Stoic philosophy flourished from about 300 B.C. to A.D. 300. It began in Greece and then spread to Rome. The Stoics believed that the world was a unique, finite, intelligent creature whose life was identical to the life of God. This world came about not by chance but by divine providence and is the best of all possible worlds despite apparent evil. At periodic intervals, the world becomes a wholly creative fire from which an identical world is regenerated.
The Stoics emphasized the role of fate. The goal of each human being is to understand the divine plan and to act according to it. This means acting in accord with virtue, which for the Stoics, is the only good. The Stoics believed that happiness was achieved by following reason, by freeing themselves from passions, and by concentrating only on things they could control.
The Stoic philosophers had their greatest influence on law, ethics, and political theory, but they also formulated important views on logic, the theory of knowledge, and natural philosophy. Zeno is considered the founder of Stoic philosophy. The early Stoics, particularly Chrysippus, were interested in logic and natural philosophy as well as ethics. The later Stoics, especially Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus, emphasized ethics.
