Stoicism and Greek Philosophy
Zeno of Citium's Philosophical Revolution
Stoicism was an important early philosophy espoused in Ancient Greece during the golden age of philosophy during the third and second centuries B.C.
There was a period of time, somewhere between two and two and a half millennia (that is, 2000 to 2500 years) ago, which is considered by scholars to have been the “Golden Age of Greek Philosophy.” This was the time of Socrates, of Plato, of Aristotle (the big three) and their many successors. This was the time of Athens at the height of Greco-Roman power.
These were the days when schools of philosophy would take place under various “porticos” (covered porches), where thinkers would speak their mind, teach and discuss life, the universe, and the meaning of it all.
Zeno and the Painted Porch
It was under the famous stoa poikile portico (that is, painted porch) that Zeno of Citium (344–262 BCE, not to be confused with Zeno of Elea, famous for his paradoxes) first taught the Greeks concerning his various theories to be known as “Stoic Philosophy” (indeed, it is simple to deduce from this that the name of the philosophy was derived from the Greek name of the particular portico).
Stoicism, as taught by Zeno, was somewhat of a derivative of another popular philosophy of the day, that is, Cynicism (also named after the place in which it was taught, the Cynasarges), which, in turn, had been developed and proliferated by one Antisthenes, who was a student of Socrates, the so-called “founder of Western Philosophy.”
Such is the way that stoicism, like many other Greek philosophies, can be traced all the way back to the beginning of philosophical theory itself. But what exactly does it teach?
The Basics of Stoicism
The philosophy of the stoics is quite simple, actually (though if you were to ask Zeno, he would probably assert otherwise, stating that there are unseen nuances which take years of constant training to properly understand). Stoics believe(d) in a few basic principles:
- The fact that man was the only truly logical creature on the Earth; the only beings able to mentally comprehend the physical world around them;
- That passion and emotion are the root causes of the problems of humanity;
- That only by being fully indifferent to (and unemotional concerning) one’s environment may humans be able to logically understand what is happening around them.
So, it really is very simple, in essence. The philosophy of the stoics was really an alternative way to view the subject of ethics and how to determine the right and wrong paths in life.
Stoicism differed from the many other philosophies which simply sought to understand the world and put it into words, in that true adherence to it requires not just thought, but practice and exercise. It is a philosophy that must be lived as well as believed. So while Socrates and Plato spent their time philosophizing away about their various deeply rooted ideas concerning truth, morality and humanity, Zeno of Citium was trying to get people to stop caring so much about things so that they might actually be able to start understanding it all better.
Modern Stoicism
Today referring to someone as stoic is like saying that they are apathetic or indifferent to emotions such as joy, grief, pleasure or pain.
Oftentimes it is considered to be a strong characteristic – a survey of literature will find no end of characters (male, mostly) who are referred to as “stoic” as a way of saying that they are strong and that they refuse to allow their emotions to get in their way. While it may be questionable whether such traits truly are entirely positive or not, surely Zeno of Citium would be proud to know that even after thousands of years, his ideas have still not fully faded from the cultures of Earth.
References:
“Stoicism.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
“Stoics and Stoic Philosophy.” The Catholic Encyclopedia.
