Stoicism is a school of philosophy that hails from Stoicism was important for distinguishing the
ancient Greece and Rome in the early parts of the 3rd differences between the good, the bad and the
century, BC. It is a philosophy of life that maximizes indifferent. Stoics thought being able to make these
positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps distinctions was important in making sound judgements
individuals to hone their virtues of character. and logical decisions in a practical, considered way,
rather than acting with passion or impulse. They divided
It’s a philosophy of life that maximizes positive
wisdom into the sub-topics of common sense,
emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps
calculation, quick-wittedness, discretion, and
individuals to hone their virtues of character.
resourcefulness. Contemporary Stoic scholar Massimo
At any moment, in any situation, and at any stage of life, Pigliucci says, “A wise person is the one that takes the
Stoicism provides a framework for living well. It reminds right course of action, not just instrumentally, but
people of what is truly important, providing practical morally.”
strategies to get more of what is valuable.
2. Courage
Stoicism was deliberately created to be understandable, - Another important trait in the virtues of
actionable and useful. Practicing Stoicism doesn’t Stoicism, courage, or fortitude, is the state of remaining
require learning an entirely new philosophical lexicon or strong and in control of one’s emotions, no matter what
meditating for hours a day. Instead, it offers an life has to throw at you. Stoics divided courage into the
immediate, useful and practical way to find tranquility following sub-categories: endurance, confidence, high-
and improve one’s strengths of character. mindedness, cheerfulness, and industriousness. In all
Who were the Stoics? these categories we see the emphasis on remaining
positive and productive in the face of adversity. Ancient
A handful of thinkers helped to form the Stoic Greek Stoics emphasized that courage is not about
philosophy. This section will provide pertinent eliminating fear, but rather accepting it and pushing
information about several of the most famous Stoics, as through with endurance and resilience.
well as what they contributed to the Stoic Philosophy.
Marcus Aurelius 3. Temperance
- “Waste no more time arguing what a good - Temperance, also known as moderation, is all
man should be. Be One.” about acting with restraint, self-control and discipline.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca This virtue of Stoicism means regulating one’s emotions
- “No person has the power to have everything rather than being swept up in the heat of the moment.
they want, but it is in their power not to want Stoics subdivided temperance into the following
what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to categories: good discipline, seemliness, modesty, and
good use what they do have.” self-control. This act of self-regulation can refer to any
aspect of life. It is about controlling and moderating
Zeno of Citium
one’s bad habits such as over-eating, drinking too much
Epictetus
wine, or wallowing in a pool of pity or despair.
- “The chief task in life is simply this: to identify
and separate matters so that I can say clearly to
4. Justice
myself which are externals not under my
- The final fundamental trait in the four virtues
control, and which have to do with the choices I
of Stoicism is Justice, also known as morality, or what
actually control. Where then do I look for good
the Greek philosophers called Dikaiosynê. Stoics
and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but
subdivided justice into the character traits of piety,
within myself to the choices that are my own…”
honesty, equity, and fair dealing. This virtue is all about
doing what is right and fair, particularly when the going
Four Cardinal Virtues of Stoicism
gets tough.
1. Wisdom
- Ancient Greek Stoics emphasized the
importance of practical wisdom (sometimes referred to
as prudence) which they called phronesis. This virtue of
o The Anecdotal Evidence Fallacy
o The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
Zeno of Cyprus/Citium o The Middle Ground Fallacy
Zeno of Citium, (born c. 335 BCE, Citium, Cyprus—died o The Burden of Proof Fallacy
c. 263, Athens), Hellenistic thinker who founded the o The Personal Incredulity Fallacy
Stoic school of philosophy, which influenced the o The “No True Scotsman” Fallacy
development of philosophical and ethical thought in o The Ad Hominem Fallacy
Hellenistic and Roman times. o The Tu Quoque Fallacy
o The Fallacy Fallacy
He went to Athens about 312 BCE and attended lectures
by the Cynic philosophers Crates of Thebes and Stilpon
of Megara, in addition to lectures at the Academy.
Arriving at his own philosophy, he began to teach in the
Stoa Poikile (Painted Colonnade), whence the name of
his philosophy.
Zeno’s philosophical system included logic and theory of
knowledge, physics, and ethics—the latter being central.
He taught that happiness lay in conforming the will to
the divine reason, which governs the universe. In logic
and the theory of knowledge he was influenced by References:
Antisthenes and Diodorus Cronus, in physics by Holstee. Stoisim 101: An Introduction to Stoicism, Stoic
Heracleitus. None of his many treatises, written in harsh Philosophy and the Stoics.
but forceful Greek, has survived save in fragmentary https://www.holstee.com/blogs/mindful-matter/stoicis
quotations. m-101-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-stoicism-
stoic-philosophy-and-the-stoics#:~:text=Stoicism%20is
Major Fallacies %20a%20school%20of,hone%20their%20virtues%20of
Logical fallacies are deceptive or false arguments %20character.
that may seem stronger than they actually are due to
psychological persuasion, but are proven wrong with The Collector. What are the Four Cardinal Virtues of
reasoning and further examination. Stoicism. https://www.thecollector.com/what-are-the-
four-cardinal-virtues-of-stoicism/
These mistakes in reasoning typically consist of an
argument and a premise that does not support the Britannica. Zeno of Citium.
conclusion. There are two types of fallacies: formal and https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zeno-of-Citium
informal.
Karla Hesterberg. Logical Fallacies
Formal: Formal fallacies are arguments that have invalid https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/common-logical-
structure, form, or context errors. fallacies
Informal: Informal fallacies are arguments that have
irrelevant or incorrect premises.
o The Straw Man Fallacy
o The Bandwagon Fallacy
o The Appeal to Authority Fallacy
o The False Dilemma Fallacy
o The Hasty Generalization Fallacy
o The Slothful Induction Fallacy
o The Correlation/Causation Fallacy
