Jess W

5 Things You Must Know about Stoic Physics

Per wikipedia: Stoic physics is the natural philosophy adopted by the Stoic philosophers to explain the natural processes at work in the universe. According to the Stoics, the cosmos is a single pantheistic god, one which is rational and creative, and which is the basis of everything which exists. The nature of the world is one of unceasing change, driven by the activeContinue reading “5 Things You Must Know about Stoic Physics”

How Stoicism Is Like Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

You can’t have your cake and eat it too is an old proverb. But it’s obviously quite dated. I mean, people implicitly mean that they’re going to eat cake when they ask, “can I have that piece of cake?” So the logical implication is quite apparent that if you are going to have your cake,Continue reading “How Stoicism Is Like Having Your Cake and Eating It Too”

Why Stoics Must Have Humor

Humor has had a bad reputation among philosophers for thousands of years. Humor and laughter have had few mentions by philosophers and when they are mentioned they are characterized in negative terms. Plato and Aristotle viewed humor as malicious or merely a form of mockery. Plato thought that comedy should be tightly regulated by theContinue reading “Why Stoics Must Have Humor”

Would Rejecting the Stoic Physics Make Stoicism 2.0 Or Would It Make Cynicism 1.0?

While I am a fan of Stoic physics and I do agree with essentially all of it, I have to say that before Zeno of Citium developed the Stoic physics, Stoicism already existed mostly in the form of what we call Cynicism. And truly noble people were Cynics and were correct that virtue is theContinue reading “Would Rejecting the Stoic Physics Make Stoicism 2.0 Or Would It Make Cynicism 1.0?”

5 Things You Must Know about Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 17 September 1179) was a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary, and polymath of the High Middle Ages. She is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, as well as the most-recorded in modern history. She has been considered by many in Europe to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany. Here areContinue reading “5 Things You Must Know about Hildegard of Bingen”

What does it mean to be a Stoic?

What does it mean to be a Stoic? I think there are several things that it takes to define a Stoic. First, you must know what it’s like to suffer. Everyone has this quality. You’ve probably been called a name or you’ve been rejected by a loved one. Perhaps you’ve felt powerless because of someContinue reading “What does it mean to be a Stoic?”

5 Things You Must Know about Hipparchia of Maroneia

Hipparchia was a Cynic philosopher from Maroneia in Thrace, who flourished around 300 BCE. She became famous for her marriage to Crates the Cynic, and infamous for supposedly consummating the marriage in public. Here are 5 things you must know about Hipparchia. Hipparchia was a coequal to her husband Crates of Thebes. Hipparchia fell in love with CratesContinue reading “5 Things You Must Know about Hipparchia of Maroneia”

5 Reasons Hypatia of Alexandria Should Be Better Known

Hypatia (born c. 350–370 CE; died 415 CE) was a Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. Very few things are known about Hypatia of Alexandria because none of her personal works survived. But there are at least 5 things worth knowing about her. 1. Hypatia of Alexandria was described as beautiful but thisContinue reading “5 Reasons Hypatia of Alexandria Should Be Better Known”

Can you be a conspiracy theorist and follow Stoic philosophy?

Can you be a Stoic and subscribe to some conspiracy theory? Yes, but only if your conspiracy theory makes sense and doesn’t merely try to poke holes in the official theory. There have been conspiracies in the past with few people involved like Charlie Wilson’s War. During Charlie Wilson’s War, the United States Congress hidContinue reading “Can you be a conspiracy theorist and follow Stoic philosophy?”

Sage Advice for a Breakup

You’ve been in a romantic relationship for a few years but now you’re hurt since your loved one has announced that they no longer want to be in a relationship with you. The obvious result is feeling your heart ache, an emptiness in your soul, and your shoulders feel heavy. What once was, what youContinue reading “Sage Advice for a Breakup”