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Stoicism is a Hellenistic philosophical school that was founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC. Stoicism was one of the principal schools of thought in ancient Athens. Along with Epictetus, a freed Greek slave who taught many of Rome’s greatest minds, Seneca and Emperor Marcus Aurelius are the most famous Stoics. 

Stoicism is the Greco-Roman version of Karma and Zen. Just like Buddhism, it provides spiritual guidance and a framework for everyday life designed as a path to attaining happiness — “eudaimonia” in Ancient Greek. Unlike most philosophical schools, Stoicism is not a purely intellectual enterprise. It is a series of reminders and practical tips for living a good and virtuous life.

Stoics teach that Virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that the wise live in harmony with the “Logos,” the divine Reason that governs Nature. As the Logos is held to be perfect, virtuous men and women are acceptant of the order of things. They are equanimous towards the vicissitudes of fortune as well as pleasure and pain because they know what happens cannot be controlled and happens for the best. Given this deterministic approach, the only thing humans can control, the Stoics argue, is their own attitudes towards what happens: We can choose to perceive events in a productive or a destructive way. Understanding this and acting consequently is the key to human flourishing and empowerment.

Iconic entrepreneurs such as the late John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs are well known stoics. The three of them used strategies inspired by the timeless wisdom of the ancient Stoics to build their success. And they’re not the only ones. Author, angel investor and advisor to Facebook, Twitter or Uber Tim Ferriss refers to Stoicism as his “operating system.” More and more business people are seeing the appeal of the Stoic philosophy.

Here’s why.

The no-nonsense Stoic mindset is conducive to pragmatic efficiency. At the core of Stoicism is the acute awareness of the world’s unpredictability and of life’s briefness. Therefore, Stoics are not keen on wasting time and energy on useless debates or initiatives. In a business context, their common sense approach can create conditions for efficiency.

Stoicism is all about “doing the right thing right now” rather than rehashing the past or trying to plan what cannot be achieved by our own unaided efforts. Stoics see each day as a new start full of opportunities: success can easily offset failure if we look in the right direction and if we are able to move on without letting our disappointment, anger or frustration take the best of us.

Stoicism also teaches us that patience is not the enemy of productivity: “No great thing is created suddenly,” Epictetus (left) reminds us. Constantly trying to find shortcuts only sends us round in circles. Quality often gets sacrificed on the altar of rapid development. And excitement can cause ignorance towards necessary procedures. 

Likewise, Stoic level-headedness is not exclusive of courage, initiative, and boldness, three other pillars of entrepreneurship. As Seneca puts it: “It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” For the Stoics, practical realism must always prevail, and we must never act without purpose and resolve or without the means to finish the job.

Question

The antonym of ‘conducive’ is