Stoic Glossary - Ancient Greek & Roman Terms

A

Adiaphora (ἀδιάφορα)

adiaphora • ah-dee-AH-for-ah

Greek Ethics

Indifferent things; things that are neither good nor bad in a moral sense.

Morally neutral things like wealth, health, or reputation.

Examples & notes

• Health is a preferred indifferent, while sickness is a dispreferred indifferent.

• Stoics argue that only virtue and vice are truly good or bad.

Seen in: Zeno of Citium Epictetus

Agathos (ἀγαθός)

agathos • ah-gah-THOS

Greek Ethics

The Good; the proper object of desire and the only thing that provides happiness.

True goodness, synonymous with virtue and wisdom.

Examples & notes

• For a Stoic, only that which is honorable (kalon) is agathos.

• The agathos is always beneficial and never harmful.

Seen in: Socrates Chrysippus

Apatheia (ἀπάθεια)

apatheia • ah-pah-THEY-ah

Greek Ethics

Freedom from destructive passions (pathē) achieved through the rule of reason.

Not emotional numbness, but mastery over irrational impulses.

Examples & notes

• Epictetus presents apatheia as a condition of inner freedom.

• Apatheia allows emotions to arise without enslaving judgment.

Seen in: Epictetus Marcus Aurelius

Apoproēgmena (ἀποπροηγμένα)

apoproēgmena • ah-poh-pro-ay-MEH-nah

Greek Ethics

Dispreferred indifferents; things contrary to nature but not morally evil.

Things to be avoided if possible, like illness or poverty.

Examples & notes

• Pain is an apoproēgmena; it is natural to avoid it, but it does not make one a bad person.

• A Stoic prefers health but is not devastated by its absence.

Seen in: Chrysippus

Aretē (ἀρετή)

aretē • ah-reh-TAY

Greek Ethics

Excellence of character; virtue as the highest and only true good.

Moral excellence expressed through right reason and action.

Examples & notes

• Stoics hold that aretē alone is sufficient for happiness.

• Wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation are forms of aretē.

Seen in: Chrysippus Epictetus

Askēsis (ἄσκησις)

askēsis • as-KAY-sis

Greek Ethics

Disciplined training or spiritual exercise designed to achieve virtue.

The practice of self-discipline to strengthen the soul.

Examples & notes

• Voluntary discomfort is a form of askēsis used to reduce dependency on externals.

• Stoic journaling is a cognitive askēsis.

Seen in: Epictetus Musonius Rufus

Ataraxia (ἀταραξία)

ataraxia • ah-tah-RAK-see-ah

Greek Ethics

Tranquillity or imperturbability; a state of being untroubled by externals.

The serene peace that follows the mastery of one’s judgments.

Examples & notes

• Ataraxia is the byproduct of living in accordance with nature.

• The sage maintains ataraxia even in the midst of a storm.

Seen in: Epicurus (adopted by Stoics) Seneca

D

Daimōn (δαίμων)

daimōn • DIE-moan

Greek Physics

The divine spirit or spark within every human being.

The inner god or fragment of the cosmic logos within us.

Examples & notes

• Marcus Aurelius urges us to keep our inner daimōn unsullied.

• The daimōn represents our capacity for reason.

Seen in: Marcus Aurelius Epictetus

Diairesis (διαίρεσις)

diairesis • dee-EYE-reh-sis

Greek Logic

Analysis or division; specifically the distinction between what is in our power and what is not.

The fundamental Stoic filter of control.

Examples & notes

• Epictetus begins his Handbook with a diairesis of things "up to us" and "not up to us".

Seen in: Epictetus

E

Eph’ hēmin (ἐφ’ ἡμῖν)

eph’ hēmin • ef-hay-MEEN

Greek Ethics

Up to us; things that are within our own power, such as our opinions and desires.

The internal sphere where our true freedom lies.

Examples & notes

• Only our own mental acts are truly eph’ hēmin.

• Worrying about things not eph’ hēmin leads to misery.

Seen in: Epictetus

Eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία)

eudaimonia • yoo-die-MOH-nee-ah

Greek Ethics

Flourishing or happiness; the ultimate goal of life achieved through virtue.

A life well-lived in accordance with reason.

Examples & notes

• Eudaimonia is not a fleeting emotion but a stable state of being.

• Virtue is necessary and sufficient for eudaimonia.

Seen in: Aristotle Zeno of Citium

Eupatheia (εὐπάθεια)

eupatheia • yoo-pah-THEY-ah

Greek Ethics

Rational and healthy emotions experienced by the wise person.

Good feelings aligned with reason, like joy or goodwill.

Examples & notes

• Joy replaces pleasure in the Stoic emotional framework.

• Eupatheiai arise from correct judgments about what is good.

Seen in: Diogenes Laertius

H

Heimarmenē (εἱμαρμένη)

heimarmenē • hay-mar-MEH-nay

Greek Physics

Fate or destiny; the causal chain of events governed by logos.

The inescapable order of the universe.

Examples & notes

• Heimarmenē ensures that nothing happens without a cause.

• Stoics teach us to accept heimarmenē with amor fati.

Seen in: Chrysippus Seneca

Hēgemonikon (ἡγεμονικόν)

hēgemonikon • hay-geh-MON-ee-kon

Greek Physics

The ruling faculty of the mind; the "command center" of the soul.

The part of the mind that processes impressions and makes choices.

Examples & notes

• The hēgemonikon is responsible for assent, impulse, and desire.

• Marcus Aurelius often refers to it as the "inner citadel".

Seen in: Marcus Aurelius Chrysippus

K

Katalēpsis (κατάληψις)

katalēpsis • kah-tah-LEP-sis

Greek Logic

A clear comprehension or cognitive grasp of reality.

A reliable perception that grounds true knowledge.

Examples & notes

• Katalēpsis is the bridge between a simple impression and scientific knowledge (epistēmē).

Seen in: Zeno of Citium Chrysippus

Kathēkon (καθῆκον)

kathēkon • kah-THAY-kon

Greek Ethics

Appropriate action or duty; behavior consistent with nature.

The things we "ought" to do, like caring for parents or country.

Examples & notes

• Performing one's kathēkon is the first step toward virtue.

• Duties are determined by our various roles in society.

Seen in: Zeno of Citium Cicero

L

Logos (λόγος)

logos • LOH-goss

Greek Physics

The rational principle governing the universe and human reason.

Reason as both cosmic order and human faculty.

Examples & notes

• To live according to nature is to live according to logos.

• Logos permeates all of reality like a "seminal reason".

Seen in: Heraclitus Marcus Aurelius

O

Oikeiōsis (οἰκείωσις)

oikeiōsis • oy-kay-OH-sis

Greek Ethics

The process of self-ownership and the expansion of concern to others.

How we recognize ourselves and others as belonging to a community.

Examples & notes

• Oikeiōsis starts with self-preservation and ends in global cosmopolitanism.

• Hierocles used the image of concentric circles to explain oikeiōsis.

Seen in: Hierocles Cicero

P

Pathos (πάθος)

pathos • PAH-thos

Greek Ethics

Passion or suffering; an irrational and unnatural movement of the soul.

Disturbing emotions like anger, fear, or lust that cloud reason.

Examples & notes

• The Stoics sought to eradicate pathē to reach a state of apatheia.

• A pathos is a judgment that an indifferent thing is actually a good or an evil.

Seen in: Zeno of Citium Chrysippus

Phantasia (φαντασία)

phantasia • fan-tah-SEE-ah

Greek Logic

An impression or appearance presented to the mind.

The raw sensory or mental input received before judgment.

Examples & notes

• Epictetus urges us to "examine every impression" before accepting it as true.

• A "kataleptic" phantasia is one that is so clear it cannot be doubted.

Seen in: Epictetus

Phronēsis (φρόνησις)

phronēsis • fro-NAY-sis

Greek Ethics

Practical wisdom; the ability to navigate complex situations with virtue.

The cardinal virtue of knowing what is good, bad, and indifferent.

Examples & notes

• Phronēsis allows the Stoic to apply abstract principles to daily life.

• It is the foundation of the other three cardinal virtues.

Seen in: Aristotle Epictetus

Pneuma (πνεῦμα)

pneuma • PNEW-mah

Greek Physics

The "breath" or "spirit" composed of fire and air that animates the universe.

The physical substance of the logos and the human soul.

Examples & notes

• Pneuma gives tension (tonos) to matter, holding objects together.

• The human soul is a refined form of pneuma.

Seen in: Chrysippus

Prohairesis (προαίρεσις)

prohairesis • pro-HIGH-reh-sis

Greek Ethics

The faculty of moral choice and volition; the true self.

Our capacity to judge, assent, and choose.

Examples & notes

• Epictetus identifies prohairesis as the only thing that is truly ours.

• Nothing external can touch or harm a well-trained prohairesis.

Seen in: Epictetus

Prosochē (προσοχή)

prosochē • pro-so-KAY

Greek Ethics

The practice of attention; mindfulness of one’s thoughts and actions.

Continuous self-monitoring and vigilance.

Examples & notes

• Prosochē is the fundamental attitude of the practicing Stoic.

• Without prosochē, one falls back into habitual and irrational reactions.

Seen in: Epictetus Marcus Aurelius

Proēgmena (προηγμένα)

proēgmena • pro-ay-MEH-nah

Greek Ethics

Preferred indifferents; things that are in accordance with nature but not morally good.

Things to be pursued if possible, like health, wealth, or family.

Examples & notes

• Wealth is a proēgmena; it is better to have it, but it doesn't make you a better person.

Seen in: Zeno of Citium

S

Sympatheia (συμπάθεια)

sympatheia • sim-PAH-they-ah

Greek Physics

The organic unity and mutual interdependence of all things in the cosmos.

The idea that the universe is a single, interconnected organism.

Examples & notes

• Because of sympatheia, an action in one part of the world affects the whole.

• It grounds the Stoic belief in the "brotherhood of man".

Seen in: Chrysippus Marcus Aurelius

Synkatathesis (συγκατάθεσις)

synkatathesis • sin-kah-TAH-theh-sis

Greek Logic

Assent; the act of the mind agreeing to or accepting an impression.

The point where we decide if an appearance is true or false.

Examples & notes

• Suffering arises when we give assent to false impressions.

• The wise person withholds assent from anything unclear.

Seen in: Chrysippus Epictetus

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