The philosophy of ancient stoics

The philosophy of the ancient stoics has a lot to offer us today, says Italian-American philosopher Massimo Pigliucci. Accepting that not everything is within your power helps you on your way to a happy and meaningful life.

You yourself have become a Stoic. What makes this 2,000-year-old philosophy so attractive to you?

“This question actually requires a different question to precede it, namely: Do you need to have a life philosophy? I think you do. And we actually don’t have a choice. By that I mean that you always have a philosophy of life, whether you realize it or not. You have an idea about how the world works, you have an ethic that leads you to do some things well and others less well, and you have ideas about how to live a good life.

People used to accept the life philosophy of their religion. Now it’s parents, friends and society that give you ideas or exert certain pressures. I myself grew up in Rome in Italy, and I was brought up Catholic, but in high school I lost my faith. I ventured into humanism and Buddhism and eventually arrived at Stoicism. The Stoic philosophy originated in Greece around 300 BC, but was best known through its later Roman Stoics such as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus.

Their texts are easy to read and accessible to everyone, even if you don’t have a background in philosophy. What’s more, they are practical; they’re about daily life, about friendship and love. But what I like most about Stoicism is its central tenet: Some things are within your power and others are not. And that really helps you on your way to leading a happy and meaningful life.”