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CHAPTER 7
THE STOICS: EPICTETUS AND MARCUS
AURELIUS
Chapter 7 Key Concepts
Hedonism is the general term for any philosophy that
says that pleasure is identical with good, and pain is identical
with evil. Hedonists stress either the pursuit of pleasure or the
avoidance of pain.
Aristippus is the founder of Cyrenaic hedonism, the
Cyrenaic hedonism rests on a subjectivist epistemology
that we can only know what pleases or displeases us at the
moment; knowledge of objective causes is impossible. Strict
Cyrenaic hedonists deny the possibility of qualitative
differences among pleasures.
Epicurean hedonism is a more refined doctrine than
Cyrenaic hedonism. Epicurus advocated the intelligent
Epicurus believed in qualitative differences among
pleasures, distinguishing what is commonly desired from
Identifying philosophical Epicureanism with expensive
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Antisthenes was the founder of Cynicism, and Diogenes
was its most famous advocate. Cynics believed that the very
Founded by Zeno, Stoicism grew out of Cynicism and
achieved widespread influence in first-century Rome,
ultimately spreading throughout Christianized Europe. The
slave Epictetus, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and the
senator Seneca are the most influential Stoic writers.
Stoics believed that the cosmos is wisely governed by the
Logos (World Reason) and that everything happens as part of
a divine plan. The wise person anticipates and goes along
with fate, the foolish one wishes things were otherwise.
According to the Stoics, human beings are bits of Logos
because we have rational souls. Happiness comes from the
The Stoics advocated detached rational acceptance over
personal, emotional involvement.
Central to Stoicism is the distinction between control and
influence. Though the Stoics believed that life is fated, they
SOCCIO ARCHETYPES OF WISDOM
According to the Stoics, we can control our ideas and
attitudes, but we cannot control externals, such as
Stoic virtues include strength of will, courage, dignity,
and maturity.
According to Stoic doctrine, everything has a price that
reason can reveal. The ultimate price of happiness is personal
detachment from external conditions; peace of mind comes
from indifference to everything except learning to accept the
will of Logos.
The Stoics looked upon suffering as a test of character and
Chapter 7 Teaching Tips
1. Join the class in a week-long experiment of living
according to Epicurean standards: Eat moderately of plain
2. Bake and serve your students Epicurus s barley cakes,
using the recipe on page 191.
3. Use such current public health issues as obesity, sexually
transmitted diseases, drug abuse, and unplanned pregnancies
4. Tie the issues raised in tip 3 to Aristotle s insistence that
virtue and happiness involve practical wisdom and well–
5. A fun, significant, easily understandable way to introduce
problems of excessive concern with other people s opinions
might begin with a description of a common adolescent
experience, the first school dance. Discuss how most students
mill around, waiting for someone else to dance first. As the
dance floor gets more crowded, more and more students find
the courage to dance because they won t be noticed. Yet many
of these shy dancers enjoy dancing. What holds them back?
Fear of ridicule or of being rejected when asking for a dance?
6. Discuss Diogenes values as reflected in the fabled
encounter with Alexander the Great described in the box A
Socrates Gone Mad on page 192, and in such sayings as
Aristotle dines at King Phillip s convenience, Diogenes dines
at his own, and I had my lunch in the courthouse because
that s where I was hungry. Have the class consider the
advantages and disadvantages of cynic anti-manners. Is it
better to have lunch during philosophy class if that s when
you re hungry or to wait until lunchtime?
7. Have the class discuss the similarities and differences
between common notions of being cynical and cynicism in its
original manifestation. Can one be a comfortable cynic a
wealthy individual living a luxurious life?
8. Note the many obvious opportunities to practice Stoic
control in our busy lives: traffic jams, long lectures,
9. Discuss whether or not people from very violent or very
10. Play Socratic devil s advocate and argue that there are no
11. Discuss the Philosophical Query on page 200. Some of
your students probably believe in God. Analyze the Stoic
12. The Stoic attitude toward relationships (pages 205 206)
raises timely questions. Carefully apply it to conventional
wisdom regarding dysfunctional families and child abuse. Is
it possible to surmount a bad childhood by application of
Stoic principles in adulthood?
SOCCIO ARCHETYPES OF WISDOM
13. Apply the doctrine that everything has a price (pages 206
208) to marriage, philosophy class, a new car, safety from
terrorist attacks, solar energy, and other contemporary issues
and experiences. Encourage students to explore the notion of
price fully, going beyond the obvious. I like to refer to
14. Related to tip 13, consider whether or not students have
to take tests, attend classes, buy textbooks, or pay taxes.
15. Note the usefulness of Stoic doctrines during times of
unavoidable hardship: war, social strife, economic
16. Reminder: Take regular advantage of the carefully
selected photos located throughout Archetypes of Wisdom to
17. To many observers, stoicism has obvious appeal to the
impoverished and enslaved. Have students use the questions