Ethics Workbook I: World History Chapter 7 Ancient Rome

Ethics Workbook I: 

World History Chapter 7 

Ancient Rome 

The most important ethical philosophy that came from ancient Rome was called Stoicism. It influenced all later ethical thinking and added some very big new ideas about where the law comes from. Let's review briefly. Remember how Socrates believed the law came from the people and refused to disobey the will of the people even when it resulted in his own execution? Now, the problem with this is that if you believe the law is whatever the people say it is, there is no such thing as an unjust law, as Socrates found out. This was an area where the Stoics added something significant called natural law. We'll study this in more detail later, but for now, let's find out more about what the Stoics believed in generally. In the first place, they were practical. They wanted to live effective happy lives in the real everyday world. One of the leading Stoics was a man named Epictetus who wrote a “handbook” for life. According to Epictetus, the first lesson to learn is to distinguish between things, which are within our control, and things which are not. Some things are in our power and some are not. What are in our power are our desires, thoughts and actions. Not in our power are the actions and opinions of others. Pay attention only to what's in your power. If it's not in your power, don't be concerned with it. Arrian, Handbook of Epictetus Stoics believed that a person should be indifferent to anything he or she can't influence. What kinds of things are, and are not, in our power? 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. This will be, for many students, a new way of looking at things, and it introduces a greater level of abstraction in thinking. Stoicism can be oversimplified and its real value in ethics thereby diminished. Take the time to work students through the difficulties. Actions are not a problem for people but opinions about them are. For example, death is not bad, but the opinion that death is bad, that's what's bad. Arrian, Manual of Epictetus Is this true? Can you give any examples from your own experiences?

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. In order to live a happy and fulfilling life, the Stoics say it is necessary to stop worrying about things that are beyond our control. “Don't cry over spilled milk.” This is typical, practical common sense stoic advice. If you can't change it, such as the past, forget it. But, Stoicism isn't about indifference; it's about involvement, because if you realize that only a few things are really in your power, you know, as the Stoics did, that you must be good at controlling those. What do you think Epictetus is meant by the following advice? Do you want to win the Olympics? Me too. It would be fantastic. But before you begin, consider this: you must be disciplined, eat carefully, and stay away from sweets and exercise regularly even when you don't want to, in heat and cold, without water or wine. You must follow strict training rules, and face serious injury and defeat. Having considered this, if you still want to, go for it; or you can turn your back like a child, and play at this and that. Arrian, Manual of Epictetus

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. What is Epictetus trying to say here? What kind of a person do you think a Stoic is? Do you know anyone who acts like this? Give some specific examples. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Students should begin to realize that Stoicism puts a tremendous burden on its adherents to work hard in the limited areas where they can make a difference. Stoicism really is about seeing and accepting your responsibilities. The relevance for our students is clear. So you see, Stoics take things very seriously, and accept responsibility for their lives. They believe that they must act decisively wherever they can, since most of life is beyond their control. Even Roman emperors, such as Marcus Aurelius, were Stoics. Here are some of the things Marcus Aurelius said in his writings. Think about how fast things pass by and disappear. Reality is like a river, constantly flowing and constantly changing. Hardly anything stands still. Only fools stake their happiness on such things. Think about how you will soon be nobody and nowhere, and all the things, and all the people you know will no longer exist. All things perish to be replaced by new things. Think about where you are standing, between two huge voids, the past and the future, into which everything disappears. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations These are powerful words by Marcus Aurelius. Do you concentrate too much on what's passed, or dream too much about what's coming, to be happy now?

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. This can be somewhat depressing for some students who may conclude that Stoicism is pessimistic. Try to work through this. The next quotation from Marcus Aurelius is particularly important because it introduces us to that very big idea that Stoics had, the idea that the law is not something handed down to us, but is a part of the nature of things. When you get up in the morning, and you don't want to, think about this. I am rising to do the work of a human being. Why wouldn't I want to do the things I was by nature intended to do? Or, maybe I was made to lie in bed and accomplish nothing? Can you look at the bees and ants, spiders and birds working diligently at their natural tasks and say you don't want to do the work for which you were created? Marcus Aurelius, Meditations There are laws, which are a natural part of life. The life of every living creature is an unfolding of that creature’s nature. Do you recognize some of Aristotle's ideas in this?

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. This is an important philosophical concept in ethics. It leads to the natural law and social contract philosophy of the Enlightenment, which is the basis for the American Constitution. Humans too are governed by these natural laws which the Stoics began to consider being the basis for all human laws as well. In other words, human laws had to be in keeping with natural laws. Or, put a different way, people have a right to live a natural human life without anyone interfering with that. This idea is huge because it says that people have rights, which are bigger than all laws. Did Socrates have any rights? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Ancient Greeks lacked this concept. The most basic of these natural laws involved the right to live and to be free. It's really simple. People, because of the kind of beings they are, have a right to defend themselves against anyone who wants to kill or to enslave them. The Stoics said this was the basis of all law, and it answers the question that Socrates death raised: who says what the law is? The answer for the Stoics was, all human law comes from nature, and must be consistent with nature. We're going to see this idea again later, because it is the foundation for our own Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Students have no problem understanding the concept of their own rights. Try to refocus them on the idea of natural rights and if there is such a thing.