Summary of Donald Robertson's Stoicism and The Art of Happiness

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The goal of life is to live in agreement with Nature by willingly accepting things outside our control. We should also live in harmony with our own human nature by trying to cultivate reason and progress towards perfect wisdom and virtue.
#2 Stoicism is a school of ancient philosophy founded in Athens around 301 BC by a Phoenician merchant called Zeno. It was originally called Zenonism, but came to be known as Stoicism because of the Stoic school of philosophy’s meeting place, the Stoa Poikilê, or Painted Porch.
#3 The Stoics were heavily influenced by the Cynics, who were famous for their tough philosophical lifestyle and their commitment to the simple and austere way of life. However, the Stoics also valued the study of Physics and Logic.
#4 Ancient philosophy was a fairly practical business. It often emphasized training in psychological exercises or the adoption of a demanding lifestyle, which was a precursor in some ways of Christian monastic practices.

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie antique

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 04 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669350071
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Donald Robertson's Stoicism and The Art of Happiness
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The goal of life is to live in agreement with Nature by willingly accepting things outside our control. We should also live in harmony with our own human nature by trying to cultivate reason and progress towards perfect wisdom and virtue.

#2

Stoicism is a school of ancient philosophy founded in Athens around 301 BC by a Phoenician merchant called Zeno. It was originally called Zenonism, but came to be known as Stoicism because of the Stoic school of philosophy’s meeting place, the Stoa Poikilê, or Painted Porch.

#3

The Stoics were heavily influenced by the Cynics, who were famous for their tough philosophical lifestyle and their commitment to the simple and austere way of life. However, the Stoics also valued the study of Physics and Logic.

#4

Ancient philosophy was a fairly practical business. It often emphasized training in psychological exercises or the adoption of a demanding lifestyle, which was a precursor in some ways of Christian monastic practices.

#5

The Stoics believed that the only true good is to be a good person, and that being a good person can help you have a good life. They were distinguished from other schools of philosophy by their insistence that being a good person is the only true good.

#6

Socrates was a wise philosopher who was also a decorated military hero. He taught his students that self-discipline is the key to happiness. By exercising restraint, we learn to only eat when genuinely hungry, drink when thirsty, and so on.

#7

The Stoics believed that the goal of life is to live in agreement with nature, which means living a smoothly flowing life in harmony with reason. They believed that we are all born with the responsibility of excelling by bringing our own nature to perfection.

#8

The goal of human life is to make progress toward voluntary improvement. The Stoics believed that the most important thing in life is up to us and under our direct control, which makes us completely responsible for the good life.

#9

The Stoic goal is to live in agreement with Nature, or follow Nature. Nature is goal-directed, and our ability to reason suggests the possibility of its own completion or perfection. By living in accordance with nature, or following virtue and accepting our fate, we can attain eudaimonia, complete personal fulfillment.

#10

The Stoics believed that the best way to improve your self-discipline and character strengths was to do healthy things in the world, whether or not they turned out as you’d have liked.

#11

The Stoic assumption is that mankind has a natural goal. We take some goal for granted whenever we talk about being ‘harmed’. However, most of us assume the goal that is jeopardized to be our pleasure, health, long-life, or other external goods.

#12

The Stoic tradition is just one of a handful of archetypal philosophical attitudes that can be found in human history. The Stoic concept of the human person as a sacred thing for man is a sense of kinship with all mankind, which makes the wellbeing of humanity the chief preferred outcome of all moral action.

#13

The Stoics were divided into three topics: physics, ethics, and logic. They believed that these three topics were somewhat intertwined, and that different Stoics disagreed about the correct order for them to be taught.

#14

The Stoic school was very eclectic, and many modern students are probably attracted to some aspects of it more than others. However, there are bound to be elements of Stoicism that seem quite odd to modern people.

#15

The Stoics believed that by practicing the virtues of self-discipline and courage, we can develop endurance. They would see abstaining from certain foods or enduring tough physical exercise as preferred but ultimately indifferent things.

#16

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus described a threefold distinction between practical areas of Stoic training, which Marcus Aurelius quotes and applies systematically in his Meditations. These disciplines came to describe three ways in which the Stoic aims to live a coherent and unified life, in harmony with himself, mankind, and the whole of Nature.

#17

The Stoic school of philosophy distinguished between the three disciplines of desire and aversion, action, and assent. These were groups of practical exercises meant to correspond with the Stoic theoretical topics of Physics, Ethics, and Logic, respectively.

#18

The Stoics were known for their lack of emotion, but that is probably just because they were misunderstood. They were actually known for their love and natural affection, as well as their moderate, healthy passions.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The principal task in life is to distinguish matters and weigh them one against another. And say to yourself, Externals are not under my control; volition is under my control. Where am I to look for the good and the evil. Within me, in that which is my own.

#2

The concept of practical wisdom is the idea that you should know what it means to be good or bad when it comes to attaining happiness and fulfillment. Whatever is external to your will is indifferent with regard to your ultimate happiness.

#3

The Stoics believed that virtue was the only true good. The goal of mankind was to live in accord with virtue, which was equated with the life according to Nature and synonymous with living wisely.

#4

The Stoic view is that being a good person is all it takes to have a good life, and to be happy and fulfilled. The life of an enlightened Sage lacks nothing of intrinsic importance, even if he is deprived of wealth and health.

#5

Ancient philosophy, particularly Stoicism, is a form of psychological therapy that helps us deal with our emotions. It teaches us to focus on what we can control, and accept what we can’t. It also teaches us to choose our role models wisely, and keep track of our thoughts and behavior by monitoring them in a personal therapy journal.

#6

The Stoics believed that humans are inherently rational animals, and that the goal of human nature is the perfection of reason. The Stoics also believed that humans can make good use of anything, even if they don’t need it.

#7

The Stoics believed that external things are completely indifferent, and that we should not seek any in preference to others. However, it’s natural for us to seek some in preference to others, as long as we do so with wisdom and virtue.

#8