The Problem with Stoicism

SA Episode #14

Julius Evola—one of the most insightful yet dangerous authors I’ve ever read—criticizes Stoicism because it primarily revolves around rationalism; he perceives it as a resignation from the heroic and transcendent ideal. Stoics lack an authentic, aristocratic, spiritually virile worldview. They’re overly focused on rational self-mastery and inner moral order at the expense of transcendence. This reliance on reason reflects a decline from the sacred and heroic worldview of earlier traditions—consider the Indo-European cultures. Stoicism encourages apatheia (freedom from passions) and enduring fate with equanimity. Evola sees this as a kind of inner passivity or resignation, which, while noble in a sense, doesn’t embody the heroic affirmative action of the traditional warrior-spiritual type.¹

Jash Dholani is one of my favorite aphorists alive

THE PROBLEM with (too much) Stoicism is that it lacks intensity, energy, and passion. Stoicism undeniably provides a marvelous moral constitution; but it’s full of platitudes and clichés.

“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.” — Epictetus

“As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all.” — Seneca

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

“An important place to begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one’s own ruling principle.” — Epictetus

“If you live in harmony with nature, you’ll never be poor; if you live according to what others think, you’ll never be rich.” — Seneca

“That which isn’t good for the hive, isn’t good for the bee.” — Marcus Aurelius

If you think I’m cherry-picking these quotes, look for a book written by any of the Stoics and decide for yourself.

My wild bet is that one of the many reasons Christianity rose to power is because, around Rome, people got deeply bored of endless rules and discipline. They desired something more mystical and surprising. Mircea Eliade argues that, whether we like it or not, “the experience of the ancient religious sentiment is by no means alien to the consciousness of modern humans.” We descend from homo religiosus and thus retain a very large stock of camouflaged myths and rituals. Purely rational people are never found in real life.²

Too much Stoicism dulls life. If I hang out with my friends to enjoy 2-3 bottles of Riesling, this could merely be tolerated by Stoicism but never encouraged.³ Stoicism doesn’t blithely support intellectual vagabonding, procrastination, idleness, or any forms of play—even though these could very well be virtues. Stoicism feels more like a medicine you may take every now and then rather than a nutritious and delicious meal to eat on a weekly basis.⁴

The beautiful commune of Tramin, northern Italy, is where the grape variety Gewürztraminer has its origins (it produces one of my favorite wines)

To be clear: Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus are some of the greatest philosophers of all time. There’s little room for debate! But their approach is often boring, sterile, and soulless.

Pursuing emotional moderation or equilibrium ad infinitum is a form of death by armor.⁵ Albert Camus understood that, to truly lean into the intensity of being alive, you have to “live to the point of tears”—to be moved by beauty, to be hurt by connection, to be overwhelmed by the absolute absurdity of existence. This is the highest form of courage! Lao Tzu wrote: “The living are soft and yielding. The dead are rigid and stiff.” Stoicism is a shield for war, not a lifestyle design playbook.

1. Julius Evola is to be read cautiously and critically. I certainly do NOT support his philosophy as a whole, as his writings often verge on complete delirium, including misogyny, racism, and antisemitism. His intellectual spark is impressive at times—such as his critique of Stoicism—yet my excitement fades quickly. In the spirit of the famous saying “read books you disagree with,” start with anything written by Evola. You will likely experience anger, disappointment, and sadness, but also passion and energy. I despise fascism; but to genuinely despise it and be able to fight against it, you first need to understand where it’s coming from and—most importantly—why it functions like a moral vacuum in modern society.

2. Some books I recommend by Mircea Eliade: The Sacred and The Profane & The Myth of the Eternal Return & Patterns in Comparative Religion.

3. If you want to try some spectacular white wines, check out Gewürztraminer and Fetească Regală from Villa Vinèa.

4. Although Seneca discusses this briefly, Stoicism doesn’t provide any extensive guidance in terms of rest and leisure. Epicureanism is more promising in this respect but equally lacks a mystical aspect or transcendent ideal.

5. Ashwin Sharma via Twitter deserves credit here.