Chapter 7: The Stoics: Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius Flashcards
What do we call someone who endures pain without complaining, who remains calm under pressure, attributing this outlook on life to be the best way to live well?
a. A hedonist
b. A Platonist
c. A Stoic
d. A Cynic
c. A Stoic
What is the highest good according to Epicurus?
a. All goods are equally good.
b. The highest good is peace of mind.
c. The highest good is sensory pleasure.
d. The highest good is whatever the individual says it is.
b. The highest good is peace of mind.
What is the archetype of the stereotypical hedonist?
a. Indulgence in sensory pleasures
b. Unflappable calmness
c. Unkempt, unsociable curmudgeonly
d. Relentless inquiry
a. Indulgence in sensory pleasures
What is the difference between Cyrenaic hedonism and Epicureanism?
a. Epicurus cared exclusively about bodily pleasures, but Aristippus insisted that intellectual pleasures matter too.
b. Aristippus showed that intellectual pleasures cannot be fulfilled unless the body isn’t in pain, but Epicurus said they can be pursued simultaneously.
c. Aristippus recommended the avoidance of pain more so than the pursuit of pleasure, unlike Epicurus, who sought primarily direct satisfaction of pleasure.
d. Aristippus advocated for the greatest quantity of pleasures, whereas Epicurus cared about differing qualities of pleasures.
d. Aristippus advocated for the greatest quantity of pleasures, whereas Epicurus cared about differing qualities of pleasures.
What was unique about Epicurus’s school the Garden?
a. All the students went on to be famous influencers in the Mediterranean region.
b. It had no ceilings, so every classroom was open to the sky.
c. Epicurus accepted all who came to learn as equals regardless of gender or class.
d. Indulgence in good food and drink was required in the curriculum.
c. Epicurus accepted all who came to learn as equals regardless of gender or class.
What are the Hellenistic schools of philosophy?
a. Cynic, Socratic, Stoic, and Academic
b. Academy, Lyceum, the Garden, and Cyrene
c. Pythagoreanism, Platonism, Aristotelianism, and Epicureanism
d. Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, and Skepticism
d. Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, and Skepticism
For whom, and why, is Socrates a model in the Hellenistic schools?
a. Every founder of a Hellenistic school—Aristippus, Epicurus, Antisthenes, and Pyrrho—was first a young man following Socrates around Athens, learning the techniques of the dialectic method and the power of questioning everything.
b. As the ultimate Sophist, Socrates was the model for Aristippus, Diogenes, Epictetus, and Seneca to make a living teaching people how to persuade others of various beliefs about pleasure and pain.
c. Socrates’s physical and mental toughness, his lack of need for social approval, and his relentless questioning of everything inspired the Cynics, Stoics, and Skeptics.
d. Socrates’s disdain for certainty, authority, and religion was the model for Epictetus and Epicurus—the slave and the one who welcomed slaves in his school—but not Marcus Aurelius—the emperor.
c. Socrates’s physical and mental toughness, his lack of need for social approval, and his relentless questioning of everything inspired the Cynics, Stoics, and Skeptics.
What philosophy believes, in a non-systematic and non-doctrinal way, that if happiness is possible, it comes from rational control of desires, total self-reliance, and limited, or critically sarcastic, contact with mainstream society?
a. Skepticism
b. Hedonism
c. Cynicism
d. Stoicism
c. Cynicism
If both are characterized by doubting, what is the difference between Cynicism and Skepticism?
a. Skeptics doubt themselves; Cynics doubt everyone else.
b. Cynics have global doubts about the possibility of certainty, whereas Skeptics have local doubts about specific beliefs one at a time.
c. Skepticism uses doubt as a method for finding knowledge, but Cynicism is a commitment to living without any beliefs.
d. The Cynics doubt the power of convention and organized society; they do not doubt the very possibility of knowledge as the Skeptics do.
d. The Cynics doubt the power of convention and organized society; they do not doubt the very possibility of knowledge as the Skeptics do.
What is most surprising about the personal backgrounds of various different Stoics?
a. All of the Stoics were orphans and were adopted by philosophical sages who gave them educational opportunities offered to few others in ancient society.
b. None of the Stoics came from lives of economic comfort or privilege; all had to struggle to make their way in the world.
c. The striking range of backgrounds include Epictetus, who lived most of his life as a slave and Marcus Aurelius who was a powerful emperor of Rome.
d. The striking similarities are that they all came from the same town, went to the same school, and mingled in the same social class.
c. The striking range of backgrounds include Epictetus, who lived most of his life as a slave and Marcus Aurelius who was a powerful emperor of Rome.
How could the life of a slave and the life of an emperor both lead to beliefs that Stoicism is the right outlook on and approach to life?
a. Emperors have slaves and slaves, though hidden from view, live near emperors. Together they work out the complete truth of human well-being that neither can discover alone.
b. Stoicism makes sense from any social class, though it is a uniquely male and masculine view on life. There are no women Stoics.
c. Living at extreme ends of society reveals to both that suffering cannot be avoided and a lot of life is outside one’s control, but our reactions remain forever in our control.
d. Stoicism means different things to different people, so Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius can each use the same name for very different philosophies.
c. Living at extreme ends of society reveals to both that suffering cannot be avoided and a lot of life is outside one’s control, but our reactions remain forever in our control.
What do the Stoics mean by fate?
a. A destiny that is particularly gloomy; a doomed life
b. What a person deserves based on the sum total of their life’s actions
c. The three goddesses who direct the birth, death, life, and rebirth of all humans
d. That we do not direct the course of our lives; Logos, or World Reason, does
d. That we do not direct the course of our lives; Logos, or World Reason, does
What follows from the Stoic belief in natural law, the belief that the universe exists according to a rational and purposeful order?
a. We have a duty to live in conformity with the law.
b. Everything is as it should be, so there is no reason to work toward any sort of change to oneself or others.
c. My future is predetermined; if I meditate and pray calmly enough that future will be revealed to me.
d. No matter what I do I cannot make any changes, so I am free to do as I desire.
a. We have a duty to live in conformity with the law.
What does it mean to be disinterested?
a. To make decisions based on what is true and right without personal attachments or motives
b. To live a life of calm, detached boredom
c. To conclude according to what the majority believe
d. To declare any possible conflicts of interest in one’s employment or research
a. To make decisions based on what is true and right without personal attachments or motives
Which of the following expresses disinterested reasoning?
a. I followed the law when calculating taxes; there is nothing in the law that prevents the accounting choices I made to write off “losses.”
b. I didn’t know what I wanted for dinner, so I played eenie-meenie-miney-mo and let fate decide.
c. I promoted the most qualified candidate to manager despite them being married to my ex and my own cousin applying for the position too.
d. I shouted obscenities at the person who took my parking spot because I couldn’t control myself; it’s what anyone would do in the same situation after the day I had.
c. I promoted the most qualified candidate to manager despite them being married to my ex and my own cousin applying for the position too.
Fulfilling what duty is essential to becoming rational members of a community?
a. Adhere to lowest common denominator customs for all human cultures
b. Publicly profess faith in a higher power
c. Adopt a disinterested attitude
d. Give up personal possessions
c. Adopt a disinterested attitude
What is the cosmopolis?
a. The achievement of universal harmony and peace on earth
b. The ideal city from Plato’s Republic that inspired the Stoics
c. The Star Trek universe organized by Stoic Mr. Spock
d. The universal city, of which all humans are citizens
d. The universal city, of which all humans are citizens
How are Hedonists and Stoics different with respect to the welfare of others?
a. Hedonists are entirely indifferent to others, but Stoics consider the needs of others alongside their own personal interests.
b. Hedonists consider the welfare of others as it concerns their own happiness, whereas Stoics prioritize the well-being of everyone and remain indifferent to their own selves.
c. Hedonists seek community with others because there is no other way to satisfy their own needs; Stoics seek community with others because there is no other way to achieve untroubled calmness alone.
d. Hedonists are primarily other oriented, while Stoics turn inward toward self-concern and self-control
b. Hedonists consider the welfare of others as it concerns their own happiness, whereas Stoics prioritize the well-being of everyone and remain indifferent to their own selves.
Among an array of common responses to becoming aware that our lives are not entirely our own, which does the Stoic recommend?
a. Indulge in self-regarding pleasures
b. Give yourself over to the wills and whims of the gods
c. Succumb to one’s emotions
d. Take responsibility to master what you can control
d. Take responsibility to master what you can control
Which phrase best clarifies the Stoic difference between control and influence?
a. The only right way to be on social media is to have followers, not to be one.
b. While making reasonable efforts to get what we want, it is wise to learn to be happy with what we have.
c. It is not enough to try; I must succeed.
d. My attitudes toward myself are all that matters; there are no rational thoughts in any attitudes toward others or theirs toward me.
b. While making reasonable efforts to get what we want, it is wise to learn to be happy with what we have.
If you cannot control your grades in school, why even put in effort toward getting good grades?
a. Although one cannot control innate talent, we can control how much we develop and add to it.
b. We would be equally foolish to make no effort on our own behalf as we would be to believe that we control our GPAs.
c. Putting in no effort does guarantee a failing grade even if putting in lots of effort cannot guarantee an A grade, so you must put in at least some effort.
d. Of course you control your own grades because grades are reflections of how well you follow the instructions for any given assignment.
b. We would be equally foolish to make no effort on our own behalf as we would be to believe that we control our GPAs.
Emotions don’t feel in our control, so how can Stoics expect us to control them?
a. Emotions don’t feel in our control because we are so inexperienced in controlling them in most cultures. With practice, we can learn to control emotions.
b. Just because something is very difficult to do does not mean it isn’t worth doing for one’s overall well-being.
c. You are not responsible for your immediate emotional reaction, but you are responsible for the follow-through and how you express your emotions.
d. We need to control only the negative emotions, such as jealousy or resentment, not the emotions of joy and passion.
c. You are not responsible for your immediate emotional reaction, but you are responsible for the follow-through and how you express your emotions.
Stoics assert that we can be led astray by what?
a. Thinking for ourselves
b. Strong emotions
c. Logos
d. Dictators
b. Strong emotions
What tragedy did lessons from Epictetus help James Bond Stockdale survive?
a. A severe birth defect
b. Seven and one-half years as a prisoner of war
c. Torture in a Nazi concentration camp
d. His wife’s death from cancer
b. Seven and one-half years as a prisoner of war
What does James Bond Stockdale suggest as the best defense against those who would exert moral leverage over us?
a. Accept ourselves as we are by refusing to buy into perfectionism.
b. Remind them that we are all equally flawed.
c. Keep ourselves morally clean.
d. Detach from them; treat them with indifference.
c. Keep ourselves morally clean.
