Before we begin: My new book, The Beginner's Guide to Stoicism, published by Althea Press, is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released October 8th. More on that at the end of the episode. The Good Fortune Handbook, my self-published book, has been recently re-edited (I fixed most of the spelling errors) and is also available through Amazon. The Good Fortune Handbook consists of the transcripts of thirteen Good Fortune podcast episodes along with additional posts from the website, Immoderate Stoic. Whether you read it cover to cover, or use the helpful appendixes to jump to specific questions about Stoic practice, this handbook is a useful companion on your Stoic journey. Available as an ebook and in print, if you'd like to support this podcast, picking up a copy of The Good Fortune Handbook is a wonderful way to do so. Thanks.
[Raven Caw]
"If you would improve, be content to be thought foolish and dull with regard to externals. Do not desire to be thought to know anything; and though you should appear to others to be somebody, distrust yourself. For be assured, it is not easy on the one hand to keep your will in harmony with nature, and on the other to secure externals; but while you are absorbed in the one, you must of necessity neglect the other." (Enchiridion, 13)
Are you ready to be considered a fool? If you walk a Stoic path, if you truly embody Stoic values, it's likely that that label, or similar, is coming. Why? Well, let's look into it.
Hi. I'm Matt Van Natta and this is Good Fortune. Today's questions:
Why would practitioners of a wisdom philosophy be considered foolish?
What benefit is there to being foolish in the Stoic way?
How can I be certain I'm being Stoically foolish and not generally foolish?
Alright, let's get started...
[Raven Caw]
Why would practitioners of a wisdom philosophy be considered foolish?
It may have seemed strange, shocking even, to a new Stoic student attending Epictetus' lecture to hear that the world might consider them foolish for living as a philosopher. They had, after all, entered the school to learn about wisdom from the wise in order to themselves become wise. So in what way could anyone consider them foolish? Of course, any student who had spent time under Epictetus' tutelage would certainly begin to flesh out a picture of what he was alluding to. They could have heard their teacher say this line, recorded in Chapter 12 of the Enchiridion, "if you wish to make progress abandon reasoning of this sort, 'if I neglect my affairs, I will have nothing to live on..." They may have heard of the teachings of Musonius Rufus, the prior head of the school who said that he would, "never file a lawsuit for assault, nor would anyone who thinks that the study of philosophy is worthwhile..." That same Musonius who would not protect his honor in court was also keen to tell his rich students that their estates were worthless. He asked, "isn't it more praiseworthy to help a lot of people than to live expensively? Isn't spending money on people more noble than spending it on wood and stone?" In all this and so much more it becomes apparent that the values of Stoicism did not readily align with the values of Roman society. In fact, few urban societies past or present (particularly those that would be deemed conventionally successful) could enthusiastically endorse the Stoic approach to externals. And it's in the category of externals that Stoics can expect to be considered fools.
What is an external? It's anything that isn't under your control and, by that definition, externals are nearly everything. Your property, your reputation, your own body, all these are considered external to your core self; your ability to choose. If you've heard earlier episodes you're already well acquainted with the dichotomy of control; that there are things which you control and others that you do not. You also understand that Stoicism asks you to focus your attention on the things you control. It's that decision, to aim your time and attention first towards your moral choices that courts the label "foolish" from others. Many societies, many people, expect and often demand that you treat externals as important in themselves, but the Stoic interacts with externals through the lens of moral decision. Is a raise important? Well, more money is useful when it supports wise action, but detrimental if it leads to vice. So a raise is fine as long as I don't compromise myself to obtain that raise and if my gain is not to the detriment of others."That bond measure would hurt my property value." Perhaps, but it would also lift up those in need, so support it wholeheartedly. This is what Epictetus means when he says, "be assured, it is not easy on the one hand to keep your will in harmony with nature, and on the other to secure externals." Stoicism calls on us to focus our energy on strengthening our personal virtue, and that rarely leads to an accumulation of external wealth.
Epictetus' newer students might have thought, "well, if I gain externals through virtue, what isn't admirable about that? I'll be seen as a good citizen! Hardly any reason to call me a fool." It wouldn't take long to uproot those thoughts. Chapter 39 of the Enchiridion records Epictetus speaking on the Stoic sense of value. We looked at it just last episode. Again, Epic says that, "Each person's body is a measure for their property, just as the foot is a measure for the shoe. If, then, you abide by this principle, you will maintain the proper measure, but if you go beyond it, you cannot help but fall headlong over a precipice, as it were, in the end. So also in the case of your shoe; if once you go beyond the needs of the foot, you get first a gilded shoe, then a purple one, then an embroidered one. For once you go beyond the measure there is no limit." Our choice of external goods should be focused on meeting our basic human needs, according to this view. A well fitted shoe is a lovely thing. Dye it in expensive purple? Not if you're Stoic. So even though both the plain shoes and the purple pair are, in themselves, what Stoicism refers to as indifferents (in that they don’t directly impact our virtue) the Stoics still taught a constraint on our choices. Why? Because the choice of shoe does impact our virtue.
Where did all this lead? Towards a radically different value system than what was adopted by the Roman elite. One more Enchiridion chapter, number 24 in its entirety. "Let not reflections such as these afflict you: 'I shall live without honor, and never be of any account': for if lack of honor is an evil, no one but yourself can involve you in evil any more than in shame. Is it your business to get office or to be invited to an entertainment? Certainly not. Where then is the dishonor you talk of? How can you be 'of no account anywhere', when you ought to count for something in those matters only which are in your power, where you may achieve the highest worth? 'But my friends,' you say, 'will lack assistance.' What do you mean by 'lack assistance'? They will not have cash from you and you will not make them Roman citizens. Who told you that to do these things is in our power, and not dependent upon others? Who can give to another what is not theirs to give? 'Get them then,' says he, 'that we may have them.' If I can get them and keep my self-respect, honor, magnanimity, show the way and I will get them. But if you call on me to lose the good things that are mine, in order that you may win things that are not good, look how unfair and thoughtless you are. And which do you really prefer? Money, or a faithful, modest friend? Therefore help me rather to keep these qualities, and do not expect from me actions which will make me lose them. 'But my country,' they say, 'will lack assistance, so far as lies in me.' Once more I ask, What assistance do you mean? It will not owe colonnades or baths to you. What of that? It does not owe shoes to the blacksmith or arms to the shoemaker; it is sufficient if each person fulfills their own function. Would you do it no good if you secured to it another faithful and modest citizen? 'Yes." Well then you would not be useless to it. 'What place then shall I have in the city?' Whatever place you can hold while you keep your character for honor and self-respect. But if you are going to lose these qualities in trying to benefit your city, what benefit, I ask, would you have done her when you attain to the perfection of being lost to shame and honor?"
Stoicism was a popular philosophy among the Roman elite, yet here is a teacher of the Roman Stoa telling the sons of free citizens, landholders, senators, that pursuing virtue will take your attention away from the accumulation of wealth and power. What explains that? Perhaps all the Stoic students went on to thread the needle of living out virtue while gaining power? This seems unlikely, but let's hope. History doesn't let me know Epicetus' students well, but it lets me know him. Epic challenged people to become who they should be and he presented Stoicism as it could be, if anyone bothered to follow it to its logical end. This Stoic teacher claimed that Stoicism well-lived would challenge others' perceptions in a way that would make many scoff. So why would we want to become a Stoic? What's the benefit?
[Raven Caw]
What benefit is there to being foolish in the Stoic way?
Epictetus taught that we can not live virtuously and obtain everything. What is off limits to the Stoic? Anything that would require an un-virtuous action to gain or sustain. Again from Chapter 24, "If I can get them and keep my self-respect, honor, magnanimity, show the way and I will get them." Depending on the time and place in which one lives, you may be unable to partake in much of what the world has to offer and remain virtuous. So what does Stoicism offer in exchange? Just austerity? No. It offers fulfillment. The outcome of Stoic living is a flourishing life in which you are content within yourself while you work joyfully to benefit others. That is the natural by-product of virtue.
I just painted myself into a corner because I have to explain virtue and its benefits and still keep this episode tight. Thankfully I did talk a lot about virtue in Episode 16: Progress, where virtue is shown to be the sole Stoic measure of moral progress. So you have either already heard that one or can go back to it. Here I'll get basic. Virtue is the art of living in harmony with the world. It is about how you interact with the challenges of life. Virtue is contextual. As Julia Annas put it in Intelligent Virtue, "We always learn to be virtuous in a given context; there is no such thing as just learning to be generous or loyal in the abstract." You can only enact virtue in the particular moment at hand; you can't store it up. When the gymnast Simone Biles landed a triple double during her floor routine, all her hard labor, consistent practice, and persistent dedication, added up to that moment, but it was only in that moment that a particular type of perfection could be enacted. Virtue is just like that moment. You always have the opportunity to be your best self in the present situation. If you choose to be your best, you create the conditions that allow you to remain content and fulfilled no matter your situation where externals are concerned. Zeno would speak of the "good flow of life." That flow is virtue. It's a person moving through life with grace and in harmony with all things. This immediate nature of virtue is at the root of why living out virtue and making gains in externals is often at odds. Virtue is enacted in how you obtain things and how you use them. Choosing vice isn't a decision to miss out on building up a bigger store of Justice in your virtue reserves (there is no such thing). Vice is a decision to derail your harmonious life and there is no guarantee that you can easily get back on track. This is why Epictetus constantly reminds his students to make the moral choice first, to aim for virtue. If an additional gift comes with it, awesome. If not, you still win, because you remained in harmony.
Stoicism's purpose is to focus you on expressing virtue. Wisdom, Justice, Courage, and Moderation; these are the "good things that are mine," referenced by Epictetus in Enchiridion 13 and those are the things that can be lost by aiming at externals. Epictetus' students were being asked to help their country in the wrong way. Rome had enough colonnades. It didn't have enough people focused on justice. It didn't have enough people enacting moderation; fulfilling their personal needs then using the excess to fulfill others' bodily needs instead of their own wants. Epictetus' students were being told to fight over Rome's scraps to gain wealth or a moment's glory. But virtue requires no competition; it's gained through humane and harmonious actions. The only person we battle for virtue is ourself. You benefit yourself and society by aiming to be the best version of you in every moment. The Stoic is a fool concerning externals because the path towards wisdom takes us elsewhere. So where does that leave us? What social position can a Stoic have in life? "Whatever place you can hold while you keep your character for honor and self-respect." If society honors virtue, you can gain whatever becomes available to you. If society honors externals then there will be challenges, but if you can face them virtuously and still make gains, go for it. When society honors vice, you can expect opposition. Being called a fool may be the least of your worries. Ask Socrates.
If being called a fool sounds difficult, but the idea of living out virtue sounds appealing, you will need to make some effort to not be shaken by the occasional taunt. One way to deal with this would be Negative Visualization. You would visualize people, perhaps specific ones, treating you poorly for all your attempts at Stoic living. This would, at the least, inoculate you against future injury. As Seneca said, "that which you've anticipated comes as less of a shock." The higher purpose of Negative Visualization is to allow you time to reframe an event into a Stoic perspective. You remind yourself that other people's viciousness does not hurt you, morally. Only you can hurt your virtuous self. You could recall that vicious actions come from ignorance of a better way, this could stimulate Stoic pity for your adversaries rather than embarrassment or anger. Visualizing future challenges gives you a chance to practice virtuous responses.
There's another practice that I find works well when attempting to stand strong in the face of opposition. Imagine a person who you admire watching you triumph over adversity. The ancient Stoics had a variety of people they contemplated; Hercules the Hero, Diogenes the Cynic, Zeno the Founder of Stoicism. They would look to these people as examples to be followed, and would sometimes recall those ideal people in their moments of struggle as an encouragement. I'm looking at a bust of Zeno right now. He helps me focus. I'm reminded that he was just a person trying to live well and that he wrestled with issues that are not far removed from my own. I also have a portrait of the abolitionist John Brown on my wall. He helps me recall my moral courage. I also like to imagine the response of a favorite literary character to my circumstances,her name is Limpopo from the book Walkaway by Cory Doctorow. She reminds me of how I would like to walk through the world. She's fictional, but so is Hercules.
Be willing to be foolish. The world needs you at your best, even if it sometimes asks for something different. Of course, we can't always take an insult as a badge of honor. It is possible we're wrong. But how can we know?
[Raven Caw]
How can I be certain I'm being Stoically foolish and not generally foolish?
As I record this, I realize how much this episode is a companion piece to Episode 16: Progress. In that episode I ended by asking you to hold yourself up against Seneca's definition of the Stoic school. Here I ask you to develop a conception of virtue. Allow me to rework a line from Epictetus' Discourses 1:4, why do you divert yourself from consciousness of your own shortcomings? Are you not willing to seek the work of virtue, that you might learn where to look for progress? The expected outcome of Stoic practice is excellence as expressed by the Stoic model of virtue. Can you define Wisdom, for yourself? What about Courage, or Moderation, or Justice? How can we enact justice if we are unclear what our aims are? We Stoics must wrestle with virtue.
When we look at the lectures of the Stoic teachers, Epictetus and Musonius Rufus, we see an insistence that Stoicism is challenging. No one is praised as a natural Stoic who just gets it. No one walks into the Stoa with the right idea about virtue. They came to the school to learn virtue. Epictetus once cried out during class, "someone, anyone, show me a Stoic!" All this to say, Stoicism takes effort. Look into virtue. What is it? How do you enact it? Pay attention to the word when it shows up in Stoic writing. How is it described? If you want a deeper dive I highly recommend Julia Annas' book, Intelligent Virtue. However you pursue a knowledge of virtue, pursue it. Virtue is the aim of Stoicism. The outcome of the Discipline of Desire is not simply less anxiety it is more Courage. And that courage was a specific thing. You have to know what you're trying to obtain to have any hope of getting it.
Of course, growth in virtue is a lifelong pursuit. I certainly am not consistently virtuous. How should we deal with incomplete knowledge? Stand strong in what you believe, leave room to have your mind changed. Epictetus, when talking to his students, told them, "When you do a thing because you have determined that it ought to be done, never avoid being seen doing it, even if the opinion of the multitude is going to condemn you. For if your action is wrong, then avoid doing it altogether, but if it is right, why do you fear those who will rebuke you wrongly?" (Enchiridion, 35) When you take a bold, unpopular action, can you defend it? If so, if you are acting in opposition to others in order to be on the side of virtue, if you’re giving up external gains to hold onto your moral character, then you're being foolish in exactly the right way. Keep it up.
[Raven Caw]
Thank you for listening to episode seventeen of Good Fortune. As to the news, I was hired to write a book and it will be available soon. The Beginner's Guide to Stoicism: Tools for Emotional Resilience and Positivity, will be released by Althea Press on October 8th and is available for pre-order right now. You can find a link to it on ImmoderateStoic.com. It's a practical, accessible introduction to the philosophy. I aimed to support the reader in laying a solid foundation on which to grow their future practice. If you like what you hear on Good Fortune, I think you'll enjoy The Beginner's Guide to Stoicism. And thank you all for your support over the years. If not for you, I would not have been approached for this project.
Good Fortune is hosted on SoundCloud and can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, and many other places. If you are willing to leave reviews on those services, they are always appreciated. Along with that, I would also appreciate reviews of The Good Fortune Handbook. If you find it useful, please take a moment to let others know.
The music is by Tryad off of their album Public Domain.
And finally, always remember, 'misfortune born nobly is good fortune.' And therefore, I wish you all good fortune until next time.
[Raven Caw]
