Stoicism: principles, history, and philosophical practice

¶ … Stoicism

Established by Zeno in Athens as early as 300 BC, Stoicism as a philosophy became popular because it provides people with balance in their belief in the metaphysical and rational philosophies existing during the period. Primarily a philosophy that considers both metaphysics and reason as its basic principles, Stoicism posits that the concept of an individual's "goodness" is manifested not physically, but metaphysically, through the concept of the "soul." Reason and logic in stoicism is just one of the elements that creates and develops wisdom within the individual, along with the virtues of courage, justice, and temperance. Stoicism is said to be a balance between logic and metaphysics because it utilizes both to create a holistic approach in explaining how individualism is developed intrinsically, i.e., through wisdom and soul. Because it is a balance between rationality and metaphysics, stoicism is associated with both philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. Platonian philosophy is closely associated with stoicism is illustrated in the latter's subsistence to sensory experience as one way to attain wisdom and experience their social realities in life. Similarly, Aristotelian philosophy is evident in the use of empiricism in the ethical doctrines of the Stoics. Thus, because of the dual nature of its philosophical principles, Stoicism serves as a 'middle ground' that bridge the gap between Platonian and Aristotelian philosophies. The development of Stoicism's dual nature is a result of emerging philosophies that attempt to bridge or fill in gaps or dilemmas posed by subsisting only to either Platonian or Aristotelian philosophies. Because social realities are not experienced by the senses alone, and conversely, not all realities are experienced through empirical observation, stoicism is developed to provide a venue where both sensory experience and empirical observation are used to create and experience humanity's social experiences; hence, the move from idealism towards stoicism.