Zeno of Citium: A Quick History of the Founder of Stoicism
Stoicism has been around for over two centuries. Stoic figures like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Auriles have often been quoted and discussed in regards to stoicism. Yet, not much has been said about the man who created the philosophy. The objective of this paper was to quickly summarize the life of Zeno of Citium: the founder of stoicism.
Early Life
Not much has been found about Zeno’s early life before he was 30. He was native to Citium in Cyprus, a nationality he carried for the rest of his life. For the first part of Zeno’s life, he was a merchant: and a wealthy one at that. The level of his wealth has remained unknown, but some accounts say that Zeno carried ships of purple silk.
The story goes that Zeno (again, around 30) was transporting cargo when he was shipwrecked off of Piraeus. he stopped at a bookstore in Piraeus and read a copy of Xenophon’s Memorabilia. After enjoying the book, Zeno asked the bookseller where a man like that could be found. The bookseller, noticing Crates of Thebes walk by, pointed Zeno towards him, and Zeno became a student of Crates.
For two decades, Zeno studied multiple schools of philosophy under various teachers. He studied Cynicism under Crates of Thebes, he studied the Megarian school under Stilpo, and he studied the Hegelian dialectic under Philo and Diodorus Cronus. He ended his studies by studying Platonist under Xenocrates and Polemo. Zeno was known for being a resistant student and often questioned his teachers. Being a “good man” was not something inherent to Zeno, but was something he learned day by day. To quote Zeno on it:
“Well-being is attained little by little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.”
Life as a Stoic
Zeno began teaching philosophy around 301 or 300 B.C. Originally, his followers were called Zenonians, but this name was changed in reference to Zeno’s teaching location. Zeno would give lectures while walking up and down the Painted Stoa, a walkway in Ancient Agora of Athens filled with paintings. Thus, his pupils were renamed to the stoics, and stoicism was born.
Due to his location in the Agora, Zeno became an influential philosopher to young men undergoing military training. The people of Athens enjoyed having him in the city because the young men would listen to him and act virtuously. He was listened to by prominent people, most notably Antigonus II Gontas. When Antigonus succeeded the crown in 294 B.C, he made Athens the Greek Capital, and Zeno became the most prominent philosopher.
Despite his wealth or notoriety, Zeno was known for living a humble, self-disciplined life. He held himself to a high ethical standard of living and did not flaunt the stature he gained. When he was at gatherings, he would often shy away from the center stage and talk to individuals about their lives. He embodied and advocated for being a listener. His most famous quote is as follows.
“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more then we say.”
Zeno wrote 25 books and papers throughout his philosophical career. Sadly, none of his writings have survived, but many quotes have been preserved by his students. Zeno was the first philosopher to divide his works into three categories: physical, ethical, and logical. In his works, Zeno proclaimed that the goal of life was to live in harmony with nature, which equates to living according to virtue.
Later Life
Zeno ran his school of philosophy for 58 years. He lost his position as the head philosopher during the Crimean War and died shortly after the war’s completion. He died at the age of 72 around 261 B.C.
One of his students, Persaeus, recorded a possible account of Zeno’s death. In Persaeus’ story, Zeno was walking around one day when he tripped and broked his finger. Zeno stated, “I am coming, why do you call for me?”. He then proceeded to hold his breath and died.
Zeno was honored and buried in Cerameicus by the Athenians. Antiphon of Sidon composed his epitaph, which stated:
Here lies renowned Zeno, dear to Citium, who scaled Olympus,
Not by Piling Pelion on Ossa,
Not by toling at the labors of Heracles.
To the stars he found the path: that of temperance alone.
The Importance of his story
What made Zeno a good philosopher was that he embodied what he taught. He told his followers to listen because he had found benefit in it. He lived modestly and then promoted it. He advocated for living virtuously because he tried to do that every day. These beliefs were fundamental in stoicism and shaped the beliefs of the stoics that followed him. Although Zeno’s writings have been lost to time, the ideas he conveyed and the movement he created have remained. To end with a quote from Zeno:
“Man Conquers the world by conquering himself.”
References
Laertius, Diogenes. Lives of Eminent Philosophers. 2018. Oxford University Press. pgs 310 — 366
