Action

Introduction

A Stoic acts; he does not lock himself up in a villa, away from the world (Seneca, n.d., Letter 55).

When a Stoic acts, he does so with rationality; with the intent of justice for all as Marcus Aurelius (2014) writes, "dyed to the core with justice" in Meditations 3.4 and to "act as you should—and as other people deserve" in Meditations 12.1.  The Stoic does not act randomly.

The needs of the Stoic are both physical and rational. But the Stoics are convinced the true nature of the human is to place living rationally above all else. While it is the duty of the Stoic to take care of himself physically, his body falls under the category of indifferents. If forced, he will prioritize his rational nature above his physical nature. He will choose not to be controlled by physical "puppet strings" of impulse (Aurelius, 2014, 2.2, 3.16, 6.16, 12.19).

Furthermore, recall from the ethics essay, and Hierocles' Circles: a Stoic will care for himself first and foremost, both physically and rationally. The Stoic will then seek the same care for those in his immediate circles of concern, such as his spouse, children, parents, siblings and relatives. He will then seek the same care for friends, neighbors, fellow citizens and then he will intend to spread care and concern for all those in the world and in the cosmos.

Therefore, the exercise of action, for the Stoic, is to live with moral intent, for the benefit of himself and with love and justice for all humankind.  The concept of Hierocles' Circles will inform the Stoic where most of his duties lie in terms of love and justice for all humankind.  Furthermore, the Stoic will use the reserve clause (Putnam, 2020) to ensure he always keeps his moral intent pure and to gladly accept what Nature has ordained for him.

This essay will focus on four points for how I personally apply and view the discipline of action as guided by the "divinity within" (Aurelius, 2014, 2.13, 5.10, 12.1).

First, personal duty identification.

Second, how those duties support or satisfy physical and rational justice for all.

Third, how to apply the correct purpose of the reserve clause.

Fourth, how I try manage competing interests in my life and others' lives and in response to what Long said in his 2018 Stoicon talk (Long & Modern Stoicism, 2018).  And, more specifically, about competing interests, I'll explain my personal opinions and applications of Stoic action in light of pandemic lockdowns to preserve the physical, but which sacrifices the rational; or in other words, my plea against safetyism and the call to prioritize the rational above the physical instead of vice versa.

Duty Identification

Epictetus (2014, 4.12.16) heavily emphasized duties.  In one passage, he taught his students, "we must remember who we are, and what name we bear, and strive to direct our appropriate actions according to the demands of our social relationships."

If you don't know what your duties are, then begin by simply listing out various titles or roles applied to you. Every one of us should note that we are human and either a daughter or son of someone.  Beyond the title of human and child, many people's titles will diverge.  For me, various titles have come and gone and some will remain with me for the rest of my life.  Human, son, brother, student, missionary, husband, son-in-law, brother-in-law, employee, citizen, teacher, father, neighbor, friend, tax-payer, voter, worker, servant, leader, coach, homeowner, investor, volunteer, cosmopolitan.

Next, think about the importance (to you) of the various roles you play and prioritize them.  Some of these roles will consume most of my time during the course of the day or week, but they do not take a priority over other roles.  While most of my waking hours are dedicated to being an employee, if the need arose for me to urgently address the needs of my wife and child, then for that amount of time, I would be focused on them rather than the work my employer wishes me to do.  If you don't have a clear understanding of your important roles, you may be forced to chose one over the other, depending on circumstances.  Thinking about this ahead of time will allow you to make wise choices.

With priority in mind, you can now think of the most important duties for the most important roles in your life.  And as you take on new roles, you will remember to conduct the same analysis of understanding of what it is you should do while fulfilling the duties of the new role.  In many of these roles, you are not performing the role in a vacuum, but rather in context of another person or people.  Discussing the duties of your role with these people is an important aspect many people leave undone.  Vague comprehension and unclear communication can lead to misunderstanding and disastrous results in relationships.  It's wise to talk about these things with others.

Stoicism informs us of our duty as a human being.  It is very clear, too, about what belongs to us and what is not up to us.  It also clarifies our role in relation to God or Nature or the Cosmos.  Stoicism also provides us with a framework about the priority of our duties with respect to all humans around us.  This framework is closely tied to the virtue of justice.

How Duties Support or Satisfy Physical and Rational Justice for All

Justice can be defined with various definitions.  Marcus Aurelius (2014, 3.4) defines it simply as "act as you should—and as other people deserve."  But it is precisely this judgement about "what other people deserve" that is debatable.  Implied in that definition is one's own opinion of who deserves what.  Our long legal history from Greece, to Rome to Europe to America continues to evolve and informs us what justice is in terms of who owes what to whom.  But that is not the scope of this essay.  Rather, this essay argues that the identification of duties inform the individual for how to satisfy justice in his routine life and the Circles of Hierocles inform him priority of duties.

What follows is a brief list of prioritized people and how I strive to act in my duties as related to them and what they deserve, based on what I've learned from philosophy.

But before I proceed, I simply want to note the great difficulty of applying a "justice for all" mentality.  Sometimes, competing priorities may delay the justice for some.  But as much as I can, as an individual, I will strive to not fight injustice with injustice.  At the very worst, I will strive for delayed justice and simple acceptance.  In the aim of justice, sometimes or perhaps often, we must recognize grace and forgiveness.

Justice for myself: René Descartes (Hatfield, 2023) sums it up best "cogito, ergo sum."  I must recognize myself as a living, thinking, rational entity and therefore I deserve to live in this space and time.  I deserve to give myself time and energy to keeping myself alive and sane.  I deserve to share my opinion, to learn, grow and exist in this world.

Justice for my wife: Plato's (2012) Symposium, delves into Greek mythology and how humans were originally formed with four arms, four legs, and a single head bearing two faces. Fearing their strength, Zeus divided them in half, dooming them to wander the world in search of their missing counterparts.  While this is a funny idea to contemplate, we nevertheless must admit, that for most people, they have a yearning to find their "other" or perhaps "better" half.  I am delighted to have found mine and at the time of this writing, she and I have been together for over 20 years.  She is my priority and I endeavor to ensure she is safe, loved, cared for, and supported.  We talk and discuss much, always in search of a wise course of action for our marriage and lives.  She deserves my love, respect, body, work, mind, loyalty and efforts.  And as long as I can, I will strive to give them to her.

Justice for my children: I have taken and continue to take responsibility for my kids from the moment they were born until the leave our home.  And even after they leave home, I feel they deserve my love and guidance as long as I can give it.  My wife and I have consistently expressed expectations for our kids and why we parent the way we do.  In my view, justice for my children is providing a safe place for them to live, eat and grow.  While they under our care and protection, I want them to learn to be independent from me and my wife, but I want them to be ready for when that day comes.  To me, what justice means for them is ensuring a graceful and successful transition from dependent child to fully functioning, independent, and wise adult.  To that end, we strive to teach them how to physically and mentally care for themselves.

Justice for my friends and relatives: Leaving the circle of my immediate wife and children is the circle of concern and care for my close friends and relatives.  Physical proximity dictates the amount of effort and time, on a day-to-day basis, I place on this concern and care.  Almost all my close friends and relatives are fully grown, independent adults who are entirely responsible for their own physical and rational well-being.  Therefore, justice for them, in our relationship is an arms-length distance and usually on an as-needed basis.

For example, one of my good friends from work was recently forced to move back to his home-country (he was on an ex-pat assignment).  This move was sudden and came with many risks and challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.  He had a handful of immediate concerns which caused him stress, one of which was what to do with his pet animal in the move.  Many airline carriers were not allowing pets to be transported and he did not want to give up the animal.  I, along with a few others, helped him think of a course of action.  In the very worst-case scenario, if he had to leave without a way to take the pet with him, I offered to take it and care for it until we could figure out a way to get it to his home-country.  I was prepared to care for the pet and even fly with it when the airlines would allow it again.  Gratefully, he was able to come up with a plan, after pulling a few strings, and he and his family were able to move back to their home country with their pet.  In the course of the move, I was able to help with other things, such as the management of mail and getting straggling checks deposited in his bank account.

My friends and relatives deserve my kindness and friendship as much as I can offer it.  I will neither be burdensome nor overwhelming, but I will be loyal so long as they are willing to be equally kind and loyal.  And in the case of some close friends and relatives, I will always be loyal, kind, loving and respectful no matter how they act.

Justice for my co-workers and neighbors: The same kind of justice I give my friends and close relatives is extended to my co-workers and neighbors (some of whom turn into close friends).  But the key difference between them and close friends is the extent of interaction and loyalty.  Mostly, the justice I extend to my co-workers and neighbors is respect.  By and large, my friends and relatives will view the world similarly, but this is not so much the case with most co-workers and neighbors.  Our perspectives begin to deviate more (which is why many don't turn into close friends), but they deserve my respect and kindness.  If the opportunity arises, and I have the chance to help and serve them, I will.

Justice for my fellow citizens: I live in a civilized society, where laws are put in place to preserve peace and order.  I live in a society and country where the collective agree to obey the laws and pay taxes for the common good.  Justice in this case means my society deserves my compliance to the law and the paying of taxes.  Therefore, I strive to obey the laws, be courteous in public when I drive, and I commit to paying taxes in the form of sales tax, property tax and income tax.  I observe and carry out my duties to vote and serve on juries.  I strive to keep community laws and ordinances in terms of keeping my property tidy.  I try to stay informed and involved in my community, state and country and help where I can.

Justice for my fellow cosmopolitans: the big leap; the big embrace is to love and care for all humans and creatures in the cosmos.  This is the ultimate challenge the practicing Stoic will face.  In my opinion, perhaps the best way I try to practice justice for all in the cosmos is to keep an open and skeptical mind.  I will not rush to judgement when it comes to macro and cosmic events.  Too often hasty judgments prove most unwise.  True too is the fact that many moderns mistake inertia for laziness, when in fact not acting is the rational, wise course of action.  For my part, I will strive to give others the benefit of the doubt and allow as much grace and kindness as possible.  I will listen to all sides of a story and consider as many points of view as possible.  And if action is necessary, I will do my best to see it through to the end.

One other, tiny, seemingly odd way I attempt to be a true cosmopolitan is to think of every person I meet as potentially my next close friend.  Almost always they do not become my close friend, but I try to keep the door open.  More specifically, when I am on a walk or shopping by myself, I will try to look people in the eye and remind myself that they are someone's child, brother or sister, husband or wife, or best friend.  I try to bring them into my circle of concern, albeit momentarily and brief.  This has the desired effect of ensuring I don't see them as "the other."

To close out this section on duties and justice for others, I'll share a quote which has often helped me to quickly strive for love, justice and respect for all.  It might as well be a summary of the Circles of Hierocles.

Albert Einstein (Popova, 2016) wrote:

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Applying the Reserve Clause

Enchiridion (or Handbook) 4 is how Epictetus (2014) describes what we call today 'the reserve clause.'

Whenever you are about to start on some activity, remind yourself what the activity is like.  If you go out to bathe, picture what happens at a bathhouse - the people there who splash you or jostle you or talk rudely or steal your things.  In this way you will be more prepared to start on the activity, by telling yourself at the outset: ‘I want to bathe, and I also want to keep my will in harmony with nature.’  Make this your practice in every activity.  Then, if anything happens that gets in the way of your bathing, you will have the following response available: ‘Well, this was not the only thing I wanted; I also wanted to keep my will in harmony with nature.  I shall not do that if I get angry about what is happening.’

Inevitably, as we begin to act, we unconsciously begin to let our desires shift from doing what is just, to wanting a specific outcome.  What is in our power is entirely within us.  We know our intent - to keep our will aligned with Nature.  But if we find ourselves reaching out to desire something or wanting to avoid something that is not up to us, then we need to remember to apply the reserve clause and focus on what is up to us.

Another way to explain the reserve clause is found from one of the admins of the Living Stoicism Facebook group, James Daltrey.  He explained the reserve clause like this:

The Stoics didn't internalize their projects.  If you start on a project you don't know how it will end out.  Whatever happens is what you want to happen.  You can never be disappointed.

In sum:  The reservation DOES NOT relate to hedging against failed expectations.  The reservation relates to lack of knowledge.

Two scenarios:

You apply for a job, you hope you will get it, but you prepare for not getting.  You don't get the job.  You have prepared for your failed expectations.  You have mitigated things going wrong.

You apply for a job, you don't [know] if you will get it, and understand that you cannot know.  You don't get the job.  Not getting the job is the best possible outcome from which to proceed with the rest of your life.  Everything went perfectly.

The first example is about hedging against failed expectations, while the second is based on lack of knowledge and even accepting and loving that this event took place.

In sum, what Epictetus teaches us and what James Daltrey makes a point of, is that we know what is in our power, but we don't have perfect information of what is in the world.  We do our best with our rational and moral intent and we don't focus or extend our desires to external (indifferent) outcomes.  Our reserve clause is based on our lack of full and complete knowledge of our situation.  If we know we act with just and moral intent and the outcome was unexpected, then we have done our part and should feel at peace and accept the results.

The Management of Competing Interests

I have observed a problem as I've attempted to practice Stoicism: while I have been convinced that moral virtue and excellence of character are more important than the body and physical security, many people around me, and society in large will put a premium of physical care and security over the rational.  I am not sure I have found a way to reconcile this difference in competing interests, but A. A. Long suggests an idea.

In his 2018 Stoicon lecture (link to video and specifically the points on social utility), Long (2018) presents three quotes from ancient Stoics, which suggest a way for the practicing Stoic to manage.

Long first makes the point that Stoics support social utility and more precisely he notes that social utility is tied to the physical well-being of society.  He supports this with a quote from Epictetus, who says,

And in general, [Zeus] has constituted the rational animal to have such a nature that he cannot attain any of his own particular goods without contributing to the common benefit.

Long then cites two others, which support the idea that Stoics will do all they can to support social utility, the common welfare or the general physical well-being.

Chrysippus: “The wise man will engage in public discourse and conduct policy as if wealth and social esteem and health were good things” (LS 66B, see footnote 1).

Antipater: “We should do everything in our power continuously and undeviatingly to obtain the predominating things that accord with nature” (LS 58K, see footnote 1).

Note the quote from Chrysippus who seemingly takes the mindset of: while, I a Stoic will value personal, rational, moral virtue as the only good, I will, however, act socially towards others as if wealth, social esteem and health (which are indifferents) are good things.  Technically speaking from a Stoic perspective, they are not!

To me, this seems duplicitous.  In my opinion, the Stoic ought to place personal, rational moral virtue as the sole good first (for himself and people in his circles of concern), and after that has been secured for a city, state or country or society, then pursue the common welfare.  But if, as Stoics, we outwardly support and place indifferents above the sole good, society and leaders may shift towards safetyism, which may eventually cancel freedom and lead to tyranny.  But if leaders secure rational freedom for their population and instill and reinforce in the population the ideas of rational sovereignty and responsibility of individuals, then populations will collectively and wisely pursue the common, physical welfare of their society.  In the past, traditionally speaking, cultures have followed this path with common practices of education from youth to adulthood, and for the most part, people have embraced freedom and rational, personal choice above all, while secondarily pursuing success in health, status and wealth.

However, as documented in The Coddling of the American Mind (Lukianoff & Haidt, 2018) and as the world has observed during the 2020 pandemic, societies can slide into a form of "safetyism" where they pursue keeping people secure, safe and cared for, seemingly at all costs.  Political leaders then observe that more power is needed to secure peoples' safety and they begin to implement draconian measures which sacrifice freedoms and prevent people from pursuing a free and rational existence.  We Stoics applaud Cato for killing himself rather than submitting to the rule of Caesar.  The American Revolutionary fathers similarly maintained the same sentiment, where Patrick Henry cried, "give me liberty or give me death!" (Finley, 2025). How is the removing of many of our rights the last several years (from the surveillance state to the over-reaching pandemic controls) any different than the form of tyranny Caesar and the British empire implemented?

In sum, the point of this section is simply to note that as a practicing Stoic, I think we ought to encourage and educate as many as we can, including our leaders, that we place the sole good as the priority - even over the physical well-being of society and the common wealth - which are in fact indifferents.  If society is well informed of the sole good and is convinced that virtue is the sole good, and that preferred indifferents are secondary to the sole good, then society will be better positioned to advocate for a rational and wise course of action for the common wealth.  And, just as importantly, we Stoics would be consistent in the way we think, act, live and place our priorities in the societies we live and support.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this essay reviewed the basis for Stoic action; for the Stoic who throws his entire self into the world ("toti se inserens mundo") and engages with it (Seneca, Letter 66.6).  The Stoic is informed of how to act, based on the Circles of Hierocles.  I then reviewed how I personally strive for justice based on my circles of concern and duty identification.

In all our actions, we cannot forget the reserve clause, which is largely due to imperfect information.

And lastly, I felt compelled to disagree slightly with Tony Long about how a Stoic ought to manage competing interests of the rational and physical.  A Stoic ought to think, expound and live consistently as he engages with the cosmos.  He ought not to have two different standards (one for himself and one for others).  His care and concern for himself ought to be the same for the rest of those in his circles of concern. 

Footnote

References

Aurelius, M. (2014). Meditations (M. Hammond, Trans.). Penguin Classics, An Imprint Of Penguin Books.

Epictetus. (2014). Discourses, Fragments, Handbook (R. Hard, Trans.). Oxford University Press.

Finley, B. (2025, March 23). Patrick Henry’s “liberty or death” speech turns 250. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/liberty-or-death-patrick-henry-speech-anniversary-3a94ef7dbfd76756d0a06d87e8e6bd33 

Seneca. (n.d.). Moral letters to Lucilius (Epistulae morales ad Lucilium) (R. M. Gummere, Ed.). Wikisource. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius 

Hatfield, G. (2023). René Descartes (E. N. Zalta & U. Nodelman, Eds.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes/#HowDoOurMindKnow 

Long, A. A., & Modern Stoicism. (2018, October 6). Stoicisms Ancient and Modern by Tony (A.A.) Long. Modern Stoicism. https://modernstoicism.com/stoicisms-ancient-and-modern-by-tony-a-a-long/ 

Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018). The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Penguin Press.

Plato. (2012). A Plato reader : eight essential dialogues (C. D. C. Reeve, Ed.). Hackett, Cop.

Popova, M. (2016, November 28). Einstein on Widening Our Circles of Compassion. The Marginalian; The Marginalian. https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/11/28/einstein-circles-of-compassion/

Putnam, D. (2020). Stoicism in Practice. Rockyrook.com. https://www.rockyrook.com/2020/04/stoicism-in-practice.html#reserveclause