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Is there a cause for every event?
Yeah. Even more than one cause.
A central pillar of Stoic philosophy is the belief in an intrinsically rational order pervading the cosmos. For the Stoics, the universe is suffused with logos — a divine animating principle that links each event to an intricate chain of causation across time and space. By understanding causality as a manifestation of cosmic order, the Stoics provide a paradigm for finding deep meaning in the unfolding of worldly phenomena.
According to Stoic tenets, events do not simply occur spontaneously or in isolation; they are embedded within a coherent web of antecedent and subsequent causes, all connected in fundamental ways. Just as the links in a chain determine the position of subsequent links, the vast nexus of causality determines the arrangement of events in the phenomenal world. Consequently, nothing can be truly perceived as an entirely random occurrence bereft of causal significance in the grand scheme.
The Stoics held that by fathoming this unity beneath multiplicity, one perceives divine logos at work, weaving together the fabric of being. Since a benevolent rationality guides the currents of cause and effect, events perceived as misfortunes may serve a larger purpose regarding the flourishing of the cosmic order and should be embraced with equanimity.
As finite mortals, humans cannot envision the integrated whole that gives context and meaning to each event. But by living in harmony with universal currents rather than…