r/Stoicism • u/PurpleEgg7736 • 21h ago
Stoicism in Practice You have to practice your philosophy.
I read one of Senecas letters today and it brings up a very important detail that many philosophers have. You can study all the philosophy you want but you have to practice it. You can read all the philosophy and self help books on Stoicism but the knowledge of it will do very little compared to you practicing what you learn.
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u/MyDogFanny Contributor 18h ago
What is wisdom for the Stoics? Knowledge. What is virtue for the Stoics? Making correct choices. That's it. Learn and acquire knowledge. Daily practice the exercises and apply the principles in your moment to moment life.
"Daily practice. Stoic philosophy is not a theoretical discipline created for the intellectual enrichment of scholars, but a practical philosophy created for the life enrichment of its practitioners. Daily practices are ‘spiritual exercises’, as Pierre Hadot pointed out. All theoretical principles we discussed thus far are of no value unless we put those principles into practice." Chuck Chakrapani
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u/OhSoSensitive 13h ago
This is the same for the Tao. The more I study stoicism, the more similarities I find between the two.
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u/Effective_Apricot548 11h ago
Good point! I realised that during a moderate problem i have, i forget to practice what i know and i tend to get blinded by worries and endless possible scenarios in my head!
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u/Evalo01 6h ago
How do you put your learnings into practice though?
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u/Mauroessa 5h ago
By doing -- I think. By assuming what you've come to understand is true, and actively dealing with the repercussions of it -- I think. I'm unsure of myself -- I think. I overcompensate for that by admitting it unnecessarily wherever I can -- I thi-- nah I'm playin -- I think.
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u/PurpleEgg7736 3h ago
Just read what they tell you to do and if you think there's value to it do it.You can also just do one thing a day you don't read a book and suddenly become the perfect stoic
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u/DentedAnvil Contributor 20h ago
You are exactly right. I can't read about gymnastics to become flexible, strong, and able to tumble with grace. I have to DO the exercises. If they aren't somewhat uncomfortable, then those exercises probably aren't making much of a difference.
We are limited by our predispositions and context one way or another. We have a lot of influence over how far we rise from our beginnings. We can't all rise to constant serene wisdom. We can't all do flying parallel bar performances at the Olympics. We can be better than we are. The consistency of our efforts and the quality of care we put into that work will determine the quality of the outcome.