Stoicism

Home > Virtues & Parental Teaching > Patience > Stoicism

An ancient Greek philosophy focusing on developing resilience, self-control, and patience in the face of adversity.

The history of Stoicism: Understanding the origin and development of the philosophical movement.
The Stoic worldview: What Stoics believe about the nature of the universe and our place in it.
The three disciplines of Stoicism: How Stoics practice self-control, wisdom, and courage.
The dichotomy of control: The idea that we only have control over our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, not external circumstances.
The concept of virtue: Living a life guided by wisdom, justice, courage, and self-control.
The ideal Stoic sage: A hypothetical perfect Stoic who embodies all the virtues.
The role of reason: Using reason to understand and accept the world as it is, rather than trying to control or resist it.
The importance of mindfulness: Being present in the moment and aware of one's thoughts and emotions.
Acceptance of fate: Recognizing that everything that happens is part of the natural order and accepting it without resistance.
Virtue ethics: The application of Stoic principles to ethical decision making and behavior.
Classical Stoicism: The original school of Stoicism founded by philosophers Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus in ancient Greece.
Roman Stoicism: A development of Stoicism by Roman philosophers such as Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.
Modern Stoicism: A revival of Stoicism in contemporary times, inspired by the works of ancient and contemporary philosophers.
Christian Stoicism: An approach to Stoicism that emphasizes the compatibility of Stoicism with Christianity, including the works of Church Fathers such as St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Eastern Stoicism: A fusion of Stoic principles with Eastern philosophies and religion, such as Buddhism and Taoism.
Practical Stoicism: A focus on the practical applications of Stoic philosophy in everyday life, emphasizing the importance of choosing one's reactions to external events.
Academic Stoicism: An approach to Stoicism that emphasizes reason and philosophy as the key to achieving virtue and tranquility.
Contemplative Stoicism: A practice that emphasizes meditation and self-reflection as techniques for achieving inner peace and wisdom.
Hedonistic Stoicism: An approach that reconciles the pursuit of pleasure with a Stoic philosophy, arguing that physical pleasure can lead to spiritual well-being.
Psychological Stoicism: An approach that views Stoicism as a psychotherapeutic tool and focuses on cognitive-behavioral techniques for achieving emotional regulation and resilience.
"The Stoics believed that the practice of virtue is enough to achieve eudaimonia: a well-lived, flourishing life."
"It was founded in the ancient Agora of Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 BC."
"The Stoics identified the path to achieving it with a life spent practicing certain virtues in everyday life such as courage or temperance."
"Alongside Aristotle's ethics, the Stoic tradition forms one of the major founding approaches to virtue ethics."
"The Stoics are especially known for teaching that 'virtue is the only good' for human beings, and that external things, such as health, wealth, and pleasure, are not good or bad in themselves but have value as 'material for virtue to act upon' (adiaphora)."
"Many Stoics—such as Seneca and Epictetus—emphasized that because 'virtue is sufficient for happiness,' a sage would be emotionally resilient to misfortune."
"The Stoics also held that certain destructive emotions resulted from errors of judgment."
"They believed people should aim to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is 'in accordance with nature'."
"To live a good life, one had to understand the rules of the natural order since they believed everything was rooted in nature. Because of this, the Stoics thought the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how a person behaved."
"Stoicism flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD."
"Among its adherents was Emperor Marcus Aurelius."
"It experienced a decline after Christianity became the state religion in the 4th century AD."
"Yes, it has seen revivals, notably in the Renaissance (Neostoicism) and in the contemporary era (modern Stoicism)."
"The Stoics believed that the practice of virtue is enough to achieve eudaimonia: a well-lived, flourishing life."
"It was founded in the ancient Agora of Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 BC."
"External things, such as health, wealth, and pleasure, are not good or bad in themselves but have value as 'material for virtue to act upon'."
"The Stoics held that certain destructive emotions resulted from errors of judgment."
"People should aim to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is 'in accordance with nature'."
"The best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how a person behaved."
"To live a good life, one had to understand the rules of the natural order since they believed everything was rooted in nature."