Stoicism in the 21st Century
The Philosophy’s Practical Importance Today
Stoicism is an ancient philosophy which has its roots in Rome and Greek. While studying about it, care must be made to not confuse Stoicism with stoicism–which is defined as ‘endurance of hardships without the display of emotions or complaint’. Notice the use of capital S for the ancient philosophy, and lowercase s for the noun.
The three most sought-after Stoic philosophers are Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus; a Roman Emperor, a playwright, and a lecturer respectively.
Before we get to the philosophy of Stoicism, it’s is important we learn about these great men.
The Three Stoic Philosophers
Marcus Aurelius
“If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.” — Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus Aurelius, originally named Marcus Annius Verus, was born in C.E. 121, in Rome. He was adopted by senator Antoninus, and his name changed to Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus.
Even before he became the emperor, he was in a reputable position, studying under Herodes Atticus, a rhetorician from Athens, and Marcus Cornelius Fronto, his instructor in Latin. He even served as a consul twice.
Finally, when Antoninus died in 161, he became the Emperor for two decades, ruling alongside his adopted brother Lucius Verus, for eight years in the beginning of his reign. During these two decades, he faced a fair share of calamities as an Emperor: breakout of plague, German invasion and war with Parthia, just to name a few. He not only showed resilience when faced with adversity, but, despite being a powerful man, never gave into temptations.
In the the last decade, he even wrote ‘Meditations’ — a collection of his thoughts and beliefs on Stoic philosophy written for self-improvement.
His influences include Epictetus and Heraclitus.
Epictetus
“Men are disturbed not by things but the view which they take of them. ” — Epictetus.
Born in C. E. 50 in the greek city of Hierapolis, Epictetus was the slave of Epaphroditus. After his freedom, he began lecturing, moving to the city of Nicopolis after being expelled from Rome by the Emperor Domitian.
It was his pupil Arrian, who wrote down his teachings in two works, namely ‘Discourses’, and ‘Manual’. These works are credited to Epictetus because they’re significantly different than the original works of Arrian. You can read more about it here.
Seneca
“Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands.” — Seneca.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, better known as Seneca the younger, was born in 1 BCE in Corduba ( Spain). His father was Seneca the elder, a famous teacher of rhetoric. Seneca was a playwright and a senator who was educated in Rome, and was later sent to exile after being accused of adultery.
His writings range from ‘Moral Letters to Lucilius’ to ‘Consolation to Marcia’. These works are often tragic, and, obviously, contain his views of Stoicism. It is even said that his writings inspired Shakespeare.
The Philosophy of Stoicism
This philosophy of self-mastery begins by questioning what’s within our control and what’s not – and this notion is known as ‘dichotomy of control’. We can neither control what befall us, nor the actions of those around us. What we can control, however, is our reaction to whatever life throws at us. The ideology of Marcus Aurelius in this regard to this was to embrace whatever befalls us with contentment. This even involves living according to the nature; Marcus said, “living well lies in doing what human nature seeks”, whereas Cleanthes says ‘goal’ is 'living in agreement with nature’.
Stoicism advocates four cardinal virtues, namely: Courage, Temperance, Justice and Wisdom.
Courage is determined by your reaction to misfortune; whether you’re capable or not you find out only when faced with adversity. Temperance or moderation ensures that you aren’t being courageous to the point of recklessness. Aristotle said that one should be the ‘right amount’ of courageous. Temperance teaches balance.
Justice is doing the right thing. “Justice is the source of all the other virtues,” Marcus Aurelius one said. He even advices us, saying, “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”
Wisdom involves grasping what is good and bad, and understanding what is most important. Once understood what good is, one can act accordingly. It overlaps with the idea of acting in accordance with nature. Marcus calls it: “in accord with value”.
One of the few practices of Stoics is to take the bird-eye view of thing, to realize how small we are in comparison to everything else. It implies, also, to view oneself from ‘above’, disassociating ourselves from our emotions for a while, and going on about a task rationally.
Generally, Stoicism shouldn’t be viewed as a one time thing, but rather a practical philosophy which you can practice every day, especially during the times of difficulty.
Importance of Stoicism Today
Since the three Stoic philosophers obviously had strikingly different lifestyles, Stoicism is pretty diverse, fit for most of us.
The principal of ‘dichotomy of control’ is especially useful today, since it urges us to redirect all our energy and time towards changing what we actually are capable of changing. This, alongside with the four virtues can help equip us to display resilience in times of adversity.
Stoicism in itself helps you master yourself , and use your emotions in a healthy way, but in this era, since there are far more distractions than ever, it can prevent us from doing things that are futile. Also, it can make us more progress oriented, helping us focus more on the journey than the outcome. Again, in this age of distractions, it can help us not to loose foresight, to not get caught up with changing what we simply can’t.
The practice of ‘bird eye view’ can led to us being humble and empathetic, and with the world becoming smaller and smaller, these traits are needed more than ever.
To continue reading about how Stoicism is applicable in our times, check out this article on Stoicism in the time of Pandemic.
Where to Start
In his video, Massimo Pigliucci, covers all the basics about Stoicism beautifully. It’s a good place to start, true, but if you want to continue learning about Stoicism and how you can live by Stoic principles, Andrew Kirby’s youtube channel is an excellent source. He talks about how Stoicism can improve your life, and occasionally, the negatives associated with it.
Another good source is a website called DailyStoic.com. It contains blog posts about Stoic philosophy, and you can sign up for newsletters.
The most excellent sources are perhaps the writings of the Stoic philosophers. You can read Meditations, Discourses, and all the writings of Seneca. Other books include ‘A Guide to the Good life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy’ by William B. Irvine, and ‘A New Stoicism’ by Lawrence C. Becker.
What are your opinions about Stoicism? When was the the first time you heard about it? Please share your comments…
