(March 5, 2024 at 1:20 pm)emjay Wrote: Looks like I misunderstood what you were calling selfish, Boru. I don't know much about the underlying philosophy of Stoicism, but I was just thinking about the practical aspect of it, of, similar to Buddhism, not trying to control the external environment but rather how you respond to it. I don't see that as selfish or not just a useful tool or perspective to have on the world.
When I said ‘selfish’ I didn’t mean as in the sense of greedy or spiteful, just that stoicism’s primary focus is on improving the Self. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that (we could all do with some self-improvement), but I’m not convinced that individuals living virtuously will necessarily extend that virtue to society as a whole.
Utilitarianism, on the other hand is just the opposite. While bits of it are certainly problematic, its focus is the greatest good for the greatest number in order to reach maximal happiness for as many people as possible. It’s a goal I find to be more laudable and useful than stoicism.
Boru
‘I can’t be having with this.’ - Esmeralda Weatherwax
