The Pillar of Stoic Ethics: Following Nature
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Welcome back, fellow students!
We're moving from Hierocles to a wider view of Stoic ethics. With Hierocles, we had one author building one argument. This time the reading is different — it's a collection of fragments. The Stoics wrote extensively, but almost nothing survived whole. What we have are summaries, quotations, and paraphrases preserved by later writers. Some were sympathetic, some were critics. So as you read, keep in mind: you're seeing Stoic ideas through other people's lenses.
Reading Assignment: The Stoics Reader, pp. 124–150 and 157–164
These pages lay out the core of Stoic ethics — what's good, what's bad, what's indifferent, what virtue is, what the passions are, and above all: what the Stoics meant by "the goal of life." That goal gets expressed in one famous phrase that appears again and again: living according to nature.
But what does that actually mean? The Stoics themselves spent centuries refining the answer. Zeno said "living in agreement." Cleanthes added "with nature." Chrysippus, Diogenes, Antipater, Panaetius, Posidonius — each offered their own version. You'll see these listed side by side in the reading. Pay attention to the differences. They're small, but they matter.
Access the readings:
📥 Free PDF – Students of Stoicism 📖 The Stoics Reader on Amazon 📖 Long & Sedley on Amazon
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Additional Resources
Want to refresh your understanding of the previous pillars?
- Review the Three Pillars: studentsofstoicism.com/about-stoicism
- Stoic terms glossary: studentsofstoicism.com/glossary-of-stoic-terms
- Previous Physics and Logic materials: studentsofstoicism.com/online-resources
Be Prepared for the Discussion Challenge: The Four Masks
One of the most practical ideas in this reading comes from Cicero (pp. 162–164), drawing on the Stoic teacher Panaetius. He argues that "following nature" isn't one-size-fits-all. Each of us has four roles — four personae — that shape what living according to nature looks like for us:
- What makes you human — reason, moral sense, the traits you share with everyone.
- What makes you you — your individual temperament, strengths, and tendencies. You're born with this.
- What life handed you — your family, your era, your circumstances. You didn't choose this.
- What you chose — the path you've committed to, the life you're building on purpose.
Following nature means working with all four, not against them. Cicero warns that ignoring your individual nature — trying to be someone you're not — never works. But he also points out that most of us chose our path in life when we were young and our judgment was weakest.
The question: Can you name your four? Where do they work together? Where do they fight each other? And is the life you're living now one you'd choose again?
Monthly Practices
The Nature Audit Each morning for a week, ask yourself: what is my nature asking of me today? Not what's expected, not what I want — what am I honestly suited for right now? At the end of the week, look back. Where did "following nature" and "following habit" turn out to be different things?
The Indifference Inventory Pick one thing you're anxious about — money, health, reputation, how something will turn out. For one week, each time it comes up, try the Stoic reframe: "This is preferred, but it's not the good. My use of it is what's good or bad. How am I using it right now?" Write down what you notice.
Newcomers to Stoicism are welcomed. We will eat and drink (if preferred) and get philosophical.
If you have any issues getting the material, please contact Jasmine.