STOICS, the name applied to a body of philosophers who flourished first in Greece about the 4th century, but whose influence finally spread over the whole classical world. Their place in the his tory of philosophy is immediately after Plato and Aristotle. They divided philos ophy into three parts—logic, physics, and ethics. "Logic supplies the method for attaining to true knowledge; physics teach the nature and order of the uni verse; and ethics draw thence the infer ences for practical life." The only means we have of knowing about a thing is by the impression it makes on us: but we have many impres sions which are certainly false: how are we to discriminate between the false and true? The Stoics answered this by as serting that a true impression would come home to us by a sort of "striking evidence." The irresistible force of truth would influence our minds in a way that false impressions were utterly un able to do. Being true, they would force us to believe they were true. In their physics (which were really metaphysics) the stoics enunciated a theory of panthe ism.
Material goods are of no importance to the individual, save in so far as they aid him in the pursuit of virtue. The ideal of virtue is painted in the stoic picture of the "Wise Man." Living ab solutely in accord with the central prin ciple of the universe, he possesses all knowledge and all aptitudes. He alone is the true statesman, king, educator, critic and physician. In social life none but he can be a true friend. Absolutely independent of earthly things, he leads a life undisturbed by their ceaseless muta tions.
The founder of stoicism was Zeno (340-260 B. c.), who opened his school in the "many colored portico" (Stoa poecile) ; hence the name of the sect. After him came Cleanthes, surnamed the Ass from his stubborn patience. Then Chrysippus of Soli in Cilicia who died about 208 B. C. He wrote, it is said, 705 different works, and to him is due the regular exposition of stoicism as a sys tem of philosophy. After him we have a new period. When Greece was brought under subjection to Rome, her systems of philosophy became known to her con querors, and no system had more adher ents than stoicism. Panntius and Posi donius, later rulers of the Porch, were friends of the younger Scipio, Cicero, and Pompey. It is essentially the philosophy of Cicero; its influence is felt in Tacitus, and many references in Horace, Juvenal, and Persius as to the external and in ternal characteristics of the school show its place in the Roman world.
Among its later adherents were Sen eca the tutor and victim of Nero; the slave Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor. Its influence was felt in the composition of the Roman law. Specially stoical, though not stoical alone, was the conception of the Law of Nature, "which Nature teaches all animals." Though stoicism as a system fell to pieces with the ancient world, it essentially re appeared in the ascetic forms of Chris tianity and other religions. But the reason is, not that they were descended from stoicism, but that both came from a common source.