by Tanner Campbell
What does it mean to be a Stoic? I think Christianity can be used as a quasi-parallel to help answer this question.
What does it mean to be a Christian? I think the base-line of the faith is the belief that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.
In Stoicism that base-line would be replaced with the belief that Virtue is the only good.
If you believe that Christ is Lord and Savior (and also have accepted him as such), and you call yourself a Christian, then you are a Christian in as much that no one can require more of you to self-apply the label.
If you believe that Virtue is the only good, and you call yourself a Stoic, then you are a Stoic in as much that no one can require more of you to self-apply the label.
But certainly being a Christian or a Stoic must be more than a single belief and self-applied label, right? Must it not also include a certain set of behaviors as governed by those core beliefs? I would not say that it must, but that it is likely to and probably should.
In Christianity these behaviors are tenants derived from the gospels. Christians are meant to ask themselves, “what would Jesus do?” and then proceed to do their best to act in alignment with his example. By doing so, Christians are living up to the teachings of Jesus and, by extension, to God; the yardstick of Christianity’s comparative morality (act like Jesus would act, and you are acting correctly or well).
Does Stoicism have something similar?
Absolutely.
The Stoics believe Virtue is the only good, as I’ve said, but there are no tenants, per se. There is, however, a question similar to “what would Jesus do?”, and that question is: “Is this reflective of a character that is moving towards Virtue?”
Since Virtue is the only good, and Virtue is communicated through our character (that is to say the sum total of our thoughts, actions, and attitudes), working to develop a virtuous character is the aim of Stoicism.
Christianity asks, “Is coveting our neighbor’s husband/wife something Jesus would do?” If yes, then do it. If no, then don’t.
Stoicism asks, “If we were to covet our neighbor’s husband/wife, what would that say about our character?”. If it would say something good, then we should do it. If something bad, then we should not.
So, what does it mean to be a Stoic in earnest?
It means to believe that Virtue is the only good, and to constantly work to think and act in ways that are in alignment with the aim of developing a virtuous character.
If we can say we do both of these things, and we call ourselves Stoics, then we are as Stoic as we need to be in order to identify as a Stoic.
We might be less proficient in our practice than someone else, but that doesn’t make them a Stoic and us a phony.
We might be less well-read than another Stoic, but that doesn’t make them a Stoic and us a phony.
Stoic proficiency exists on a spectrum, surely, but the label Stoic only has two requirements: (1) believe Virtue is the only good and (2) be actively working to develop a virtuous character.
Tanner Campbell is the founder of Practical Philosophy and host of the Practical Stoicism podcast.