Zeno of Citium: biography and contributions of the founder of Stoicism

Stoic philosophy is one of the most important schools of the Greek Hellenistic era. It not only marked the direction of Greek thought, but also had a profound impact on later civilizations such as the Romans, which made stoicism one of the bases of their disciplined and austere culture. On the other hand, Christianity also drank from the doctrine of Zeno of Citium; From it he extracted the concept of universal order promoted by God and absolute resignation in the face of the inevitability of events.

What do we know about the philosopher who founded the school of Stoicism? What, exactly, are his teachings based on? In this biography of Zeno of Citium We review the life of this Greek thinker and the main guidelines of his philosophy, as well as his influence on history.

Brief biography of Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism

As often happens with ancient figures, we know very little about Zeno of Citium. In fact, scattered fragments of the teachings that he transmitted in writing are preserved, among them, those of

Life according to nature and The passions. Specifically, these works refer to two of the basic pillars of Stoicism: on the one hand, living in harmony with nature; on the other, the constant control of passions so that human acts have reason as their only guide, the only path to virtue.

The merchant who lost everything

The anecdote is well known. Zeno's father was a merchant, originally from the island of Cyprus, in one of whose cities, Cytium, the future philosopher was born around the year 334 BC. c. It seems that, as a young man, Zeno followed in his father's footsteps and dedicated himself to commerce, but the The loss of an entire valuable cargo when the ship carrying it sank led him to the ruin. For many biographers, this is the turning point that marks the beginning of his philosophical career.

To tell the truth, the young Zeno had had contact with the Greek philosophy of the continent from a very young age. His father, Mnaseas, brought him books by Athenian thinkers, which he bought during his business trips. Therefore, and if we trust this version, at the beginning of his philosophical activity Zeno already had a certain cultural background and, above all, a mind restless enough to dedicate oneself fully to thought.

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The making of a philosopher

Of course, before starting to teach himself, He was a disciple of some of the most important philosophers of Athens, including Stilpo of Megara (360-280 BC). C.) and the cynic Crates of Thebes (368-288 BC. C.). The Cynic school was founded by Antisthenes (444 -365 BC. C.), who was first a sophist and, later, a disciple of Socrates. This philosophical current is known above all by Diogenes of Sinope (412 – 323 BC. C.), the most important thinker of the school of the Cynics, also known as Diogenes the dog, according to some sources, due to its dog-like behavior (cynical comes from the Greek word kyon, dog). Evidently, the name of the school has the same root.

But let us not deviate from Zeno and the learning from him. It is not known exactly when he was born, so it is difficult to calculate at what age he began to dedicate himself to philosophy; It is most likely that he did it after he was forty years old. In addition to being a disciple of Stilpo and Diogenes, it is known that he also attended the Academy, which followed a rather Platonic teaching. All this philosophical baggage helped to form the bases of his new current of thought.

Not entirely satisfied with the precepts of the Cynics (which, however, greatly influenced his teaching), Zeno proposed to give another twist to philosophy, and decided to found himself a school. Since he could not afford to buy a place, he began to meet with his disciples outside, in a porch (stoá) decorated with paintings by Polignoto, which gave its name to the school, stoá poikile, stoicism.

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The influence of Stoicism in history

Zenón was teaching for no less than thirty years. Some of his contemporaries, such as his disciple Perseus, claim that he lived to be seventy-two, although other sources put the advanced age of ninety-eight. Likewise, the way in which he died is confusing: some texts claim that the wise man committed suicide, although this may just be an addition to his life, very much to the Stoic taste, since Suicide was seen well by the followers of this current. Because? Because the human being has virtue as its goal, an indispensable value for Stoic philosophy. If his environment prevents him from being virtuous, he can freely decide to kill him and free himself, in this way, from the obligation to live in contradiction to his reason. This is why Socrates, with his famous suicide with hemlock (even though he was forced to do so and did not choose it own will), and although he was not exactly a Stoic philosopher, he was established as an outstanding figure of ethics stoic

Another wise man who was also elevated to this dignity was Seneca, already in the Roman Empire, who also committed suicide. Stoic philosophy was widely accepted during the Roman era, since The type of life that he advocated, guided by virtue and the iron control of passions, matched perfectly with the ideal of a Roman citizen.. In fact, one of the most important Stoics was the emperor Marcus Aurelius, known as “the philosopher emperor” who, with his Meditations, helped consolidate this doctrine. Later, the new Christian doctrine was also identified with certain facets of Stoicism, especially with the impassibility of the wise man in the face of the misfortunes of existence.

But let's pause for a moment on these two key concepts of Stoicism: virtue and nature.

To live according to nature is to live with virtue

Actually, The character who codified the “canonical” teachings of Stoicism was Chrysippus (284-208 BC. C.), disciple of Zeno. However, we must believe that what he collected coincides with the basis of the teachings of his teacher.

Stoic philosophy emphasized three main aspects. On the one hand, the logic, in which they mainly attacked Epicurus, the founder of the Epicurean school.

For another, physics, a classic subject in Greek philosophy, about which the Stoics said that the governing principle of the universe was the logos, which they identified with fire. This principle would be divinity, with whose fiery force it animates the soul of human beings and orders everything that exists according to immutable and eternal laws.

Last we have ethics, to which the Stoics dedicated much of their efforts. For Stoicism, the freedom of the individual passed through an absolute acceptance of the divine will, since things happen in accordance with its laws. Here we see with complete clarity the similarities of this philosophy with later Christianity. People must behave in accordance with what divinity, the orderer of things, expects of them, and This involves controlling the passions, the ones truly responsible for the disorder and the alteration of the laws. divine

Let's give an example: if I suffer a misfortune (for example, the one that led to Zeno's ruin, the shipwreck of his ship), I can do two things: either let myself be carried away by sadness, anger and despair (that is, unbridled passions) or accept that what has happened corresponds to a divine and natural order and, with this acceptance, achieve peace. In summary: to achieve wisdom, human beings must live in accordance with nature and its laws.

Only through this conscious acceptance of divine and, therefore, natural laws, the wise man accesses virtue, essential for a dignified and full life.. The Stoics firmly believed in the causality of things; That is, in which one thing happened because of a previous one (all ordered by divinity), so each of the human acts had consequences. The wise man, therefore, must assume responsibility for his actions (ataraxia); Only in this way can the desired imperturbability of the soul be achieved.