Stoicism

Introduction

Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy (developed by Zeno of Citium

around 300 B.C. as a refinement of Cynicism) which teaches the
development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming
destructive emotions. It does not seek to extinguish emotions completely,
but rather seeks to transform them by a resolute Asceticism (a voluntary
abstinence from worldly pleasures), which enables a person to develop
clear judgment, inner calm and freedom from suffering (which it considers
the ultimate goal).

Stoicism is flourished and viewed as a principle that will make humans

less vulnerable and wise by eliminating unnecessary emotions.

The philosophy believes that the value of virtue will lead to happiness.
The judgement that is made by a person is based on behaviors rather
than words.

Stoicism is not just a set of beliefs or ethical claims, but rather a way of
life, involving constant practice and training, and incorporating the
practice of logic, Socratic dialogue and self-dialogue, contemplation of
death, and a kind of meditation aimed at training one's attention to
remain in the present moment.

The term "stoic" was taken from the "stoa poikile" (meaning "painted
porch" or "colonnade") where Zeno of Citium used to teach. In modern
usage, the word refers to someone who is unemotional or indifferent to
pain, pleasure, grief or joy, and has little in common with its philosophical
roots.

History of Stoicism

Stoicism first appeared in Athens in the period around 300 B.C. and was
introduced by Zeno of Citium. It was based on the moral ideas of
Cynicism (Zeno of Citium was a student of the important Cynic Crates of

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Thebes), and toned down some of the harsher principles of Cynicism with
some moderation and real-world practicality. During its initial phase,
Stoicism was generally seen as a back-to-nature movement, critical of
superstitions and taboos (based on the Stoic idea that the law of morality
is the same as Nature).

Zeno's successor was Cleanthes of Assos (c. 330 - 230 B.C.), but perhaps
his most influential follower was Cleanthes' student Chrysippus of Soli (c.
280 - 207 B.C.), who was largely responsible for the molding of what we
now call Stoicism. He built up a unified account of the world, consisting of
formal logic, materialistic physics and naturalistic ethics. The main focus
of Stoicism was always Ethics, although their logical theories were to be
of more interest for many later philosophers.

Stoicism became the foremost and most influential school of the Greco-
Roman world, especially among the educated elite, and it produced a
number of remarkable writers and personalities, such as Panaetius of
Rhodes (185 - 109 B.C.), Posidonius (c.135 - 50 B.C.), Cato the Younger
(94 - 46 B.C.), Seneca the Younger (4 B.C. - A.D. 65), Epictetus and
Marcus Aurelius.

Neo-Stoicism is a syncretic movement, combining a revival of Stoicism

with Christianity, founded by the Belgian Humanist Justus Lipsius (1547 -
1606). It is a practical philosophy which holds that the basic rule of good
life is that one should not yield to the passions (greed, joy, fear and
sorrow), but submit to God.

DIVINE REASONS

Divine reason was a process of thinking that objectified and rationalized

everyday situations. If one was to approach situations knowledgeably
instead of emotionally - they would attain true happiness.

STOICISM ETHICS

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Morality should be basis enough for happiness and satisfaction. 
Morality is the only form of "good“. Emotion's lead to 'false judgement'
and contain a destructive nature. Also, the stoics believed that material
goods could not bring happiness towards humans. Stoics believed that
mercy, wisdom, courage, moderation, love of justice, and balance were
important virtues, because those qualities would always benefit the
possessor and should never be taken away.

STOICISM LOGIC

Logic was a huge component in the philosophy. Back then logic was
known as "logos", meaning word and reason. They believed that there
was always a reason for such happenings. The most significant concept
believed by the Stoics was the idea of "all things happen through
antecedent causes." It was applied to many things such as grammar,
propositions, thought, perception, and analysis of argument forms.

SO WHY BE A STOIC?

Intellectual classes and government officials were stoics;  There was no

god, but basically gods influence was found in everything;  People who
practiced stoicism would achieve happiness by denying aspects of life that
were unpredictable and approaching situations rationally.

The word "stoic" commonly refers to someone indifferent to pain,

pleasure, grief, or joy.

The modern usage: as "person who represses feelings or endures

patiently" was first cited in 1579 as a noun, and 1596 as an adjective. In
contrast to the term "Epicurean", the Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy's entry on stoicism notes, "the sense of the English adjective
'stoical' is not utterly misleading with regard to its philosophical origins."

Other Tenets

Stoic Logic and Epistemology asserts the certainty of knowledge, which

can be attained through the use of reason and by verifying the conviction

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with the expertise of one's peers and the collective judgment of
humankind. It holds that the senses are constantly receiving sensations,
in the form of pulsations which pass from objects through the senses to
the mind, where they leave behind an impression. The mind is able to
approve or reject an impression, to enable it to distinguish a
representation of reality which is true from one which is false. This theory
stands, therefore, in direct opposition to the Idealism of Plato, for whom
the mind alone was the source of knowledge, the senses being the source
of all illusion and error.

In Metaphysics, the Stoics believed in a universe which is a material but

reasoning substance, which can be called God or Nature, and which they
divided into two classes, the passive (essentially, matter) and the active
(variously described as Fate or Logos, a material, intelligent aether or
primordial fire, which acts on the passive matter). The souls of people and
animals are emanations from this primordial fire, and are likewise subject
to Fate. This notion that all things are composed of fire is borrowed from
Heraclitus, and they also held a cyclical view of history, in which the world
was once fire and would become fire again.

To the Stoics, then, all things are material, and nothing is more than
material (Materialism). Words and God himself are material; emotions are
material, because they have physical manifestations (e.g. blushing,
smiling); the mind or soul reduces to matter, because the body produces
thoughts or sense impressions in the soul, and the soul produces
movements in the body, both which would be impossible if body and soul
were not of the same substance.

The Stoics also believed that all the world is one, issuing from one
principle (Monism), and that a divine reality pervades the whole universe
(Pantheism). Thus, the universe is like a giant living body, with its own
leading part (the stars or the sun), but with all parts being
interconnected, so that what happens in one place affects what happens
elsewhere. In addition, everything in the universe is predetermined

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(Determinism), although humans have a certain amount of free will (in
the same way as eddies play around within the overall current of a river).

Epicureanism

Was founded in 306 BC by Epicurus, a Greek Philosopher.

Epicureanism emphasizes the neutrality of the gods, that they do not

interfere with human lives.

Virtue should be followed because it leads to happiness and that good was
pleasure

Epicureans claim we can be happy like the gods if we live free of anxiety
especially the fear of death and fear of the gods and satisfy your basic
desire.

Nothing to fear in God; Nothing to fear in Death; Good can be attained;

Evil can be endured.

Epicurus: epistemology

Epicurus is an empiricist

• the original source of information for knowledge is experience

• Either from sensation of things outside of us or experience of our own

thoughts & feelings

Epicurus: physics

1. Reality is made up only of material bodies and

o sense data shows us material bodies, and void must exist for bodies to
move or to be cut

o matter and void exhaust possibilities for what exists

2. Things cannot come into existence from nothing

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3. So some material must be eternal, but large bodies are not Therefore,
there must be small parts of matter (“atoms”) that are not further
divisible (or else could dissolve into nothing), & they exist eternally

Epicurus on gods & soul

The gods do not control the universe; it works on its own through
principles of physics There is no such thing as an immaterial, immortal
soul

 The soul does exist, but it’s made of atoms

 Soul & body bound together; soul cannot operate

Why need knowledge of all this?

To live the best life possible

Best human life has the “highest good”:

• ultimate end/goal of all action

• that which is only ever sought as an intrinsic good (good in itself), not
as an instrumental good (because it leads to something else good)

The highest good for Epicurus, highest good is pleasure

Kinetic & static pleasures

• Kinetic pleasures (involve movement) o pleasures gotten from fulfilling

desires

• Static pleasure o Pleasure felt when you don’t have unfulfilled desires,
when you have well being, lack of pain

Goal of life: Ataraxia

• having a life with a good deal of static pleasure

• lack of physical or mental pain, not having unfulfilled desires, sense of

peace and tranquility

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How to live the best life

Natural desires

Cultivate and fulfill mainly natural, necessary desires Vain desires come
from “baseless opinion”

Unnecessary Always unnecessary (e.g., power, wealth, fame, immortality)

Necessary

Need not bring pain if not fulfilled, b/c can get rid of desire fairly easily;
e.g., luxurious food & clothing, (sometimes) sex

Bring pain if not fulfilled; necessary for happiness, health or life itself;
e.g., food, shelter, rest, friendship

Friendship important for best life

• Why would friends be so important for pleasurable life?

• If the highest good is pleasure for oneself, then one seeks friends for
one’s own pleasure

Virtues important for best life

virtues include wisdom, temperance, courage, justice • Epicurus’ view of

justice

o Agreements made between humans not to inflict harm

o Agreements must actually be mutually beneficial to count as justice

Virtues only good b/c ataraxia

• Practicing the virtues is only instrumentally good: good because leads to

something else that’s good (pleasure, ataraxia)

• Being virtuous is not intrinsically good: good in itself

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Philosophical Analysis

 Philosophy provides educators, especially curriculum specialists,

with a framework for organizing education process classrooms. It
helps them answer questions about what the education process’s
purpose is, what subjects are of value, how students learn, what
methods and materials to use.

 Philosophy provides them with a framework for broad issues and

tasks, such as determining the goals of education, subject content
and its organization, the process of teaching -learning, and in
general, what experiences and activities to stress in education
process.

 The philosophy is the general theory of education, but in present

context education is governed by our policy not by social philosophy

Basis of philosophical analysis on these aspects of philosophy

1. Metaphysics (Reality): Parental Branch of Knowledge:- (quest for

truth or reality) matter and nature are real and mind and idea are real.

2. Epistemology (Knowledge): Hearts Centre of Philosophy

(knowledge, awareness, the reality) o Universe is intelligence; emphasis
on soul is more & less on body o Science is knowledge o Knowledge may
differ according to people’s thought.

3. Axiology(Values)-Truth, beauty or goodness (Values of human

beings) o Things we value; emotions, attitude, sentiments, desirable
feelings are realities o Ethical, Moral Aesthetic, social & religious.

4. Logic (Pure mental process). It is based on Inductive-deductive

thinking. o Plato is man, Plato is mortal, All men are mortal requires logic
to understand.

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Example:

PROJECTS

a. Action-Research Projects:

ANALYSIS

1. Metaphysics: Here, trying to discover reality or truths. Experimental

methods etc. are adopted to resolve problems.

2. Epistemology: The quality of conscious experiences more of analytical

knowledge. Science is both process and product of knowledge.

3. Axiology: Values are considered of importance while preparing the

action research project

4. Logic: It employs syllogism scientific knowledge employs formal logic.

Four steps are:- a. Problem Identification. b. Causes of the problem. c.
Hypothesis formulation. d. Verification of hypothesis

Example:

ASSIGNMENTS:

a. Submission of Answers

b. Tutorials

c. Psycho-experiments

ANALYSIS

1.Metaphysics: Developing the true content/matter substance. Real Idea

is developed

2. Epistemology: Knowledge relating to what is been taught by

Professor during lectures, text books and reference books whether if
used. Knowledge based on performance, mental process, ideas
generation, quick responses etc.

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3. Axiology: Develops social values and ethics. Individual values human
values social values are developed

4. Logic: Logical thinking etc. Inductive or deductive thinking

Submitted By

Fagutao, Jasmin

Fajardo, Sheila

Fajadan, John Clifford

Flamiano, Rinaliza

Florentino, Jerome

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