Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Stoicism is one of the oldest schools of philosophy.It originated in Athens around 300 BC.Stoicism was widespread during the period of antiquity not only in Ancient Greece, but also in Ancient Rome.The founder of the Stoic school is the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno of Citium.Other equally famous Stoics are: Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.Stoicism is the idea of a strong and active life position based on the discipline of reason.Ancient thinkers divided the doctrine into three parts: physics, ethics and logic.Let us consider in more detail what each part was responsible for.Logic is a fundamental part of Stoicism.It consisted of rhetoric and dialectics.Its purpose was to show how the universal laws of reason operate in the sphere of knowledge, and to explain philosophizing as a strict scientific procedure.The doctrine of physics implied that the world is a kind of living organism, which is governed by the immanent divine law of logos.Physics included ontocosmology and anthropology.According to the teachings of the Stoics, the cosmos is a living intelligent body, and the human soul is directly connected with it.Ancient thinkers argued that a person can resist fate and think independently contrary to logos, but this will only lead to the worst result.Ethics is an important element of the teaching of Stoicism.Its idea is based on the self-sufficiency of virtue.The ideal of this teaching is a sage with an infallible intellectual and moral attitude.The goal of such a person is self-improvement.It is also worth noting that the Stoics were against slavery.Since, according to their teaching, every person is God's creation and no person should have the right to subjugate another.Let's consider several basic ideas of Stoicism: Freedom from the influence of the outside world.The path of self-improvement (enrich yourself culturally and intellectually).Refuse material goods.Be able to be content with little and feel inner freedom.Apply a logical approach to life.Be aware and understand every minute of your life.Follow the voice of conscience and reason.It is worth noting that the ancient Stoics were calm about death.They did not feel fear of it and could calmly talk about it, showing that this is an absolutely natural process that everyone will have to face sooner or later.Stoicism undoubtedly had a great influence on Christian theocosmology.In addition, the physics and ethics of Stoicism were widely influential in the Renaissance and Modern Times.Also, philosophical teaching had an indirect impact on economic science.Now let's consider modern Stoicism.The beginning of the development of modern Stoicism is considered to be the end of the 20th century.Its ideas are based on the ancient, but with some differences for the modern world.The most important distinctive feature is a respectful attitude to money and power.Modern Stoicism received its active distribution thanks to a group of British psychologists and scientists, which since 2012 has been holding events on Stoic topics.In addition, the organization Modern Stoicism Ltd. since 2013 has been holding a week of Stoics in cities such as London, New York, Toronto and Athens.Today, the Stoic movement has grown significantly in Western countries, manifesting itself in many articles in popular publications.At the beginning of the 21st century, the Stoicism Today project began to actively involve British historians and philosophers, who noted the positive features of
Author: Manana Gagoshidze
Institution: Sokhumi State University
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4405406919