2. Experiments in Stoicismor
Apathy on the Porch as
the Good Life

3. “All philosophy lies in two words,
ἀνέχου καὶ ἀπέχου
“All philosophy lies in two words,
“Bear and Forebear”

4. Stoicism Eudaimonistic ethical system in the Socratic tradition
Arose in dialogue with Cynicism, Epicureanism, Platonism, and Aristotelianism
Popular and influential

5. Figures in Stoicism Chrysippus Zeno Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Epictetus

6. Eudaimonia What is the Good Life?
What is the end (telos) of human existence?
What is happiness?
"eu" ("good") and "daimon" ("spirit")
“flourishing” “blessedness”

7. The eudaimon life is… Aristotle A well ordered life as a whole
Epicureanism
Ataraxia 
("tranquility")
freedom from distress and worry
Stoicism
Ataraxia and apatheia
(a- "without" and pathos "suffering" or "passion")
equanimity

8. What is good? Virtue Only is good. Stoicism’s simplified list: Fame
Wealth
Power
Beauty
Life
Pleasure
etc.
Only
Virtue
is good.

9. What is evil? Vice Only is evil. Stoicism’s simplified list: Notoriety
Poverty
Weakness
Ugliness
Death
Pain
etc.
Only
Vice
is evil.

10. What is indifferent? Everything else
Anything else, whether preferred or rejected,
appropriate or inappropriate,
cannot affect true eudaimonia, true happiness.
Fame or Notoriety
Wealth or Poverty
Power or Weakness
Beauty or Ugliness
Life or Death
Pleasure or Pain

11. ?

12. Stoic Assumptions Physics Dynamic materialism and determinism
Rational element within nature and within humanity
Logic
All knowledge is based on sense impressions
Reason can abstract hidden causes (Socratic method)
Ethics
Rational, social animals
Moral character grows with reason (appropriation)

13. whatever are not properly our own affairs.”
ἀνέχου καὶ ἀπέχου
“There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own.
“Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in one word,
whatever are not properly our own affairs.”
Epictetus

14. “Now, the things within our power are by nature free, unrestricted, unhindered; but those beyond our power are weak, dependent, restricted, alien.
…if you attribute freedom to things by nature dependent, you will be hindered, you will lament, you will be disturbed, you will find fault both with gods and men…”

15. “But if you take for your own only that which is your own, and view what belongs to others just as it really is, then no one will ever compel you, no one will restrict you, you will find fault with no one, you will accuse no one, you will do nothing against your will;
no one will hurt you, you will not have an enemy, nor will you suffer any harm.”
Epictetus, The Handbook

16. Covey’s virtue ethic

17. Stoic virtue ethic

18. What is meant by “passion”?
What we call “emotions”?
“Animal instincts”?
Pleasure or pain itself?

19. Passions Greek: pathê; Latin: perturbationes.
Not sensations
Pleasure
Pain
Not pre-emotions (propatheia)
Eros
Not good feelings (eupatheia)
joy (chara)
caution (eulabeia)
wish (boulêsis)

20. Passions are false judgments
Four Main Passions
(present)
Delight
(future)
Lust
Distress
Fear

21. Passions pt.1 Delight (Greek: hêdonê; Latin: laetitia.)
disorder arising from presence of [an apparent] good; exuberant transport at having secured some coveted object
Distress (Greek: lupê. Latin: aegritudo.)
disorder originating in distress at present evil

22. Passions pt.2 Lust (Greek: epithumia; Latin: libido.)
belief of prospective good and the subject of this thinks it advantageous to possess it at once upon the spot.
Fear (Greek: phobos; Latin: metus.)
a disorder arising from expectation of evil

23. Comparisons Passions Neuroses Perturbation of character (Zeno)
Distorts sense of reality
Distortion of personality (Hine, 1983)
Distorts sense of reality

24. Passions replaced by good states
Three Good States
Joy instead of Delight
(present)
Wish instead of Lust
(future)
…(nothing)… instead of Distress
Caution instead of Fear

25. ?

26. How?

27. The Three Disciplines of Epictetus
Discipline of Desire
Study of philosophy, science, and theology
“View from above”
Amor fati
Discipline of Assent
Uncover implicit value judgments
Meditation on misfortune
Stoic mindfulness (prosochê)
Discipline of Action
Cultivation of cardinal virtues
Reserve clause (God willing)
Oikeiôsis and cosmopolitanism

28. Cognitive Behavioral and Rational Emotive Therapies
Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck explicitly drew on Stoic sources in devising a therapeutic school apart from psychodynamic and behavioral traditions.

29. Assumptions
Cognitive therapy assumes that maladaptive behaviors and disturbed mood or emotions are the result of inappropriate or irrational thinking patterns, called automatic thoughts.
Therapy may consist of testing the assumptions which one makes and identifying how certain of one's usually unquestioned thoughts are distorted, unrealistic and unhelpful. Once those thoughts have been challenged, one's feelings about the subject matter of those thoughts are more easily subject to change.

30. Common Cognitive Biases
Overgeneralization
Mental Filter
Magnification and Minimization
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Disqualifying the Positive
Jumping to Conclusions
Labeling
Mind Reading
Fortune Telling
Emotional Reasoning
Shoulding Yourself, Shoulding Others
Personalization and Blame

31. Cognitive Restructuring
Four steps:
Identification of problematic cognitions known as "automatic thoughts" (ATs) which are dysfunctional or negative views of the self, world, or future
Identification of the cognitive distortions in the ATs
Rational disputation of ATs with the Socratic method.
Development of a rational rebuttal to the ATs
Six types of automatic thoughts:
Self-evaluated thoughts
Thoughts about the evaluations of others
Evaluative thoughts about the other person with whom they are interacting
Thoughts about coping strategies and behavioral plans
Thoughts of avoidance
Any other thoughts that were not categorized

32. Live Like a Stoic Week

33. Preparation Download Handbook Fill out surveys:
“Satisfaction with Life”
“Flourishing”
“Positive and Negative Emotions”
Stoic Attitudes and Behaviors

34. Stoic Week Morning Meditation Stoic Mindfulness throughout day
Evening Meditation
Blog about experiences

35. End of week Fill out surveys again:
“Satisfaction with Life”
“Flourishing”
“Positive and Negative Emotions”
“Stoic Attitudes and Behaviors”
Meet to discuss experience with others

36. Resources Philosophy for Life Stoicism Today Philosophy of CBT
Stoicism Today
Philosophy of CBT