Stoic Principles

The Dichotomy of Control

There are things that we can fully control and things that we cannot control or can only partially control.
We must only focus on things we can control, framing all our goals in terms of things we can control and
not having expectations of Fortune.
A man is only free if his desires are not thwarted. If you only desire what you can control, you will not be
frustrated, and your freedom will be guaranteed.
The Pursuit of Arete and Values
The four virtues composing Arete, the supreme ideal:
1. Wisdom - the ability to think and act using knowledge and experience
2. Justice - to live in integrity with your highest ideals
3. Courage/fortitude - the ability to act despite negative feelings
4. Temperance - restraint, being able to voluntary refrain from things.
The nature of a thing is what that thing achieves when it has completed growth - its final, ideal form.
Virtue and the chief good (Arete) are living in accordance with nature.
Stoics create the distinction between two kinds of value:
1. One sort is the value of truly good things that directly contribute to living the good life: only virtues
have this value.
2. However, another sort is a certain intermediate potential or usefulness - the value that health, wealth,
reputation have when used wisely.
This gives rise to the idea of preferred and unpreferred indifferences- things in our nature to select or
avoid selecting. They are not good or bad, tend to be out of our control, and their attainment/avoidance
should not be our goals.
ex. A preferred indifferent is analogous to winning the game for an athlete who takes the attitude of "it’s
not whether you win or lose, but how you play."
To the Stoic what is important is the act itself, not its consequences. An appropriate act which ends up
with an unpreferred indifferent is no worse than one which results in a preferred one and does not imply
that the actor should have done otherwise, even if an inappropriate act would have turned out better.
Hence, the actual outcome is truly indifferent.
Passions and Emotion
Stoicism is not the suppression of emotion. It is about maximizing positive emotion and minimizing
negative emotions and passions.
Passions are emotions caused or reinforced by a belief that something outside our control is either good or
bad; they are symptoms of mistaken beliefs about good and bad.
From Zeno:
Unhealthy passions are 1) irrational judgements about good and bad 2) unnatural or unhealthy mental
activity, 3) excessive impulses to action or intentions to obtain what we deem good or bad.
These feelings are irrational, often over 1) pain - failure to avoid something 'bad' or obtain something
'good' – ex. envy, resentment 2) fear - expectation of something 'bad' – ex. dread, panic, 3) craving -
striving for something falsely judged to be good – ex. futile yearning, lust, love of wealth, 4) pleasure -
irrational elation over something falsely judged to be good. ex. self-indulgence, decadence, sadism
Healthy passions were given as 1) joy - rational elation over virtue, 2) caution/discretion - rational
aversion towards vice, 3) wishing - feeling of rational desire for virtue
The ideal stoic is free from unhealthy passions, but he might find himself experiencing disturbing feelings
reflexively – these feelings fall outside his control but how he manages them after they initially arise is in
control.
In essence, a sage is not unfeeling but rises above his initial reactions while exhibiting both reason and
natural affection in his actions.
Key Stoic Exercises
1. Negative Visualization - focus on the response, not the event itself, which is meant to be viewed as
indifferent
2. Projective Visualization – imagine things through the perspective of a third-party observer.
ex. If your servant breaks your favorite cup, you may become angry. However, if you were at a friend's
house and his servant broke his favorite cup, you would be unlikely to get angry and would instead try to
calm your friend by saying "it's just a cup."
3. Voluntary Discomfort – periodically place yourself in uncomfortable situations, ex. Taking cold
showers, turning off the AC, walking in the cold, fasting, etc.
4. Meditation – active (evening: reviewing a day’s actions through stoic mindset, asking yourself what
you did right and wrong during the day; morning: reviewing key stoic principles and values) and passive
(mindfulness or other forms of meditation)
5. View from Above – an extension of projective visualization. Zoom out, thinking about your home, then
the city, the country, the world, and eventually the universe. This exercise is about teaching magnanimity
– not necessarily trivializing your challenges
6. Reframing of Obstacles – turn obstacles and challenges into chances to improve your character. Ex.
Suppose you are trying to help somebody and they respond unwillingly – they are not making your life
more difficult, they are directing you toward improving your patience and understanding
PRINCIPLES FROM THE ENCHIRIDION OF EPICTETUS
1. There are things within our control and things outside our control. Release your attachment to all things
outside your control.
2. People are not disturbed by things themselves, but by the views they take of those things. Your
condition (being upset, angry, or sad) is the result of your opinions and interpretations.
3. Do not take satisfaction in possessions or achievements that are not your own. What you own is the
way you live your life.
4. Remain steadfast in pursuing your mission, willing to shed distractions.
5. Do not wish that all things go well with you but that you will go well with all things.
6. The only thing that can impede your will is your will itself - obstacles may hinder some part of you, but
not your true self.
7. When challenges arise, turn inward and ask what power you can exercise. ex. if you meet temptation,
use self-control
8. Think of life as a banquet - if dishes come to you, sample them with gratitude. Do not lunge for a dish -
be patient. If a dish passes you by, do not complain.
9. Think of life as a play and yourself as an actor - you cannot control the role to which you were cast but
you can play it to the best of your ability.
10. Do not expect to equal someone in effect without putting forth a similar effort. Everything has a price
- if you are unwilling to pay the price of something, do not lament if you do not achieve or receive it.
11. Whenever misfortune befalls you, ask yourself how you would react if it were someone else in the
same situation.
12. When you dwell on an insult, you let the insulter become your master.
13. In all situations, consider what precedes it and what may follow. Pursue things wholeheartedly -
consider, choose, and commit.
14. Duties are determined by relations - if you have a bad father, that does not change your duties toward
him.
15. When you desire something pleasureful, consider the costs and consequences of pursuing it, as well as
how you will feel about it the next day.
16. When you act from clear judgement, do not worry about what others think.
17. Do not judge anyone if you do not perfectly understand their motives - only describe their actions.
18. Do not spew your thoughts and beliefs, show their results in action (even if a layman is speaking).
19. Do not make a spectacle of self-deprivation or achievement.
20. Approach life as your own Olympic Games - each action is important, for one movement can
determine victory or defeat.
21. Freedom is desire without expectation
22. You are not your possessions nor are you your skills
Letters from Seneca
1. Retire into yourself as much as you can. associate yourself with people who can improve you and those
whom you feel you can improve.
2. If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor; if according to people's opinions,
you will never be rich.
3. Natural desires are limited; those which spring from false opinions have nowhere to stop, for falsity has
no point of termination.
4. A person who is not aware that he is doing anything wrong has no desire to be put right.
5. Praise a man not for the things around him but for the things that are in him - things that cannot be
snatched away, i.e. his spirit.
6. Treat your inferiors in the way in which you would like to be treated by your own superiors.
7. A man who examines the saddle and bridle and not the animal itself when he is out to buy a horse is a
fool; similarly, only an absolute fool values a man according to his clothes, or according to his social
position, which after all is only something that we wear like clothing.
8. It's not because they're hard that we lose confidence; they're hard because we lack the confidence.
9. It is in no man's power to have whatever he wants; but he has it in his power not to wish for what he
hasn't got, and cheerfully make the most of the things that do come his way.
10. We must be the user, not the slave, of the gifts of Fortune.
Stoicism in Practice
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus' biggest challenge: his disgust for his fellow man.
Still, he worked for humans for the reward of a good life and tranquility (performing what we were born
to do). He expected no more thanks for the services he performed than a horse expects thanks for the
races it runs.
Despite his position of power, Marcus Aurelius resisted the highest forms of temptation for 19 years to
perform his duty.
He believed his feeling of annoyance at other people was more detrimental than the annoying actions
those people were performing.
Believed in both past fatalism (do not dwell on the past) and social fatalism (annoying people cannot help
being annoying, while we should work to change them when possible, we should not burden ourselves
with concerns or negative feelings toward them)
Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no
part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise.
Dealing with Insults (both direct and indirect (ex. not being invited to a party))
1. Consider whether the insult is true - it is not an insult to be told what is self-evident
2. Consider how well informed the insulter is - he may not be trying to hurt your feelings but instead may
sincerely believe what he is saying or reporting how things seem
3. Consider the source of an insult - if you respect the source, you should not feel insulted (e.g. a coach
criticizing you will help you improve)
If you do not respect the source, you should feel relieved (e.g. if he disapproves of what I am doing, then
what I am doing is doubtless the right thing to do) In the same way it would be foolish for a mother to let
a child's insults upset her, it would be foolish to be hurt by what these people say. Rather than anger, they
deserve pity.
A stoic sage would take the insults of fellow humans like the barking of a dog - they would note that the
dog appears to dislike them, but they would be fools to become upset by this fact.
We are the source of any sting that accompanies an insult - what is insulting is not the person or his
actions but rather our judgement that they/their actions are insulting.
Ex. Suppose your prized birdbath was stolen. if you treasured it, you may be upset by its loss. if you were
indifferent, you would be stoical to its loss. if you abhorred it, you would be delighted by its loss
We may respond to insults with either 1) humor (esp. self-deprecating) or 2) no response
Special exception: when insulters are encouraged by the above actions, typically b/c they are a child,
student, or employee.
Here, we are responding to the insulter not to punish him but to correct his improper behavior, like
training an animal (we want him to behave in the future but are not angry with his failure to obey us in the
past).
Grieving
Sympathize with and attempt to console grieving friends but do not inwardly grieve. To do so is as foolish
as taking poison because our friend was poisoned - grief is a negative emotion that we should avoid if
possible.
Our goal should be to help them overcome their grief; if this means grieving insincerely, then we will do
so.
Anger
Even if anger can be motivating, tapping into it excessively will cause more harm than good
Punishment is not an expression of anger but rather of caution - we punish to deter them from doing
something again.
To control: try turning anger indications into oppositions (ex. relax face, soften voice, slow pace of
walking)
Think of the opposite emotion (ex. think of something funny or something that you care for)
If we cannot control our anger and we lash out, we should apologize.
Personal Values
Seeking fame - seeking social status gives other people power over you - we will act to please them and in
doing so, we will enslave ourselves. Just as we are indifferent to disapproval, we are indifferent to
approval
Luxurious living - when exposed to a luxurious lifestyle, we will lose our ability to take delight in simple
things. Having extreme wealth will only cause you to crave more - this is because it is an unnatural
desire. natural desires (e.g. thirst) can be satisfied, unnatural desires cannot be satisfied. Still, it is
perfectly fine to enjoy wealth, if you are careful not to cling to it.
“I directed our focus less to the prize of winning than to the process of improving, obsessing perhaps,
about the quality of our execution and the content of our thinking.” – Bill Walsh
Other Strategies for keeping these beliefs:
Rephrase goals so that they are entirely within your control - S.M.A.R.T. - specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic, timed goals.
Have nothing you are not prepared to lose
Accept what cannot be changed
Refuse to consider yourself the victim. Remember that if you are unhappy – it is your fault.
Motivation is as fickle as any other emotion - give up on motivation and begin working. You should be
comfortable with the idea of working without motivation.
On Determinism and Fate
"For instance," he says, "if you roll a cylindrical stone over a sloping, steep piece of ground, you do
indeed furnish the beginning and cause of its rapid descent, yet soon its speeds onward, not because you
make it do so, but because of its peculiar form and natural tendency to roll; just so the order, the law, and
the inevitable quality of fate set in motion the various classes of things and the beginnings of causes, but
the carrying out of our designs and thoughts, and even our actions, are regulated by each individual's own
will and the characteristics of his mind."