In a previous post, I mentioned that reliance on “providentialistic” views was one potential difficulty for present-day Stoics. Today I’ll explain this a bit.
When I say “providentialistic” or “providentialism,” I’m referring to what theoretical discourses term “divine providence,” or perhaps more accurately, a belief in divine providence. In short, belief in divine providence is the belief that everything which happens, happens in accordance with a plan that God, or the gods, have laid out, and thus happens for the best and ultimately is good. Here are a couple reliable articles if you would like to know more, a shorter and longer.
Providentialistic views, besides of course the belief in divine providence, would be any views which incorporate or rely on a belief in divine providence.
Stoicism, as it’s come down to us, tends strongly to rely on divine providence in at least a couple different ways. One is the view that the way the cosmos (the world or universe) is ordered is the very best possible arrangement for it.
Building on that, Stoicism likes to have one take the point of view of the universe itself, reather than the much more limited point of view of the individual human being. However, it also likes to go further and, building on taking the viewpoint of the universe, have one see the events and circumstances of one’s life, and in the world at large, as being all for the best, as the best possible arrangement, and thus as good. (This, by the way, is where the perspective and exercise has become providentialistic.) And on that basis one can accept and even affirm whatever happens to themself or to others as good.
It’s worth emphasizing this is not only theoretical or doctrinal. It belongs to philosophical practice. Many Stoic meditations and re-framings involved in training what we might call the will — certainly in training desire and aversion — rely on belief in divine providence.
Now on the one hand, if you currently find divine providence highly convincing, then there may be no immediate practical difficulty for you. On the other hand, if you do not find divine providence convincing, the Stoic reliance on providentialistic views may present real practical difficulties to your Stoic practice. Certainly many people are not convinced of divine providence, and I suspect a high proportion of individuals who are drawn to Stoic philosophy may be among these.
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