Really thoughtful piece, Caleb — I especially appreciated the emphasis on inner authority.
One place I see things a little differently is around emotion and political strain.
The Stoics said externals don’t determine our flourishing, but they never claimed externals are irrelevant. Emotions aren’t just judgments; they’re also natural signals shaped by evolution. Injustice, disorder, and uncertainty genuinely place pressure on human coherence — even if they don’t excuse vice.
And the Stoics teach that justice is a cardinal virtue expressed through wisdom and courage in action, especially when injustice is present. Equanimity isn’t meant to detach us from the world, but to steady our judgment so we can meet reality — including political pressures — with clarity rather than collapse.
Just offering another angle. Really appreciated the piece.
The idea that “no one is deprived of the truth against his will” is difficult for me to grasp when I think about the information silos we cloak ourselves in. Confirmation bias is an unconscious decision that makes us comfortable in our worldview and can lead to unjust actions. Do we “willingly” choose to be comfortable? If we can choose to try and see truth, we can choose to continue to keep our heads in the sand.
Timor your comment is just negative and does not contribute to any open discussion towards finding truth or virtue etc - look for an other audience were you can get happiness
Correct, we've run out of material. From here on out it this letter will solely consist in recycling quotes from mid-rate thinkers and clickbait listicles.
Really thoughtful piece, Caleb — I especially appreciated the emphasis on inner authority.
One place I see things a little differently is around emotion and political strain.
The Stoics said externals don’t determine our flourishing, but they never claimed externals are irrelevant. Emotions aren’t just judgments; they’re also natural signals shaped by evolution. Injustice, disorder, and uncertainty genuinely place pressure on human coherence — even if they don’t excuse vice.
And the Stoics teach that justice is a cardinal virtue expressed through wisdom and courage in action, especially when injustice is present. Equanimity isn’t meant to detach us from the world, but to steady our judgment so we can meet reality — including political pressures — with clarity rather than collapse.
Just offering another angle. Really appreciated the piece.
Absolutely, I agree that justice is essential for Stoics. The Stoic arguments for tranquility are not arguments for political passivity.
"brevis insania"
What more is there to say.
Great article.
Thanks for reading, Bill.
Noble Work
Well done!
The idea that “no one is deprived of the truth against his will” is difficult for me to grasp when I think about the information silos we cloak ourselves in. Confirmation bias is an unconscious decision that makes us comfortable in our worldview and can lead to unjust actions. Do we “willingly” choose to be comfortable? If we can choose to try and see truth, we can choose to continue to keep our heads in the sand.
Do we have nothing else to write about? Is there just dogshit left on the drawing board?
Timor your comment is just negative and does not contribute to any open discussion towards finding truth or virtue etc - look for an other audience were you can get happiness
Correct, we've run out of material. From here on out it this letter will solely consist in recycling quotes from mid-rate thinkers and clickbait listicles.