Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the sub sequent chapters of this book. In antiquity, Stoicism referred to a philosophical school founded by Zeno of Citium around 300 BCE. Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, was born in the 330s BCE in the town of Citium in Cyprus. Stilpos blend of Cynic ethics with Megarian logic paved the way for a similar blend by Zeno that would later develop into Stoicism. Zenos pupil Aristo of Chios focused his attention on ethics, paying little attention to logic or physics. The Romans found many Stoic ideas congenial and Stoicism flourished within the Romanized world. The second century saw the culmination of the Roman appropriation of Stoicism in the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who expounded his own brand of Stoicism in his Meditations. Stoicism does involve complex philosophical theories in ontology, epistemology and ethics, but these theories are situated within a very particular conception of what philosophy is.