Zeno: A Virtuous Life
Because so little of what Zeno wrote survives, little is known of his philosophy. Contemporary knowledge of the Stoics who followed is greater. But the beginnings of what could be referred to as a Stoic ethic is seen in his work.
According to Zeno, nature has implanted in all people an instinct for self-preservation, which might mean self-perfection or self-development. Humans have reason, which animals lack. So one must live a life “in accordance with nature,” Zeno said. By this he meant life in accordance with “our” nature, which is reason. Reason leads to virtue.
Some people are turned off by the philosophy of Stoicism. They dislike the viewpoint that God shapes their lives and that little can be done about it. When trials and tribulations occur, the Stoics seem to be saying that there is a divinely ordered reason that these things happen and there isn't much people can do. If this is true, why make any effort at all?
There is also a larger meaning to “living in accord with nature,” according to Zeno. Our nature is part of the nature of the universe. Here the ethical lesson for us is to do nothing that nature would forbid, nothing that goes against the reason that is part of all things and is identical with Zeus, the guide and governor of the universe.
