Introduction to Stoicism: Zeno, Chrysippus, and Epictetus' Enchiridion

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We venture into the world of Stoicism in this first episode of four in a mini-Stoicism series. We begin with the story of Zeno of Citium, one of the first Stoics. We then touch on Chrysippus and his many contributions, before discussing Epictetus’ Enchiridion at length. The Stoic handbook, like the Dhammapada or Dao De Jing, begin to form a new way of looking at things. A perspective that proponents of Stoicism have developed to live more in accordance with the present moment. Some of today’s topics include free will, the opinions of others, worldly pleasures, and temperance.

From here, we will begin discussing Seneca, his life, and his works, as well as with Marcus Aurelius. As we go into Roman Stoicism, the foundation remains the same, but the application varies slightly and it becomes a more refined and adopted philosophy, and shows appreciation and traces to its Greek roots throughout.

Always feel free to let us know what you think, or if you have any episode requests. We would love to hear from you in the comments or on Twitter! Thank you for listening and as always we’ll see you next time as we search for truth on the road that never ends!