Should we all be Stoics? An ancient school of thought dedicated to self-reliance and self-control has taken the world by storm. Some think it might be selling us antisocial habits.
Stars crazy for ancient Greek advice
Should we all be Stoics? An ancient school of thought dedicated to self-reliance and self-control has taken the world by storm. Some think it might be selling us antisocial habits.
For most of history, humanity knew how to live, because their religion told them what was good and what was not. So what do we do at a time when many of us have no religion at all?
For popular philosopher Ryan Holiday, the answer is simple: look to a different set of ancient books for guidelines. He thinks we have much to learn from the Stoics.
StoicismA philosophy that originated in the ancient world and still has many adherents today. Stoics seek to control their emotions and preserve their happiness in the face of adversity. is one of the world's oldest philosophies, dating all the way back to the 4th Century BC.1
Today it has gained many acolytes among the rich and famous of our own times, including tech bosses like Jack DorseyThe co-founder and former CEO of social media site Twitter, now renamed X. and celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger.2
Stoics hold that the key to happiness lies in oneself, not in others. As such, we should not rely on other people. Stoic philosopher EpictetusA Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery. even suggested his followers should remind themselves daily that they would not be disturbed if their loved ones died.3
Stoics believe that the good life is one free of passions, and so they should cultivate their self-control to see the world only through logic.
Some think this is exactly the problem with Stoicism. It is the perfect ideologySet of beliefs. for the modern billionaire: it tells them there is virtue in individualismThe political philosophy that values the rights of the individual over society. It is a key idea in liberal democracies and modern capitalism. and that they do not need anyone else.
That may encourage them to keep producing technologies that harm the planet and the people who use them.
A better philosophy for the modern age, they argue, would emphasise not isolation but interconnectedness, the impossibility of being happy oneself if others are not happy as well.
Even Friedrich NietzscheA German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture (1844 - 1900), who became one of the most influential of all modern thinkers. thought Stoicism made for a lonely life. He asked his readers if they could really live in a state of complete indifference: "Living, is that not precisely wanting to be different?"4
Should we all be Stoics?
Yes: In an age of religious disenchantmentThe feeling of disappointment with something you once admired. , we need a new moral code. Stoicism helps us to stand on our own two feet and builds our resilience against the troubles the world sends our way.
No: Stoicism is unsuited to a world where we are all truly reliant on other people around the globe to provide everything for us, right down to the food we eat.
Or... There are arguments for and against being a Stoic, but the real problem is believing we can use ancient texts for ideas and ignore the contextThe circumstances around an event that mean it can be fully understood. in which they were created.
Stoicism - A philosophy that originated in the ancient world and still has many adherents today. Stoics seek to control their emotions and preserve their happiness in the face of adversity.
Jack Dorsey - The co-founder and former CEO of social media site Twitter, now renamed X.
Epictetus - A Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery.
Ideology - Set of beliefs.
Individualism - The political philosophy that values the rights of the individual over society. It is a key idea in liberal democracies and modern capitalism.
Friedrich Nietzsche - A German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture (1844 - 1900), who became one of the most influential of all modern thinkers.
Disenchantment - The feeling of disappointment with something you once admired.
Context - The circumstances around an event that mean it can be fully understood.
Stars crazy for ancient Greek advice

Glossary
Stoicism - A philosophy that originated in the ancient world and still has many adherents today. Stoics seek to control their emotions and preserve their happiness in the face of adversity.
Jack Dorsey - The co-founder and former CEO of social media site Twitter, now renamed X.
Epictetus - A Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery.
Ideology - Set of beliefs.
Individualism - The political philosophy that values the rights of the individual over society. It is a key idea in liberal democracies and modern capitalism.
Friedrich Nietzsche - A German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture (1844 – 1900), who became one of the most influential of all modern thinkers.
Disenchantment - The feeling of disappointment with something you once admired.
Context - The circumstances around an event that mean it can be fully understood.