Stoicism : Live a Life of Virtue - Complete Guide on Stoicism

By Ryan James

Stoicism: Live a Life of Virtue – Complete Guide on Stoicism provides an overview of the history of the stoic philosophy as well as profiles of some of the ancient masters who contributed to its development. In addition, it tells the stories of some modern practitioners of the philosophy who successfully used it to overcome difficult situations in their lives. We have also provided a number of exercises that you can use to help make Stoicism a part of your daily life.

Topics covered include:

• The early history of Stoicism, from its founding as a school of thought by Zeno in 300 BC to its decline due to the growing popularity of Christianity, and its resurgence in modern times.
• Profiles of three masters who were important in the development of the Stoic philosophy: Epictetus, the former slave who became one of the most influential Stoic philosophers; Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor who helped promote its popularity; and the controversial Seneca, who sought to live the Stoic life in spite of his lavish lifestyle.
• Why Stoicism became popular in recent years and its appeal not only to people from all walks of life as well as those with differing belief systems.
• Practical exercises that you can use to practice Stoic mindfulness in your daily life, ranging from morning and evening reflections to keeping a mindfulness journal.
• Inspiring stories of people who have used Stoicism in order to overcome difficult situations in their daily lives, including the amazing story of Sam Sullivan, who used Stoic principles to not only recover from a crippling injury that left him paralyzed but also to successfully run for mayor of Vancouver.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan James
• Release date: Apr 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386472063

Ryan James

Ryan James is an author who's passionate about Human Psychology.He believes that by understanding our brain and our emotions, why we do what we do, we are better equipped to deal with the various challenges we encounter in life.In his books, Ryan provides practical steps to improve all aspects of your life including, health, fitness, work, productivity, confidence, relationships and more. He focuses on providing actionable steps rather than hyped up strategies that rarely work in the real-world. you'll find that his books are easy to follow and easy to implement.When he's not helping his clients become the best version of themselves, you will either find him at the rock climbing gym or at home with his family making his favorite guacamole recipe.

Book preview

The History of Stoicism

Stoicism emerged in 300 BC during a time of turmoil in Athens following the death of Alexander the Great and the sage Aristotle. The prominent position held by the Greek city-state (polis) in the cultural life of the ancient world passed on to cities such as Alexandria and Rome. The decline of the polis meant that local rule gave way to bigger political units ruled over by distant governors. The certainty of traditional values gave way to more transient principles.

It was against this historical backdrop that Zeno of Citium founded the Stoic school of thought. It derived its name from the Stoa Pokile, an open market where early followers of Stoicism would meet and teach the new philosophy. Zeno divided philosophy into three topoi: logic, ethics and physics. The study of ethics is seen as central to the practice of Stoicism and is supported by physics and logic.

Stoics saw the two topoi as fields of inquiry with logic studying how to reason with the world and physics being the study of the world itself. One famous analogy that Stoics used to explain the relationship between the three topoi is that of an egg, with the shell being the Logic, the yolk the Physics and the white the Ethics.

Zeno also established the following basic tenets of Stoic thought:

Human happiness is the product of living according to nature

Logic is a tool and not an end in itself 

Physical theory provides the means to determine right actions

The basis for certain knowledge is perception

The duty to choose only acts which are in agreement with nature

True knowledge must always be accompanied by agreement

Adoption of a cultural outlook that goes beyond narrow loyalties

Zeno drew many of these tenets from earlier schools of thought. From the Milesians, who thought of nature as consisting of entities that could be methodologically observed, he took the concept of the beauty of nature and the adherence to a cosmic order. From the revered philosopher Socrates, he gained a deeper understanding of human nature. Parmenides of Elea preached the importance of reason and thought while Heraclitus of Ephesus has spoken about how divine fire illuminated all things, as well as the constancy of change.

Zeno was succeeded as head of the school by Cleanthes of Assos, who wrote the Hymn to Zeus, which describes the Stoic reverence for the power of universal law and reason and the cosmic order. Cleanthes’ successor, Chrysippus of Soli, was the most productive in terms of developing the tenets of Stoicism, in particular developing Zeno’s ideas about philosophy and its parts. He established that physics (theology) and logic are necessary as the means to differentiate between good and evil. 

Diogenes of Babylon brought Stoicism to Rome in 155 BC, where it eventually became the dominant philosophy. Its popularity can be explained due to the way the philosophy reflected the Romans’ worldview, which emphasized virtues, manliness or toughness. 

Under the Romans, Stoicism was intended to serve as a way of life and not just be a collection of abstract knowledge. The most prominent of the practitioners of Stoicism was the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who used the philosophy as a framework to help him deal with the day-to-day difficulties of ruling the empire.

Other prominent Romans who adopted Stoicism include the poet Lucan, the dramatist and statesman Seneca and the philosopher Epictetus. The philosophy also influenced Roman imperial conquest, due to the Stoic concept of logos, which refers to the meaning or rational order of the universe. Since the universe was created by God to have a rational meaning, everything that happens is part of some greater good.

Romans came to believe that in order to fulfil the greater good, they had to spread the rule of law throughout the world through conquest. Thus, all Romans had to adhere to the values of duty (officium) and respect for authority (pietas), since every function they undertook for the state was meant to fulfil this larger purpose. Fulfilling their duties to the state also meant fulfilling their duty to