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Stoicism is a school of Philosophy founded ( 308 BC ) in Athens by Zeno Of Citium . It teaches self-control and detachment from distracting emotions, sometimes interpreted as an Indifference to pleasure or pain. Stoics believe that this allows one to be a clear thinker, level-headed and unbiased. In practice, Stoicism is intended to imbue an individual with virtue, wisdom, and integrity of character. Students are encouraged to be Altruistic as well as psychologically independent from society, regarding it as an unruly and often unreasonable entity while encouraging active engagement in improving society. Virtue, reason, and Natural Law are prime directives. By mastering passions and emotions, stoics believe it is possible to overcome the discord of the outside world and find peace within oneself. Stoicism holds that passion distorts truth, and that the pursuit of truth is virtuous. Greek philosophers such as Cleanthes , Chrysippus , and later Roman thinkers such as Cicero , Seneca The Younger , Marcus Aurelius , Cato The Younger , Dio Chrysostom , and Epictetus are associated with Stoicism. In Cicero's case, it should be emphasised that while he shared many of the moral tenets of Stoicism, he was not a Stoic himself but an Eclectic . Stoic philosophy is usually contrasted with Epicureanism . HISTORY Stoicism first appeared in Athens in the Hellenistic period around 301 BC and was introduced by Zeno Of Citium . He taught in the famous Stoa Poikile (the painted porch) from which his philosophy got its name. Central to his teachings was the law of Morality being the same as nature. During its initial phase, it was generally seen as a back-to-nature movement critical of Superstitions and taboos. The philosophical detachment also encompassed pain and misfortune, good or bad experiences, as well as life or death. Zeno often challenged prohibitions, traditions and customs. Another tenet was the emphasis placed on love for all other beings. His ideas developed from those of the Cynic s, whose founder, Antisthenes , had been a disciple of Socrates . Zeno's most important follower was Chrysippus , who was responsible for much of what we now call Stoicism. The Stoics provided a unified account of the world, consisting of formal Logic , materialistic Physics and Naturalistic Ethics . Of these, they emphasized ethics as the main focus of human knowledge, though their logical theories were to be of more interest for many later philosophers. Later Roman Stoics focused on promoting a life in harmony with the universe, over which one has no direct control. Modern philosophy, contrary to original stoicism, often associates stoicism with determinism, as opposed to the Judeo-christian doctrine of Free Will. STOIC ETHICS AND VIRTUES The ancient Stoics are often misunderstood because the terms they used meant different things in the past than they do today. The word ''stoic'' has come to mean ''unemotional'' or indifferent to pain, because Stoic ethics taught freedom from ''passion'' by following ''reason.'' But the Stoics did not seek to extinguish emotions, only to avoid emotional troubles by developing clear judgement and inner calm through diligent practice of logic, reflection, and concentration. Borrowing from the Cynics, the foundation of Stoic ethics is that good lies in the state of the soul itself; in wisdom and self-control. Stoic ethics stressed the rule: "Follow where reason leads." One must therefore strive to be free of the Passion s (hate, fear, pain, pleasure, distress, appetite, etc.), bearing in mind that the ancient meaning of ''passion'' was "anguish" or "suffering" {Link without Title} —somewhat different to the modern use of the word. The idea was to be free of Suffering (which the Stoics called ''passion'') through ''apatheia'' (απαθεια) (Greek) or '''''apathy''''', where apathy was understood in the ancient sense—being objective or having "clear judgement"—rather than simple indifference, as Apathy implies today. The Stoic concepts of ''passion'' and ''apatheia'' are analogous to the Buddhist Noble Truths ; All life has suffering ( Dukkha ), suffering is rooted in passion and desire ( Samudaya ), meditation and virtue can free one from suffering ( Nirodha and Marga ). It is also analogous to the concepts in Bhagavad Gita , a Hindu scripture, which stress on rising above the dualities such as pleasure-pain, win-lose, to perform one's duties. For the Stoics '' Reason '' meant not only using logic, but also understanding the processes of nature—the Logos , or universal reason, inherent in all things. Living according to reason and virtue, they held, is to live in harmony with the divine order of the universe, in recognition of the common reason and essential value of all people. The four cardinal virtues of the Stoic philosophy are '' Wisdom '' (Sophia), '' Courage '' (Andreia), '' Justice '' (Dikaiosyne), and '' Temperance '' (Sophrosyne), a classification derived from the teachings of Plato . Following Socrates , the Stoics held that unhappiness and evil are the results of ignorance. If someone is unkind, it is because they are unaware of their own universal reason. Likewise, if you are unhappy, it is because you've forgotten how nature actually works. The solution to evil and unhappiness then, is the practice of philosophy—to examine one's own judgements and behaviour and determine where they have diverged from the universal reason of nature. BROTHERHOOD A distinctive feature of Stoicism is its Cosmopolitanism . All people are manifestations of the one universal spirit and should, according to the Stoics, live in Brotherly love and readily help one another. They held that external differences such as rank and wealth are of no importance in social relationships. Thus, before the rise of Christianity , Stoics recognized and advocated the brotherhood of humanity and the natural equality of all human beings. Stoicism became the most influential school of the Graeco–Roman world, and produced a number of remarkable writers and personalities, such as Cato The Younger and Epictetus . STOICISM'S INFLUENCE ON CHRISTIANITY Although Stoicism was considered by many early Fathers Of The Church to be a part of the philosophical decline of the ancient world, many of its elements were held in high esteem, in particular, the Natural Law , which is a major part of the Roman Catholic and early American doctrines of secular public morality. The central Stoic idea of ''logos'' influenced Christian thought (see John 1 ). The Stoic definition of virtue as the conformance of the will to the rational order of the world has parallels with traditional Christian morality. The Stoic cosmopolitanism influenced Augustine Of Hippo 's concept of the City Of God . Stoicism influenced the Christian Boethius in his '' Consolation Of Philosophy '', a book which promotes Christian morality via secular philosophy; this book was highly influential in the Middle Ages . QUOTATIONS Collection of various Stoic quotes: Epictetus :
Marcus Aurelius :
Seneca :
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