Philosophy calls for plain living, but not for penance and we may perfectly well be plain and neat at the same time.
Just as it is a sign of luxury to seek out dainties, so it is madness to avoid that which is customary and can be purchased at no great price. Our motto, as you know, is “Live according to Nature” but it is quite contrary to nature to torture the body, to hate unlaboured elegance, to be dirty on purpose, to eat food that is not only plain, but disgusting and forbidding. In his fifth letter, he refers to “living according to Nature” as being the Stoic “motto”:
Seneca makes a number of references to Nature in his moral letters to Lucilius. Living in accordance with Nature in this context therefore means striving to improve our ability to reason through lifelong learning, and thus improving our ability to live virtuously (which is the ultimate goal of Stoicism). In other words, we can distinguish virtue and, by acting accordingly, live virtuously. Our ability to reason enables us to know the logic of what is good, what is bad, and what is indifferent. The Stoics believed that we have one unique human capacity that separates us from other animals – the ability to reason. It is also the most useful to us as it refers specifically to the Nature of human beings. The final meaning of Nature we’ll cover is probably the most commonly used one in modern times. Living in accordance with Nature in this context simply means a living being is successfully performing these vital functions. This encompasses vital functions such as nutrition, metabolism, growth, movement, and the many other processes that healthy specimens are naturally subject to. The second meaning of Nature refers to the natural process by which living things are created, change, and die. In chapter 8 of his Enchiridion, Epictetus summarises this attitude: “Demand not that events should happen as you wish but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.” Meaning 2: Natural functions Living in accordance with Nature in this context means accepting that all events that have occurred were forever fated to occur. This view of Nature (or the universe) can be thought of in the same terms as Fate. Nature works to arrange things in the most rational way and since the world operates through reason, all things are determined and all events fit within its well-structured system.
The first meaning comes from Stoic physics, which held that Nature (the universe) is a rational and completely ordered system. Stepping through these meanings separately should help clarify things.
The main reason it is confusing, however, is that the “Nature” being referred to can take on a few different meanings. This is understandable it doesn’t have the immediate practical applications of techniques like the dichotomy of control, negative visualisation, or the reserve clause, nor is it a snappy one-liner from Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius that will change the way you think about life in an instant. Living in accordance with Nature is one of those Stoic concepts that isn’t initially easy to grasp. Definition Of Living In Accordance With Nature This short explainer will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what the Stoic concept of living in accordance with Nature is and how you can use the concept to guide your Stoic practice.
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