philosophy lately and I have incorporated more of the calmness and de-stressing elements of it into my daily life. However, I have noticed that I also do not seem to try hard to do certain things or at least, I don't put in…
Jonathan
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What is the stoic response to something like the events in Las Vegas?

I have recently been trying to learn about stoicism. It is the one philosophy that I think closely represents me and how I live in general. Reading a few sites and have ordered Meditations.…
Fogmeister
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Marcus Aurelius on Books

Marcus Aurelius says "But cast away the thirst after books, that thou mayest not die murmuring, but cheerfully, truly, and from thy heart thankful to the gods" in the end of the third paragraph of his meditations. Why do you suppose he says this,…
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What does Epictetus mean when he says "it is better for your slave to be bad than for you to be unhappy"?

This sentence is taken from Epictetus' Enchiridion (The Manual). I have read and reread this sentence over again but can't understand what he means by it. Full context where this sentence takes place: "Chapter 12 If you intend to improve, throw away…
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Why is self-control good?

Self-control is not like the other three cardinal virtues (justice, courage, and wisdom). Self-control presupposes that something about you needs to be controlled. And why would something about you need to be controlled? Only if something about you…
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What is the importance of compassion in stoicism?

I am quite attracted to a lot of buddhist ideas, but have always had a problem in that compassion is a cornerstone of the buddhist way, and I don't have any. There are tools for developing compassion, but you have to want to, so in 10 years I…
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Understanding progress and improvement (Epictetus)

So, I've started reading "Discourses" of Epictetus. I'm stuck at Chapter IV. I can't understand the part that I'm going to post below. I've highlighted the most difficult piece, if you don't want to read everything. Gives the general idea of what…
Oleksandr Firsov
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What are the key differences between Plato's Republic and Zeno's?

Zeno's Republic was almost certainly written as a response of some kind to Plato's famous work. What differences between Plato's ideal society and his Stoic utopia did Zeno wish to highlight and in what way was writing the work with such obvious…
Please stop being evil
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Can anyone recommend publications of Seneca's work?

Having read Penguin Great Ideas : On the Shortness of Life, I am keen to read further works of Seneca. Can anyone recommend any publications? I have stumbled upon Anger, Mercy, Revenge (Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) which looks…
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Do the stoics really believe it makes no difference how someone else behaves or is that a vulgar and mistaken guess?

Do the stoics really believe it makes no difference how someone else behaves or is that a vulgar and mistaken guess? It seems to matter very much, even if we give up on status etc..
user70707
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Truth is an opinion and not fact - Stoicism

According to Marcus Aurelius Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. I found the quote here. What does this mean? How this relate to what we are taught as being truths? When is it a lie…
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Differentiating between key Stoics

At first blush, the major Stoics - Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca - seem quite similar in the somewhat limited selections of their works that I have read. Gen. Mattis carries Marcus Aurelius, Navy hero, James Stockdale survived on Epictetus,…
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