Stoicism: An In-Depth Explanation
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- čas přidán 6. 06. 2024
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Stoicism is an ancient school of philosophy which originated in Greece and flourished in the Roman Empire. Its effects are still felt to this day through its influences on early Christianity, the rise of the Modern Stoics who preach Stoicism as a kind of fix for modern life's ills, and on CZcams.
But what is Stoicism? What is its history? What do we leave out when we talk about it nowadays? That's what I wanted to figure out in this video.
If you like what I do, consider supporting me on Substack: jaredhenderson.substack.com
→ Resources about Stoicism
SEP Article on Stoicism (great as a summary): plato.stanford.edu/entries/st...
Cambridge Companion to Stoicism: amzn.to/3VxhFCh
A.A. Long’s Hellenistic Philosophy: amzn.to/3X9PcDP
Early Primary Sources (Stoic Reader): amzn.to/3ySdLeg
Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations: amzn.to/3yUxGJB
Epictetus: amzn.to/3X9431e
Seneca: amzn.to/4bPyvSy
Cicero: amzn.to/3ySdZSE
Musonius Rufus: amzn.to/4c5EO3W
@TheEsotericaChannel on the esoteric aspects of Stoicism: • Stoic Origins of Weste...
@LetsTalkReligion on Stoicism: • What is Stoicism?
@PhilosophyTube on Stoicism: • Ancient Therapy for Mo...
My video on essential Stoic books: • Don’t Learn About Stoi...
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I plan on making more of these deep-dive videos into various philosophers, media that has interesting philosophical dimensions, and philosophical concepts.
What would you like to see in the future?
Hermeneutics and Gadamer
I'm suspect you already have this video planned, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Nietzsche! Especially on "The Gay Science", which I'm currently reading. Thank you!
phenomenology and pragmatism has always been of interest to me!
Ooohhh...a deep dive into Kant and the Categorical Imperative would be awesome...😂😂😂😂😂
A video on Absurdism and Existentialism would be great
This didn’t help me with my bench press. 0/10. Needs more Berserk images
Thanks for bringing out the weirdness in Stoicism!
Parker, you should do a colab with Jared. You two are my favourite sources of philosophy (and stationary geekiness) on CZcams!
@@JTgosha you're in luck lol we did one 10 months ago and I'm hoping to do another with him soon. Jared's awesome:
czcams.com/video/Ra8aT0PNdTk/video.html
You two guys make colab @parkerNotes
Collab please
@@JTgosha you're in luck my friend: czcams.com/video/Ra8aT0PNdTk/video.html
Thank you for providing value to those who may not have the needs to pay for an education. I would encourage anyone who is reading this to please consider donating if they have found value in these videos. A cup of Starbucks coffee is $5 and only lasts 30 minutes. These videos provide endless amount of value.
your coffee lasts 30 MINUTES?
@@realheckertrustmebro I think he meant 3 minutes
You, Leaf by Leaf, and Benjamin Mcevoy are such a breath of fresh air here on YT. Thank you for the care and attention you put into your videos.
Good to see someone talk about stoïcism holistically, not just the ethics and practical advice. So much "stoicism" today is really just stoïcism-inspired or -adjacent. I wonder if the writings of later Stoics appear more focused on ethics due to them actually writing almost exclusively about that, or due to preservation bias where later Christian copyists just copied what they thought was useful and might be in accordance with Christian religious doctrine.
YES I first found your channel searching stoicism on CZcams and I found it so refreshing from the general strong guy portrayals.
Those "Strong Guy" videos have nothing to do with Stoicism despite the fact that they label every insipid video as "Stoicism".
The elimination of the nuances of philosophical doctrines by means of "popularising" them, is what I hate about the community these days, now suddenly everyone seems to be a philosopher. It was a nice alley to roam around, and to actually understand what stoicism has to offer other than ancient sigma male kinda statues. Good work
I can’t support you monetarily yet, but this content is amazing! Thank you for making it, and I think your transition to full time CZcams will go well!
I came into Stoicism about five years ago with Ryan Holiday and a few others on CZcams. I branched into reading most of Ryan's books, and sever articles on the Internet. Although I knew about most of this stuff, I had no idea how it all pieced together and why it was so important that it did. This video changed my entire perception of the philosophy and, more importantly, how I had been utilizing it. Thank you, Jared, for putting it out.
Great summary! I would love a rundown on the Pre-Socratics, and how/why Socrates became the fulcrum about which discussion of ancient philosophy turns.
Soooo good. I've never clicked on a video fast as it pops up and watch the whole thing in one go. This video reminded me why I subscribed to your channel. Thank you and keep doing what you are doing.
I knew a lot of this before but having it in one place so eloquently explained is wonderful! Thanks Jared keep up the good work man!
Thank you for making this video. I found it informative both for the intended subject matter and how one person can make such a professional video in every aspect. Content, video, audio, sponsor, storytelling, all of it. Tremendously valuable.
Brilliant video. Thank you for something so clear and well thought through. Go well.
Very coherent explanation because of the separation of physics, logic and ethics. Also the information is very compact and selfcomtained; brilliant video!
Thanks. Love your content and calm delivery
The delivery really makes it closer to possible for me to understand these concepts, absolutely.
Jared, thank you for such great content!
I greatly appreciate the book recommendations along with a reason for each recommendation. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, Jared. I'm learning a lot of historical context from you!
Excited for these longer videos
Great material! Keep going.
Such a great video. I would love to hear more about the physics and logic of Stoicism - maybe next deep dive!
Mate, this is an amazing video. Congratulations for your work!
A very thoughtful and well narrated video
I'm glad I came across your channel before listening from some one else about the subject. I really liked and enjoyed the way you organized and presented your material. Thank you.
You and ParkerNotes are top tier. I hope you continue to keep making great content.
This is an excellent channel, thank you for your efforts!
bro thank you so much for these videos, im really trying to learn more about philosphy, starting with stoicism, and you made it much easier for me!
A great in-depth overview! The increased quality of content after you went full-time with CZcams really shows. Looking forward to future uploads!
Btw, that sponsor segment was hilarious😂
Thanks for giving some more clarity on the depth of stoicism!
fantastic video , thank you
You are wildly talented. Love your videos.
This is an excellent primer on Stoicism. Well done, Jared.
This was fascinating. Thanks for Not making another Ryan Holiday video. 🙌
I learned a lot.
There's a big difference from a ryan holiday video from the ai videos running around yt these days.
@@bigbadwolfeinc Interesting. I did not think about that. 👍
what's wrong with Ryan Holiday
@@JLchevz Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I read 2 of his books. I was just hoping for something different as his videos have become quite predictable. I’m happy for a different approach here.
I love this content! I hope doing CZcams full time (albeit through an unintentional scenario) works in your favor.
This was very well made
This is a great video.
Thanks Jared.
WOW, I have never heard these things before, thanks for your video
I’ve been following you and think your videos are great! I think it’s funny that your title for a video 10 months ago from this one was to not learn stoicism from CZcams.
Thanks, this is a fantastic primer.
great video, thank you!!
I would love to hear you discuss more of the non ethics portions of Stoicism. This is really good stuff. Thank you for the video.
This was incredibly informative - thank you so much. I hope you are able to teach some classes on Skillshare or somewhere. You are a great teacher.
Thank you for offering a missing perspective from the ones you saw around you! I also like your pace of speaking. Great video!
Let's gooo!
this is very good, i usually struggle with how to orient and place my understanding (little) of stoic teachings, and as one who only recently (less than a year) started to read and read hard into philosophy, i can't read works at the rate that i find about them.
more importantly, several friends are developing an interest in philosophy and find my self with the difficult task or orienting them, which is more difficult with stoicism, which finds itself heavily overshadowed by the works Plato, Aristotle and Arabic (middle ages), and doesn't have a simple answer for (what to read about stoicism).
a video such as this, serves the purpose as a primer for accurate stoic philosophy. and from here my friends can expand.
thanks for your hard work.
I am entirely new to this. Very interesting.
Thanks for this - marcus aurelius has been such an help for me
I am Vietnamese and I really admire your work. Thank you!
Thank you ❤
Thank you so much for the video. I gained a deep understanding of Stoicism. Please keep up the awesome work! One thing I cannot fully understand is the very low engagement of females in the philosophical journey, both historically and contemporarily. You can even notice it among the watchers of this video. Thank you in advance for reading this.
Great going in providing this discussion--I know it is a lot of work. Just to add a little in the way of references: Professor Massimo Pigliucci has a book entitled How To Be A Stoic (Basic Books, 2017), and he has a video course with The Great Courses as well. It's accessible, but the terminology I find confusing, partly because the terms have changed their meaning since the first century CE. I have read the book and watched the course. I think that there is a genuine desire for guidance on how to lead a better, more serene life, and ancient philosophy addresses these concerns, when no one else seems to do so. 😊
great job
Love the background music
13:24 "It's not a loop; it's a spiral." Alan Wake - Alan Wake II
*sips coffee*
Excellent video! The information is accurate, the presentation is clean and attractive, and your personality is sober yet fun enough (a virtue unfortunately very much lacking among YT philosophers) to make your style likeable and not irritating. Please, keep making videos like this one. It's the kind of quality that "content" on philosophy online needs more of. I think you're onto something, and I0m not sure what yet, but f this succeeds, maybe we'll see a turn in internet discourse about the hummanities. I wanna be there when it happens!
I’ve been looking for a detailed description of stoicism, free from pop-stoicism influence! Wonderful work. I’m not sure how much experience you have with early Christian philosophy, but would you have any recommendations for approachable philosophical sources, primary or secondary, on Byzantine philosophies that stem from the groundwork of St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Dionysius the Areopagite? Or really any Byzantine philosophy haha!
Brilliant work! Finally, someone said what I was thinking. Modern Stoicism barely scratches the surface of its heritage.
THANK YOU FOR THIS I really wanted to find videos on the actual history of Stoicism from someone not trying to tout it as a life saving state of being. I'm just trying to research for world building lol
I’m watching this, not because of Ryan Holiday, but because I have been interested in stoicism since before he was even born. Thank you for this insightful video!
Thanks! Its because of you that I started reading TBK & C&P... I hope you ever make a Fiodor Dostoievsky video ❤
Thank you this was a great video! It is interesting how the popular proponents of Stoicism look to exclude the Physics and Logic from the overall teaching when it would seem to me they are difficult to divorce since the Ethics rely on them for much needed context.
Aligning oneself with Nature makes little sense to one only versed in the Ethics so a word like Virtue is then prone to so much misinterpretation, particularly as it is not a term that has much currency these days..
Finally, I can’t help but be struck by its similarities with Daoism which ultimately begat Zen in Japan. I’d love to see you run a comparison of the two even though I know Eastern philosophy is less your thing. Thanks again and good luck with your new endeavor!
Good stuff
I've always been interested in the non-ethical beliefs of ancient stoics, thank you!
I bought the book THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO STOICISM from Barnes and Noble. Quite everything, I already practice.
"And boiling it down to just a couple of inspirational quotes just really doesn't do it justice."
True. Shots fired at popular Stoicism influencers? (Kidding. Kind of.)
I actually have a lot of respect for some of the bigger names in the popular Stoic genre. I just think there’s much more to be said.
@@_jared Same here, and I probably follow many of them. Still gotta take a good natured jab, though. 😁
Really great video! 💚💙💜
I'll admit this area of religion (and history) is outside my wheel house but I really appreciate you covering it, for I feel often a lot of religious individuals and people can end up coming at the topic from a non neutral or hostile angle and perspective that lacks true consideration.
I find it funny how I find myself also tend to by happenstance to imagine (sometimes as an obsession haha) the universe similar to that cyclical nature of reality - where like in comparison though I imagine the world and nature may progress in the sense these cycles tend to repeat themselves through time, sorta in a Adventure Time kind of sense for which What's So Great About That covers in her video about the (first) ending of that show. (On CZcams titled: "Adventure Time and the Nature of Endings").
Something I often find myself thinking about is not letting that arrogance I have that "I'm wise" override doing something that's truly wise in say dedication to the virtues.
With that I like to think anyone can be a sage in their own way.
W for the way you presented the sponser
As someone who spent a significant amount of time in academia specializing in Stoicism and Hellenistic philosophy, I’ve been for years bemoaning this trend of co-opting the Stoics into the new Trad Life/self help/sigma male paradigm.
The Stoas were the market places of ancient Athens. It was where news of the day was heard, and commercial transactions were transacted. A pretty good location for philosophers actually, and I'm not kidding...some of the citizens of Athens were thirsty for knowledge, just as the businessmen of today are often thirsty for knowledge and read constantly.
Good thoughts. It leaves me wondering: Is modern stoicism up to the task of philosophy if its original grounding in logic is abandoned, since logic entailed epistemology? On what ground can stoicism stand if it itself has abandoned grounding itself in anything? If stoicism is merely elective, it's less a philosophy than a consumeristic whim.
This one is gonna blow up, in case you didn’t know.
Perhaps the stoic’s ethical conclusions were unwittingly derived from pragmatism and the logical foundations that underly them were actually just rationalized after the fact to reach those conclusions. This might explain why so many ideologies throughout the world seem to have independently grasped toward such similar ethical conclusions.
Hi Jared thank you so much for this excellent video!
I was thinking about getting "The Stoics Reader" as you recommended. However I also saw the "Hellenistic Philosophy" (also by Hackett) in your earlier video. It seems that there are many overlaps between these two books. Do you have any suggestions which one I should get?
The Stoic Reader is essentially just of the Stoics. The Hellenistic Philosophy volume is more comprehensive. The Hellenistic Philosophy book mentioned in this video is more of a scholarly summary of teachings.
If you’re interested in going beyond the Stoics, get the Hackett book and maybe the book I mentioned here too.
Make a video on Montaigne
im a theology student and were mainly studying pholosophy , i got bored with my prof monotone and complex explanation but your video was just fresh ?
Lovely analysis.
Stoicism is what lead me into being interested in Philosophy, and eventually lead me to other schools of thought and philosophical thinking.
I hate how it's become so mainstream and is grossly misunderstood and espoused by these weird "sigma-male" types who, vindicate their shitty behavior and ultimate lack of empathy for "being a stoic".
Even the term "stoic" is ill-defined in modern dictionaries as someone who doesn't show emotions, reinforcing the notion to people who aren't aware of the origins that it's another word for displaying socio-pathic tendencies, which is why I think many people turn sour at the thought or notion of stoicism when their main projection of this line of thought is by these very people who tarnish the name.
Sad, because you could argue these ancient stoics we're probably more in tune with their own nature, emotional regulation and the nature of the universe compared to society at large in their respective time.
Keep these coming!
I would not be too hard on the AI videos… One of those strange coincidences one was suggested to me (I never heard of stoicism as a philosophy) as I was dealing with a rough issue. He gave me some insights and help dealing with that issue.
Think of them as trailers for movies… Not necessarily accurate but in the ballpark and enough to help you decide if this is something you’re interested in.
What where the political parties and how would they play the council and philospher reservation in senate was philosophy linked to their political career and even in campaigning like we do now ? What did they fought for or unite for during elections if any ?
I wonder if Aurelius would consider himself a stoic if he read Nietzsche, since I believe he himself wrote in his diaries that wisdom as a virtue is achieved by studying philosophy...
Прекрасно.
This is a question that belongs in your previous video, but here it is: Can you recommend books or classes or teach the analytic tradition of philosophy?
If you want an overview, I'd recommend the two volume set from Scott Soames entitled 'Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century.' Soames also has a series called 'The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy,' but I haven't read it so I can't speak to its quality.
Thanks for the recommendation! I was able to download both volumes! 😁
Alas! Alas! Your ad for Deleteme was as great as it was informative as it was terrifying....
Unrelated but would you consider making more deep dives into manga philosophy like One Piece?
I have three planned. They just take me a bit. I want to do a much longer video on One Piece soon.
I thought this was sarcastic but you actually got a serious reply
@@Cage66666 Jared already made a video on One Piece
@@_jaredomg I would love to see you talk about Berserk 😊
Hey, i've read seneca ,epictetus and marcus book and i have some questions:
You mentioned the phrase of what is in or out of our control that epictetus said i think i understooded it but fail at applimg it , how am i supposed to act upon them
Like for example i am an ai engineering student , i dream of being one of the most influential people at the field and i like it pretty much
Now applying this phrase i rely on thing outside my chice or interact with them , should i be away or rid myself from things outside my sphere of choice??
But also
Earlier in the discorses he makes examples of if you want to be a reader then read or if you want to win an olimpia then you have to make good effort, wouldn't this contradict in a way that we care about things outside our power like winning a competition, i found also my self puzzled when i see myself wanting to compete with others because i feel like it would be kinda fun And the challenges it gives me would make me grow in a way but how to see wether its right or wrong, i feel you intentions play a role here.
Also whats ykur opinion on morality of stoicism
Kant saw that someone might be evil and at the same time happy, which contradicts with stoicism, which says that evil is lack of knowledge about something and so it would make hindrance?
These are some of the ideas roaming in my mind, i know it might be kinda random but i hope you understand kinda what i mean
Edit: i read epictetus work by robin hard and senecas work by Chicago university, and penguins editon of marcus Aurelius
I am planning of rereading the discourses to answer and organize the questions
Excellent exploration of a topic that seems to receive superficial treatment in pop culture.
The main reason I drifted away from Stoicism was due to the extremely ambiguous meaning of "Nature" in modern Stoicism. Is Nature God? Is it like the Dao? Is it just a euphemism for the material universe? Most modern Stoics avoid answering, and instead deflect by referencing how useful stoicism is for living a good life.
Personally, I care about living a good life, but I don't think this is possible if I do not understand what a good life is. In order to understand the "good life" mustn't we understand Nature? I'm glad to see the ancient stoics recognized this conundrum.
They talk about acting in accordance with nature. Stoics might value different things which they apply the 4 virtues to but their nature will likely be quite different. An example could be like someone who has a lot of compassion and values other people's healthy lives above most other things, becoming a doctor as that's what is natural to that person. What is in your nature should also benefit society though they add. So someone who naturally values music should make it or someone who naturally likes to build or invent things should do this with everyone else in mind
@@PercyJackson93 That's not what stoics mean when they talk about Nature, though. To stoics, humans are simply rational animals, meaning our nature is to be rational. If we follow that completely we would be sages, not doctors or musicians.
@@sososo4713 What do you think they mean when they talk about nature then? They think that we are rational and social beings by nature. They also talk about working towards the "common good" meaning contributing to society which gives you purpose. But also the other quote "acting in accordance with your true nature" is described by Marcus Aurelius although I've forgotten how exactly. They describe it as working towards what you feel you are on earth to achieve. Someone, possibly Marcus, wrote about a workhorse being fit, strong and fast as opposed to being ill slow, sloppy or unable to work. I take this as someone who naturally values people's happiness through humor then going on to being a comedian. The sage surely wouldn't just do nothing and wait for a challenge?
@@PercyJackson93 When the ancient Stoics (including Marcus Aurelius) talk about Nature (capital N) they're referring to a pan(en)theistic God. They're not talking about nature in the way that a modern secular person talks about nature (lower case n). To the ancient stoics God, Zeus, and Nature are interchangeable.
They do not describe Nature as "working towards what you feel you are on earth to achieve." What you actually achieve or do not achieve is irrelevant due to it being out of your control. How you choose to face life is in your control. So, either you can live life according to Nature (live life rationally) or you can resist Nature (live life irrationally). Either way, Nature will have its way.
The workhorse analogy is referring to the telos (purpose) of a thing. A workhorse's telos is to be fit, strong and fast worker. A workhorse that fulfills those requirements is a flourishing work horse, while a work horse that fails to fulfill those requirements is a suffering work horse. A human's telos is to be rational. Therefore, a flourishing human (the Sage) is totally rational, virtuous, and in alignment with Nature. On the other hand, you have the fool, someone who suffers due to their irrationality, their lack of virtue, and their resistance to the telos (rationality) Nature gave them.
@@sososo4713
You definitely are correct in this exchange.
It’s strange how I watched this video closely and yet I feel that I’ve only scratched the surface. As was said in the video. I still feel as though I don’t “fully” understand what stoicism is. On the terms of the ethics, I got a somewhat firm grasp but on the physics and logos is where I’m having trouble most. Think I’ll read those stuff in the description in order to get a full grasp of it. Why the hell not, I’ll finally read meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I’ve been putting it off for too long.
I think the truth is, for all of us, that CZcams videos will only ever get us so far. I hope the video introduces people to new concepts and makes them want to dive in!
I need to know what song is playing during 11:47 breakdown. Please ;-;
Sorry if this comes off topic but I am curious when is your Tolkien's video coming out if you don't mind?
It won’t be for quite some time.
True living
Can I ask you a question? Rome is often portrayed as a brutal place, where people are forced to fall on their swords or forced into slavery....So then why is stoic philosophy so different than what is so often portrayed of the horrors of common life in the Roman Empire?
The best explanation here is that stoicism is a philosophy that is dealing with the horrors of the world and trying to make sense of it. It doesn’t justify the brutality, except from a cosmic point of view, but helps us deal with it.
@@_jaredRoman elite copium
@@emirobinatoru😂
@@emirobinatoruEpictetus was a freed slave. Not exactly an elite.
@@ericsierra-franco7802 That's the joke, ppp culture says it is only for the rich elites
What's the music in the background?
A great survey of a particular aspect of Stoic thought is Stoic Logic, by Prof. Benson Mates.
Enjoy!
I need to read Mates. I glossed over technical details in Stoic logic in this video as I wasn't sure how to present them in a CZcams video, but it is something I need to study as well.
@22:17 you refer to self deletion. Although I have absolutely no problem with it, however I've heard many CZcamsrs mentions that terms/phrases like that said explicitly runs the risk of getting flagged by the CZcams Algorithim. I'm not a CZcamsr myself, just giving you a heads up if you weren't aware.
Usually a quick mention is OK. It's when you linger or repeat phrases that you need to start worrying.
Thank you for working to oppose the “broicism” heresy.
If Stoicism today was limited exclusively to the writings of the Ancient Sages (and the silly metaphysics), it would not be entirely sufficient for this day and age. We need new Sages who actually study the fundamentals, who uphold Areté and live Askêsis as a way of life that can adapt the Logic and Ethics of Stoicism to the needs of modern life. It’s why I’m a huge fan of Massimo Pigliucci, John Sellars, and especially Ryan Holiday (who had an obsessive and profound talent for research reading and a head for marketing that is counteracting the messages of the incel/gymbro followers of Andrew Tate’s lower-case “stoicism”/broicism)
Sellars and Pigliucci are great. Holiday is disliked by many and some quite knowledgeable people say much of what he talks about and uses as examples is not really Stoicism.
We know you're the real deal when you pronounce it "Kit-ee-um"
But then he immediately says "Delf - eye" and "Sisero" 😆
@@BlockheadJiujitsu yeahhh I did notice that one too lmao. Cicero though I give a pass because it feels so much easier too say tbh.
How many books do I have to read in economics in order to understand it for non-specialists?
He's not an economist.
@@ericsierra-franco7802 you're stupid...