4 ms·

My impressions from reading about stoicism have been - all of this is pretty obvious stuff, why all the books and discussions - it's weird to identify yoursel

• pmoriarty 6y ago
  What specifically did you find so obvious?
  • read_if_gay_ 6y ago
    Profound insights often seem obvious when stated.
    • pmoriarty 6y ago
      That's not specific.
• deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
• lordleft 6y ago
  As a practitioner of Stoicism, some people do seem to naturally jive with this philosophy. It might seem obvious to you because your inner life is in alignment with what it is arguing. That being said, lots of people struggle to "get" Stoicism, because they grew up believing that happiness and worth reside in something they can't fully control. For many people, it is not remotely obvious that your life is valuable if you're not rich, or handsome, or successful. It's also important to understand that Stoicism is a serious, well-argued philosophy comprised of arguments that dialogue or disagree with rival philosophical schools, like Epicureanism or Aristotelian philosophy. It contains many arguments that I feel are decidedly not obvious: * Virtue is the only good * Happiness resides in only what we fully control (our response to external circumstances), and not in things that are outside our control, or partially under the influences of things outside our control * Wisdom (the ability to exercise reason to make the wisest choices) is the most valuable faculty * We are fundamentally cosmopolitan, and see ourselves as part of a broadly human polis, instead of seeing ourselves as only Athenian, American, Indian, etc * We must act for the social good, even though we are not guaranteed success (i.e. Stoicism is NOT quietism; this particular claim puts Stoicism against the Epicureans) In fact, many people would find the fundamental framing of Stoic ethics dubious. If you're a deontologist, you'll be irritated that Stoicism often doesn't give an exact answer to a particular ethical question -- it instead emphasizes crafting a good character, and deducing the right response from what a good person would do, given the circumstances. Surely you'd want an exact answer that obtains in all situations -- none of this wishy washy virtue ethics stuff.
• thotsBgone 6y ago
  Typical mind fallacy: thinking what is obvious to you is obvious to everyone.
• paulpauper 6y ago
  >- all of this is pretty obvious stuff, why all the books and discussions money, and people are always looking for self-help and the "one simple fix" that will make their lives better. Ryan Holiday has made a lot of money selling books about stoicism, as evidently there is a lot of interest in the subject.
• parsley27 6y ago
  Sometimes something can seen as an obvious or easy choice of action after the time for decision has passed, but when an event or emotion first strikes, that choice is often obscured by passions or require more effort than you want to expend. That's where the words of previous Stoics, or a recent Podcast, or advice from /r/stoicism helps many of us to make that choice at that moment, before it has become obvious or easy in hindsight.