The Origins Of Stoic Philosophy Or Stoicism

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Stoic philosophy, commonly referred to as Stoicism, is the thought of a Greek philosopher named Zeno, who lived in 300 BC. He was a wealthy merchant who suddenly fell into poverty because the ship he was on had sunk and washed away all his merchandise.

At that time, Zeno was stranded on the continent of Athens. He spent his life studying various types of philosophy so that he succeeded in discovering and teaching the philosophy that he had, namely Stoicism. He often spread his teachings on a pillared terrace called the stoa in Greek. Therefore, his philosophy is called Stoic philosophy.

Teachings In Stoic Philosophy Or Stoicism

The main principle possessed in Stoicism is the dichotomy of control. The considerations, desires, and opinions that are in our minds, as well as the actions we have, are things that we can control. Meanwhile, the things we cannot control are other people's actions, the reputations and opinions of others, and everything outside of our thoughts and activities, such as natural disasters, weather, natural events, and many others. What is taught with the control dichotomy is that we have to give more energy and attention to what we can control and not worry about what we can't control.

Stoic philosophy teaches that one must accept that there are many things out there that can make one feel disappointed. Therefore, Stoicism teaches humans not to always depend on things beyond human control for happiness. Even so, the Stoic philosophy itself does not merely teach humans to avoid things that are beyond our control. Still, humans must be able to deal with this by applying wisdom, for example, by making decisions based on reasoning and conclusions that are correct and accurate.

The Purpose of Stoicism

The goal of Stoic philosophy or Stoicism is eudaimonia, which means developing life. The following are the essential things that Stoicism wants to achieve in human life:

1. A life free from negative emotions, such as anger, sadness, jealousy or suspicion, etc.

2. Can get a peaceful life. You can have peace by focusing on only the things you can control yourself.

3. Living in honing policies, four policies have been put forward in Stoicism, namely wisdom in making the best decisions in any situation, justice for treating others with a fair and honest attitude, courage in doing what is right, and courage in adhering to the true principles. sure, and refrain from modesty and appropriateness in self-control over emotions and passions.

The main goal of Stoicism is to live with negative emotions that can be controlled and live humanely in carrying out essential human nature and essence. With the best life according to the designation we have.

That explains the Stoic philosophy of living a human life; hopefully, this article can be helpful and valuable for readers; thank you so much.