About 2,300 years ago, there was a very wealthy merchant named Zeno. While on one of his journeys, Zeno's ship met with an accident. All his money and possessions were swept away by the waves and sank to the bottom of the ocean. After that catastrophic event, Zeno lost everything, immediately transforming from a wealthy person into someone poor and homeless.
Try to imagine yourself in such a position - how do you think you would react?
When life treats you so harshly, what would be a normal person's reaction? They would feel suffering, anger, feel their fate is unlucky, feel that life is treating them unfairly. But not Zeno. After that turning point, Zeno went to Athens, the cradle of knowledge and philosophy. He read about Socrates and other great philosophers, and then founded his own school of philosophy - Stoicism.
The philosophy of Stoicism guides people toward nurturing their spiritual life and courageously overcoming adversities, especially things we cannot control, like the very incident Zeno experienced. What has happened has happened, and no matter how bad it is, we still have complete freedom to choose how we face it. Instead of complaining and crying, why don't we stay calm and consider what's the best thing to do now? So what is Stoicism? What are its life philosophies and what are its limitations? These are questions I'll answer for everyone in this content. You can consider these shares as an overview for those interested and just beginning to learn.
If you've never heard of this philosophical school, let me briefly introduce its origins. Stoicism is a philosophical school originating from ancient Greece. It helps people overcome life's difficulties with a calm and clear attitude. It emphasizes the importance of morality and wisdom so we can master ourselves and thereby achieve peace and happiness. Simply put, Stoicism is a life philosophy that helps people escape suffering, find peace in their soul, and pursue a complete, harmonious, and meaningful life - an ideal life that the Greeks called eudaimonia.
Stoicism was founded by Zeno when he rebuilt his life after the shipwreck. Continuing the philosophical tradition of ancient Greeks, Zeno shared and taught his thoughts publicly. Although competing with many other philosophical schools of that time, Zeno's philosophy still received much attention and became popular, especially among the Roman elite. After ancient Greece was conquered by the Romans, Stoicism was inherited by the Romans and evolved into what we know today.
In the early period, Stoic philosophy was built as a comprehensive system, including logic, physics, and ethics. But when inherited by the Romans, their focus narrowed, mainly discussing ethics. Due to cultural differences, Roman Stoic philosophers weren't too concerned with abstract thinking but focused on what could be directly applied to improve life: how to live well, how to be a moral person, or how to treat others fairly and justly. In other words, for the Romans, philosophy wasn't in theory but in the way of living.
As in Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations," there's a diary line that clearly illustrates this: "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one." It doesn't matter what you say but how you live. Your actions are the clearest evidence of your character. This also distinguishes Stoic philosophy from other philosophical schools. Philosophy is usually known as an academic subject, and philosophers are people who contemplate and write about deep and complex theories in academies. But Stoics believe philosophy must come from life and serve life. It needs to be embodied through practical actions, and philosophers should be practitioners of philosophy - those who train themselves in self-mastery and live according to the moral ideals that Stoicism honors.
In subsequent centuries, Stoicism gradually declined and received less attention, but it still quietly left marks in history. It profoundly influenced important historical figures like Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, and Thomas Jefferson. And in recent decades, Stoicism is experiencing a renaissance. It's gradually receiving renewed attention. If you pay attention, you'll probably notice it's being mentioned frequently. Many works on Stoicism have been and are being well-received by the public, notably books by Ryan Holiday or William B. Irvine.
The reason for this return is explained as the timeless value of Stoic lessons, which don't contradict the scientific worldview. It's a very practical solution for people to protect and nurture their spiritual life against the suffocating pressures of modern life.
Among Stoic lessons, there are generally some themes repeated throughout. Perhaps most prominent is the principle called the Dichotomy of Control. It sounds complex but is actually very easy to understand and apply. Let me explain more clearly. Basically, Stoics believe that in life there are things within our control and conversely things we cannot control. Our job is to focus on what we can control. For everything else we cannot change, the best way is to courageously accept it. They believe that wanting to change things beyond our control is the root cause of suffering. This principle is repeatedly mentioned by Epictetus in his works, and recognizing the difference between these two elements in daily life requires wisdom. So how can we distinguish them?
First, we cannot control the laws of nature. We cannot control macro problems of the world, society, or even others' words and actions. Those things don't depend on us. Conversely, the only thing we can control is ourselves - our thoughts, desires, attitudes, and behaviors. If we focus our minds on these things, we can master ourselves and not be controlled by anything else. For example, instead of worrying too much about someone speaking ill of us, let's focus on ourselves, live as kindly as we can, and accept that others will think of us however they want. That's beyond our control and concern.
Or when taking an exam, you can't control what the questions will be or whether other candidates perform better than you. You can only focus on what you can control - preparing and studying carefully and trying your best. Then you'll certainly receive the best result you deserve.
Additionally, there's another important foundational principle in Stoicism's worldview: the principle that no event is inherently good or bad, but our subjective evaluation determines that. Whether a problem is considered good or bad actually depends on how we perceive and interpret it. If we see it as good, it's good; if we see it as bad, it's bad. And because good or bad depends on how we perceive and evaluate problems, it's within our control, so we can completely change that evaluation.
This certainly isn't easy but isn't impossible. For example, when Zeno had his accident and lost everything, many people might see it as a disaster. But such a perspective could make us feel terrible, lose faith and motivation - things we desperately need to pick ourselves up in such dark moments. But if you think like Zeno, you simply see it as an unfortunate event that occurred. It's certainly not positive but also not necessarily the end. And because I can't change it, suffering won't solve anything. So see it as a challenge, an opportunity to demonstrate our mettle and build a new beginning. As Seneca said: "We suffer more in imagination than in reality."
Finally, a special point of Stoicism compared to other philosophical schools is its emphasis on living in harmony with nature. But living in harmony with nature here doesn't mean returning to the wilderness, having a wild lifestyle, and eating organic food. Stoic philosophers conceive of nature very differently. For them, nature is the universe, everything that exists and the universal laws or divine force behind how this universe is organized and operates. Everything is encapsulated in a central concept of Greek philosophy called logos. And because logos encompasses everything, it's also present within each person: as the matter in our bodies, the life within us, and the capacity for us to think and reason about the world around us.
With this concept of logos, living in harmony with nature means we need to use our capacity for thought and reasoning to discover nature's laws and then use that knowledge to guide our thoughts and actions. For this reason, Stoicism is considered harmonious rather than contradictory with modern science.
Besides, to live in harmony with nature, we also need to live according to basic human moral principles. These include wisdom, courage, justice, and self-discipline. These are virtues considered part of human nature that need to be cultivated and used as guidance so we don't fall into vices, thereby achieving ideal moral character and a meaningfully complete life.
And looking at the actual lives of Stoic philosophers, we see they practiced what they preached. They practiced philosophy in their own lives and were morally exemplary individuals. Notable examples are Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, my two favorites. One was a slave and one was an emperor - two very different social positions, but both exemplified the life philosophies they pursued through their respective roles.
The above are just some main points I wanted to cover. Of course, Stoic philosophy is much deeper and more extensive, but perhaps I'll share more deeply another time.
No philosophical thought lacks counter-arguments, and Stoicism is no exception. Perhaps most prominent among contrasting views is that it leads us to unhealthily suppress our emotions to display coldness and insensitivity. Although appearing strong externally, internally there are contradictions and suppressions that long-term could create psychological instability.
But actually, Stoicism doesn't say that. It actually guides us toward freedom from emotional control. The goal is for us to have calmness and self-control to view our emotions more objectively, understand them, and thereby transform emotions rather than suppress them. Psychologically, these are two completely different approaches but are easily misunderstood and mispracticed.
Secondly, focusing on what we can control and accepting what we cannot also causes Stoicism to be criticized for making people indifferent to social problems. Because we can't change problems outside our personal scope, we'll often live more for ourselves, focusing on our own problems without participating in or caring about social issues. This is true but only partially. As a personal life philosophy, Stoicism guides us toward liberation from pressure, anxiety, or unnecessary wounds in life. It helps us find peace in our souls rather than being a social reform theory. On one hand, this is a limitation, but on the other hand, it performs quite well in its role of solving personal problems. And I think expecting it to also solve social problems is an unfair expectation. Just like a doctor's role is to help their patients recover, not necessarily to reduce the entire population's disease rate.
And Stoicism actually advocates fulfilling one's duties and responsibilities to the community. In fact, Stoic philosophers participated very enthusiastically in social life. For example, Marcus Aurelius exemplarily fulfilled his role as ruler of the Roman Empire, or Musonius Rufus, a Stoic philosopher who fought for women's right to education - a very progressive idea for 2,000 years ago. However, I believe these criticisms of Stoicism are still points that those interested in this life philosophy should consider carefully.
Overall, I believe Stoicism is a very meaningful life philosophy. Although originating thousands of years ago, the principles and lessons it conveys remain valuable today. These are timeless ideas that help people stand firm against life's adversities, whether in ancient or modern times. What I love about Stoicism is its applicability in real life. It brings philosophy closer to human life and is practical philosophy, not just pure theory. I've also shared more stories and insights about how Stoic philosophy has shaped my journey in this app - check it out to explore these ideas further, along with plenty of quotes from Stoic philosophers that I find particularly meaningful.
