What is Stoic Philosophy?
By: Kody Taylor
Tags: Stoic Phiosophy, Mental Toughness, Stoicism, Stoic, Warriors

A quick introduction to a virtuous life.

Bust of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher

At face value, Stoic philosophy (or Stoicism) is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens, Greece in the early 3rd century BC. I could be incredibly academic and state that it is a philosophy of personal ethics which is informed by a system of logic in relation to its views on the natural world, but that simply makes Stoicism sound like the same big, broad set of ideas that tends to keep others away from the realm of philosophy in general. So let’s keep things simple: Stoicism, in simpler terms, is the process of meditating on your emotions prior to acting on them.

Anger

Do you ever find yourself in the middle of rush hour traffic? Maybe you’ve been cut off by a vehicle who failed to use a turn signal for the third time. Maybe you had the pleasure of running into the third red light in a row. What is your typical reaction to this? Do you scream expletives at the top of your lungs? Do you nod your head and sigh in disappointment? Or more dangerously, maybe you become passive aggressive towards your spouse or children in the vehicle with you.

Now let’s take a look at social media. How do you feel when you read an opposing view to yours under a Facebook article? If you make a well-written statement under an Instagram post and receive a reply that personally attacks you, how do you react? Do you immediately feel the fire of rage light in your belly? Are you able to control this rage, or do you fall victim to it as you reply with as much venom as you can possibly spew from your fingertips?

Emotions

Emotions are powerful tools. The Stoics knew this as much as we do now. Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosopher and author of The Enchiridion and Discourses states that “Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.” Stoicism is often confused for striving to have the absence of emotions. In reality, Stoic philosophy understands that human emotions are a very real thing. The Stoics teach us meditate on these emotions using a method called mindfulness. To be mindful is, bluntly, living in the present moment rather than the past or future. Understand what you are feeling in the moment. What actions led to the emotions you currently feel? Are these emotions positive or negative? How can you use them productively? Only once you have become at peace with these emotions can you properly respond to a situation effectively.

Virtue

Now, let’s address virtue. Stoicism ultimately seeks to live a virtuous life. It is not some grand idea of golds and riches, nor is it a vague and broad end goal that leaves you asking more questions than is answered. This is why Stoicism is vastly different from other forms of philosophy: it is very simple. The Stoics avoid complexities and praise the simple life. But how does one live a virtuous life? First, understand that you do not control the world around you, only how you respond to events. A virtuous life calls you to respond with the four pillars of Stoicism: courage, temperance, wisdom, and justice. Living in a world of unpredictability, a Stoic uses virtue to unbind the chains of fear, anxiety, anger, and depression in order to live a free life. Regardless of what situation you might find yourself in, you will always have the ability to use ration and reason to reach decisions. Doing the right thing is all we really control. The world is going to do what it is meant to do whether you like it or not, virtue enables a Stoic to make positive impacts in the world around them.

Your Turn

Now that you know a little more about Stoic philosophy, I hope you will take just a moment out of your day to practice mindfulness. In the contemporary world, emotions are often afterthoughts, thought of as taboo (especially for men), and most do not understand the power they carry. To fully be in control of your life, you must master your emotions. In later readings, we will begin to dig into more detail about Stoicism such as the history of the philosophy, lessons from the Ancient Stoic philosophers, leading figures in the modern Stoic movement, reading lists, emotional mastery exercises, mindfulness exercises, the pillars of Stoicism, and many more topics.