The stoics : on happiness and self control

We place an enormous value on our happiness. .For centuries mankind has been on a philosophical quest to find happiness. Arristippus ancient philosopher, and founder of hedonism the school of philosophy, echoed this sentiment when he said "the art of life lies in taking in pleasures as they pass." Arristippus concluded that the ultimate telos or goal for humans is happiness derived from pleasure. pleasure seekers by nature; we actively seek pleasurable experiences. Conversely we run away from the bad and the painful ones.

Notwithstanding happiness has long presented a conflict for the complex human condition. This is because the ideas we have about happiness are inherently paradoxical. If pleasure is what ultimately what brings us happiness than we are ignoring a crucial fact; in life pain and suffering are inevitable. Life can be described as a series of highs and lows. We are constantly apprehended by uncontrollable forces of nature. Unfortunately we can’t dismiss the fact that our human experience is rife with things like natural disasters, illness, and death.

_______________ after hedonism a new philosophical movement called stoicisim emerged to confront the hardships humanity must face. At the same time It was a critical response to the hendonistic and morally lax greco-roman society. The stoics were tough skinned philosophers with their sandals planted firmly on the ground whose philosophy was centered around the principles of ethics. In fact the stoic view of happiness was diametrically opposed to the hedonistic view of happiness. Firstly they believed happiness derived through pleasure was meaningless and futile. Stoics held that self control was the banner of human virtue, and that it would be our garunte...

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...true nature. This is both unsound and unbalanced. In Eastern philosophy Plato depicts this best when he outlined the different parts of the human soul with the soul having an irrational part which accounts for emotions. While I do believe some emotions can be destructive. The fact that the stoics believe all emotions are bad or useless does not sound plausible. Many emotions are positive and can empower us. Self control is important, but it does not self mastery. Self mastery comes with the ability to deeply self-reflect. Much of this involves mastering our emotions, and not masking them; how can we understand what makes us tick if we repressing them? Numerous research studies have shown that overly repressing your emotions can actual be detrimental to your health, and can cause pent up tension that can manifest into violent behaviors. (1)