What is Stoicism? A Beginners Guide to an Ancient Philosophy
In a world that often seems teetering on the edge of disorder, where distractions abound and inner peace seems elusive, the ancient philosophy of Stoicism offers a beacon of hope. Born in the tumultuous streets of Athens and refined amid the grandeur of Roman imperium, Stoicism is a…
Living in Accordance With Nature
Stoicism is primarily known as a moral philosophy, which means it is focused on virtue and developing our character. All philosophical schools with a moral focus ask essentially the same question: what is the best way to be a good person? Each philosophy differs on the answer, but…
Do Stoics Believe in God?
Stoicism was first created by Zeno of Citium as a philosophy standing on three pillars: ethics (ithicós), physics, and logic (logos). Later on, the philosophy’s moral aspect developed in such a way it overcame the other two pillars, although there is still a place for logic and physics…
What Motivates a Stoic?
There are many things that could be said to motivate a Stoic and we could write an entire book on the topic, but we will sum up the answer to this question in one word: ataraxia. This is ultimately the main goal of a Stoic and, therefore, what…
How Should a Stoic Look at Education?
The Merriam-Webster offers a few definitions for the term “to educate”, but the most fitting one is: “to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction and to persuade or condition to feel, believe, or act in a desired way”. When we share our knowledge with someone, we…
What do Stoics Think About Suicide?
Suicide is often treated as taboo in many ideologies, so it is surprising to find that Stoics had nothing against suicide. According to their philosophy, the only things of importance when it comes to death is that you are not afraid of death and that you have lived…
Why Does a Stoic Meditate?
Meditating is a natural part of a Stoic’s routine. Its peculiarity resides not so much on the “how” they meditate, but on the “why”. Do stoics meditate to clean up their minds? Do they meditate to focus on something? Do they meditate to reach enlightenment? These are some…
The Most Difficult Stoic Practices
How difficult can it be to become a Stoic? Well, the answer depends on your mindset towards this journey. A lot of people think it is too challenging and ultimately give up. Those people are partly right – it is challenging. Reaching philosophical enlightenment isn’t meant to be…
How Does a Stoic Grieve?
The way a Stoic grieves is vastly different from that of the average person, but there is a logic behind that is based on their dichotomy of control. This core idea of Stoic philosophy teaches that our world is composed of things we can control and others we…
Misconceptions about Stoicism
People who are not fully open to something new will tend to focus on reasons to avoid this new thing, even if those reasons are false. The philosophy of Stoicism is no exclusion to this custom. Today, I’m going to share a few common misconceptions people have about…