The Basics of the Stoic’s Philosophy

The Stoic philosophy foregrounds on three basic elements. They are physics, logic and ethics. For better understanding we should address to the metaphor. Let imagine a walled garden with a single fruit-baring tree in the middle. So, the wall is logic, then the tree is physics, and the fruit on the tree is ethics accordingly. This metaphoric comparison suggests that the wall (logic) protects both the tree (physics) and the fruit (ethics) on the tree by stating the rules for finding truth. The Stoics was sure that everything in the world is fixed cosmically, something we no way can control, therefore it would be senseless to try combating the inevitable, or ' destiny' as they would call it. It is assumed that we can gain true happiness only by accepting our destined place in the cosmic space, avoiding this way all the life’s pleasures and comforts, as well as emotions. Only this way we are able to meet and accept everything happening to us without any objections or irritation. This vision is somewhat alike the caste system in Hindus, only not so cruel and unrealistic. The Stoics regard the notions like wealth and health, together with their contraries - want, diseases, low status, etc., in the category of impassive things. And they believe that all the emotions (pathê) are initially bad. The concept of happiness they regard as something bad, it is called apatheia for them, which is if literally translated means freedom from any emotions possible. Since each of us is already given his role in life, then we must play what we have got in the best way possible. We may improve ourselves, but we are not in position to judge the ones next to us. To avoid any grief, disappointment, frustration, we should know to do just two things: to control the things that we can (namely our attitudes, believes, judgments and so on) and be impassive, or in other words apathetic towards the things beyond our control. As for those ill-fated notions that are beyond our power or which we are unable to avoid (for instance, death, illnesses actions and attitudes of the others) the right attitude should be chosen - that of apathy. Pain comes as a result of our wrong attitudes towards these things, but not the nature of things themselves. This is the consoling characteristic of Stoic fatalism. It is senseless to worry because of externals as well as it is senseless to get distressed over what happened in the past. We cannot control both.