Stoicism Flashcards
Who is associated with stoicism?
Marcus Aurelius
Who was Marcus Aurelius and when did he live?
a Roman emperor living in the second century AD
Why do historians consider Marcus Aurelius one of the best world leaders ever?
He was incredibly devoted to the welfare of his subjects. Nevertheless, he also spent a great deal of time on the battlefield.
What was Marcus Aurelius’ book? What kind of text was it?
The Meditations, his book, was like a diary of his inner life. It is not clear that he expected anyone else to ever read it.
What is the central concept of the stoic perspective
the self
What makes up the self in the stoic perspective? What doesn’t?
Feelings, hopes, perceptions, convictions, and so forth are considered parts of the self.
Mannerisms, body parts, and habits are not.
What was Marcus Aurelius less interested in than Plato? Why?
Because the focus of living is the self, Marcus Aurelius is very much less interested in knowledge of things outside the self than Plato is.
Disciplined analysis is much less important than private reflection.
Why was stoicism less politically dangerous than Plato’s method?
Whereas Plato’s disciplined inquiry sometimes led to conclusions uncomfortable to those in power, stoicism’s focus on the self was much less likely to rock the boat.
- the self is conceived in a way that external events do not have a really significant impact
What are Marcus Aurelius’ fundamental principles of living?
Acceptance and Duty
What did Marcus Aurlelius’ principles of living mean to do?
guidelines to follow in the effort to live a life of virtue and to maximize well-being
What is the idea of acceptance about?
The idea of acceptance is that many things happen in one’s life that are onerous, unpleasant, or repugnant, but getting upset about them just makes things (including one’s own mental state) worse.
All things that happen, including unpleasant ones, are produced by nature. To fail to accept those things is to try to violate the unity of nature.
Acceptance also means accepting one’s own limitations.
What was Marcus Aurelius’ principle of duty about? What is the point of it?
We should fulfill our duties unpretentiously and uncomplainingly.
The point of doing this is to serve the well-being of all and to obtain satisfaction by doing so.
Does Marcus Aurelius consider duty a selfless act?
One should not do this for the sake of praise.
In doing so, one is not acting selflessly. Instead, the self is ennobled by performing its duties in this way.
Not selfless because you are doing these things in order to care for yourself / love yourself - it is a part of self care (ennobled) – when you don’t fulfill your duties, you feel terrible (therefore, this is not a selfless act)
What three things did Marcus Aurelius preach about that are similar to current mindfulness techniques? What is the point of doing these things?
awareness, detachment, and being in the present
Awareness of the present moment is cultivated by detaching oneself from habits, judgments, irritations, and the like.
Letting go of such things allows one to be in the moment.
the point of doing this is that it allegedly leads to happiness
What did Marcus Aurelius believe people should embrace?
thought people should embrace the inevitability of death, and therefore acceptance of it
In a way, this is just a special case of the acceptance.
However, Marcus Aurelius also hints that he wearies of life, and that he seems to look forward to death, not just accept it.
