What's wrong with Stoicism?

[jhonny9546]

The Proper Application of Preconceptions: Curing “The Cause of All Human Ills” by Greg Lopez

Let me ask you a question. According to Epictetus, what is the main cause of human ills? Think about it for a few seconds. If you’re familiar with his ideas, perhaps you answered “wanting what’s o…

modernstoicism.com

There are some good aspects, like outcome independence and learning to let go, but overall Stoicism seems to turn us into passive beings. It feels like having “desire,” “ambition,” or “passion” for something is seen as wrong.

 

[justaroundthecorner]

It's easy to be a stoic when you are Roman emperor or at the position of power, with money and success surrounding you.

For the most of men, stoic approach is something they never practice - not because they do not want to (at least some of them understand the concept) but because things happen and they lack necessary means to deal with them efficiently => hardships take over their stoic approach.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

I think it comes down to control OP. Ideally you want to feel your emotions but control them and have the ability to keep them to yourself if you choose.

An inner Italian, outer German if you will. You want to still be in touch with your Inner Italian

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

The idea that stoicism=reserved is a misconception.

You control your emotions, even if you want to be a super charismatic extremely persuasive public speaker. All those emotions that flow into that state are managed.

Stoicism is about discipline, which most people lack these days.

Stoicism teaches you how to consciously decide what emotions are most appropriate to get the outcome you want, and resonate those.

 

[holidayad_]

The years when I was closest to Stoicism were the best in terms of relationships and financially stable decisions.

 

[BaronOfHair]

Nothing, so long as you're keeping up with the latest developments https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-New-Stoics-Week-Week/dp/1615195335

Goes without saying, it's wise to not rely EXCLUSIVELY on one "school" of thought, as not even the ancient Stoics did that. They borrowed ideas from the Epicureans, the Skeptics, cultures outside of The Greco-Roman sphere, etc etc

 

[jhonny9546]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/15y39dl

It only takes to read the comments in the topic to understand how stoicism is really different from what sosuave teach.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

The Proper Application of Preconceptions: Curing “The Cause of All Human Ills” by Greg Lopez

Let me ask you a question. According to Epictetus, what is the main cause of human ills? Think about it for a few seconds. If you’re familiar with his ideas, perhaps you answered “wanting what’s o…

modernstoicism.com

There are some good aspects, like outcome independence and learning to let go, but overall Stoicism seems to turn us into passive beings. It feels like having “desire,” “ambition,” or “passion” for something is seen as wrong.

Stoicism is widely misunderstood, I think "Spock" from Star Trek is what most people think Stoicism is. True Stoicism as invented by the Greeks and refined by the Romans around the turn of the century is completely different than what people know. Stoicism does not cultivate passivity or emotional flatness in any way shape or form.

If anyone is interested in learning about it, I highly recommend "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy" as an introduction, then read Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and Rufus, in that order, and then also consider reading competing Greek philosophy around that same era (Epicureanians, Cynics) to see what context Stoicism originated from.

Stay away from Ryan Holiday and any other millenial/influencer clowns and stay away from Reddit too.

 

[jhonny9546]

If anyone is interested in learning about it, I highly recommend "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy" as an introduction, then read Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and Rufus, in that order, and then also consider reading competing Greek philosophy around that same era (Epicureanians, Cynics) to see what context Stoicism originated from.

Stay away from Ryan Holiday and any other millenial/influencer clowns and stay away from Reddit too.

Well said.


In the same way, I believe that all ideologies derived from redpill, blackpill, bluepill, etc., all stem from some kind of foundational source (like Stoicism), and then each one branches out into its own niche.

Stoicism does not cultivate passivity or emotional flatness in any way shape or form.

This is actually the part I’d personally like to know more about — stoic behavior.


You seem to be very knowledgeable.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Nothing is "wrong" with it per se. Like anything, taken to the extremes, you turn into a robot that doesn't think, just blindly follows principles