Dale Kingsley - Stoicism: A Beginner’s Guide To The History & Philosophy Of Stoicism

It can be an intimidating prospect for the uninformed reader to embark on a study of Greek Philosophy.

First of all, there might be the notion that only those with great intellectual capacity will ever be able to fully grasp the principles of this field of study. Apart from the intimidating prospect of entering into the world of Greek Philosophers, the prospective student may also find it well-nigh impossible to decide which specific branch of Greek philosophy to study.

This book will eliminate much of the apprehension that may accompany a desire to study the very rewarding disciplines of Greek Philosophy, as it will soon become apparent that these disciplines are not only reserved for the intellectual few, but rather a field of study which can be mastered by anyone who is willing to spend a little time reading about the basic principles involved. In this book, we are going to concentrate on the specific discipline of Stoicism; thereby dispensing with the potentially intimidating prospect of having to choose a specific branch of Greek Philosophical thought to study.

Why study Stoicism?

The best motivation for the study of this discipline is the fact that Stoic thought is prevalent in our modern society and we, often unknowingly, apply many of the principles of Stoic philosophy in our everyday lives.

Stoicism is also known as a school of Hellenistic thought, where the importance of Nature is emphasized as a cornerstone of the philosophy. During the course of this study, we will look more closely at the motivation for this belief in the importance of Nature, and further the development of this basic idea in the more advanced reasoning employed by the Stoic Philosophers.

The Greek Stoics viewed their Philosophy as a way of life, rather than a mere exercise for academics in the Ivory Towers of the Platonic Academy and other Universities of their time. This approach became known as the lex divina, which can be loosely translated as Divine Law. This is a very important concept, as it found its way into much of the Greek academic thought of the period, and it eventually influenced other disciplines, such as Roman Law, during later history.

The Stoics made a sharp distinction between things that are in our power and things that are not. Personal desire, dislike, opinion and affection are within our power, while certain aspects of our health, wealth, position and reputation are not.

The Stoics furthermore asserted the unity of the universe, and stressed man's duty as a part of this greater Cosmic composition.

Stoicism has had an enduring impact on later civilizations. Stoics were the first, for example, to propose the idea of globalism:

"There is no difference between Greeks and barbarians; the world is our city."

The most rewarding aspect of the study of Stoicism is the greater understanding it will provide us of the influence which this school of thought has had on the development of so many areas of academic thinking. It will also lead us to the inevitable discovery that we are still influenced, in our daily lives in the 21 st Century, by the principles originally laid down by the founders of this school of Stoicism in the early 3 rd century BC.

Stoicism is currently experiencing somewhat of a revival in 21 st century popular culture, mainly because of its rational and logical approach to the challenges of our time. There has been a proliferation of Stoic references in modern movies and fiction; further increasing its popularity amongst a younger section of society, which would normally not be interested in an apparently pure academic pursuit such as the study of Philosophy.

This book will provide you, the reader, and prospective student of Stoic Philosophy with a broader understanding of the people and forces which combined to create one of the most enduring and influential Philosophies of all time.