The Road to the Good Life?
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document in English
humanities/philosophy
term papers
published 03/05/2007
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level : General public
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Summary Today, when people use the word stoic, they often are not referring to the philosophical tradition, but to a type of person who does not show much outward emotion, someone who is strong in the face of tragedy or pain. However, in a culture in which we are encouraged to express our emotions (to an extent), people who refrain from mourning the death of a loved one or mourning the end of a relationship, are often considered emotionally stunted or frigid. Nonetheless, the stoics prized control over one’s emotions. Stoics believed that in order to live “a good life” people needed to separate themselves from their experiences and from their emotions. They needed to put space in between what was happening to them and how they reacted to these experiences. Thus they saw emotions or at least the outward expression of emotions as injurious to becoming truly free and attaining wisdom. For the stoics, personal freedom and self-determination were prized above all else; however, these virtues came at a price, for as Epictetus says, “Nothing comes for free” (The Handbook, ¶12). Therefore, according to this view, in order to become a sage and to “bring one’s will into accord with nature’s”, one has to cultivate himself/herself at the expense of relationships with others.
Table of Contents
- The stoics believe that people should only concern themselves with things that are up to them
- Since our emotions are up to us, the stoics suggest that we exercise control over them
- The stoics even go so far as to suggest not mourning the death of a loved one
- Seneca is somewhat more lenient on the issue of relationships
- What this view suggests is in some ways very appealing
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