7-Step Model of Stoic Practice

 

A revised 7-Step model of Stoic practice. Numbers headed by "Th" are from Sections 1, 2 and 4 of "Core Stoicism." The other numbers are principles of the "Logical Structure of Stoic Ethics."

Claude:

I'll synthesize the provided text, "Discipline of Assent," with Step 4 of the revised 7-Step model and update the model accordingly. 

# Revised 7-Step Model of Stoic Practice 

## Step 1: Recognize the Nature of Impressions

* **Logical Basis**: Externals are not in our control (4), and emotions arise from beliefs about external values (9).

* **Practice**: Become aware that your mind constantly receives impressions from the world. Notice when an impression contains an automatic value judgment that triggers an emotional response. Recognize that these impressions are not objective truths but merely appearances. 

## Step 2: Apply the Dichotomy of Control

* **Logical Basis**: We control virtue (2) and we control our joy (3); everything else is beyond our control (4).

* **Practice**: Clearly distinguish between what is within your control (your judgments and voluntary actions) and what is not (external events, others' behavior, physical circumstances). Direct your attention solely to what you can control. 

## Step 3: Apply the Discipline of Desire (Conscious Evaluation)

* **Logical Basis**: All unhappiness comes from desiring things outside our control (Th 3, 4); only virtue is good, only vice is evil (Th 10, 12).

* **Practice**: Examine your desires carefully. Ask: "Am I desiring something outside my control?" "Am I judging externals as good or evil?" Remember that desiring externals is irrational (Th 9, 13) since they're neither good nor evil (7, 8). Challenge the judgment that triggered your desire or aversion by recognizing that externals have no inherent value. 

## Step 4: Apply the Discipline of Assent (The Critical Moment of Assent)

* **Logical Basis**: Emotions follow from our beliefs about external values (9); choosing whether to assent to impressions is the fundamental act within our control; we control our beliefs (TH 6, 7, 8).

* **Practice**: Recognize the critical moment of assent—the point where you either accept or reject an impression. Remember that if you assent to an impression with a value component, a desire or emotion will follow; if you withhold assent, nothing happens. Practice consciously withholding assent from impressions that attribute goodness or badness to externals. This is not merely passive rejection, but an active cognitive choice. Be aware that while assent often happens automatically, you always have the power to question impressions before accepting them as true. 

## Step 5: Apply the  Discipline of Action (Formulate Alternative Impressions)

* **Logical Basis**: Virtue consists in rational acts of will aimed at appropriate objects (Th 24-27, 29); external results are not the measure of virtuous action (28).

* **Practice**: Reframe the situation to focus on appropriate objects at which to aim (Th 25, 26)—like health, knowledge, justice, truth-telling—while remaining indifferent to outcomes. Replace desire-based thinking with duty-based thinking. Ask: "What virtuous action does this situation call for?" Focus on the appropriate aim rather than the external outcome. 

## Step 6: Focus on Virtuous Action

* **Logical Basis**: Human flourishing comes from virtue and joy (1); virtue consists of rational acts of will (Th 27).

* **Practice**: Act according to virtue, focusing on the quality of your intentions and actions rather than their results. Perform your duty with excellence regardless of outcome. This will produce good feelings (29) without attachment to results. 

## Step 7: Character Development Through Consistent Practice

* **Logical Basis**: Practicing virtue removes belief in external values (12, 13); complete happiness comes from valuing only virtue (14).

* **Practice**: Understand that through consistent practice of proper assent, your character gradually transforms. When you correctly withhold assent from false value impressions, those impressions become less frequent and weaker over time. When you assent to true impressions about virtue and indifferents, these become stronger and more automatic. Through this process, you progress toward the Stoic ideal where false value impressions no longer arise spontaneously, and virtuous judgment becomes second nature. 

This revised model now incorporates the crucial understanding that assent is the fundamental act within our control, and that character development happens through the consistent practice of proper assent. Step 4 has been expanded to emphasize the criticality of the assent decision, while Step 7 has been updated to reflect how this practice transforms character over time.