The rise of popular Stoicism in the late 20th century has been led by earnest, thoughtful Stoic scholars and individuals who focus more exclusively on virtue ethics, rather than traditional Stoic logic and physics. Assisted by the explosion of online communities and social media, modern Stoic writers are reshaping the Stoic canon to emphasize personal mastery, living the good life, and ethical reasoning. Starting with A New Stoicism by Lawrence Becker, first published in 1997, Modern Stoics are said to:
- Be less enthusiastic about any appeal to Nature as the purposeful, rationally organized force in the world. Traditional Stoic physics is archaic thinking.
- Prefer the facts of science about “the physical and social world we live in” as basis for any normative conclusions about how we should live.
- Believe virtue starts with maximizing one’s own agency to be stable and controlled, thus leading to happiness.
- Consider everyone can obtain some degree of virtue.
- Like Aristotle, recommend a certain amount of external conditions (money, health) will help contribute to one’s likelihood to ‘live the good life’.
- The classic Stoic dichotomy of control (what’s up to us and what isn’t) is misleading; there could be a trichotomy, such that we do have partial control over some aspects of our lives and future.
Modern Stoic writing is often very accessible and specializes in living in stressful times. An entire school of psychological wellness (cognitive behavioral therapy) is said to be based on Stoic philosophy. For more information about Modern Stoicism, we invite you to check out our reading and resources lists.
| In order to..... | More specifically... | Consider this: |
|---|---|---|
| Become a modern Stoic | Focus and practice Stoic ethical principles and live the 'good life' | https://modernstoicism/symposium-what-is-modern-stoicism/ M. Pigliucci (2018) How to be a Stoic |
| Identify modern Stoic thought leaders and groups | Recognize different voices in the Stoic community, with different emphasis and revision of classic Stoic ideas to meet more modern sensibilities and science theories. | G. Sadler https://whatisstoicism.com/stoicism-resources/interview-with-greg-sadler=speaker-author-philosopher/ |
| Clarify differences between Modern and Traditional Stoicism | To Choose pathway for additional study, group membership, self-identification | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Stoicism |