Alex Thorn
Philosophy 105
John Lachs
Jonathan Nedeau, TA
10.06.04
The Difficulty in Living Life as a Stoic
Life as a Stoic is one focused on improving the world. In more specific terms, Epictetus believed the purpose of moral philosophy was to help show people the way to lead better lives. A life as a Stoic philosopher is therefore an ideal one for members of a society, for its focus is on improvement for all. However, for the actual individual, leading the life of a Stoic philosopher is difficult, for it commands that the individual subordinate his own ends to the ends and needs of his society. As such, life as a Stoic philosopher demands sacrifice. Thus, it is clear that the more Stoic philosophers in a society, the better. Yet, because it’s so difficult to live as a Stoic, regardless of how desirable such a life may be, doing so is impossible for many in anything but a small degree.
For
Epictetus, philosophy is not an
interesting pastime or even a particular body of knowledge, but it is a way of
life. The keystone of Stoicism is that there are somethings in this world that
are uncontrollable, and somethings that are controllable. (Lachs)
Some things are up to us and some things
are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions–in
short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our
possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is
not our own doing. (Epictetus 1, page 11)
Essentially, Epictetus believes that human beings are vulnerable and,
therefore, are frequently hurt. Because most of the time one can’t do anything
to stop the things that ail him, the only possible (and worthwhile) thing to
do, in Epictetus’ mind, is to use those things that one can control to make the
best out of the situation. For example, if someone hits another person’s car
while he is in the grocery store, the only thing the victim can control is his
own reaction or impulse to the accident. Remaining calm in the face of such
adversities (and worse) and controlling our emotions no matter what the
provocation are accomplished in the full Stoic sense, for Epictetus, by making
proper use of appearances.
When you see someone weeping in grief at the departure of his child or the loss of his property, take care not to be carried away by the appearance that the externals he is involved in are bad, and be ready to say immediately, "What weighs down on this man is not what has happened (since it does not weigh down on someone else), but his judgment about it." (Epictetus 16, page 15)
Properly using appearances concerns how we move from being aware of something to what kind of judgment we make about it. Take as an example the unfortunate occurrence of losing a set of keys. The non-Stoic would frantically search about the house in desperation, while the Stoic would pause and figure out what is the best interpretation. In doing so the Stoic would realize that such occurrences are bound to happen and that there is nothing he can do but try to find them. Such a realization removes all desperation from the act of looking for a set of keys and allows the Stoic to remain calm in searching for them. Therefore, the Stoic and the non-Stoic contrast sharply. The non-Stoic would qualify an uncontrollable disaster a terrible misfortune and his emotional response the appearance would mimic his qualification. The Stoic, in contrast, says to himself, “Hold on, let me evaluate this appearance,” so he may react in the best possible manner and achieve the most possible happiness.
Happiness, for Epictetus, is derived not from events, but from the reactions to those events. (Epictetus 16, page 15)
Remember that what is insulting is not the person who abuses you or hits you, but the judgment about them that they are insulting. So when someone irritates you be aware that what irritates you is your own belief. Most importantly, therefore, try not to be carried away by appearance, since if you once gain time and delay you will control yourself more easily. (Epictetus 20, page 16)
The only way for one to achieve happiness is to control his reactions to events and not let their appearances have too much impact on his life. Thus, as Epictetus believes, a person who has achieved ultimate moral and intellectual perfection will not undergo emotions such as envy or fear because he has learned to control his reactions. Essentially, Stoicism is about optimism: to achieve happiness, all one has to do is realize that there are things out of his control and learn to interpret them as inevitabilities without letting them upset him. Epictetus recommends the life of a Stoic philosopher because the ability to calculate one’s response to events allows for the greatest achievement of happiness. The Stoic dogma is a great way of living and achieving happiness for one major reason: by calculating his responses, one is able to make the best out of any situation. Subsequently, it is the Stoic philosopher’s duty to promote this way of thinking in order to help others achieve the same happiness.
Having Stoic philosophers in a community is extremely beneficial. Because the optimism in Stoicism is so effective in achieving happiness and relieving one’s self from pain, the more Stoics, the happier the society. He saw moral philosophy as having the practical purpose of guiding people towards leading better lives. Subsequently, the more Stoic philosophers in a society, the more likely people are to be educated in Stoicism and, therefore, the happier they shall be. Thus, Stoicism is extremely desirable in any society.
Though it is so desirable for one to live as Stoic, it is easier said than done primarily because such a life demands sacrifice. In a Stoic society, the citizens exist for the sake of one another, working towards contributing towards one another's good. Such interaction is visible in the notions of justice, friendship, family and political life. The Stoic subordinates his ends to the ends and needs of his society. Yet, it is much easier for a person to attempt to achieve his own needs and ends on his own terms, even if those terms cause him to act at the expense of the ends of others. This kind of life is common, and in most cases those who live such a life are not bad people – they simply do not subordinate themselves to their society. Mill argued that such a life is natural, but that each person should learn to extend his own notion of “self” to include his community because what is good for the community is good for him. (Lachs) Epictetus, in contrast, contends that in order to achieve the greatest happiness, each person should work towards contributing to one another’s good.
There are two main reasons why it is so difficult to live life as a Stoic. First, it is incredibly difficult for people to subordinate their own ends to the needs and ends of a society. Second, it is equally challenging for an individual to learn to calculate his responses to brush aside misfortunes, which could be as upsetting as death, as natural inevitabilities. Because of these two serious difficulties, it is not possible for many people, including this author, to live life as a Stoic.
Epictetus’ view of the role of citizens in a Stoic society is similar in one key way to the beliefs of Thomas Hobbes. Each believed that it was necessary to relinquish some personal freedoms (or ends) for the sake of the community. However, there is a stark distinction between the two philosophers: while Epictetus is clearly an optimist, Hobbes had a much more pessimistic view of the nature of the world. (Kanga) By illustrating this distinction, it is easier to see just why life as a Stoic is so hard. Hobbes believed that competition among individuals and societies was inevitable because there are only so many resources in the world. This belief has at its foundation the notion of survival – that each individual or society must fight to survive. On a more local sense, each individual has his own chief necessity that cannot be subordinated: survival. Because a Stoic must subordinate his ends to the ends and needs of his society, there could come a time when his need to survive could come conflict with the needs of his society or the happiness of others. This can take place on a much smaller scale than simple survival. For example, many people have their heart set on getting into the college of their choice. To them, achieving that goal is a top priority and, if it came down to a situation where they could be accepted or another person could be accepted, but not both, they would chose themselves. This choice is one that most college applicants would make in a heartbeat because the stakes are so high. In attempting to live by the doctrine of Stoicism, one would have to relinquish the notion of “survival of the fittest.” Epictetus argues that one should put the ends and needs of his society ahead of his own because, ultimately, contributing to the good of one another brings the greatest good – greater than getting into the choice college. Thus, because of the difficulty of relinquishing the desire to achieve at someone else’s expense, to live life as a Stoic may not be possible for many, regardless of how desirable it may be.
Learning to calculate one’s reactions to events and not be disheartened by inevitabilities is clearly desirable, yet just as difficult as it is to subordinate one’s ends. Nevertheless, when confronting life’s inevitabilities, whether they are as serious as the death of a loved one or as minor as the loss of a set of keys, most people react instinctively. Epictetus understands this need to judge appearances impulsively, and they are those very impulses that Stoics attempt to control. Yet, no person can control all of his impulses, as would the perfect Stoic. However, this impossibility does not negate Stoicism. On the contrary, it is in this impossibility that rests the Stoic optimism: in at least attempting to control their reactions and judgments of appearances, people lead better lives. Every time a person controls his reactions, he receives more happiness than had he not been in control. Therefore, the ability to control one’s reactions is an issue of degree. No person will ever be able to control his reaction to every impulse because it’s just too difficult, though he may learn to control as many as possible.
Because it is so difficult to live as a Stoic, doing so may be possible for many only to a small degree. Nevertheless, if any person with knowledge of the philosophy were given the chance to live the ultimate Stoic life – one where he was never bothered by that which he could not control – he would take it; every person would be happier if he was able to always be optimistic. Epictetus recommends such a life because of its ability to bring happiness to the individual and the community. Yet, there is a discrepancy between the amount that life as a Stoic is desirable and the amount that it is possible. It is extremely difficult for a student to relinquish his own desires for the benefit of another (as in the case of college applications), just as there are some occasions when it is impossible to control one’s reactions. Thus, life as a Stoic philosopher the way Epictetus describes it is in many cases impossible in anything but a small degree.
Works Cited
Epictetus. The
Handbook of Epictetus, translated by Nicholas P. White.
Kanga, Steve. Competition vs. Cooperation.
Lachs, John.
“Stoicism.” Philosophy 105, Ethics.