jwright82
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
It may be helpful to view Stoicism in its historical context to get a better understanding of it, although very great words by very intelligent people have been spoken on it here already. Greek philosophy basically began as asking what is the nature of things, or what we have come to call metaphysics? They from the begining sought to answer such lofty questions at the disdain of practical everyday life. Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Cynicism were all reactions In my humble opinion to such lofty questions by making philosophy primaraly, I don't think that is spelled right?, about everday human experience.
They had their metaphysical theories to be sure but they were more concerned with how do then live in such a metaphysical context? For instance if the gods are completly indifferent to everything than I should in a measured way live it up, Epicureanism. Or everything is so "fated" that I must take it all with stride and hold my head up high, Stoicism. There is actually great continuties between these two schools of thought and Existentialism.
For the Stoic we must take life as it is fated for us, for the Exitentialist we must live authentically in the life we are "thrown" into. Camus was in some sense a modern Stoic. One of the only differences between these two schools of thought is the beleif in any gods.
Now can we "chrisitinize" these philosophies at all? I would say fundementaly no. Yes there are things to be gained by these thinkers but on a fundemental, presupossitional, level they are at odds with christian theism. Therefore we need to be careful with how we read them and incorperate any ideas from them. In Stoicism and Epicureanism the gods have no real concern for humanity but our God does, that is a presupossitional difference between the two.
On a personal note I think we need Van Tillian philosophers out there to write Reformed commentaries on all philosophers to better serve the church in exploring these things. It has been far too long for most VanTillians to lose our allergy to philosophy and start from Reformed theology and do truly christian philosophy. So I am sounding the call for VanTillians to do philosophy and contribute to this much negleted need in our churches. K. Scott Oliphant said nearely the same stuff and also added that any VanTillian doing this would be virtualy alone in doing so. I think we can do better than that.
They had their metaphysical theories to be sure but they were more concerned with how do then live in such a metaphysical context? For instance if the gods are completly indifferent to everything than I should in a measured way live it up, Epicureanism. Or everything is so "fated" that I must take it all with stride and hold my head up high, Stoicism. There is actually great continuties between these two schools of thought and Existentialism.
For the Stoic we must take life as it is fated for us, for the Exitentialist we must live authentically in the life we are "thrown" into. Camus was in some sense a modern Stoic. One of the only differences between these two schools of thought is the beleif in any gods.
Now can we "chrisitinize" these philosophies at all? I would say fundementaly no. Yes there are things to be gained by these thinkers but on a fundemental, presupossitional, level they are at odds with christian theism. Therefore we need to be careful with how we read them and incorperate any ideas from them. In Stoicism and Epicureanism the gods have no real concern for humanity but our God does, that is a presupossitional difference between the two.
On a personal note I think we need Van Tillian philosophers out there to write Reformed commentaries on all philosophers to better serve the church in exploring these things. It has been far too long for most VanTillians to lose our allergy to philosophy and start from Reformed theology and do truly christian philosophy. So I am sounding the call for VanTillians to do philosophy and contribute to this much negleted need in our churches. K. Scott Oliphant said nearely the same stuff and also added that any VanTillian doing this would be virtualy alone in doing so. I think we can do better than that.
