How Stoicism Became Broicism
Is it any mystery why rich tech bro’s (and their fanboys) love self-absorbed Roman philosopher-kings?
When Zeno of Citium (c. 335–263 B.C.E), the father of Stoicism, decided Providence was trying to tell him his time had come, he obligingly committed suicide — by holding his breath. Who said philosophers, famous for being long-winded, have no sense of humor?
If the gods had shown him a vision of things to come — his philosophy repurposed as “an operating system for thriving in high-stress environments” by life-hacker gurus like Tim Ferriss (The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master) and marketers of motivational breviaries like Ryan Holiday (The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living) — he would’ve self-asphyxiated long before his preachments could get any traction with the young men of Athens.
Alas, the gods forbore, and Broicism is ascendant in Silicon Valley and wherever devotees of “peak performance” and the dude-ly gospel of success through self-mastery gather.
On his podcast, Ferriss retools the wisdom of Stoic philosophers like Seneca for aspiring Alpha males who dream of “rapid fat loss, incredible sex, and becoming superhuman.” Broicist titles dominate Amazon categories with Dilbert-ian names…
