The Thomistic Institute The Promises and Pitfalls of Stoicism – Prof. Christopher Frey
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Apr 1, 2026 Prof. Christopher Frey, McFarlin Professor of Philosophy who studies Aristotle and perception, examines Stoicism's appeal and limits. He traces its history, explains key Stoic ideas like living according to nature and treating externals as indifferent, and explores practices aiming for sagehood. He contrasts Stoic detachment with Aristotelian moderation and a Christian sense of sorrow and the need for grace.
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Living In Agreement With Nature
- Stoicism's core aim is to live in agreement with nature by aligning personal reason with the logos.
- The Stoics hold a divine, immanent logos that makes the universe maximally rational and necessitates events as both necessary and good.
Some Things Are Up To Us
- Stoics distinguish impressions (externally determined experiences) from volition (internally free judgments).
- Only our rational choices are 'up to us' and thus the sole unconditional good; externals are indifferent and contingent.
Want Events As They Happen
- Do not seek events to happen as you wish; instead want them to happen as they do happen to achieve tranquility.
- Epictetus advises accepting that externals must proceed as they do because they are governed by necessity.
