When I began dabbling in Stoic philosophy it was a quick relief for my anxiety, regret, and anger. Before investigating Stoicism, I moved from philosophy to philosophy as I had done since high school. I knew of Stoicism since first getting into philosophy, but I never understood how virtue led to happiness. I found it… Continue reading The Stoic Duty to Others
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Stoicism, Autonomy and Abortion
The Stoics believed in virtue and the chief one among them, justice. The Stoics also believed in preferred indifferents, for example, health, wealth, reputation, pleasure, and education. What did they believe about autonomy though? The Stoics believed in one type of autonomy that was always within our possession: the freedom from perturbation. In fact, if… Continue reading Stoicism, Autonomy and Abortion
How Spinoza and the Ancient Stoics Were on the Same Page
In the Ethics Spinoza attempts to give his philosophical metaphysics an absolute foundation in the style of Euclidean proofs. One of the principal focuses of the Ethics is to show that God is Nature and Nature is God. Like Descartes and Leibniz, Spinoza was a rationalist which meant he believed that all knowledge could be… Continue reading How Spinoza and the Ancient Stoics Were on the Same Page
Why Virtue Is the Only Good
It is fundamental that virtue is the only good for a Stoic. There is not a perfect proof for why virtue is the sole good. As my philosophy professor at Drury U used to say, “you have to bite the bullet when deciding to commit to any particular ethical theory.” People at times despair that… Continue reading Why Virtue Is the Only Good
American Pragmatism: Why Stoicism is True because It Works
Do our thoughts mirror reality? Or are they just a tool for prediction, problem-solving or action? Philosophical pragmatists think it’s the latter. In fact, pragmatists aren’t necessarily interested in whether ideas correspond to reality or not but they are specifically interested in whether ideas serve practical purposes in our daily life. Pragmatism originated from Charles… Continue reading American Pragmatism: Why Stoicism is True because It Works
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 you… Continue reading Sage Advice for a Breakup
Is Stoicism a Religion?
Is Stoicism a religion? It really depends on what you mean by religion. But if you ask a person who takes Stoicism seriously as a philosophy, they’ll probably get indignant and be like, “Stoicism is not a religion! It’s a philosophy!” And they’ll be ironically quite religiously zealous about that fact. Religion to many in the… Continue reading Is Stoicism a Religion?
Spinoza and the Stoics
In the Ethics Spinoza attempts to give his philosophical metaphysics an absolute foundation in the style of Euclidean proofs. One of the principal focuses of the Ethics is to show that God is Nature and Nature is God. Like Descartes and Leibniz, Spinoza was a rationalist which meant he believed that all knowledge could be… Continue reading Spinoza and the Stoics
Stoicism and Coping with Pain
I don’t have chronic pain and wouldn’t know what people experience when having chronic pain, but I have had some painful experiences such as stomach surgery (once to fix my stomach and once to fix my hernia). Pain can be quite, well, painful. So how does Stoicism help relieve pain? Well, it doesn’t actually relieve… Continue reading Stoicism and Coping with Pain
Apatheia vs Apathy
Many people are wrongly turned off or on by Stoicism because they think Stoicism endorses a purely indifferent attitude towards the world. People who care very much about the human race and how societies and governments treat their people are especially turned off by apathy. Even more problematic are people who go into Stoicism thinking… Continue reading Apatheia vs Apathy