You've been stranded thousands
of miles from home with no money or possessions. Such a predicament would make many
people despair and curse their awful fate. But for Zeno of Cyprus, it became the
foundation of his life's work and legacy. The once wealthy merchant lost everything
when he was shipwrecked in Athens around 300 BCE. With not much else to do,
he wandered into a book shop, became intrigued by reading about Socrates, and proceeded to seek out and study
with the city's noted philosophers. As Zeno began educating his own students, he originated the philosophy
known as Stoicism, whose teachings of virtue, tolerance,
and self-control have inspired generations of thinkers
and leaders. The name Stoicism comes
from the Stoa Poikile, the decorated public colonnade where Zeno and his disciples gathered
for discussion. Today, we colloquially
use the word stoic to mean someone who
remains calm under pressure and avoids emotional extremes. But while this captures important
aspects of Stoicism, the original philosophy was more
than just an attitude. The Stoics believed that
everything around us operates according
to a web of cause and effect, resulting in a rational structure
of the universe, which they called logos. And while we may not always
have control over the events affecting us, we can have control over
how we approach things. Rather than imagining an ideal society, the Stoic tries to deal
with the world as it is while pursuing self-improvement
through four cardinal virtues: practical wisdom, the ability to navigate complex situations
in a logical, informed, and calm manner; temperance, the exercise of self-restraint
and moderation in all aspects of life; justice, treating others with fairness even
when they have done wrong; and courage, not just in extraordinary circumstances, but facing daily challenges
with clarity and integrity. As Seneca, one of the most famous
Roman Stoics wrote, "Sometimes, even to live
is an act of courage." But while Stoicism focuses on
personal improvement, it's not a self-centered philosophy. At a time when Roman laws considered
slaves as property, Seneca called for their humane treatment and stressed that we all share
the same fundamental humanity. Nor does Stoicism encourage passivity. The idea is that only people
who have cultivated virtue and self-control in themselves
can bring positive change in others. One of the most famous Stoic writers
was also one of Rome's greatest emperors. Over the course of his 19-year reign, Stoicism gave Marcus Aurelius the resolve
to lead the Empire through two major wars, while dealing with the loss of many
of his children. Centuries later, Marcus's journals would
guide and comfort Nelson Mandela through his 27-year imprisonment during his struggle
for racial equality in South Africa. After his release and eventual victory,
Mandela stressed peace and reconciliation, believing that while the injustices
of the past couldn't be changed, his people could confront them
in the present and seek to build a better,
more just future. Stoicism was an active school
of philosophy for several centuries in Greece and Rome. As a formal institution, it faded away, but its influence has continued
to this day. Christian theologians,
such as Thomas Aquinas, have admired and adopted its focus
on the virtues, and there are parallels between
Stoic Ataraxia, or tranquility of mind, and the Buddhist concept of Nirvana. One particularly influential Stoic
was the philosopher Epictetus who wrote that suffering stems not from the events in our lives,
but from our judgements about them. This has resonated strongly
with modern psychology and the self-help movement. For example, rational emotive
behavioral therapy focuses on changing
the self-defeating attitudes people form about
their life circumstances. There's also Viktor Frankl's logotherapy. Informed by Frankl's own time
as a concentration camp prisoner, logotherapy is based on
the Stoic principle that we can harness our will power
to fill our lives with meaning, even in the bleakest situations.
Abstract: What is the best life we can live? How can we cope with whatever the universe throws at us and keep thriving nonetheless? The ancient Greco-Roman philosophy of Stoicism explains that while we may not always have control over the events affecting us, we can have control over how we approach things. Massimo Pigliucci describes the philosophy of Stoicism
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, it was very eye opening. This really clicked with me, do you think you can point me where I can learn more about this so I can make this ideology a bigger part of my life?
Edit: Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it. I'd been searching for a new way of life that isn't focused around a god at deity, and I think this fits perfectly. Thank you all for helping me discover and follow stoicism :)
I really enjoyed the animation of this video. I also loved the way it handled the subject matter. As much as I like School of Life philosophy videos their Stoic video had a sense of bleakness to it that I didn't really think quite fit the philosophy.
Stoicism also has deep roots in philosophies that originated in India. I grew up on stories from panchatantra and moral values mentioned in Bhagwad Gita and I can relate to many principles of stoicism mentioned here.
TIL I am stoic.
Cool. Heard the word ataraxia a few years back. I had a good idea about the word and what it meant but this video gave me an insight as to where the word originated
Boy this world needs more stoics.
If this clicked with you, I'd add two points for consideration. First, each of the core stoic writers contribute different things. Secondly, historical context is important if you wish to transpose to modernity.
// The Big 3 Authors
Marcus Aurelius - he was writing in a private journal that wasn't disclosed until after his death. As such, it isn't an instruction manual. They're his private reflections, so you get to peer into the introspection of the last great emperor.
Epictetus - any collection of Epictetus is written by a pupil named Arrian. He copied down common classroom arguments made by Epictetus, and thus it's the most classroom instructional of the big three. In addition, Enchiridion is essentially a condensed practical guide of Epictetus's teachings.
Also important is Epictetus's personal history. Most know he was born a slave, so you get a lot of slave/mastery. That said, he was Greek born within the Roman Empire in an area with a more mystical/spiritual sense of a personal God than most Romans would have felt. Hence he also creates a more sense of an intimate relationship between God and mankind than the others.
Seneca - my personal fav. He was a sort of Elon Musk of his time. He was an entrepreneur and imperial advisor, but not a classroom instructor. The greatest essays on living the good life are in his letters. His letters, by nature, focus on the interest/need of the recipient, and thus you won't get anything like the condensed Enchiridion.
// Historical Context
Tranquility is achieved by living in accordance with nature, which requires the proper use of external impressions (judgment). However, I'd add that, historically speaking, Romans applied philosophy within a world where their sense of the divine was a matter of state. This is further important, because they believed that reason was the single thing that the gods gave them that separated them from beasts. By failing to employ reason, you ignored your divine gift.
Additionally, as Seneca would argue, Romans abhorred softness in men (and abhorred hardness in women). Modern obesity rates are not exactly producing physically healthy people. And seemingly physically healthy people who sit down all day every day are going to have major back problems (I just switched to a standing-only desk). Yes, they argued to not care if one lost an eye/limb, etc.
But they did advocate for becoming a "good and excellent man." That is more than just how one wields the mind, it's just that the mind was the one thing they needed the most work on, within the context of Ancient Rome.
Hence I'd caution that a more comprehensive body/mind/soul level of understanding be applied if seeking tranquility in your life. Yes, proper use of externals can go a long way, but if you haven't reconciled beliefs on the origin of matter and the universe, I'd say that's going to leave you with an uncertainty that Roman Stoics (for the most part) didn't have to wrestle with. If you aren't taking care of your health and body, pain and health problems may further disturb your ability to achieve inner peace and tranquility.
props to massimo he makes such great content consistently