STOICISM

o Stoicism focuses on personal improvement it’s not a self centered philosophy.

o In Greek and Roman history during the Classical era, stoicism was a thriving school of
philosophy. One of the greatest and most profound ideologies in Western civilization
history, it was. Stoics have always maintained that the purpose of all knowledge is to
establish a way of life marked by mental peace and a firm sense of one's moral worth,
which is why they encourage involvement in human affairs.

Zeno

 The founder of stoicism

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” – EPICTETUS

“If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.” – MARCUS AURELIUS

“To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.” – SENECA

“I made a prosperous voyage when I suffered shipwreck.” – ZENO OF CITIUM

https://s3.amazonaws.com/njlifehacks/The+Little+Book+of+Stoicism+-+Jonas+Salzgeber+-
+PDF+Edition.pdf

Four cardinal virtue

Wisdom

 Is about understanding how to act and feel appropriately. Wisdom includes excellent
deliberation, healthy judgment, perspective, and good sense. It opposes the vice of folly or
thoughtlessness.

Justice

 Is about knowing how to act and feel well in our relationships with others. Justice includes good-
heartedness, integrity, public service, and fairness. It opposes the vice of wrongdoing or
injustice.

Courage

 Is about knowing how to act and feel correctly when facing fearful situations. Courage includes
bravery, perseverance, honesty, and confidence. It opposes the vice of cowardice.

Self-Discipline (or temperance)

 Is about knowing how to act and feel right, despite emotions such as strong desire, inner
resistance, or lust. Self-discipline includes orderliness, self-control, forgiveness, and humility. It
opposes the vice of excess.
Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BCE – 65 CE) virtue is sufficient for happiness
The most controversial Stoic philosopher, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, mainly known as Seneca the Younger
or simply Seneca, was born around the time of Jesus in Cordoba, Spain, and educated in Rome, Italy. He
is renowned as one of the finest writers of antiquity and many of his essays and personal letters survived
and serve as an important source of Stoic philosophy. These writings speak to us because he focused on
the practical aspect of Stoicism, down to how to take a trip, how to deal with adversity and its provoked
emotions such as grief or anger, how to handle oneself while committing suicide (which he was ordered
to do), how to deal with wealth (which he only knew too well), and poverty.

Seneca lived an extraordinary life, a life that raises many questions when studied closely. Apart from his
letters which are still read almost two millennia after his passing, he made it into the history books for
many more reasons. He was a successful playwright. He got extremely wealthy thanks to smart financial
undertakings (the modern-day entrepreneur and investor if you will). He was exiled for committing
adultery with the emperor’s niece to what he called the “barren and thorny rock” Corsica—which, by
the way, is a popular holiday destination known for diverse and scenic landscapes. After eight years of
exile, the emperor’s new wife wanted Seneca as a tutor to her son Nero. Once Nero became emperor,
Seneca was promoted to his advisor and became one of the wealthiest people in the Roman Empire.
According to author Nassim Taleb, who devoted a whole chapter to Seneca in his book Antifragile, “his
fortune was three hundred million denarii (for a sense of equivalence, at about the same period in time,
Judas got thirty denarii, the equivalent of a month’s salary, to betray Jesus).” This extreme wealth while
being a philosopher that promoted the indifference of external possessions is a reason why Seneca
sometimes gets called a hypocrite. The other fact that raises questions is that he was the tutor and
advisor of Emperor Nero, who was a self-indulgent and cruel ruler and had his mother and many other
people killed. In 65 CE, Nero ordered Seneca to commit suicide because he was supposedly involved in a
conspiracy against the Emperor. Hypocrite or not, Seneca lived a turbulent life full of riches and power
but also of philosophy and introspection (he understood well enough that he was imperfect). Stoicism
remained a constant in his life and stamped his many helpful and inspirational letters that I’ll quote
liberally throughout this book.

Musonius Rufus (c. 30 CE – c. 100 CE)

The least known of the four great Roman Stoics, Gaius Musonius Rufus taught Stoic philosophy in his
own school. We know little about his life and teachings because he didn’t bother to write anything
down. Fortunately, one of Musonius’ pupils, Lucius, took notes during the lectures. Rufus advocated for
a practical and lived philosophy. As he put it, "Just as there is no use in medical study unless it leads to
the health of the human body, so there is no use to a philosophical doctrine unless it leads to the virtue
of the human soul." He offered detailed advice on eating habits, sex life, how to dress properly, and how
to behave toward one’s parents. Besides thinking philosophy should be highly practical, he thought it
should be universal. He argued that women and men alike can benefit from education and the study of
philosophy. Musonius Rufus was the most prominent Stoic teacher at the time and his influence in
Rome was respectable. Too much so for tyrannical Emperor Nero that he exiled him to the Greek island
Gyaros in 65 CE (and yes, exile was common in ancient Rome). Seneca’s description of Corsica as a
“barren and thorny rock” would have fitted much better to Gyaros, which really was (and still is) a
desert-like island. After Nero’s death in 68 CE, Musonius returned to Rome for seven years before he got
exiled again. He died in around 100 CE and left behind not only the few lecture notes from Lucius, but
also his most famous pupil, Epictetus, who as we’ll see right now, became an influential Stoic teacher
himself.

Epictetus (c. 55 CE – c. 135 CE)

Epictetus was born a slave in Hierapolis (present-day Pamukkale in Turkey). His real name, if he had one,
is unknown. Epictetus simply means “property” or “the thing that was bought.” He was acquired by
Epaphroditos, a wealthy freedman (that is, a former slave himself) who worked as a secretary to
Emperor Nero in Rome, the place where Epictetus spent his youth. He was crippled in one leg either by
birth or by an injury received from a former master. His new master Epaphroditos treated him well and
allowed him to study Stoic philosophy under the most renowned teacher in Rome, Musonius Rufus.
Sometime after Nero’s death in 68 CE, Epictetus was freed by his master—a common practice in Rome
with intelligent and educated slaves. He started his own school and taught Stoic philosophy for nearly
twenty-five years until the Emperor Domitian famously banished all philosophers from Rome. Epictetus
fled and moved his school to Nicopolis, Greece, where he led a simple life with few possessions. After
the assassination of Domitian, Stoicism regained its respectability and became popular among the
Romans. Epictetus was the leading Stoic teacher at the time and could have moved back to Rome, but
chose to stay in Nicopolis, where he died in around 135 CE. Despite its location, his school attracted
students from all around the Roman Empire and taught them, among other things, how to retain dignity
and tranquility even in the face of life’s hardships. Just like his own teacher Musonius Rufus, Epictetus
didn’t write anything down. Fortunately, there was again a geek among the students, Arrian, who
radically took notes and wrote the famous Discourses—a series of extracts of Epictetus’ lectures. (Now
I’m the geek who is trying to organize all of Stoicism into a little book . . .) Arrian also compiled the short
book Enchiridion, a summary of the most important principles of the Discourses. Enchiridion often gets
translated as Handbook, but it literally means “ready at hand”—more like a dagger than a handbook,
always ready to deal with life’s challenges.

Marcus Aurelius (121 CE – 180 CE)

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” These words were written
not by some slouch but by a rare example of a philosopher king and, at the time, most powerful man on
earth—Marcus Aurelius, emperor of the legendary Roman Empire. He is the most well-known of all the
Stoic philosophers and his Meditations, a series of 12 short books which he wrote entirely to himself
(like a diary) as his own guidance and self-improvement, is considered one of the greatest works of
philosophy of all time. As a teenager, it’s said Marcus not only enjoyed activities such as wrestling,
boxing, and hunting, but also philosophy. He studied with different philosophers, one of which lent him
a copy of Epictetus’ Discourses, which became the single most important influence on him. When he
was sixteen, Emperor Hadrian adopted Marcus’ maternal uncle Antoninus, who in turn adopted Marcus
(his real father died when he was younger). When Marcus entered palace life, his political power didn’t
go to his head (he didn’t let it), neither as a co-emperor of his adoptive father nor as an emperor himself
after Antoninus’ death. For one thing, he exercised great restraint in his use of power and money.
Furthermore, despite his interest in Stoic philosophy, he chose not to use his power to preach Stoicism
and lecture his fellow Romans on the benefits of its practices. He was an exceptionally good emperor
and ruled from 161 CE to his death in 180 CE and counts as the last of a succession of rulers known as
the Five Good Emperors.
NAME: SEM. JAY MARK M. LOPEZ
SUBJECT: ADVANCE PHILO. OF HUMAN PERSON
PROFESSOR: REV. MSGR. ERWIN MAGNANAO V.G

Stoicism is 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; the wise live in harmony with
the divine Reason that governs nature, and are indifferent to the transformation of fortune and to
pleasure and pain.

Furthermore, it is focuses on personal improvement; it’s not a self-centered philosophy. In

Greek and Roman history during the classical era, stoicism was a thriving school of philosophy.
It was one of the greatest and most profound ideologies in Western civilization's history. Stoics
have always maintained that the purpose of all knowledge is to establish a way of life marked by
mental peace and a firm sense of one's moral worth, which is why they encourage involvement in
human affairs. The philosophy teaches the development of self-control as a means of overcoming
destructive emotions; it holds that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker allows one to
understand the universal reason.

In addition, according to the Stoics, it's not the outer world that's the problem, but rather your
internal world. The Stoics developed their four virtues as an ethical system based on Socratic
ideals in Imperial Rome. It is the best way to live, and it has been around for at least as long as
humans have lived in settled societies.

The Four cardinal virtue are:

First Wisdom is about understanding how to act and feel appropriately. Wisdom includes
excellent deliberation, healthy judgment, perspective, and good sense. It opposes the vice of folly
or thoughtlessness.

Second, justice is about knowing how to act and feel well in our relationships with others. Justice
includes good-heartedness, integrity, public service, and fairness. It opposes the vice of
wrongdoing or injustice.

Third, courage is about knowing how to act and feel correctly when facing fearful situations.
Courage includes bravery, perseverance, honesty, and confidence. It opposes the vice of
cowardice.

Fourth, self-discipline (or temperance) is about knowing how to act and feel right, despite
emotions such as strong desire, inner resistance, or lust. Self-discipline includes orderliness, self-
control, forgiveness, and humility. It opposes the vice of excess.
More so, there are four first pupils; they are Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BCE–65 CE). Musonius
Rufus (c. 30 CE–c. 100 CE), Epictetus (c. 55 CE–c. 135 CE), and Marcus Aurelius (121 CE–180
CE).

Among them, Marcus Aurelius is the most influential. He wrote the Meditations, his reflections
in the middle of campaigning and administration. The extent to which he intended it to be seen
by others is uncertain. It shows the strong influence of Stoicism on Marcus and has been held by
generations as the thoughts of a philosopher-king.1

While the younger Seneca authored a series of articles called Moral Letters to Lucilius on
various moral issues, Julius Caesar was a military and political genius who toppled Rome's
deteriorating democratic system and installed a dictatorship in its stead. After emerging
victorious in the Roman Civil War, he was killed by those who felt he was growing too strong.
Greek philosopher who was affiliated with the Stoics and is renowned for his highly regarded
religious beliefs

Lastly, stoicism allows us to process these negative emotions from negative experiences and turn
them into thoughts that give us a unique perspective of the world because we have different
experiences in this world. And able us to be happy even in the worst event, just like if the rain
comes, we feel sad because we experience flooding, but on the other side, rain can also turn
positive to water the plant in order to provide our foods, and it is a fact that we cannot stop the
rain from coming. All we need to do is accept the possibility of it coming, and most importantly,
it will enable us to focus more on ourselves.

1
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcus-Aurelius-Roman-emperor