As the world with each day is becoming more hyperconnected and communication-centric, will being emotionally enduring and closed up self-destructive in the long-term? Is stoicism still relevant in the Internet era? The most evident example I can bring is pathological loneliness in older (25+) males.
asked Aug 29, 2020 at 4:42
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Does this answer your question? How is contemporary Stoicism related to classical Stoicism?– ConifoldCommented Aug 29, 2020 at 5:19
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I do not mean modern as in dusty, academic context but actually modern. Think when social media became widespread.– ImmortanJoe is censored and muCommented Aug 29, 2020 at 6:08
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That's how it is. Modern stoics have several websites, and their leading light Pigliucci has a blog. You can follow them on twitter and facebook too.– ConifoldCommented Aug 29, 2020 at 6:58
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"Power" and "Money" is the main difference between modern Stoicism and Ancient Stoisicm. quora.com/Is-stoicism-a-useful-philosophy-in-modern-life– user47436Commented Aug 29, 2020 at 15:23
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In Ancient Stoics, everything in the universe was purposefully and rationally organized to a good end. So the slogan was "The End Always Is Good". But In Modern Stoicism However, this view is much more difficult to uphold in the present day. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Stoicism– user47436Commented Aug 29, 2020 at 15:27
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3 Answers
For many people today, it seems so! I'm not much into Stoicism myself, but I am always surprised when I use "philosophy" as a search term in, say, book markets, to see how much Stoicism pops up.
As a popular book topic on the "philosophy" shelf, it seems to rival "The Art of War" and "Atlas Shrugged," which inclines me to think there must be something fishy about this vogue. Not sure where and when this renewed interest started.
My guess is that this is partly due to the fact that Stoicism can be easily rendered into "self-help" doctrines and imbibed in small doses and neat aphorisms, unlike much of philosophy. But it has a long honorable history, so my misgivings are a bit unfair.
Hegel, and perhaps others, have characterized Stoicism, along with Epicureanism and Pyrrhonism and such, as philosophies of the "unhappy consciousness," arising in a period of history when the fall of city states and the rise of empires produced feelings of alienation, powerlessness, and diverse esoteric cults.
Such philosophies turned inward, abandoning the "scientific" search for truth or political idealism, to pursue individual happiness, or at least some sense of personal equanimity in an uncertain universe. So, yes, there is a kind of "seeking" and "self-help" aspect to it.
The Stoic stance, mixed with a little Platonism, did much to set the cultural atmosphere in which Christianity could arise. In particular its universalism. I suspect its popularity today may be that it still offers that sort of mental resource in a time of mass alienation and globalism, minus the untenable, emasculating Christian bits.
It has the advantage that it doesn't require a grasp of all the other philosophies, more stand-alone, and yet it does offer a venerable heritage, a role in history, and a sizable, high-quality booklist. Seneca's essays, for example, seem very contemporary and enlightening.
answered Aug 29, 2020 at 21:08
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@Immortan Joe- see 'How to Think like a Roman Emperor'. You can preview it on Amazon books. The author also has a blog and yes, the mental toughness ascribed to some forms of Stoicism might prove very helpful in today's fast paced world.– user37981Commented Aug 30, 2020 at 4:04
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The author is Donald Robertson. He hosts a blog and will answer any question you may have. Mention my name if you think it might be useful.– user37981Commented Aug 30, 2020 at 4:08
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Stoicism sounds awfully lot like someone in teens and early 20s would believe, it is basically ancient version of being cool. No wonder it is plagued by "self improvement" and "masculinity" bs so much. Commented Aug 30, 2020 at 9:24
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@ImmortanJoe. I didn't mean to makes it sound bad, and it is well worth checking out, more personally applicable than most philosophy. I just don't know why there seem to be a lot of popular titles on it now. Just go for the classics, Epictetus to Seneca before picking up Stoicism Lite. Commented Aug 30, 2020 at 19:15
In modern day society a person needs more stoic belief than before. Although people are close to each other but as a human you can't rely on a particular person or a thing. Every person face different types of situations so if a person wants to be strong and face any kind of situation stoicism can help me. you can visit: https://200219badarulislam.blogspot.com/2020/10/i-first-found-stoic-philosophy-friend.html secondly stoicism is for inner peace and happiness. it make a person to remain constant in every situation. By applying stoic laws one can find inner peace and happiness and balance in emotions. Hope this will answer your question.
Absolutely. Emotional contagion is increased with increased communication, so regulation of one's emotions, particularly in the face of xenophobic impulses that color human psychological adjustment. Stoicism is a doctrine that allows one to avoid cognitive distortions that arise from intense emotions that arise from propositions that have a strong emotional impact.