The Stoic Art of Being Indifferent
Stoicism and the Importance of Value-Judgments
Stoic philosophy, at its core, is built around the Dichotomy of Control (“DOC”) and the idea of pursuing a virtuous life. While the DOC teaches us what is and is not within our control, it is only the first step in our journey to living virtuously. The second step, after we separate what is and is not within our control, is the application of value-judgments we place on external things we encounter. The Stoics separated value-judgments into three categories: good, bad, and indifferent. The first two are self-explanatory, the last is somewhat more difficult for individuals studying the philosophy to understand.
- Good: Something that benefits the self.
- Bad: Something which doesn’t benefit the self.
- Indifferent: It could be good or bad but is dependent upon other things.
While external things are not within our control, we still must meet them on a day-to-day basis. Each day we wake up and go throughout our day, we receive an external stimulus and then must add a value-judgment — good, bad, or indifferent — to that stimuli. Differentiating these three — good, bad, and indifferent — is a delicate balance that we as humans must face each and every day of our lives and is referred to as the Discipline of Assent.
