Exploring The Life Philosophy Of Stoicism: Implications And Analysis

You will be analyzing and exploring the implications of one of the four “Life Philosophies” we examined in module one: i.e. either Cyrenaic Hedonism, Epicurean Hedonism, Stoicism, or Existentialism.  We want to make sure you work with the philosophies yourself rather than report on what others have said about them.  As a result, the only source you will be using will be your textbook.  

What is Stoicism?

Stoicism refers to the Hellenistic philosophy that was primarily proposed by Zeno of Citium. The philosophical thought was firstly proposed in the early days of the third century BC. Stoicism generally refers to the branch of philosophy that deals with the personal ethics and is majorly dependent on the logical system and the views that is based on the natural world. The following essay attempts a discussion on the life philosophy of Stoicism. The essay opens with a discussion on the stoicism in general. The essay would also discuss the involvement of the philosophers in the development of Stoicism. The concerned essay aims to discuss the effect of stoicism on the development of the concerned individual. The essay further proceeds to discuss the effect of stoicism on the development of the society at large. The essay nears the conclusion with the discussion on the objection that is placed by Cyrenaic Hedonism. The essay at this stage counters the objection placed and establishes the life philosophy of stoicism.

Stoicism generally refers to the branch of philosophy that deals with the personal ethics and is majorly dependent on the logical system and the views that is based on the natural world. It is the Hellenistic philosophy that was primarily proposed by Zeno of Citium. The philosophical thought was firstly proposed in the early days of the third century BC (Falikowski, 2003). The philosophical school of stoicism is known to have been hugely based on the teachings that were put forth by the celebrated Greek philosopher, Socrates. However, the Stoic physics is related largely to the teachings that were propounded by Heraclitus. The philosophy of stoicism states that the given person should be accepting the activity that has been taking place in the present moment. The philosophers who have been propounding the life philosophy of stoicism state that the person concerned should not be affected by the pleasure or the pain that has been implemented within the society (Falikowski, 2003). The life philosophy of Stoicism further discusses that have been related to the usage of the understanding of the world on the basis of the knowledge that is gathered by the concerned person. The life philosophy of stoicism further establishes the fact that the people should attempt to deal with the working together of the people. This helps in the involvement of the treatment of the fellow citizens in a just and fair manner.

Stoicism and its Major Propounders

One of the major propounders of Stoicism is Marcus Aurelius. He is known to be one of the Roman Emperors who were considered to be one of the last rulers to be incorporated within the Five Good Emperors. The emperor is known to be one of the propounders of stoicism. The early biographer of the emperor has vouched for the depiction of the stoicism by the emperor. The emperor is known to have been implemented the stoicism during his rule. The Roman Emperor is documented to have found stoicism impressive, however, the ruler should have been an avid reader as well as the staunch follower of the concerned philosophy. The emperor was heavily influenced by the Discourse of Epictetus (Falikowski, 2003). The stoic philosophy as discussed within the Discourse of Epictetus has helped the emperor to compose his famous composition, Meditations. The composition of the emperor was later published in the form of a book and is known to have been one of the major sources of information on the stoic philosophy. The emperor is known to have been one of the major propounders of the stoic philosophy. The major teachings of the stoic philosophy state that the person should live in accordance with the nature that surrounds the person. This helps in the attainment of the supreme happiness which is one of the major factors that a person seeks to attain all his life. The stoicism states that the rationality of the human beings is one of the major features that describes the concerned human being.

The stoic philosophy is known to help the concerned individual in their lives. The stoic philosophy helps the person to decide on the issues that are related to the development of the rationality within the concerned human being. The stoics advise the concerned individuals to maintain a proper connection with the nature and the surroundings wherein the person might have been living. The major propounders of stoic philosophy state the fact that the human beings should bring forth their rationality while dealing with the various situations that they might confront. This might help the concerned individual to deal with the issues that are important for leading a proper life. The philosophers of the stoic theory state that the human beings are enabled with the abilities for dealing with the various social situations that they might face (Falikowski, 2003). The stoic philosophy helps the concerned individual to implement the social and the mental abilities of the concerned individual in order to deal with the other human being in a rational manner. The individual who has been abiding by the stoic philosophy aim to discuss the fact that the application of the reason within the dealings of the given situation would help in the proper resolution of the issue. The stoic philosophy further states that the individuals need to abide by the virtuous paths in order to deal with the situations that the might face in their daily lives.

Stoicism's Influence on Individuals

The stoic philosophy is applicable in case of the society too. The society majorly deals with the individuals who have been residing within the given society. The stoics advise the concerned society to maintain a proper connection with the nature and the surroundings wherein the social person might have been living. The major propounders of stoic philosophy state the fact that the human beings within the society should bring forth their rationality while dealing with the various situations that they might confront. This might help the concerned society at large to deal with the issues that are important for leading a proper life (Falikowski, 2003). The philosophers of the stoic theory state that the human beings are enabled with the abilities for dealing with the various social situations that they might face. The stoic philosophy helps the to implement the social and the mental abilities of the members of the concerned society in order to deal with the other human being in a rational manner. The philosophers of stoicism state that the person concerned should not be affected by the pleasure or the pain that has been implemented within the society. Stoicism further discusses that have been related to the usage of the understanding of the world on the basis of the knowledge that is gathered by the concerned person. The life philosophy of stoicism further establishes the fact that the people should attempt to deal with the working together of the people.

The philosophy of Stoicism is known to be in contrast to the philosophy of the Cyrenaic Hedonism. One of the major points of the differences between Cyrenaic Hedonism and Stoicism refers to the argument on the issues that are related to the treatment of pleasure as described by the followers of both the schools of philosophical thoughts. The followers of the school of Cyrenaic Hedonism state that the setting of the pleasure as a life goal is often observed to be a virtue. The Stoics on the other hands state that the setting of pleasure to be a life goal is not a vice (Falikowski, 2003). However, the Stoics seem to elaborate on the issue by stating the fact that the activity of seeking pleasure is one of the rational decisions that might be undertaken by the concerned individuals who have been residing within the given society. The major propounders of stoic philosophy state the fact that the human beings should bring forth their rationality while dealing with the various situations that they might confront. This might help the concerned individual to deal with the issues that are important for leading a proper life (Falikowski, 2003). The philosophers of the stoic theory state that the human beings are enabled with the abilities for dealing with the various social situations that they might face during their stay at the given society.

In lieu of the above discussion, it might be inferred that the philosophy of stoicism states that the given person should be accepting the activity that has been taking place in the present moment. The philosophers who have been propounding the life philosophy of stoicism state that the person concerned should not be affected by the pleasure or the pain that has been implemented within the society. The life philosophy of Stoicism further discusses that have been related to the usage of the understanding of the world on the basis of the knowledge that is gathered by the concerned person. The stoicism states that the rationality of the human beings is one of the major features that describes the concerned human being. The stoics advise the concerned individuals to maintain a proper connection with the nature and the surroundings wherein the person might have been living.

Reference:

Falikowski, A. F. (2003). Experiencing philosophy. Pearson.