I’ve been hanging around on Steemit for almost a month now and have noticed that Stoicism is quite a popular philosophy in this crazy neck of the woods. Some people reference it literary in their post or comments, while others think and write things that closely resemble a Stoic outlook on life (whether they are aware of it or not).
To understand why this ancient philosophy is still popular today, I’ve decided to start a series of posts critically analysing Stoicism and its various revivals and influences throughout the ages. Welcome to Understanding Stoicism!
Before we dive into a critical analysis of the tenets of Stoic philosophy, we first need to learn something about its historical context. The first three parts of Understanding Stoicism will mostly act as an introductory history lesson. Later parts will feature extensive critical analysis of Stoic ethics, epistemology and cosmology.
Historical Context pt. 1: Diogenes - A cynical man and his bathtub
Jean-Léon Gérôme - Diogenes© Walters Art Museum
But before we properly dive into Stoicism, let me first tell you the story of a man and his bathtub. And not just any ordinary bathtub, but a large ceramic jar in the center of ancient Athens. Residing in this tub was Diogenes of Sinope (404-323 B.C.), one of the founders of Cynicism. He was heavily influenced by Socrates and wanted to continue the search of what it meant to live a virtuous life.
According to the many anecdotes about his life, the way he acted out his philosophy was quite a spectacle. By all accounts this guy was an absolute legend in his time. Not only because of his radical ideas, but mostly because of his outrageous behaviour.
Diogenes praised the virtues of dogs and rejected common standards of human decency by defecating in front of a crowd and even urinating on those who insulted him. As a result people started calling him kynikos or “dog-like”; of which later the term “cynic” was derived. Diogenes even enjoyed this label and was known for literally barking at people that bothered him.
However, he wasn’t a mad man. His disruptive actions were a calculated way to expose what he perceived as the regressive nature of Greek civilization. He was a clever thinker that used wit and satire to expose people’s irrationalities. For example, he often times walked around with a burning lantern in broad daylight. When someone asked him what he was doing, he’d answer he was “looking for an honest man.”
Nicolas Andre Monsiau - Alexander and Diogenes (Source)He soon became famous and when Alexander the Great came to visit him and offered him a favor, Diogenes calmly replied “Stand a little out of my sun.” Alexander walked away laughing and told his followers “If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.”
But why would the most powerful man in the world want to be like Diogenes, a social outcast living in a ceramic jar in absolute poverty? Because in a strange way both men were the same. Alexander was so powerful that no man could do anything to him and Diogenes was so devoid of any pride and so removed from social conventions that he found freedom in having nothing to lose.
Because make no mistake, Diogenes bizarre behaviour was founded in a well thought-out philosophical ideal. For him the purpose of life is to live in virtue, in accordance with nature. Since it is in the nature of man to act in accord with his reason, this natural life is rational. Societal conventions such as wealth, power and property aren’t natural and often times irrational, and thus must be rejected. Man must live a life of self-sufficiency, austerity and shamelessness. The more man rejects authority and lives in accordance with his natural reason, the closer he will get to achieving a tranquil state of mind and true happiness.
Diogenes believed that actions speak louder than words; which explains his unusual antics. As a result he despised theoretical knowledge that serves no practical purpose. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he and Plato weren’t best buddies, and he often times ridiculed Plato’s abstract philosophy by disrupting his lectures or even showing up naked at his house.
But despite his controversial lifestyle, he was taken surprisingly serious by his peers and gained followers. One of his pupils, Crates of Thebes, would in his turn be the teacher of Zeno of Citium, the later founder of Stoicism.
In the next part of Understanding Stoicism we’ll discuss why Diogenes' radical behaviour and rejection of social conventions were a major requisite for the birth of Stoic philosophy.
But in the meantime, think about this!
Which social conventions do you found unnatural or irrational? And what’s stopping you from, just like Diogenes, rejecting them completely?
Sources and further reading:
Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers
Dio Chrysostom, Discourses
Plutarch, The Parallel Lives
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Diogenes of Sinope
More Understanding Stoicism
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"Freedom's just another word for, nothing left to lose.."
Very appropriate indeed!
Which reminds me to listen to my copy of Pearl again. It's been awhile. Great album!
Brilliant! I have been wanting to study upon what it means to be a stoic. Timothy Faris (The 4 Hour Work Week & Tools of Titans) talks a lot about stoicism so naturally, having listened to a couple of his podcasts, I'm beginning to get a bit interested in this ideology.
I have even, unknowingly, as you spoke of in your write up, begun to live by the mantra, "Less is more."
I have to say... I'm beginning to love the simplicity of it.
The image of Steve Jobs sitting on the floor under his beautiful lamp comes to mind... I have been finding that when I have less in my environment I'm able to derive more of the things I really value and care about. Space leaves room for what's important and allows me to focus on the things I really want from this experience called life.
@gamesjoyce I am really looking forward to your break down on Stoicism. :)
Thanks! I'll check out Timothy Faris. Never heard of him tbh.
Let me know how that goes! Tim has a great mind and interviews many people who are thought leaders and innovators. He actually had a lot of content but all of it is high quality. Enjoy! 🙂
It is spelled Tim Ferriss, he is most known for the "4 hour work week" I did an article about that here He has a fantastic podcast where he interviews a lot of top notch people from very diverse backgrounds. Stoicism regularly comes up. He even produced an audible book called the Tao of Seneca which is a treatment of the original letters of Seneca
As a greek person interested in philosophy I would like to thank you for your effort. Not because of its context (promoting ancient greek philosophy or not is irrelevant) but for the accurate description and the provided links in corellation with the subject. I do not have a Phd in Stoicism or Cynicism but this is by far the most carefully molded article for philosophy apprentices like myself.
And a personal addition is that the ancient greek word κύων (dog) made it to modern greek, where we call the cacine (κυνόδοντα) as a a tribute to the quite visible dog ones! I think both come from the Indo-European language roots though!
Greetings from sunny Greece!
I was about to write a similar comment to yours, lol.
Glad you liked it!
I'm curious though, is there a big difference between ancient and modern Greek? For some reason I was under the impression they are basically the same language.
Greetings from rainy Belgium! Haha...
Well I am not a philologist but from my understanding, basic grammatical structures have remained the same while others have been completely discarded. But the bigest difference would be in the vocabulary since the initial meaning of many words has been changed or in many cases the ancient greek word has been replaced by modern ones coming from english,french,turkish (deriving from the 400 years ottoman occupation). So its kinda of a mixed language with let's say a 50% similarity with the ancient one. For example when I read ancient greek texts in ruins I cannot completely understand, but the main idea (wars, gods, rivarlies, knowledge etc ) is understandable.
Keep up your interesting posts!
Thanks for the thoughtful post. You made philosophy fun! I think that the social convention of men wearing neckties is really weird. Kind of like a noose around their neck. Some of them are pretty...but really?
I will be following to see what other deep ideas you have to share.
Thanks for the compliment and the reply!
Now I'm imagining Diogenes showing up at a party butt naked wearing nothing but a necktie, shouting "Am I important now too?" :-D
Thanks for the laugh and the mental image! 😊
That's a hilarious image :D
@stillwatersart
nice comment... especially on neck tie
so what do you sugest men wear in place of the neck tie? hope you not asking us to dress like Diogenes! ;)
LOL...not Diogenes. Maybe just a shirt without a tie. Something more relaxed.
ahh...then you have to make a fashion design for us to check out! as a great steemian i trust you are innovative!
what of ladies fashion...i trust there are areas you need adjustments...;)
I think the kravat began as a protective garment layer for the shirt that morphed into a piece of attire treated more delicately than the shirt itself; sort of the tail wagging the dog.
Im glad I stumbled into this post today. Im really fascinated in Philosophy. I read about plato, aristotle, buddha and even machiavelli. I know i have read above zeno of stoic but not of Diogenes. You really explained it well.
Am also thnking of making my own crash course of philosophy to make it easier for young philosophers. Great work! You have my support
Glad you liked it!
Now I'm motivated again to write some new parts of this series. Thanks! :-)
You definitely should! I will look forward to it. Happy holidays
Excellent post, I believe Diogenes philosophy will have a come back for those who don't feel the urge to hoarder stuff.
I feel that Stoic philosophy provides a lot of answers to difficult problems facing modern culture. Information can be weaponized because humans react so emotionally during social media exchange. He who is easily angered, is easily manipulated.
For sure. Anger and fear make people vulnerable to manipulation. Every 'great' dictator knows that.
Great read, but one quibble-is it so much about rejecting authority, or rather being free of caring what others think of you, which removes the aura of power around those in authority, and making them easy to ignore?
I think of Nassim Taleb talking abou f--- you money that allows moderns to do the same.
Thanks! It's the latter: being free of social conventions and thus removing the aura of power.
wow... stoic philosophy... a great story about Diogenes got me spell bound and admired his resolve to live te life of reality than theory! a great post @gamesjoyce worthy of my support
keep it coming!
Sounds like Diogenes just wanted to live his life on his on terms because he realized, like today's society, the status quo that we are all so proud to uphold, makes no sense. What we call rational and reasonable, are actually irrational.
As you stated, status quo is based on just status, not truth, not justice, not even right and wrong. Who you are determines what you can and cannot do. We proclaim freedom but cannot even collect rain water in some parts of the world.
Does that really make sense? Plus of course, Alexander was envious. He was powerful but had to follow the rules and restrictions of his rank and position. There are things that even a king cannot do without public ridicule. Diogenes didn't care. A king cannot afford to not care.
@voltsrage
quite a nice comment
you sounded as a philosopher too...
Right on the mark with Alexander!
I think the problem with most let's-call-them laid-back philosophies that emphasize a natural relaxed life, is that we'd most probably be living in a state of nature to this day if we followed them. It's hard to imagine Diogenes being a futurist or transhumanist. We can benefit from their wisdom, but adopting their ideas wholesale will probably halt all progress!
That guy's from the same town I'm from! I expect you to treat him kindly in your future posts! :P
Well not surprisingly Zeno had similar reservations of Diogenes' thinking. Must be something in the water of Kition!
Great post! One of my college professors told a story about Diogenes that has always stuck with me:
Once, when the city of Corinth was under imminent attack and its citizens were running around in a panic, Diogenes began calmly pushing his tub up and down a hill. Someone asked him (essentially), "What the hell are you doing?" Diogenes replied (essentially), "Just making myself as useful as the rest of you people."
I'm glad you are writing this, I've been hearing more and more people refer to stoicism, but havn't had the time to do my own research.
Glad to be of service! Part 2 coming very soon. ;-)
That's an interesting read. The idea of being yourself not bound by social thinking. I can see the benefit in that.
Wonderful well written post.
This post has received a 1.56 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @dreamingirwin.
Cheers @dreamingirwin !
In fact, so well written I'm resteeming. :)
Awesome! Thanks!
Diogenes is a fascinating character. I love hearing about the figures that pre-figured movements and cultures. Lycurgus before Sparta, Ip Man before Bruce Lee and so on.
Nice! I try to implement stoicism in my own life. Look forward to more posts!
@janusface
from you profile pic and name you appear like a true follower of Diogenes! and a stoic philosopher...
great comment from a great guy...but if i may ask... in what ways do you try to implement stoicism in your own life...maybe it will be worthy of my emulation...
Mostly trying to live more inside out and not seek external validation too much. Stoicism and buddhism actually got a lot in common, but i prefer stoicism, and I think many people would have benefited from learning about this philosophy of live.
right...does it also involved sharing and giving to others? empathy... and the likes? will have to study the concept more to be in tone of its tenets...
Love your article. Upvoted and followed. Now the books by the Stoics will be really interesting to read.
What a great topic. I will be awaiting your future posts on Stoicism!
Believing everything that we think is somewhat of a social convention.
We must believe many things we are taught to interact with society in a non chaotic manner. The red light at the traffic signal means stop.
This serves a great purpose obviously we don't have to stop and analyze its relevance or value. However many people take this and apply it to all acquired knowledge. I would go so far as to say this is the norm.
I reject this.
Accomplishing it is another matter.
How does one completely stop the chatter of ones own brain about what it thinks it knows and objectively analyze the rightness and value of the loops set in motion moving onward from birth.
A difficult task indeed.
Worthy I believe nonetheless.
Difficult but not impossible. Awareness definitely helps, but that's a whole different topic I might go in later.
The absolute madman, what a legend! Great post!
Thanks! A madman indeed, but you know what they say: first, your ideas are ridiculed. Second, your ideas are violently opposed. Third, your ideas are accepted as being self-evident.
I have rejected most of our society's memes because I do think they are just that — memes.
Totally agree. I was having this conversation just the other day about this. If one is not able to put all his words into actions then it is pointless to even entertain the thought. I have met many people that just theorize without actually getting their hands dirty.
@kyriacos
ofcourse i know you are a philosopher of our time as i am your ardent follower on steemit! and having enjoyed your style of blogging... i do hope you will not emulate all the styles of Diogenes! just pick some please and leave the others...;)
great comment from a great guy!
I definitely prefer practical over theoretical philosophy too. That's probably why I'm more interested in the ancient philosophers at the moment.
Excellent thought provoking post ... we all should definitely be aware of the power of social influence and learn to find our own personal path. We are not sheep, so following the herd is not always a good idea!
upvoted and resteemed!
Thanks for the compliment!
Thank you, enjoyed the read, will be following for future posts. Thank you. Might consider you for a witness vote too.
Thanks, glad you liked it!
I've definitely noticed the widespread return to stoicism! Thanks for sharing a bit about its roots
Good, at least that means I'm not imagining things! :-D
I recently shared about an acute depression I was experiencing and a friend recommended that I research Stoicism. I think it is fascinating and I really appreciated your post. That is a great picture with the dogs, too. I wonder how much they comprehend? Thank you so much!
Glad you liked it! And take care of yourself, depression ain't no joke. But remember, all things must pass. ;-)
Great post. I first learned about stoicism in school, but I'd bet a lot of people recently were introduced to it by Tim Ferriss.
He shares a lot of stoicism resources on his blog, and even did a TED talk about it a few months ago.
Thanks! That's the second reference to this Ferriss (Faris?) guy. Now I'll definitely have to check him out. Thanks for the tip!
Beep beep. Hi @gamesjoyce!
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I enjoyed this blog immensely! You have a new follower.
Thanks, and welcome!
Fantastic article , I think the social conventions I find unatural or irrational is the concept of artist success. By this I mean how people think to be succesfull in music or writing means that you get awards and make alot of money. However I think success is if people agree with what you say , enjoy the artifact you have created. For if you are only creating art for the sake of pleasing other people you not being true to yourself , not making pure art from your own experiences but trying to mould your art to what people expect.
Thanks for the compliment!
Artistic integrity is definitely a very delicate topic. Everybody agrees that artists shouldn't sell out, but everybody's go to agree too that they got to eat.
Yup a fine balancing act . I wrote a light hearted article about this a while back check it out if you got time. Its already paid out so no need for upvote .I do respect your opinion on such things. Thanks for the reply.
https://steemit.com/music/@stickchumpion/the-ethical-dilemma-you-will-face-if-you-want-to-make-a-living-off-music
Photos that are so incredible and helpful to everyone, what else about history.
wow... great post brother @gamesjoyce ...i hope please upvote my block..
https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@academix87/hello-steemians-let-me-introducing-myself-in-an-aceh-art-culture-n-history-my-nation
nice