What Is Stoicism? A Brief and Accessible Overview

An easy, jargon-free introduction to Stoicism that covers the full range of Stoic thought in a single compact volume The word stoic has undergone an odd transformation over time. Today, we use it to mean someone who is indifferent to pleasure or pain. In ancient times, however, a Stoic was a member of a philosophical school whose original members gathered in Athens at a painted colonnade -- or stoa in Greek. The modern meaning of the word gives some people the impression that Stoicism is cold and inhumane. In reality, Stoicism is a humanistic philosophy designed to help its practitioners find an inner peace that cannot be shaken by outer events. Some modern thinkers have noticed parallels between Stoic principles and the techniques of modern cognitive behavioral therapy. In What Is Stoicism?, Tanner Campbell and Kai Whiting introduce Stoicism to a new generation. Divided into short chapters that can be read in brief sittings, the book compresses several hundred years of Stoic thought