Ethics of the Ancient timeline.

Heraclitus is mainly known for his theories on change. However, his work on ethics also speaks for itself. He indicated that reason should rule over pleasure as pleasure leads to the death of the soul. “Good character is not formed in a week or month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” - Heraclitus

Democritus’ take on ethics is that its roots are concerned with euthymia, which means “possessing a happy spirit,” or “being cheerful.” To him, it did not matter which methods were used to achieve happiness, but these methods should be in accordance with virtue. “Happiness resides not in possessions, not in gold, but in the soul.” - Democritus

Diogenes’ form of ethics took the form of freedom. He believed that for man to be happy, he should abandon all possessions and attachments to the world and live according to nature. “He has the most who is most content with the least.” - Diogenes

A sort of egoistic hedonism, Epicurus' ethics holds that the only thing that has inherent value is one's own pleasure and that everything else is only worthwhile as a way of obtaining one's own pleasure. Epicurus also holds similar sentiments to Democritus, believing that happiness is essential in life. “Happiness is man’s greatest aim in life. Tranquility and rationality are the cornerstones of happiness.” - Epicurus

Zeno’s ethics heavily implied that we ought to accept and love fate. His rationale for this is that we cannot control fate, and going against it is foolish and will only lead to harm. According to him, living a happy life requires peace of mind that comes from living by virtue in accordance with reason and nature. “All things are part of one single system, which is called Nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with Nature.” - Zeno

Chrysippus was a fellow stoic philosopher under Zeno’s school. His view on ethics did not deviate much from the philosophy handed over to him by his predecessors. He believed that living a fulfilling life involves walking side-by-side with virtue and nature. “Living virtuously is equal to living in accordance with one’s experience of the actual course of nature." Chrysippus

As he was a politician, Cicero’s ethical views focused on the welfare of ancient Rome. He was an avid reader of philosophical works on Stoicism and Epicureanism, using them in crafting his own ideas on justice. “The foundations of justice is that no one should suffer wrong; then, that the public good be promoted.” - Cicero

Seneca was a Stoic philosopher whose views on ethics diligently focused on how to live life. He proposed that we should always accept circumstances as they are and put our emphasis on the present. “The greatest obstacle to living is expectation, which depends on tomorrow and wastes today.” - Seneca

Epictetus was another Stoic philosopher who diligently explained ethics regarding our perceptions of life. He explained that, in order to be at peace, one must focus on things that one can control and pay no mind to things that are beyond one’s control. “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond our power and our will.” - Epictetus

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor who studied Stoicism. His ethics solely focused on how to achieve happiness by protecting and strengthening your character. Marcus Aurelius theorized that happiness is grasped by the person, not given by external sources. “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” - Marcus Aurelius