I. A Simple Practical List
II. Major Parts
Premise
The Stoics figured that if the problem we’re facing is how to live a life worth living, then we should take seriously what sort of animal human beings actually are (what is our nature). Two ideas, according to the Stoics, are so important that we might want to organize our entire existence around them:
1. We are capable of reason, and
2. We are inherently social animals.
From these two observations, the Stoics concluded that a life well lived is one in which we deploy reason for the improvement of society. Living according to nature means using our brains, as imperfect as our brains are, and that we thrive in a social group, pursuing projects that are made possible by the fact that we live in a society.
The Four Cardinal Virtues
The Stoics figured that if the problem we’re facing is how to live a life worth living, then we should take seriously what sort of animal human beings actually are (what is our nature). Two ideas, according to the Stoics, are so important that we might want to organize our entire existence around them:
1. We are capable of reason, and
2. We are inherently social animals.
From these two observations, the Stoics concluded that a life well lived is one in which we deploy reason for the improvement of society. Living according to nature means using our brains, as imperfect as our brains are, and that we thrive in a social group, pursuing projects that are made possible by the fact that we live in a society.
The Four Cardinal Virtues
This positive personal change comes about by constantly practicing four virtues, or habits. They are: practical wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.
1) Practical wisdom (Phronesis & Sophia) tells us the difference between what we can and cannot change. The knowledge of what is good, what is bad, and what is neither good or bad.
2) Courage (Andreia) is not just physical but first and foremost moral—the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
3) Justice (Dikaiosyne) tells us the right thing to do.
4) Temperance (Sophrosyne) is the notion that we should do things in the right measure, neither overreacting to situations nor failing to do enough to correct things
1) Practical wisdom (Phronesis & Sophia) tells us the difference between what we can and cannot change. The knowledge of what is good, what is bad, and what is neither good or bad.
2) Courage (Andreia) is not just physical but first and foremost moral—the courage to stand up and do the right thing.
3) Justice (Dikaiosyne) tells us the right thing to do.
4) Temperance (Sophrosyne) is the notion that we should do things in the right measure, neither overreacting to situations nor failing to do enough to correct things
What Are the 4 Stoic Virtues? A Beginner's Guide to Living a Good Life with Stoicism
Forty-Four Stoic Virtues: Pseudo-Andronicus’ On Passions, and Stoic Life by Matthew Sharpe
The Dichotomy of ControlThe dichotomy of control divides all things in life into two categories: Things within our control and Things outside our control.
Things not in our control: Our bodies, wealth, reputations, and the outcomes of our efforts. We can influence these things but ultimately they are not up to us.
By focusing our energy solely on what is up to us, we can develop resilience and equanimity toward the rest
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The Stoic Curriculum (Stoic Garden)
Ethics - How to best live one's life. The fruit of the garden.
Preferred Indifferents
These are external things that carry practical value or natural advantages. While they are not strictly "good" in a moral sense, they are reasonable to select and prefer, provided that pursuing them does not compromise your character.
These are external circumstances that carry practical disvalue or disadvantages. We naturally prefer to avoid them, but encountering them does not make our lives truly "bad" because they cannot corrupt our moral character.
1. The Discipline of Desire (Orexis)
The Discipline of Desire teaches us what is best to want and what we should avoid.
The Discipline of Assent is the most advanced training regime and focuses on sharpening and controlling our faculty of judgment.
The Dichotomy of Control
Things in our control: Our thoughts, opinions, motivations, desires, aversions, and decisions.
Things not in our control: Our bodies, wealth, reputations, and the outcomes of our efforts. We can influence these things but ultimately they are not up to us.
By focusing our energy solely on what is up to us, we can develop resilience and equanimity toward the rest
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The Stoic Curriculum (Stoic Garden)
Ethics - How to best live one's life. The fruit of the garden.
Physics - How the world works. The soil of the garden.
Logic - Better reasoning. The fence of the garden.
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Preferred and Dispreferred Indifferents
The Stoics maintain that the only true good in life is virtue (our own good judgments and character) and the only true bad is vice (our bad judgments)
To help us make practical choices in everyday life, the philosopher Zeno divided these neutral externals into two subcategories:
To help us make practical choices in everyday life, the philosopher Zeno divided these neutral externals into two subcategories:
Preferred Indifferents
These are external things that carry practical value or natural advantages. While they are not strictly "good" in a moral sense, they are reasonable to select and prefer, provided that pursuing them does not compromise your character.
- Common examples include health, wealth, life, friends, and education
. - Stoics view these as opportunities that can be used either wisely or foolishly; for instance, sudden wealth can easily do more harm than good if the person lacks the wisdom to manage it
These are external circumstances that carry practical disvalue or disadvantages. We naturally prefer to avoid them, but encountering them does not make our lives truly "bad" because they cannot corrupt our moral character.
- Common examples include sickness, poverty, death, enemies, and ignorance
. - A wise person can still flourish and exercise strength of character even when faced with these dispreferred challenges
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The Three Disciplines of Epictetus
Epictetus’s Stoic practice is structured around three distinct training disciplines: Desire, Action, and Assent1. The Discipline of Desire (Orexis)
The Discipline of Desire teaches us what is best to want and what we should avoid.
- Core Focus: It trains us to reorient our priorities away from external things we do not completely control (such as health, wealth, or reputation) and focus them strictly on what is within our power—our own judgments, values, and choices.
- The Promise: Epictetus states that if you restrict your aversion only to undesirable things within your control, you will never incur anything you wish to avoid. By desiring only what is in your power, you are guaranteed a life free of anxiety and disappointment.
- The Essential Starting Point: This discipline is the indispensable starting point of Stoic training. Epictetus notes that making progress here is a necessary precondition for the other two disciplines; if your mind is still ruled by passions rather than reason, acting intentionally and thinking clearly will be impossible.
The Discipline of Action governs how we behave and interact in the social sphere.
- Core Focus: It centers on our impulses to act (or not act) and teaches us to do our duty with order, reason, and consideration for others rather than carelessly.
- Roles and Cosmopolitanism: It is deeply rooted in role ethics, requiring us to responsibly maintain our natural and acquired relations—such as being a good parent, child, friend, or citizen of the human cosmopolis.
- Justice as Goodwill: The guiding virtue here is justice, which demands that we treat everyone justly, fairly, and with active goodwill, recognizing that human beings are fundamentally social creatures made for mutual cooperation
The Discipline of Assent is the most advanced training regime and focuses on sharpening and controlling our faculty of judgment.
- Core Focus: It teaches us how to evaluate and refine our immediate mental impressions before we blindly agree (or "assent") to them.
- The "Pause": Epictetus urges us to confront every harsh impression by immediately pausing and telling it, "You are but an impression, and not at all what you seem to be". Gaining this crucial bit of time prevents us from being swept away by our automatic "proto-passions" and allows reason to function.
- The Ultimate Goal: By training our rational ruling faculty to only assent to what is objectively true, we protect our minds from being disturbed by external circumstances. As Epictetus promises, if you direct your efforts here, you will enjoy peace of mind regardless of your circumstances
External Event/Memory/Imagination -> Phantasia/Impressions (Mental Picture) -> Propatheia/First Movements of the Soul (Involuntary Body Reflex) ->The Pause / Evaluation -> Syncathesis (Rational Assent or Rejection) -> Action or Peace of Mind.
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