Oikeiosis in Municipal IT Projects COSP
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ISSUE 68
A publication of the College of Stoic Philosophers
September 2025
situation and the outcome are the same.
The driving force is the conscientious implementation of system development, aiming to make
meetings more efficient and shorter, which benefits both the system and public funds. For
workshops, I create a plan with clarifying questions and desired outcomes to react purposefully to
discussions; the plan remains open to outcomes yet results-oriented. My concern is less about
the comfort of the participants and more about the conscientious execution of my role as technical
lead. The Roman senator Cato the Younger serves as my inspiration for a principled stance and
my responsibility towards the public. Amidst the political corruption and moral decay of the
Roman Republic, Cato the Younger embodied Stoic principles through his unwavering integrity
and disciplined life. He consciously chose hardship and asceticism, sharing the privations of his
soldiers and rejecting material excess, to stand as a moral bulwark against the rising autocracy
and corruption of figures like Julius Caesar. Cicero describes Cato's attitude very aptly:
“But Cato had been endowed by nature with an austerity beyond belief, and he himself had
strengthened it by unswerving consistency and had remained ever true to his purpose and fixed
resolve; and it was for him to die rather than to look upon the face of a tyrant.” (Cicero, 1913,
I-112).
Conclusion
With my thoughts outlined above, I have shown how important the inner attitude is and how it
relates to the three areas of Stoic philosophy and the concept of Oikeiosis. In summary, the
following analytical framework can be derived from these areas of Stoic philosophy and applied in
practice. I can set the right impulse for my actions with
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my own attitude. For this, I use the logical
framework for inner discussion. I objectively assess the situation and examine my desires.
Subsequently, I align my actions with the common good and carry them out. Ultimately, it is
important that the action is based on a well-considered process and not on initial emotions.
Seneca also confirms this approach with his formula:
“The first assigns to each thing its proper value and determines what it is worth. This is an
extremely useful investigation, for what is as needful as putting the price on things? The second
deals with impulse, and the third with actions. That is to say, the objectives of ethics are first, to
enable you to judge what each thing is worth; second, to enable you to entertain a well-adjusted
and controlled impulse with respect to them; and third, to enable you to achieve harmony between
your impulse and your action so that you may be consistent in all your behavior.” (Seneca, 2015,
89,14).
This framework for examining inner attitude can be universally applied to any situation. It does
not matter whether one is speaking in a meeting, moderating workshops, designing a system
landscape with colleagues, or performing any other task in a different field of work. Permanent
examination leads to building consistent behavior and not being thrown off by external things.
However, it must not remain merely at the level of mental analysis and examination. What has
been theoretically developed must indeed be consistently implemented. Practice is the most
important part of Stoic philosophy. If one proceeds in this way, this consistency will also become
tangible.
“The carpenter does not come and say, 'Hear me discourse on carpentry', but he undertakes a
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ISSUE 68
A publication of the College of Stoic Philosophers
September 2025
contract and builds a house and so shows that he has acquired the art.” (Epictetus, 2018, III, 21,
4-6).
References:
Aurelius, M. (2011). Marcus Aurelius Meditations: With selected correspondence (R. Hard,
Trans.). Oxford University Press.
Cicero, M. T. (1913). De Officiis. The Project Gutenberg.
Epictetus. (2018). Discourses, Fragments, Handbook (P.E.Matheson, Trans.), Global Grey.
Hadot, P. (1998). The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Cambridge, Mass.:
Harvard University Press.
Inwood, B. (Ed.). (2003). The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics. Cambridge University Press.
Johncock, W. (2023). Beyond the individual: Stoic philosophy on community and connection.
Pickwick Publications.
Long, A. A. (1986). Hellenistic philosophy; Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics. Duckworth.
Long, A. A. (1996). Stoic Studies. University of California Press.
Seneca, L. A. (2015). Letters on Ethics: To Lucilius (M. Graver & A. A. Long, Trans.).
University Of Chicago Press.
The Stoic Philosopher is published by the College of Stoic Philosophers and The Foundation for
Stoic Philosophy. The views and opinions expressed in its articles are solely those of the
respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the publishers or the
editorial board.
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