Stoics and Epicureans

Two Philosophical Schools of Thought

History of Stoicism

Stoics

• Started by Zeno 33-261 BC

• “The Reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen more and talk less”

Stoic Philosophy

Education is divided into three parts:

– Physics ( How one sees the world)

– Logic ( How one discovers the world)

– Ethics (The Science that distinguishes between Virtue and Vice-How one ought to live)

Stoic Philosophy is like a Garden

• Physics is like the soil

• Logic is like the fence around the garden

• Ethics is like the beautiful trees and flowers that grow in the garden

Physics:Types of Matter in the Universe

Active Passive is is

REASON OR FATE EVERYTHING THREE- DIMENSIONAL

OR OR

GOD MATTER

ABSTRACT CONCRETE

How is the Universe Organized?

• Well- arranged according to a Master Plan created by God, a Perfect Being

• Logical and Rational

• The Laws of Nature keep the Universe together

• The Universe is a perfect sphere “Cosmos”

Why Do Things Happen?

• Everything that happens must happen- it is Fate or Destiny

• “Everything happens for a reason”

• We can predict what will happen by understanding Fate

• “Action/ Reaction”

Logic

• Everything can be discovered by Logic and by the use of the Rational Mind

• By using your Reason, you can discover what is True

• The Purpose of Logic is to discover what is True and what is False

Ethics

• The most important thing to remember is to live in a natural way

• What enables us to live in a natural way?

VIRTUE

What are the most important Virtues?

• Wisdom

• Courage

• Justice

• Temperance

What are the most dangerous Vices?

• Foolishness

• Cowardice

• Injustice

• Lack of restraint

What is Good and Bad?

• THE ONLY GOOD THINGS ARE VIRTUES

• THE ONLY THINGS THAT ARE BAD ARE VICES

GOOD= VIRTUE BAD= VICE

What if Something is not ”Virtue” or “Vice”

All that is neither Virtue nor Vice is indifferent(riches, pleasure, material goods, health, life,

death etc)

WHAT GUIDES THE GOOD PERSON?

DUTY to live in accordance with Nature

WHAT GUIDES THE BAD PERSON?

Pleasure, Self –interest and Vice

WHAT ABOUT EMOTIONS?

• Emotions are judgments

• Negative Emotions are illogical

• The most dangerous emotions are sadness, fear, desire and pleasure

THE WISE PERSON

• Can never be sad

• Why? It is Illogical to be sad

• The Wise person follows Virtue and Virtue is always Good

• “ No use crying over spilled milk”- It is illogical to feel pain over something that cannot be changed

THE WISE PERSON

Believes in God and sees that God is the Creator of the Cosmos

Is Never Wrong- because he/she does not believe what he/she does not know to be true

Only Speaks the Truth

Is Guided by Reason- use of the logical mind

THE WISE PERSON

• Is only interested in Virtue as an end in itself, not as a means to attaining the Good

• Knows that Virtue signifies living according to REASON

• Since REASON tells us that everything that happens must happen, VIRTUE consists in accepting with eagerness anything that happens

• He is foolish who desires anything other than what happens

The Bottom Line

• There is no middle ground between Virtue and Vice

• The “line” between the two is “straight, not crooked”

• There is no such thing as being “ a little bit just” or “somewhat guilty”

WHAT DOES ONE NEED TO BE HAPPY?

VIRTUE

Epicurean Philosophy

• Divided into three parts

• Physics

• Standards

• Ethics

Physics

• The world is made of matter

• Matter is nothing but atoms

• Therefore, the universe is random, comprised of atoms

• There is not master plan of organization in the Universe

Standards

• The only way to find out what is TRUE is by the senses

• The only things that are REAL or TRUE are those things that can be touched, tasted, heard or seen

• “What you see is what you get”

• “This is all that there is”

Ethics

• The way to a happy life is to seek pleasure and avoid pain

• The Goal of Life is to be Happy

Epicureans Believe

• Good and evil only come to us through our senses

• One need not fear death- when we die we no longer sense things

• After we die we no longer feel pain

Epicureans Believe

• To get a greater pleasure in the long run we may undertake a smaller pain in the short-run

• “Pleasures” are not bad or hedonistic: pleasure is to be reasonable, calm, careful and free from pain

• CAREFULNESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN VIRTUE

EPICUREANS BELIEVE

• FATE destroys our freedom of action

• Things happen by chance

• There is no need to worry