The Big Other and the Impossibility of Inner Freedom
Why stoicism fails as a modern ideology.
Stoicism has been experiencing a resurgence in recent years and it is easy to see the appeal. We are inundated with images of a chaotic and fractured world while simultaneously being paralyzed by the freedom of choice and opportunity. It feels like everything is broken yet anything is possible.
So a philosophy that suggests our emotions can be harnessed and that we should primarily focus on differentiating between what we can and cannot change sounds enticing. It seems like an appealing strategy for navigating our times.
However, there is a fundamental problem underlying Stoicism that makes it a problematic philosophy for our post-modern age. By no means am I suggesting that everything about Stoicism should be tossed out. There is a lot of fantastic advice that falls under the Stoicism umbrella. But there is a central area of concern that lies at the center. It has to do with the big Other and how our concept of the big Other has shifted over the centuries.
What Is the Big Other?
The big Other, a concept largely used by Jacques Lacan, refers to the idea of substantive authority or order that is separate from the subject (me and you). Philosopher and theologian Peter…
