Heads up — Greek words incoming

Heads up — Greek words incoming.
(Of course, I’m joking.)

What I want to do here is introduce you to a few Greek notions. I'm going, in that section and the following one, to bend the rules I set for myself at the beginning of this program, not to make a scholarly display, but because these particular concepts, I believe, deserve a closer look. Not to show off with fancy vocabulary or overwhelm you with rigid definitions, but because these concepts — especially those rooted in Greek thought, carry much more than a single word or isolated idea. They’re little cores of meaning. Tiny philosophical seeds that, when you take the time to understand them, unfold into something whole.
An entire landscape.

That’s why I chose to approach them from this angle, through the lens of Greek concepts. Because they’re not just handy tools you pull out now and then. They’re the pillars of an entire way of seeing the world. And what’s fascinating is that by exploring them, you’re not just brushing up against some theoretical detail, you’re touching the very framework of Stoic philosophy itself, this is, in fact, what is referred to as Stoic logic ¹, and it’s precisely what we’re going to explore in depth in this section. That said, I’ve chosen to focus deliberately on just one of its components in this introductory program ².

Of course, elsewhere in the program I talk about ideas, principles, and exercises. But here, I’m stepping aside for a moment. I’m going back to the source.
To what gives meaning to everything else,
to show you that the philosophical practice I mentioned in the introduction isn’t built on vague notions, it rests on something deep, thought-through, and solid. I’m not going to cover everything, of course. Just a few essential ideas. The ones that, in my view, form the core of Stoicism. And the reason I’m doing this is because understanding doesn’t mean knowing everything. Understanding here, means beginning to see how it all fits together. You may have noticed it already in the articles — often, the texts are linked to concepts you can tap for a quick, concise definition. What I’m doing here is a version of that… but from a different angle. The idea is to walk you through a handful of fundamental notions — truly central ones — that make up the theoretical foundation of everything we’ll keep exploring together.

Nothing boring, I promise.
Or at least, I’ll do my best to keep it that way.

Otherwise, just tell me :)
Really.

In the meantime, here’s a preview of the 11 themes we’ll explore together — core Stoic concepts, each one linked to the next like steps on an inner path.

It all begins with:
1/ Reason – Logos – Λόγος
This universal principle of order, both cosmic and internal, shapes the world just as it shapes your own mind.

This reason operates within a world called:
2/ Nature – Phusis – φύσις
A living, rational whole to which you belong—and which you're meant to follow, not fight against.

Your role is to sharpen your:
3/ Moral choice – Prohairesis – προαίρεσις
This is the tiny yet decisive space between stimulus and response, where your true freedom lives.

These moral choices come together to form your:
4/ Guiding Principle – Hêgemonikon – ἡγεμονικόν
Your inner center, your steering wheel—the part of you that judges, decides, and directs your being.

But that judgment doesn’t operate in a neutral space:
5/ Preconceptions – Prolēpsis – πρόληψις
General ideas, often implicit, that you take as true without always having examined them — and which already shape the way you receive what comes your way.

So that you may learn to confront your:
6/ Impressions – Phantasia – φαντασία
The appearances that rush in unfiltered, which your mind must learn to examine before giving assent.

Because, naturally, you're subject to:
7/ Pre-cognitive emotions – Propatheiai – προπάθειαι
Spontaneous surges, immediate emotional reflexes—you didn’t choose them, but you can welcome them without surrendering to them.

And that’s where your power of assent comes in:
8/ Assent – Sunkatathesis – συγκατάθεσις
That decisive moment when you choose whether or not to give credence to what has just arisen. An inner “yes,” or a simple lucid silence — the boundary between reaction and freedom.

And cultivate, more deeply, your:
9/ Serenity – Apatheia – ἀπάθεια
Not the absence of feeling, but freedom from destructive passions—a calm born of mastery.

Which helps you experience:
10/ Freedom from disturbance – Ataraxia – ἀταραξία
A quiet mind, a stillness within, when nothing pulls or shakes you without reason.

And in time, you may come to feel:
11/ Happiness – Eudaimonia – εὐδαιμονία
A deep, rooted well-being—the result of a life lived in harmony with nature, reason, and your own highest self.

~

Quick aside / end note: just like with Section 1, “The world we live in” (part 1), I hesitated about where to place this part. Same here, I thought for a long time: wouldn’t it make more sense to put it after the next section, the one called “Practical tools”? Because let’s be honest, we all want to move fast, right? Straight to the point, to the tangible stuff, to the practical tools (which, between us, aren’t always that practical, but that’s another story). And yet, I thought: no. Doing that would mean missing something important. Before rushing in headfirst, it’s worth taking a moment to pause, to reflect on the why. On what gives things meaning. On what holds it all together. And as I’m writing this, I realize I’m actually very much in tune with that well-known quote by Simon Sinek: “Start with why.” ³
Exactly.
Maybe I should stop overthinking all this, actually.