Stoicism: A Detailed Breakdown of Stoicism Philosophy and Wisdom from the Greats: A Complete Guide To Stoicism

by George Tanner

Stoicism, one of the oldest, Western philosophical schools, has enchanted scholars and the general public alike for over two thousand years. Where some accounts of human nature and the particularly human good fall short by the reduction of human being to physical or psychical phenomena, Stoicism’s power lies in engaging with the whole range of human experience, addressing rationality, emotion, piety, will, and both inner and outer impressions, each on their own terms, in language that treats each as significant in its own right.
Stoicism is an active philosophy. That means that it is not enough to know its doctrines, one must also live them, develop habits that expand on and complete their ideas in practice. Practice, therefore, is also the focus of this book. The development of the reader’s inner and outer life, that they may follow their own path and discover what it means to “live life in accordance with nature.”  
This book is a general introduction to Stoicism that pulls no punches when faced with the more complex aspects of Stoic doctrine.
Topics addressed

Grab your copy of a detailed guide on stoicism philosphy and wisdom! Make sure you ADD the AUDIO BOOK to your order. It is nice to listen as well as read it :-). They compliment each other.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Reference

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 8, 2017

Reviews

[Lars · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not at all detailed!! I have to admit that it is probably my own fault to buy this book and actually expecting a detailed summary of everything important to know about stoicism, but I really mean it when I say this book isn´t detailed in any way. Every chapter is as short as a block-article on the internet. I can prove it. After realizing, that buying this book was a mistake, I tried to make the best out of it. I looked at every chapter and tried to find a block article that is at least as good or even better. I did not find good ones on the topics of Logic and Psychology (not like the book was better), but instead I found some freely accessible papers that are even more detailed. So here are all the resources you need to get ten times the knowledge this book provides for free on the internet:

History of Stoicism:
The book does not really provide anything more than two funfacts and an anecdote about every person, because of that I just listed the names, so that you can look them up on Wikipedia. I looked up every article myself. Believe me there is nothing interesting in the book, that Wikipedia wouldn´t mention.

Founder: Zeno of Citium
Second head of the Stoic school: Cleanthes of Assos
Third head of the Stoic school: Chryssipus of Soli

Middle Stoics:
Panaetius of Rhodes
Posidonius of Apameia

Late (Roman) Stoics:
Epictetus
Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

The Good Life:
Stoicism and Epicurus —Similarities and Differences by Victor Lange

On control:
The book actually does treat this topic as bad as most people do. So here is an article that corrects that error and explains it much better.
What Many People Misunderstand about the Stoic Dichotomy of Control by Michael Tremblay

Virtues in Stoicism:
Both of these article are much more detailed than anything in the book, but somehow freely available on the internet.
What do the Stoic Virtues Mean?
and
The Threefold Nature of Stoic Ethics

Stoic Logic and You:
The book only explains the five Indemonstrables really briefly and gives some examples of how to apply them morally. These sources go to much more detail about everything else there was to stoic Logic.

Paper on Stoic Logic:
Stoic Logic (Cambridge Companion to Stoic Philosophy)
or
Language, Logic, and Reality: A Stoic perspective

Analysis of the five Indemonstrables:
Chrysippus’ Indemonstrables
and Mental Logic

Book on Stoic Logic:
Stoic Logic Free PDF book (1953) by Benson Mates

Stoic Cosmology and Theology:
This first article sticks closer to the terms used in the book, like the active and passive principle and divine fire, but other than in the book it is from a really religious view:
'Without the Divine, there is no Stoicism': A Polemic by Nigel Glassborow
a better article is this one. It explains the topic a lot better than the other article or the book:
'Providence or Atoms? Providence!' by Chris Fisher

The Theology part was not really in the book, but since it is in the title of the chapter I added this article On the Theology. Theism?Pantheism? Or Atheism? Of the Stoics.
Stoicism: God or Atoms?

Stoicism and Psychology:

short comparison of Stoicism and CBT:
A Comparative Analysis of Stoicism and
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Detailed history and Comparison of Stoicism and CBT:
Stoic Philosophy as a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Philosophical Foundations of CBT:
THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY:
STOICISM, BUDDHISM, TAOISM, AND
EXISTENTIALISM

Stoicism and the emotions:
Stoics are not Unemotional!

Outer Troubles - Preventative Struggles in Stoicism:
These next two chapters are about stoic exercises. In today's time you can find thousands of self help articles about those, but here is the best and most interesting I could find.
A Guide to Stoic Exercises

Stoic Discomfort:
While the last chapter was more about exercises to build character this one is to
handle daily situations through what the stoics call meditation, which is not meditating like some Buddhist, but an active self-evaluation and a reflection on your progress.:
Here is a blog article that says at least a few more things:
Stoicism and Pain Management: 4 Techniques Practiced By Marcus Aurelius

Apatheia - Stoic inner Peace:
Repeats the topic of Stoicism and the emotions, because the previous chapter on this topic was not as detailed as the alternative I gave you. The main points he lists of here are that apatheia does not mean “free of emotion”, like apathy, but “free of passion” and that there are emotions that are connected to vice like pleasure and those that are connected to virtue like joy. If you still want a detailed article on this topic you can read this book review, which is not so much about the book it reviews as it is about this topic of apatheia and emotions and misleading descriptions of stoicism:
Stoic Book Review: More Than Happiness by Antonia Macaro

Other interesting stuff:
An important concept that the book does not mention about stoic ethics, probably because it is written as a self help book, rather than a detailed summary of a philosophy, is the concept of oikeiosis. Here is a good article about that.
Oikeiosis – Stoic Ethics and the Unbreakable Connection Between Self-Interest and the Interests of Others

If you still want an entire book on Stoicism get this one for free, I did not read it yet, but at least you don´t have to waste your money like I did:
Stoicism by St. George William Joseph Stock
Get through it on the website or download it in any format you like or got to the audio version and listen to it:
Stoicism by St. George William Joseph Stock (Audio Book)

If you still want more I would recommend to read the original sources instead of any self help stuff, that tries to make anything out of this philosophy that it isn´t. From what I know Chrissypus or the Roman Stoics are the most quoted so start with them.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Stoic sage is untroubled by that which they cannot control, but also capable of boundless compassion for friends and family, country, and the whole of humanity. This principle of Stoic concern is called cosmopolitanism; it is intimately connected with the idea that we are citizens of the world. Further, it draws upon the idea of Divine Fire we discussed earlier. We are all sparks of creation, the force that moves all of creation also moves us. It is for this reason that we must recognize ourselves and our motivations as situated in an interconnected whole, one damaged when we fail to treat one another with respect and compassion.’ (Stoicism: A Detailed Breakdown – George Tanner / Conclusion)

This book talks to us about the most archetypal and persuasive philosophical school of the five centuries, from about 300 B.C. to A.D. 200; Stoicism .

The founder of this school was Zeno (336-264 BC), who settled in Athens and opened a school to convey lectures on philosophy and connected subjects. The term ‘Stoic’ a derivative of ‘Stoa poikile’ the meaning of which is "painted porch" ornamented with frescoes. Zeno was a native of Cyprus and most of the members of the Stoic School were non-Greeks and two of the archetypal figures were slaves.

The book shows us that the history of Stoicism is divided into three periods: Early Stoicism, Middle Stoicism and Late or Roman Stoicism. Zeno was the leader of early Stoicism. Middle Stoicism was represented by Panactius. The most important figures of the Roman Stoicism were Epictetus and Aurelius.

The Stoic philosophers did not deliberate on the political matters unswervingly and they never tried to build up stable theories of state or political science like Plato and Aristotle. The viewpoint broadcasted by the Stoics can be divided into Logic, Physics and Ethics. Analysis of political issues contained all these three subjects. In this connection it may also be noted that Stoicism cannot be regarded as a theory of state.

Regardless of this, the Stoic philosophers exercised substantial stimulus upon the functioning of the government, since many kings and officials of Hellenistic and Roman periods were professing Stoics. However, they were not interested in the solicitation of Stoic philosophy.

The Stoic philosophers in their physical theory posited two principles in the universe: a) the active and b) the passive principles.

The passive principle is an ingredient without quality that in matter, whereas the active is the motivation inherent in this substance, that is God. In the ethical and political philosophy of Stoics we find the notion of cosmos.

The cosmos is god who in the creator of the whole universe or nature. Consequently, both heaven and earth are integrated or pooled in the cosmos. Hence the cosmos is an entirety and gods and men are the central parts of cosmos.

This book delves in some detail about the political philosophy of Stoics. The nature, which is the whole cosmos, institutes the central theme of Stoic philosophy, including political pholosophy. Nature is pervaded by ‘objective’ and ‘purpose’ and the means to work with it towards the synchronization and uniformity that is innate in it.

Only one principle governs all things. Everything is with nature and nothing happens against nature. Like nature, human beings are also subject to an all-pervading tuneful and cogent ordering. Man and nature are not opposites. Both are parts of reason and harmony.

The Stoic view of morality parents the following notion: Man must act on the word of reason, that is, consistent with the principle of nature. The conduct and behaviour of man are determined by the law of the universe and all other creatures are subject to the same law.

If man learns to guide his life by reason or equanimity and everyone follows the same principle, a symphonic relationship among all men is established. Reason decrees that man should trail virtue and should not be guided by narrow self-interests. In this way, a unity is set up in the civil society. Civil society, according to the Stoics, is based on the natural bonds of men, their usual attraction to one another. The state is a natural coalescence and not an artificial formation based upon contract.

Gregarious nature of man led to the foundation of human society...

The author tells us that in the Stoic form of political ideas we find a weird position of man. He is regarded by the Stoic thinkers as a part of single group or "herd". That is one man is, indistinguishable from another. Property, race or rank cannot make any discrepancy among different individuals. Since all men are same, there cannot be distinct laws or principles. This is without a doubt a utopian thought. But in the utopian way the Stoics have built up a theory of harmony.

By abolishing all distinctions, the stoics wanted to set up an amalgamated and incorporated human society.

At the head of the civil society or state there is a king who possesses complete power and his unqualified authority is bestowed by God. The king is not only the head of the state, he is virtually identical with it. The Stoics further have held that the kingship is the only organized force in the state. A true king is divine and he brings congruence and synchronization in his kingdom.

The order of the king is law and to defy his law is to defy God and to go against nature and disturb the harmony. Again, the defiance of king is tantamount to immorality.

The king as archetypal of God represents standards, principles and religion. Thus, a king is the spokesman of earthly and heavenly matters.

The idealisation and adoration of kingship created a notion of world city and seme cf the Stoic philosophers propagated it. This comes from the fact that the Stoic philosophers eliminated all differences between the nations or cities. All were the parts of the universe and were subject to the same laws of Nature. The foremost feature of the world state is it is ruled or guided by the dictum of God and there cannot be any scope of separate opinion or conduct. Gods and men are the denizens of the world-state.

The right reason prevails upon them all. The right reason is just and standard and one cannot change it impulsively.

A Stoic philosopher has made the following comment: "Law is the ruler over all acts both of gods and men. It must be the administrator and director and the guide in respect to what is honourable and base and hence the standard of what is just and unjust. For all beings that are social by nature the law directs what must be done and forbids what must not be done."

On the one hand Stoicism eliminated the differences among the individuals and on the other hand recognized the coordination between the states.

The author quotes Sabine "If Stoicism diminished the importance of social distinctions between individuals, it tended also to endorse coherence between states. There are for everyman two sets of law --- the law of his city and the law, of the world --- city; the law of custom and the law of reason.

Of the two the second must have the authority and must provide a form to which the statutes and customs of the cities should conform. Customs are various but reason is one.... Stoicism tended to conceive a world-wide system of law having endless local branches."

Stoic philosophers self-confessed that there might be differences, but all these must be ignored. Reason and principle of nature must always be given priority. If differences were recognised, fissiparous propensities would develop which would be detrimental for a harmonious society.

By laying great stress upon natural law, reason and world state the Stoic philosophers threw individuals into most unimportance and anonymity. The universality and across-the-board character of natural law, rules out the likelihood of all disagreements. People are dumb creatures and they observe the law ungrudgingly. If this is reason of nature, we must say that it is unconditionally irrational.

Men cannot be beasts. Nature may have a reason, but people have their own reason.

To follow reason and nature blindly is not ethics and justice. But to force a man to follow this or do that is, in our view, unethical and unjust. The Stoic thinkers contemplated of community of property, wives and other things in order to ensure harmony.

Plato thought in this line and he was fervently criticised by Aristotle. The Stoic disapproval of political, social and cultural institutions is also unfounded.

The numerous institutions play very important role in the development of human personality. The individual cannot be asked to sacrifice himself at the altar of the state.

The Stoics also imagined of the world-city where the distinct states would not have any importance at all.

A modern critic has made the following comment: "This cynic fervour of Stoicism, directed against cultural pro- gress, enlightenment and being essentially conservative and even reactionary was graphic evidence of the crisis of contemporary slave-owning society and its values."

Stoic philosophers' backing of ‘absolute monarchy’ and world state is precursor to dictatorship and imperialism. The Stoic philosophy is the most important root of Divine Right Theory. The Church in the Middle Ages received stimulus from the Stoic ideas of the divinity of kingship. The idea of divinity made the emperors of various European states not only tyrants but also harsh and heartless.

Roman emperors were also inspired by the doctrine of ‘one world, one reason and one law’. This left behind many a malevolent effect. Democratic values and principles found no place in the lexicography of Stoic philosophers.

Plato and Aristotle were not worshippers of democracy. But the worth of the individual was recognised by their philosophy.

However, a word or two must be said in favour of Stoic philosophy. The Stoic philosophy of secular law is the groundwork of modern legal system both national and international. The Stoics conceived of a world-city. Nowadays the champions of internationalism often think of ‘a world government’, although it is yet to be achieved. The philosophy of French Revolution - liberty, equality and fraternity is the abridged form of universal brotherhood propagated by Stoics.

The Stoic idea of a "law above law" has become the central code of the American constitutional system.

The book is divided into the following chapters:

1. History of Stoicism
2. The Good Life
3. On Control
4. Virtue in Stoicism
5. Stoic Logic and You
6. Cosmology and Theology in Stoicism
7. Stoicism and Psychology
8. Stoicism and the Emotions
9. Outer Troubles; Preventative measures in Stoicism
10. Stoic Discomfort
11. Apatheia—Stoic Inner Peace

What do we carry away from this book then?

**This book shows that the Stoic school is miscellaneous and ductile and has lived in numerous massively diverse conditions through its restatements.

**The book asks as to how they all are united. What allows them to keep the same name, regardless of the assortment in doctrine within the school?

**All Stoics admit the three topoi, ethics, logic, and physics. Their all teach virtue with the aim of living consistent with human nature. Their logical systems include both the modern, formal definition, the study of what imports follow from what premises, and epistemic concerns, concerns about the nature of knowledge and what human beings can know.

**Stoic physics includes the modern sense of the word, encompassing a variety of natural sciences, and metaphysics and theology. For the Stoics, the gods and the soul were physical beings, and studying them revealed their governing principles.

**This book teaches the p’s and q’s of all facets of the topoi and will serve as an all-purpose overview to Stoic ideas and practice.

Give it a try if you choose.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stoicism is a topic that I’ve never delved into on my own before. It was always something that I had to read briefly about for a class and then either apply it to a project or write a paper on it. Maybe because it was for school, but I never understood it until now. In Stoicism: A Detailed Breakdown of Stoicism Philosophy and Wisdom from the Greats by George Tanner, the learning process felt personal. Reading it was more like a professor speaking to his students instead of the students reading a textbook. There were a lot of examples that used “I” and put the reader into the context of the example. The book spoke directly to the reader and even encouraged readers to check out other sources about Stoicism. Tanner is clearly interested in making the reader understand the concept of Stoicism instead of just spouting off information to seem high and mighty.

Although this book is educational it is compelling to read. Some of the examples had me laughing like the one with the dog because they were easy to relate to and easier to understand. The anecdote about the author’s grandmother was really eye opening and it could be that it hits close to home with my own grandparent, but it persuaded me more than anything else in the text to seriously consider studying Stoicism. I enjoyed the small humorous moments like saying you shouldn’t cut ties with a sibling because you might need a kidney one day.

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to get out of this book, but I’m pleasantly surprised that I can apply a few ideas to my life. For instance, analyzing a situation before reacting to it is something I clearly have to work on and I now think Stoicism will help me better that aspect of my life. The quote “we should remember exactly how small we are” is humbling without making the reader feel like they have been living his or her life wrong.

There were two things that I didn’t care for in this book. The first was that the history of Stoicism was too long. I think a page of background information would probably have been enough. It was also a little hard to remember all the Greek names and who said what so I had to keep going back to the history section to see if they were mentioned before and in what context. The second thing was that I got lost during the schemata examples, but the bakery example got me back on track. I had to read it over a few times and still didn’t quite understand it, but that was the only part of the book that tripped me up.

I think this book is a good beginning tool for people interested in Stoicism and it is much more helpful and easier to understand than any textbook I had to read for a Philosophy class.

[Melinda Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed Informative Useful Book

This book had a lot of good information to share. I learned about stoicism, its history, and what makes it so important. It is a way of living based on ancient philosophy principles. The book explains how this way of living helps you control your emotions m, be a better person, and live a better life. It was a great read.

[Azure · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Philosophical Literary Experience

A fascinating read which adapts the philosophy, tenants, brief history, and values of Stoicism from a weighty and perhaps often a very terrifyingly academic venture into a very manageable, easily relatable, and overall enjoyable literary experience for the philosopher and layman alike.

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the philosophy of Stoicism. The information is well laid out and very approachable. He does a great job of explaining different concepts of stoicism. Got this book for a paper I needed to write on the subject and I'm so glad I found it. It was not only helpful but quite a good read.

[Valery Lebedz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great topic, but not that simple to read/understand

This book will open your eyes and will show a different way of behaving. You’ll become more resistant to any issues that appear in your life.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book is an excellent introduction to Stoicism. Unfortunately the Kindle version I read contained multiple spelling errors (over a dozen). But the information presented really got my attention and after reading this short work I'm going to explore the topic of stoicism further.

[Shymon Shlafman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Descent but not impressive

Overall, it is a descent book, though somewhat shallow. The Kindle edition I bought contained quite a few typos, which was really unfortunate.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Coverage of Stoic Thinking

Overall, Captures the main focus of the Ancient Stoics and a certain degree of application to today's situations and encounters.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not as good as How to Be a Stoic read just before