Cynicism versus Stoicism
The Stoics took much from the Cynics, above all the idea that virtue is enough for happiness. The Cynics lived outside society on almost nothing. The Stoics lived within it and served it.
What they share
The Stoics took over much from the Cynics. Crates, a Cynic, taught Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, and the Stoics took from the Cynics the idea that virtue is enough for happiness. Both hold that a good life is lived in agreement with nature.
Where they differ
- A way of living or a system. The Cynics were less a body of doctrine than a way of living, and they turned away from speculation. The Stoics worked out a picture of the cosmos as governed by a rational order, or providence, and built their ethics on living in agreement with it.
- Society. The Cynics lived in poverty, trained themselves through hardship, and flouted custom in public. Diogenes, asked where he came from, called himself a citizen of the world. The Stoics held that a person should do the job of a human being, which means being useful to society, and that all human beings belong to one universal city.
- Outside goods. The Cynics embraced poverty and hardship. The Stoics called health and wealth indifferent to whether a life goes well, but held that they may be rationally preferred, as long as they are not mistaken for things of value in themselves.
A question that separates them
- Where to live. “Live apart from convention, owning almost nothing, and say what you think” against “Live within society and serve it, while holding outside goods loosely”.
- Comfort. “Wealth and comfort are to be refused” against “Wealth and comfort may be had, but they make no difference to a good life”.
Written by epchē in our own words, and checked against independent sources on 8 October 2026. The sources are listed below.
Read each on its own
Sources we used
- Cynicism · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026
- Cynicism (philosophy) · Wikipedia, read on 8 October 2026
- Stoicism · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026
- Stoicism · Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read on 8 October 2026