Stoicism: Hellenistic Philosophy

Stoicism was a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded around 300 B.C. by Zeno of Citium, who was born in Cyprus. For centuries, Stoicism was one of the most influential philosophies in the Greco-Roman world, and its many followers and teachers modified and developed it over hundreds of years. The basic framework of its philosophy, however, has never changed. The main goal and teaching of Stoicism is to live in accordance with nature. The Stoics taught that virtue, which is the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that only the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason that governs all of nature, and are indifferent to the concepts of fortune and to pain and pleasure. The philosophy of Stoicism influenced many in the past and still influences

This included performing one's duty and not challenging the natural order of things. The Stoics held that we control our attitudes toward what happens, although we cannot determine future events (synonym). Stoicism's acknowledgment that Cosmopolitanism is important and that even though we play different roles in our lives, we are all human, made it a suitable philosophy for the Roman goal of a multicultural type of empire. Roman intellectuals were also very attracted to the Stoics universal approach to morality. Based on reason and nature, it transcended related moral codes. The orator Cicero, who had studied in Greece, argued that pursuit of justice is every individual's highest duty (synonym). Cicero was critical of any acquisition of power or wealth that appeared illegal or immoral. Cicero's writings and lectures helped to establish Stoicism as the prominent moral philosophy in

It really depends on who you ask. When considering the doctrines of the Stoics, it is important to remember that they think of philosophy not as an interesting pastime or even a particular body of knowledge, but as a way of life (Stanford/Stoics). So one who lives the life of a Stoic will say that it is an influence. Today many people still turn to Stoicism as a form of psychological discipline (Stanford/Stoicism). When one is comes to the realization of what we and the world around us are really like, and especially the nature of value, we will be utterly transformed. This is an idea that can seem very appealing for those who wish to live in accordance with nature and true understanding of what is around them. In a way, to live as a Stoic, one must live in the world but not be of it. The Stoics are in the world but not of it, desiring the whole of which any moment is just a reflection (Peterman 217). Stoicism stresses the importance of self-sufficiency. This is a trait that can be observed in todays world in many places. Most people in societies go to work to make a living so that they may live comfortably and be