University of Chicago Press: 1427 E. 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637 USA | Voice: 773.702.7700 | Fax: 773.702.9756 Stoicism 101: An introduction to Stoicism, Stoic Philosophy and the Stoics. compellingly argued, and carefully researched investigation which should remain an indispensable resource for study of the Stoics on emotions for years to come. For the present, here are some of Epictetus’ contributions to thoughtfully and productively dealing with anger. Anger fits solidly within the matrix of those concerns, and the Stoics in particular provide a lot of valuable considerations and advice about that emotion. I should make clear at this point that my own stance, as a philosopher, is an eclectic position resembling the one Cicero works out. international sales information. To the contrary, it leaves you with more energy with which to carry on that fight! In much the same way, those who are targets of sexist, racist, or homophobic slurs have an important choice. The Stoics carefully delineate what they believed to be the source of emotion within the body as the connection between the human and the divine that allowed for the psyche of the individual to be capable of feeling, thinking, judging and choosing specific actions in response to those feelings and thoughts. If you want the second, you must let the first one go. Musonius Rufus, for example, was exiled to the desolate island of Gyaros, but he did not spend his time there complaining about the unfairness of it all. I agree entirely, but I think I have a different perception of that injustice than he does. And if it isn’t all that helpful for us in actual situations in which we feel anger, then that is an index of the lack of progress we have made. From childhood on, I found myself struggling with my own anger. Notice though, what Epictetus follows this up with: So long as you admire these things, be angry with yourself, and not with the people I’ve just mentioned. We can’t control whether other people insult us. They also seem ignorant of or indifferent to the human trafficking that might be taking place in their college town. Her book is destined to become the standard on appreciating the deep contribution the Stoics make to our understanding of the role of emotions in our lives. To benefit from Stoicism you have to be willing to critically examine your values and your strategies for living. As a first point, he notes that these people, have gone astray and are mistaken about the most important matters, and in a state of blindness as well, not in the sort of vision that distinguishes between black and white, but in the judgement that distinguishes between good and bad things. Such efforts might have included doing things that they were afraid of doing, simply as an exercise in overcoming fear. The third passage that strikes me as particularly relevant here is one in which Epictetus notes that sometimes one simply has to recognize that the person isn’t at that time up to grasping what one would like or hope they would, for their own sake. Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC. A much longer and more detailed story could be told about how I learned this, but suffice it to say, that assumption was not borne out. It is an examination that most people are unwilling to undertake. And before I conclude, let me respond to Scott’s observation that my remarks at STOICON did not make ethnic minorities feel “welcome or wanted.” I know that this is what you are supposed to do if you are trying to get someone to convert to your religion or join your political party, but it is not something an ancient Stoic would have felt compelled to do. Stoicism and Emotion is organized in nine chapters, and from the look of it, I will have to devote a post to each, since Graver’s treatment is in-depth and requires some time to unpack. When we are already agitated by anger, how many of us really find an appeal to the ideal of a prohairesis in accordance with nature all that compelling? Thank you! You may purchase this title at Privacy Policies Posted Apr 02, 2016 The strong, silent type has been a manly ideal for a … “With clean and clear prose, Margaret Graver provides a truly wise reading of the Stoics on the emotions. If they instead take themselves to be the targets of insults, and if they respond to those insults by shrugging them off, thereby making their insulters look foolish, they not only limit the harm the insults do them but act as an inspiration for the rest of us. We have a number of ways in which we can deal with or address other people’s anger. There are several ways that this classic and fundamental distinction made by the Stoics, between what is in our power, what is our business (ep’ humon), and what isn’t (ouk ep’ humon) applies to the issues raised by anger. Where, they will wonder, was their sense of proportion? More importantly here with respect to anger in particular, they articulated what would become one of the main philosophically-focused positions on that emotion in ancient Greco-Roman culture (one which would also go on to inform late ancient and medieval Christian discussions of anger as well). . If they take themselves to be the victims of insults, they are likely to be needlessly miserable. We don’t start out naturally inclined to get these sorts of matters right, and we inhabit cultures in which most people are getting them at least partly wrong as well, in their concrete application. Website. Which should remain an indispensable resource for study of the English adjective stoical is not some random,,! 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