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Stoics and Epicureans Two Philosophical Schools of Thought
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Stoics and Epicureans

Feb 23, 2016

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Stoics and Epicureans. Two Philosophical Schools of Thought. History of Stoicism. Stoics S tarted by Zeno 33-261 BC “The Reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen more and talk less”. Stoic Philosophy. Education is divided into three parts: - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Page 1: Stoics and Epicureans

Stoics and Epicureans

Two Philosophical Schools of Thought

Page 2: Stoics and Epicureans

History of Stoicism

Stoics

• Started by Zeno 33-261 BC

• “The Reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen more and talk less”

Page 3: Stoics and Epicureans

Stoic Philosophy

Education is divided into three parts:

– Physics ( How one sees the world)

– Logic ( How one discovers the world)

– Ethics (The Science that distinguishes between Virtue and Vice-How one ought to live)

Page 4: Stoics and Epicureans

Stoic Philosophy is like a Garden

• Physics is like the soil

• Logic is like the fence around the garden

• Ethics is like the beautiful trees and flowers that grow in the garden

Page 5: Stoics and Epicureans

Physics:Types of Matter in the Universe

Active Passive is is

REASON OR FATE EVERYTHING THREE- DIMENSIONAL

OR OR

GOD MATTER

ABSTRACT CONCRETE

Page 6: Stoics and Epicureans

How is the Universe Organized?

• Well- arranged according to a Master Plan created by God, a Perfect Being

• Logical and Rational

• The Laws of Nature keep the Universe together

• The Universe is a perfect sphere “Cosmos”

Page 7: Stoics and Epicureans

Why Do Things Happen?

• Everything that happens must happen- it is Fate or Destiny

• “Everything happens for a reason”

• We can predict what will happen by understanding Fate

• “Action/ Reaction”

Page 8: Stoics and Epicureans

Logic

• Everything can be discovered by Logic and by the use of the Rational Mind

• By using your Reason, you can discover what is True

• The Purpose of Logic is to discover what is True and what is False

Page 9: Stoics and Epicureans

Ethics

• The most important thing to remember is to live in a natural way

• What enables us to live in a natural way?

VIRTUE

Page 10: Stoics and Epicureans

What are the most important Virtues?

• Wisdom

• Courage

• Justice

• Temperance

Page 11: Stoics and Epicureans

What are the most dangerous Vices?

• Foolishness

• Cowardice

• Injustice

• Lack of restraint

Page 12: Stoics and Epicureans

What is Good and Bad?

• THE ONLY GOOD THINGS ARE VIRTUES

• THE ONLY THINGS THAT ARE BAD ARE VICES

GOOD= VIRTUE BAD= VICE

Page 13: Stoics and Epicureans

What if Something is not ”Virtue” or “Vice”

All that is neither Virtue nor Vice is indifferent(riches, pleasure, material goods, health, life,

death etc)

Page 14: Stoics and Epicureans

WHAT GUIDES THE GOOD PERSON?

DUTY to live in accordance with Nature

Page 15: Stoics and Epicureans

WHAT GUIDES THE BAD PERSON?

Pleasure, Self –interest and Vice

Page 16: Stoics and Epicureans

WHAT ABOUT EMOTIONS?

• Emotions are judgments

• Negative Emotions are illogical

• The most dangerous emotions are sadness, fear, desire and pleasure

Page 17: Stoics and Epicureans

THE WISE PERSON

• Can never be sad

• Why? It is Illogical to be sad

• The Wise person follows Virtue and Virtue is always Good

• “ No use crying over spilled milk”- It is illogical to feel pain over something that cannot be changed

Page 18: Stoics and Epicureans

THE WISE PERSON

Believes in God and sees that God is the Creator of the Cosmos

Is Never Wrong- because he/she does not believe what he/she does not know to be true

Only Speaks the Truth

Is Guided by Reason- use of the logical mind

Page 19: Stoics and Epicureans

THE WISE PERSON

• Is only interested in Virtue as an end in itself, not as a means to attaining the Good

• Knows that Virtue signifies living according to REASON

• Since REASON tells us that everything that happens must happen, VIRTUE consists in accepting with eagerness anything that happens

• He is foolish who desires anything other than what happens

Page 20: Stoics and Epicureans

The Bottom Line

• There is no middle ground between Virtue and Vice

• The “line” between the two is “straight, not crooked”

• There is no such thing as being “ a little bit just” or “somewhat guilty”

Page 21: Stoics and Epicureans

WHAT DOES ONE NEED TO BE HAPPY?

VIRTUE

Page 22: Stoics and Epicureans

Epicurean Philosophy

• Divided into three parts

• Physics

• Standards

• Ethics

Page 23: Stoics and Epicureans

Physics

• The world is made of matter

• Matter is nothing but atoms

• Therefore, the universe is random, comprised of atoms

• There is not master plan of organization in the Universe

Page 24: Stoics and Epicureans

Standards

• The only way to find out what is TRUE is by the senses

• The only things that are REAL or TRUE are those things that can be touched, tasted, heard or seen

• “What you see is what you get”

• “This is all that there is”

Page 25: Stoics and Epicureans

Ethics

• The way to a happy life is to seek pleasure and avoid pain

• The Goal of Life is to be Happy

Page 26: Stoics and Epicureans

Epicureans Believe

• Good and evil only come to us through our senses

• One need not fear death- when we die we no longer sense things

• After we die we no longer feel pain

Page 27: Stoics and Epicureans

Epicureans Believe

• To get a greater pleasure in the long run we may undertake a smaller pain in the short-run

• “Pleasures” are not bad or hedonistic: pleasure is to be reasonable, calm, careful and free from pain

• CAREFULNESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN VIRTUE

Page 28: Stoics and Epicureans

EPICUREANS BELIEVE

• FATE destroys our freedom of action

• Things happen by chance

• There is no need to worry