(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Stoicism: Ariadne's Thread T

Although ill-conceived, it appears that there may have been some noble intent behind St. Augustine's manipulation of Stoicism.
             Christianity was not the only civilization that used Stoic ideas to increase strength and power; the Roman Empire did so as well. Once it had been embraced by Roman upper class intellectuals who were taught by Greek scholars, Stoicism became an integral component in Rome's thoughts and actions. By upholding a popular system of thought, the leaders of Rome sustained, if not increased, power through the support of its population.
             The endurance of Stoicism must not only be attributed to its ability to help a civilization maintain power; its attractiveness to downtrodden peoples in times of collapse also contributed to Stoicism's survival. As Parkinson illustrates in his account of the subsequent collapses of Greek and Roman civilizations, the civilizations suffered from internal decline due to a combination of economic failure and social decay. This caused a deep sense of societal despair among the lower classes, and a strong sense of injustice. Stoicism's principles of universality and equality offered a sense of hope that justice might be served.
             Although highly informative, this article does not adequately explain its central theme, the evolution of Stoicism, clearly enough for neophytes. With only references made to the teachings of Plato and "Ariadne's thread" (9), it quickly becomes clear that this chapter is intended for those with some background knowledge in the study of international relations. Furthermore, the fact that this quite complex chapter is only one part of a book indicates the great depth of study that is required in the philosophy of international relations. .
             A contributing factor to the complexity of the chapter is the way in which it is structured. Parkinson relates his historical account in chronological order, with the exception of a two-page deviation in which he describes the classical Greek notions of the fundamental principles, equality and universality.


Essays Related to Stoicism: Ariadne's Thread T

1. Stoicism

Whether I see stoicism as a good thing or a bad thing, I am still unsure. ... In many ways we use stoicism as a defense against the bad things that happen in our lives. ... In passage 40 he speaks of how it is degrading to the human character to live your life eating too much, sleeping too much, or working t! ... Stoicism is no different. ... In a way, it is just as a stoic would say: anything done in excess is bad Stoicism included....

  • Word Count: 1576
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Minotaur

Theseus was aided by one of Minos' daughters, Ariadne, who gave Theseus a magical ball of thread, made by Daedalus, to retrace his path once he found and killed the Minotaur. ... One day, Theseus suggested that he join the group of youths and, with the help of the thread given to him by Ariadne, he found the Minotaur, killed it and emerged, triumphant, from the labyrinth. ... Upon his arrival in Crete, he met Ariadne, Minos's daughter, who fell in love with him. ... He made his way through the maze, while unwinding the thread, and he stumbled upon the sleeping Minotaur. He beat it t...

  • Word Count: 1300
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Daedallus & Icarus

Ariadne, daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, fell in love with Theseus and asked Daedallus to help him. Daedallus gave her a flaxen thread for Theseus to tie to the door of the Labyrinth as he entered, and by which he could find his way out after killing the monster. Theseus succeeded, and escaped Crete with Ariadne. ... At each city he visited, Minos offered a reward to whomever could thread a spiral seashell. ... Charecters: Daedallus- the inventor to the king Icarus- Daedallus" son King Menos- the evil tyrannical king The minotaur- King Menos" son Ariadne- the daughter of king meno...

  • Word Count: 666
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Epicureanism

While Epicureanism, Skepticism and Stoicism all contain several ideas in their philosophies that imply they could! ... While Skepticism and Stoicism do not implicitly negate or disapprove of an appreciation of nature, they do not place as important an emphasis on it as Epicureanism does. ... For this reason Stoicism would fail as a philosophy that would solve our environmental problems because it holds that any desire to change the way a situation is would cause imperfection in the supposed already perfect universe. ... Epicureanism, more so than Skepticism and Stoicism, holds beliefs that...

  • Word Count: 933
  • Approx Pages: 4

5. Stoicism - Philosophical Movement

Introduction Stoicism was first practiced as a philosophical movement during the Hellenistic period. It is unknown as what started the origins of stoicism. Stoicism is a very complex philosophy, which many ideas and concepts can be explained by their theories of philosophy, religion, logic, ethics, and emotion. Considering the philosophy and life of Stoicism, it is the term of making decision about how to approach life. ... Stoicism is a very problematical philosophy, which many ideas and concepts can be described by their theories: the ways of life, belief in God, logic concept, ethics ...

  • Word Count: 603
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Stoicism

Stoicism was a group of philosophers in the First Century who made laws that they thought should be followed by the citizens of Rome. ... Aurileus" works inspired the Stoic community, his meditations is where a lot of the ideas of Stoicism took place. Stoicism picked up more followers, because the rational and reasonable writings and teachings of people like Aurileus. ...

  • Word Count: 1107
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Dydo the Epicurean by Julia T. Dyson

Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus. Epicurus believed that the highest pleasure is that of peace and tranquility. He also said that the greatest goods were ataraxia (freedom from fear) and aponia (absence of bodily pain) through knowledge of the functions of ...

  • Word Count: 1851
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Meditations and Confessions

Although Christianity may be rooted in Stoicism, the opinions on suffering and life's difficulties differ. ... This is not to say that Stoicism is void of free will, but free will comes in accepting to follow Nature's path or to disregard it. ... Stoicism is about taking what life gives one and using it to their advantage. ... Compared to that of Stoicism, St. ... Although some tenets of Stoicism coincide with how I wish to live my life, neither the Meditations nor the Confessions had a big impact on me. ...

  • Word Count: 1118
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Booker T Washington

Booker's Uprising of the Former Slaves The book, Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington is about Booker T.'s life as a freed slave directly before and a while after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. Washington was able to make changes in society regarding the black race during his life time...

  • Word Count: 689
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question