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The philosophy of Stoicism is an important First Principle that the Stoic Optimizer philosophy relies on. You will find all the posts I have ever written about Stoicism on this page, organized by topic.
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Since you’re a modern human reading this post on an electronic device, I don’t need to convince you that logic and rationality have merit. The fact that buildings stand upright, most diseases can be cured and you can profit from electrons traveling at light speed to browse the Internet is proof enough that science and…
Read More →Stoicism vs Transcendentalism: two philosophies that recognize the bond between humans and nature and promote individualism as the path towards inner peace. It’s easy to confuse them with each other, since they are both preoccupied with ethical questions and view the meaning of life through a moral lens. There’s more to them than meets the…
Read More →Stoicism vs Kant: two schools of thought deeply preoccupied with morality and honorable human conduct, that advocate for employing reason to navigate any moral quandary. Which one should you look towards for moral guidance? What can they teach us about using rationality to make ethical choices? Stay tuned, cause you’re about to find out. We’ll…
Read More →Stoicism vs Realism: what can these two philosophies teach us about how to approach life in a way that doesn’t deny reality, but rather embraces it head on? Do they differ in their approach to life, or are Stoics realists by default because they accept their destiny wholeheartedly? Let’s answer these questions by looking at…
Read More →Are Stoics necessarily pragmatic because their philosophy is deeply rooted in rationality? What does it mean to be pragmatic in the philosophical sense? If you’ve ever wondered what Stoicism and Pragmatism have in common, you’ve come to the right place! This blog post will answer these questions by comparing the philosophy of Stoicism vs Pragmatism.…
Read More →Stoicism vs Skepticism - who would win if these two philosophies battled it out in search for knowledge? In an attempt to answer that question, we’ll first immerse ourselves in their teachings individually, and then proceed to a comparative analysis to dissect their similarities and differences. And just when you think you've gained a firm…
Read More →Stoicism and Humanism are known for the importance they place on reason in the quest to navigate life and for promoting the idea that individuals have a significant role to play in their own lives and in society at large. These shared beliefs lead many philosophy novices to confuse them, but I can assure you…
Read More →As Stoicism has grown in popularity - the number of searches for the term having more than doubled in the past decade - misconceptions about the philosophy have surged. A common misinterpretation wrongly assumes that Stoics are encouraged to be indifferent: aloof in their interaction with others, emotionally detached, even callous. Yet, this could not…
Read More →Stoicism vs Daoism: two of the most influential philosophies that humanity has ever known - the former - a philosophy born in the busy markets of Athens and polished in the imperial courts of Rome - and the latter - an enchanting Eastern worldview rooted in the poetic mysticism of China's yesteryears. Join me on…
Read More →If you’ve ventured into the personal development space, you’ve undoubtedly heard of both Stoicism and the Law of Attraction. Perhaps they were mentioned in passing in the context of personal growth discussions, on a podcast or maybe you stumbled upon the intriguing idea of 'Stoic affirmations’, which led you to wonder - is Stoicism compatible…
Read More →Welcome, philosophy seekers! Ever felt torn between adopting a Stoic perspective or a Cynic outlook? Or perhaps you’ve been struggling with telling them apart? Well then, you've come to the right place. Today, we're exploring Stoicism vs Cynicism—two ancient philosophies that are remarkably applicable in the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, but that…
Read More →In your personal development journey, you may have stumbled upon Stoicism and Existentialism - two very influential philosophies that have shaped countless lives over the centuries. Since they have a lot in common, you may be struggling to decide which one will help you uncover life’s meaning faster and more deeply. This post will compare…
Read More →At a first glance, Stoicism and Nihilism have the same attitude towards managing emotions, advocating for detachment as the only way to find inner peace, especially in the face of negative events. This leads many people to mistakenly conflate the two philosophies. But are Stoics really Nihilists? And what does emotional detachment truly mean in…
Read More →Parallels between Western and Eastern philosophies abound and can be explained by their independent observation of human nature (which is universal). A particularly interesting case is that of Stoicism vs Confucianism - two schools of thought that place personal virtue at the core of human existence, yet differ in their approaches to achieving it. This…
Read More →All philosophies have their own answer to how one should approach the quest for a serene life, each with varying degrees of success when applied to practical matters. The personal development space has seen two different mindsets gain significant traction in recent years: Stoicism and positive thinking. While they couldn't be more different from each…
Read More →If you're at least a little bit familiar with Stoicism and virtue ethics - you may have already spotted a lot of commonalities between these two belief systems, which made you wonder - does a Stoic follow virtue ethics? What is the connection between these two different approaches to living a moral life? In what…
Read More →If you're interested in philosophy, you might have contemplated the distinctions between Stoicism and Hedonism and wondered which one you resonate most with or whether their ideas are worth combining when designing a life philosophy of your own. Since the two philosophical schools of thought offer very different perspectives on life and happiness, it is…
Read More →Stoicism and Epicureanism are two of the most influential schools of philosophy that have emerged from Ancient Greece. Each of them has its unique perspective on life, and thus each provides different guidance on how to approach living in the world. Both of them seek to answer the question of the meaning of life, but…
Read More →Are you tired of chasing happiness, only to find it slipping through your fingers like sand? What if the secret to a fulfilling life isn't just about happiness, but something more profound? This blog post will take you on a journey through the wisdom of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics to unveil what truly…
Read More →If you’ve ever heard someone end a sentence with fate permitting - the Stoic reserve clause - you might have thought it’s an obvious statement. Of course you’re not gonna show up to meet your friend for coffee if you’re no longer around tomorrow, so there’s no need to mention it explicitly. While the word…
Read More →The philosophy of Stoicism appeared more than 2000 years ago, but has seen a recent surge in popularity due to its simple value proposition: giving you the tools to face life's challenges with confidence. As they dip their toes into the practice, novice and seasoned Stoic students alike need a comprehensive collection of Stoic book…
Read More →Of all the ways to include a bit of Stoicism into your daily life, podcasts are perhaps one of the most accessible. As a concept, they also scratch that optimizer itch, as you can pack some extra productivity into the time you're spending on chores or running errands. I set out to find the best…
Read More →Epictetus was the first Stoic author to split the philosophical practice into 3 different disciplines (also known as the 3 topoi): perception, action and will. You can think of them as the 3 essential skills one needs to develop in order to live a happy life according to Stoic principles. Keep reading to find out…
Read More →Stoicism is one of the most practical philosophies out there and as such, its teachers have come up with exercises and meditations for the most common woes of human existence. One such technique is the so-called View from Above Meditation, which asks the Stoic student to use big picture thinking to consider their place in…
Read More →The Stoics did a lot of counter-intuitive things to ensure they lived their best, most virtuous lives. One of them was practicing voluntary discomfort when their lives were good in order to prepare for the times in which the Wheel of Fortune would inevitably turn on them. This post explains what this exercise in Stoicism…
Read More →You may have heard Stoics say that you should strive to live in accordance with nature and instantly had a brief cabin-in-the-woods movie play in your mind. Even though the tranquility and fresh air seemed instantly appealing, you couldn’t help but classify it as yet another unattainable requirement set by someone living in their ivory…
Read More →Philosophies pride themselves on how they define good and evil. Even outside of any school of thought, we might have some idea of what aspects of life fall in each of those categories. What’s more, as anyone who has even been exposed to a major religion can tell you, the most pleasurable actions you could…
Read More →The Stoics believed that the only goal of a life well lived is to achieve arête, a term usually translated into English as virtue, but which is better understood as moral excellence. (This article uses the two interchangeably and assigns no religious element to either.) Drawing from the writings of Plato and Aristotle, Stoic ethics…
Read More →Those who do not understand Stoicism often denounce it as a philosophy that is overly concerned with death, which makes them dismiss it as a way of thinking incompatible with the happy-go-lucky types they identify themselves with. While pondering the end of life does hold an important place in the practice of a Stoic, there…
Read More →Admit it: you rarely think of fate when things go your way, yet you are quick to blame destiny when you’re faced with a path that diverges from your expectations. Having a healthy relationship with your destiny is paramount to achieving inner peace - this is where the Latin concept of Amor Fati comes in.…
Read More →Whether you’re a Stoicism enthusiast who wants to try all of the techniques of the OGs, or just someone who wants to become more resilient in dealing with difficult situations, there’s a negative visualization exercise that can help you lead a calmer life. Keep reading to find out what premeditatio malorum is, why it works,…
Read More →To put Stoicism into context, allow me to borrow a quote from a realist French novelist: Flaubert lived in the 19th century, so he couldn't have imagined that Stoicism would be having another cultural moment in the 21st century. But there are striking similarities between the turmoil that was felt in those times and the…
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