Stoicism: Exercises for Doing the Right Thing Right Now (The Surprisingly Simple Philosophy to Change Your Life for the Better)

By Steve Enright

Therefore, it's no surprise that ancient Stoic texts contain invaluable wisdom on how to calm the mind. The challenge, however, is to find and translate this wisdom in a way that's simple and comprehensible in our modern context, while still maintaining its profundity.

Here's just a fraction of what you

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Enright
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9781778196089

Book preview

Stoicism

Exercises for Doing the Right Thing Right Now

(The Surprisingly Simple Philosophy to Change Your Life for the Better)

Steve Enright

2023 All rights reserved.

No part of this guidebook shall be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Legal & Disclaimer

The information contained in this ebook is not designed to replace or take the place of any form of medicine or professional medical advice. The information in this ebook has been provided for educational & entertainment purposes only.

The information contained in this book has been compiled from sources deemed reliable, and it is accurate to the best of the Author's knowledge; however, the Author cannot guarantee its accuracy and validity and cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions. Changes are periodically made to this book. You must consult your doctor or get professional medical advice before using any of the suggested remedies, techniques, or information in this book.

Upon using the information contained in this book, you agree to hold harmless the Author from and against any damages, costs, and expenses, including any legal fees potentially resulting from the application of any of the information provided by this guide. This disclaimer applies to any damages or injury caused by the use and application, whether directly or indirectly, of any advice or information presented, whether for breach of contract, tort, negligence, personal injury, criminal intent, or under any other cause of action.

You agree to accept all risks of using the information presented inside this book. You need to consult a professional medical practitioner in order to ensure you are both able and healthy enough to participate in this program.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS STOICISM?

CHAPTER 2: THE KEY BELIEFS AND PRINCIPLES OF STOICISM

CHAPTER 3: STOIC PHILOSOPHY PHYSICS AND LOGIC IRRATIONAL PASSIONS GOOD PASSIONS

CHAPTER 4: KEY PRINCIPLES STOIC VIRTUES

CHAPTER 5: THE STOIC LOGIC

CHAPTER 6: STOICISM AND HAPPINESS

CHAPTER 7: OLD STOICISM VS MODERN

CHAPTER 8: HOW TO PRACTICE STOICISM WITH PRACTICAL EXERCISES STOIC EXERCISES TO EXCHANGE YOUR LIFE

CHAPTER 9: MEDITATION

YOUR FREE GIFT

CHAPTER 1: What is Stoicism?

Get free access to 10 free eBooks and audiobooks

Stoicism 2

Click here to get instant access

A little information

Stoicism end up based through way of Zeno de Cition (Cyprus) round 301 BC and its call comes from the Painted Porch, an Athenian marketplace wherein the Stoics got here together to philosophize with anyone interested. A 2d foremost figure inside the early duration of historical stoicism changed into Chrysippus, to whom he all over again from having elaborated maximum of the Stoic doctrines. The early Stoics were of course caused by method of the philosophical faculties and the thinkers who preceded them, along with Socrates and the cynics, however also Platonic college students and skeptics.

The second duration of the facts of Stoicism sees philosophy added in Rome. Cicero (who become no longer himself a Stoic but as a substitute a sympathizer) is one of the number one property of historical knowledge of the number one  durations of Stoicism. Without him, we might handiest have fragments of the writings of the Stoics earlier than his time. The final period of the records of Stoicism takes location at the time of Imperial Rome. We have discovered quite whole writings of this period, significantly the ones of Gaius Musonius Rufus, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.

The creation of Christianity because the right Roman religion marks the start of the decline of Stoicism similarly to that of many different faculties of notion (such as Epicureanism). The constitutive mind of Stoicism though survived thru some of historical figures that were encouraged through them (even though they had been sometimes crucial of those ideas). For instance, some of the first fathers of the Church, Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, Giordano Bruno, Thomas More, Erasmus, Montaigne, Sir Francis 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Descartes, Montesquieu or Spinoza. Modern existentialism and neo-Orthodox Protestant theology have moreover been encouraged via Stoicism. Nowadays, this philosophy is experiencing a renaissance and has profoundly stimulated contemporary-day practices which includes logotherapy and cognitive and behavioral remedy. It moreover has some factors in common with Buddhism and secular humanism.

The Stoic Egg

The Stoics concept that (pragmatic) ethics have become the maximum critical element of their philosophy: it emerge as a manner to guide one's lifestyles inside the notable viable manner. However, in addition they believed that it is tough to expand a possible ethic with out  other additives: expertise how the arena works, and appreciating the power and bounds of human reasoning.

Therefore, Stoicism blanketed 3 areas of take a look at: ethics, physics, and appropriate judgment. By physics, the Stoics have been bearing on to a few issue that today may additionally want to correspond to a difficult and rapid encompassing the herbal sciences and metaphysics, or what became as soon as called herbal philosophy. Of course, a exceptional deal of Stoic notions about the region has been supplanted thru modern-day technological expertise, which could not have amazed the ancient philosophers (that they had an acute focus of the bounds of human understanding, and a mainly open mind to wondering their specific beliefs).

To supply a brief have a look at, Stoic physics blanketed the concept that the universe had started out in a cosmic fireside (and will surrender in the equal way, then be reborn). [The Stoic fire is represented by the emblem at the top of this page.] They furthermore believed that the arena modified into product of rely, and that causality have become a customary phenomenon, this is, the entirety has a motive. The universe is prepared steady with rational ideas, the Logos. This idea can be interpreted as God (in particular in Epictetus), however furthermore in reality as the concept that Nature is comprehensible thru rationality (which explains why it may be scientifically explored).

A essential idea that the Stoics have derived from their physics is that life have to be lived in line with Nature, which in turn can be interpreted as in accord with what Zeus (God) set up, or surely lived in step with the purpose, developing at its most this thoughts-set unique to the human animal.

The Stoic idea of properly judgment encompasses the have a look at of right judgment within the strict experience wherein we apprehend it these days, plus rhetoric, epistemology (that is, a principle of statistics), however moreover what we'd name psychology and special social sciences of the equal order. The Stoics invented a logical tool possibility to that of Aristotle, in large factor left out at a few diploma inside the Middle Ages and later, till experiencing a resurgence of interest following contemporary-day advances in propositional proper judgment (whose Stoic variant is a category).

The Stoics awesome some of the existence of fabric and summary matters, like many present day philosophers (as an instance, physical objects and mathematical requirements, respectively). They concept that know-how can be reached with the useful useful resource of purpose, which in principle is capable of discerning the real from the faux (they have been absolutely greater optimistic approximately it than their contemporaries and critics, the skeptics). More importantly, the Stoics adopted the very contemporary-day notion that information need to handiest be finished thru peer-reviewed know-how (this is how modern-day technological statistics works).

Ethics and realistic philosophy

The essential motive people have a look at this isn't due to the fact they will be inquisitive about physics or Stoic commonplace experience as charming as they're but because of the fact they want to recognize greater approximately the Stoic ethics, that is greater without delay associated with their sensible philosophy. Let's see what it's miles.

The first component to make clear is the misconception that stoicism consists of suppressing one's feelings and advancing into lifestyles with imperturbable phlegm. No, Mr Spock modified into now not a Stoic (notwithstanding the reality that, obviously, Gene Roddenberry had imagined his man or woman consistent along with his very very very own simplistic vision of what a Stoic should be).

The Stoics taught as a substitute the transformation of emotions to advantage internal calm. Emotions - worry, anger, love... Are instinctive human responses to tremendous situations, and cannot be avoided. But the reflexive mind can break faraway from uncooked feelings and determine whether or not or not to provide assent to the feelings in query, i.E. Whether they ought to be appropriate and cultivated or now not.

To be more particular, the Stoics outstanding the propathos (instinctive response) of the eupathos (feelings due to a considerate judgment), and their aim became to achieve the apatheia , i.E. The peace of the thoughts, which results enlightened judgment and the patience of equanimity .

The Stoics notion that an extremely good life (eudemonia, often translated as prosperity) consisted in cultivating one's moral virtues to come to be a extraordinary man or woman. The 4 cardinal virtues diagnosed through the Stoics have been: recognition (sophia), courage (andreia), justice (dikaiosyne) and temperance (sophrosyne).

Another crucial Stoic concept, and a corollary of the importance of special characteristic in a life, is the distinction among perfect and unwanted indifference: wealth, fitness, and other goods are indifferent inside the revel in that they do not exist. Do now not have an impact on one's moral nicely properly well worth (in unique phrases, one can be a morally correct man or woman, whether or not one is rich or terrible, active or ill). But a few detached are beneficial in pursuing our dreams, and so are applicable, on the identical time as others are obstacles, and are consequently taken into consideration undesirable. This renders the Stoic doctrine a chunk a brilliant deal less austere than the general photograph (although in truth more so than the epicurean or Aristotelian ethics of virtues).

The Stoics make a pointy distinction (perhaps too much) some of