How to Want Something Without Needing It
The post clarifies a common Stoic misreading by explaining the term “indifferent.” Stoics categorize everything into virtue (the sole good), vice (the sole bad), and indifferents—things that don’t determine a life’s value. Among indifferents, some are “preferred” (proēgmena) such as health, wealth, and relationships, and should be pursued, while others are to be avoided. The key shift is wanting these preferred things without attaching one’s happiness to them, allowing desire without the pain of loss.
Ego Edits Reality Before You See It
The author announces a new 150‑page ebook, Stoic Confidence, which blends Stoic philosophy with modern cognitive science to explain how confidence is built, not performed. The ebook will launch in July, and anyone with an annual or patron subscription will receive...
How to Stay Adaptable in a Changing World
Adaptability has shifted from a valuable trait to a business imperative as automation and AI force professionals to reinvent their skill sets every few years. The Stoic Wisdoms essay highlights that intelligence can paradoxically cement belief rigidity, citing Dan Kahan’s...
Face the Fear Directly
The post argues that fear grows when we imagine difficulties instead of confronting them, turning a manageable problem into an unbounded threat. It explains that our brain’s evolutionary bias to over‑estimate danger can distort modern, non‑lethal challenges like social or...
You Are What You Attend To
The post argues that attention, not just productivity, sculpts who we become. Citing William James, Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch, it shows how the things that capture our gaze—often algorithms or habits—forge our identity. A December 2025 Rockefeller University study...
Critical Thinking Is Harder Than You Think
The post argues that critical thinking is harder than most realize because people instinctively scrutinize information that challenges their beliefs while letting confirming data pass unchecked. It highlights how modern algorithms amplify this bias, creating echo chambers that reinforce unexamined...
What You Allow Will Continue
The post argues that incremental concessions—both external and internal—gradually reshape our standards and identity. It highlights the Stoic concept of synkatathesis, the instant we assent to a thought, as the hidden hinge of this drift. By exposing how unexamined internal...
Constant Entertainment Kills Original Thought
The essay argues that relentless digital entertainment has eliminated boredom, a mental state once essential for generating original ideas. By filling every idle moment with podcasts, videos, and scrolling, we have reduced the brain’s capacity for deep, generative thinking. The...
Conviction Over Willpower
Conviction Over Willpower argues that lasting change comes from aligning actions with genuine values rather than relying on sheer discipline. Drawing on Stoic thinkers like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, it shows that apparent willpower failures are actually belief mismatches—people act...
200,000 Readers Later - Giveaway + Special Offer
The founder of Stoic Wisdoms announced reaching 200,000 readers after a year‑long climb from the first 1,000 subscribers. To celebrate, a giveaway of ten free annual subscriptions is being run, and a 50 % discount on all annual plans is offered...
On Selling Out
The essay "On Selling Out" interrogates the tension between personal integrity and pragmatic compromise, arguing that authenticity is shaped by daily choices rather than a static core. It uses the Roman figure Cato the Younger to illustrate the pitfalls of...