When I tell people who are not familiar with Stoicism that I am interested in or write about Stoicism, I often see a puzzled look on their faces – as if they wonder, ‘Why would you be interested in that?’ It is almost like they felt sorry for me. At first, their puzzled looks puzzled me. Then it gradually dawned on me that the Stoicism I was talking about had no connection to the ‘stoicism’ they had in mind.

Those who practice Stoicism know that it is based on principles that are almost self-evident, such as:

• Confine your actions to what is under your control; ignore or accept what is not under your control.

The cause of all your problems is not what happens to you; it is how you react to them.

Yet when I say I am interested in Stoicism to those who are not familiar with it, they don’t wonder what it is. They already know all about it. Except what they think of ‘stoicism’ has no relationship to Stoicism, the philosophy.
Why?

Because Stoicism has become a common English word, ‘stoicism,’ and does not mean the same thing. If you look up the meaning of the word ‘stoicism’, this is what you will find in the Oxford dictionary: the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint. Who is a stoic? Again, according to the dictionary, it is a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining. Clearly, the words ‘stoicism’ and ‘stoic’ as they are defined and understood today bear no resemblance to the philosophy of life we outlined earlier.

Unfortunately, such misconceptions are not confined only to those who are not familiar with Stoic philosophy. Even those who profess to practice Stoicism are not immune to such misconceptions.

What do our contributors say?

So I asked our distinguished contributors if they would care to share their thoughts on the topic.
Talking about the most common misconception that Stoicism is unfeeling, our guest contributor Allan John points out that the purpose of Stoicism is not to make us unfeeling but to make us see things for what they are and prefer things that are genuinely in our best interests.

Andi Sciacca tackles another major misconception about Stoicism, that it is joyless.

Brandon Tumblin answers the question whether a Stoic can be ambitious. If so, how and under what conditions?
Some view Stoicism as a harsh philosophy. Glenn Citerony shows why this is not true.

Many people these days see Stoicism as nothing more than a life-hacking tool towards some personal goal. John Kuna challenges this view of Stoicism.

Neither is Stoicism selfish, points out Karen Duffy.

Greg Sadler tackles a major issue: Why the four virtues of Stoicism – wisdom, moderation, courage, and justice? Why not virtues like honesty or compassion

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