"Why Nietzsche Hated Stoicism

Picture this Fredick nitzche that

philosophical Sledgehammer of the 19th

century scrolling through Modern social

media he sees Tech billionaires quoting

Marcus aelius between funding

announcements he watches as stoicism for

Success dominates bestseller lists and

fitness influencers preach emotional

Detachment as the path to six-pack abs

his reaction not scholarly interests or

grudging respect but absolute contempt

stoicism is undeniably having its

cultural moment from Silicon Valley

Executives to celebrity podcasters from

Reddit forums to airport bookstores

everyone seems to be carrying Pocket

Editions of senica and preaching the

gospel of focusing only on what you can

control this ancient Greco Roman

philosophy with its emphasis on

emotional restraint and acceptance of

Fate has found an eager audience in our

anxious uncertain world but there's one

intellectual giant who would have

watched this stoic Revival with

thunderous disdain Friedrich n the

German philosopher didn't just disagree

with stoicism he considered it a

profound betrayal of human nature a

philosophy of Life denial disguised as

wisdom spiritual anesthesia masquerading

as

strength today we're diving into this

philosophical showdown between two

Titans of Western thought and the stakes

couldn't be higher they're fighting over

nothing less than how we should live our

lives the Cornerstone of stoic

philosophy is living according to Nature

harmonizing with what they perceived as

the universe's rational design for the

stoics the cosmos operates according to

Divine reason a perfectly ordered system

where everything unfolds according to

rational

principles this is why Marcus Aurelius

could write in his meditations that

whatever happens to us is part of a

greater plan and our task is simply to

accept it with Grace n demolishes this

premise with characteristic ferocity in

Beyond Good and Evil he writes you

desire to live according to Nature oh

you Noble stoics what deceptive words

these are imagine a being like nature

wasteful beyond measure indifferent

beyond measure without purpose and

consideration without mercy and

Justice imagine indifference itself as a

power how could you live according to

this

indifference for n the natural world

isn't an ordered system but an amoral

chaotic Force completely indifferent to

human concepts of meaning or Justice

just look around tsunamis don't spare

children cancer doesn't avoid The

Virtuous and ecosystems thve on constant

brutal

competition nature isn't rational or

kind it's powerful creative destructive

and utterly indifferent to our moral

categories n accuses stoics of profound

intellectual dishonesty they project

their moral ideals onto the universe

then claim to derive those same ideals

from Nature's

example your pride wants to impose your

morality your ideal on nature and

incorporate them in her he

charges the stoic contemplating the

ordered Cosmos is less like a scientist

discovering natural laws and more like a

child seeing faces in the clouds finding

only what they already put

there stoicism's approach to emotions

the pursuit of apatha and ataraxia which

is also known as freedom from disruptive

passions and Tranquility represents for

n not psychological maturity but a

profound diminishment of human

potential in the gay science he offers a

visceral metaphor the stoic exercises

himself and swallowing stones and worms

glass shards and scorpions and not

feeling any disgust his stomach is

supposed to become indifferent in the

end to everything that the accidents of

existence might pour into it this image

captures n's Central objection stoic

emotional discipline isn't self-mastery

but self mutilation

deliberately numbing oneself to life's

full spectrum think about it is a person

who feels nothing at the loss of a loved

one stronger than someone who Grieves

deeply is someone who can't be moved by

Beauty passion or even righteous anger

truly living a full human life stoicism

fora is philosophical Botox dulling

life's Expressions while killing its

Vitality the stoics pursuit of emotional

safety is the philosophy of a caged

animal life reduced to a dull tame

existence under the illusion of

strength consider how we approach

difficult emotions today when we feel

anxiety we're often told to just breathe

or focus on what you can control classic

stoic advice but what if that anxiety is

pointing to something important we need

to address what if our anger GS wisdom

about Injustice that deserves expression

the stoic doesn't transcend suffering he

merely numbs himself to it like a

patient who chooses permanent anesthesia

over the risky Vitality of feeling alive

behind this quest for invulnerability n

detects not strength but fear

specifically fear of being deeply

affected by life's

unpredictability true power lies not in

remaining unmoved but in Having the

courage to be moved deeply and still

affirm existence is tranquility strength

or is a render to

fear modern stoics would object to this

characterization philosopher masimo

pigui argues that apathia isn't

emotional numbness but Clarity the

ability to see situations without

Distortion Donald Robertson contends

that stoicism is fundamentally proactive

not passive acceptance but strategic

focus on what matters

the modern stoic would say we don't

suppress emotions but transform them we

don't resign ourselves to fate we engage

strategically with reality we don't

counsel indifference to Injustice but

pragmatic action after all didn't Marcus

aelius actively fulfill his duties as

Emperor rather than merely accepting his

fate nevertheless n would remain deeply

skeptical while stoics emphasize

virtuous action their fundament premise

that virtue alone is sufficient for

happiness subtly undermines the creative

tension necessary for

transformation when virtue becomes its

own reward doesn't this discourage the

risky passionate engagement that drives

revolutionary change consider climate

activism a strict stoic might Focus

solely on personal virtue reducing their

carbon footprint living simply while

accepting that the global climate crisis

is largely beyond their control a nichan

approach might embrace the creative

anger that fuels movement building the

passionate commitment to transforming

what seems

unchangeable can a philosophy that makes

peace with circumstances ever truly

challenge the status

quo the stoic Sage that Paragon of

perfect rationality and virtue immune to

Fortune's blows represents for n not an

aspirational ideal but a revealing

fantasy

even the stoics acknowledged this figure

was more theoretical than actual a North

star by which to navigate rather than a

destination to reach I mistrust all

systematizer and avoid them n declares

the will to a system is a lack of

Integrity the stoic philosophical

structure attempts to impose conceptual

order on the messy reality of Human

Experience n would see the stoic Sage

not as an ideal but as a corpse to

disciplined to realize it has already

died a philosophical Taxidermy project

that preserves the form of human

greatness while draining it of all vital

fluids the Sage's bloodless Perfection

represents not Humanity's highest

achievement but its ultimate

betrayal the sages supposed achievement

of perfect Tranquility through perfect

rationality fundamentally misunderstands

what makes us human our contradictions

our passions our capacity for both

creation and

destruction what is the Seal of

Liberation n asks no longer being

ashamed in front of oneself where

stoicism seeks Freedom through rational

control over the self n finds Liberation

and honest self-acceptance

embracing even those aspects of

ourselves that resist rational Mastery

what makes this critique particularly

devastating is that it undermines

stoicism not just as incorrect but as

psychologically impossible the stoic

conception of human nature resembles an

architectural blueprint that ignores the

actual materials available for

construction n's alternative the will to

power and the Uber mench where stoicism

offers self-restraint n Champions

self-expansion his concept of Will To

Power isn't about dominating others but

the fundamental Drive behind all life

the impulse toward growth complexity and

self overcoming while stoics seek to

minimize suffering through acceptance n

sees suffering as transformative fuel

for human greatness think about it this

way would you rather be a stone unmoved

by the storm or the storm itself shaping

the landscape with your Force the stoic

aims to be the still ocean n urges you

to be the crashing wave the Uber mench

often translated as over or Superman

embodies this philosophy in

action unlike the stoic Sage who

achieves Perfection through rational

Detachment the Uber mench creates

meaning through passionate engagement

transforming suffering into self-mastery

by shaping their own values instead of

inheriting them embracing contradiction

is strength rather than weakness and

affirming life without metaphysical

consolations they craft a deeper

self-determined existence

consider artists who Channel personal

trauma into powerful creative work

entrepreneurs who fail repeatedly before

revolutionizing an industry or activists

who transform their anger at Injustice

into world changing movements these

aren't people who practiced stoic

Detachment from their circumstances

they're individuals who fully Embrace

their experiences including suffering

and transform them into something

meaningful Nan flourishing doesn't

promise tranquil but Vitality a life

characterized by intensity creative

power and joyful wisdom like a bow drawn

taau human greatness emerges precisely

from opposing forces held in productive

tension rather than resolved into

artificial Harmony where the stoic sees

the Tempest of human passion as

something to be calmed n sees it as

energy to be harnessed the stoic builds

walls against life storms n builds

windmills transforming resistance into

Power one philosophy seeks immunity from

life's chaos the other seeks to ride it

like a dangerous and magnificent Beast

so would you rather be a tranquil Pond

or a powerful River carving its own

path stoicism's emphasis on personal

virtue independent of external

conditions carries an inherently

conservative impulse by treating poverty

oppression or Injustice as

preferred indifference that do not

hinder true fulfillment stoicism raises

difficult questions if happiness is

possible even under extreme hardship why

challenge the systems that create

suffering if a slave can achieve udonia

while remaining enslaved does this not

implicitly validate existing power

structures this Dynamic plays out in

modern workplaces where corporate

stoicism subtly reinforces compliance

many companies promote stoic principles

through mindfulness programs radical

acceptance and the Mantra of controlling

what you can control all while

maintaining exploitative practices Tech

firms that encourage resilience among

overworked employees yet resist

meaningful structural change use

stoicism as a tool not for empowerment

but for

Endurance by teaching workers to adapt

rather than organize stoicism becomes a

philosophy of survival within an unjust

system rather than a means of

transforming it just look at Amazon

where warehouse workers face grueling

conditions while the company promotes

Wellness initiatives that teach

employees to manage their stress rather

than addressing its root causes or

consider how resilience training in

schools often focuses on helping

children adapt to Broken Educational

Systems rather than fixing the systems

themselves

a similar pattern emerges in politics

figures like senica counseled Emperors

on virtue and moderation yet rarely

question the legitimacy of Empire itself

even as he advised Nero to rule justly

he remained complicit in a fundamentally

unjust system stoicism refines

individual character but stops short of

imagining radical structural change

focusing on personal Integrity within

the status quo rather than challeng in

the foundations of power n in contrast

refuses to accept inherited systems as

immutable when he proclaimed I am

dynamite it was not empty bravado but a

commitment to creative

destruction where stoicism offers peace

within the system Nicha calls for its

Annihilation he demands that we break

from inherited constraints burn away

what is lifeless and create something

truer to the chaotic Vitality of

existence one of nich's most penetrating

insights is that philosophies are never

merely abstract intellectual positions

but expressions of psychological types

in Beyond Good and Evil he writes

gradually it has become clear to me what

every great philosophy has been a

confession on the part of its author and

a kind of involuntary and unconscious

Memoir applied to stoicism

this perspective reveals how the

philosophy might appeal particularly to

individuals with specific psychological

dispositions those who find uncertainty

intolerable who seek clear principles

for navigating

complexity this doesn't invalidate

stoicism but contextualizes it as one

possible response to human vulnerability

rather than Universal wisdom nich's own

philosophy similarly appeals to

different psychological types those who

experience restriction more painfully

than uncertainty who find established

systems

stifling each philosophy speaks to

different existential fears stoicism

addresses the fear of being overwhelmed

by external forces and internal passions

while n addresses the fear of

diminishment through excessive control

and

resignation each philosophical system

offers medicine for different diseases

of the

Soul think about your own temperament do

you feel more threatened by chaos or by

constraint does the thought of

surrendering control terrify you or does

the prospect of rigid self-discipline

feel like a kind of death your answer

might reveal which philosophical

approach naturally speaks to your

psychological needs the stoic and the

Nan don't just think differently they

experience the world differently finding

different aspects of existence painful

or

exhilarating the most fascinating

tension between n and stoicism emerges

in their seemingly parallel concepts of

Fate acceptance n's Amor F love of fate

meaning embracing your life so

completely you wouldn't change a single

moment of pain or Joy initially appears

strikingly similar to epitus as counsel

to wish the things which happen to be as

they

are yet this similarity conceals a

profound philosophical Gulf the stoic

accepts fate because it flows from a

provid itial Cosmic order ultimately

rational ultimately good this acceptance

rests on metaphysical Comfort what

happens must happen for the best within

divine reason's plan n's love of Fate

acknowledges no such Cosmic reassurance

his Universe offers no divine plan no

inherent meaning his omarhati represents

not resignation to a rational order but

defiant affirmation despite the the

absence of order a creative act that

transforms necessity into chosen

Destiny my formula for greatness in a

human being n writes is Amor Fati that

one wants nothing to be different not

forward not backward not in all eternity

not merely bear what is necessary but

love

it this distinction reveals the

essential difference between stoic

resignation and n an affirmation where

the stoic seeks peace through acceptance

of cosmic design n creates meaning

through the artistic transmutation of

brute

necessity consider how differently these

philosophies approach personal tragedy

the stoic finds Solas in the belief that

even terrible events serve some rational

purpose within the cosmic order when a

loved one dies the stoic reminds himself

that death is natural unavoidable and

part of a larger plan he cannot fully

comprehend but must

accept n offers no such Comfort when

tragedy strikes there is no Cosmic

purpose to discover instead he proposes

something more radical the creative

transformation of suffering itself

taking the raw material of one's fate

and reimagining it as meaningful not

because it was meant to be but because

one wills it to become meaningful the

art artist who channels grief into a

powerful work isn't accepting fate as

the stoic would they're transforming it

through creative will our contemporary

stoic Revival with its emphasis on

emotional regulation acceptance of

uncontrollables and focus on personal

virtue would likely strike n as

symptomatic of our cultural moment an

era where self-optimization replaces

self-creation where emotional management

substitutes for passionate

engagement what is the greatest thing

you can experience n asks And Thus Spoke

zarathustra it is the hour of great

contempt the hour in which even your

happiness becomes loathsome to you and

so also your reason and virtue true

philosophical growth begins not with

maxims for contentment but with profound

dissatisfaction look at how stoicism is

marketed today as a productivity hack a

Stress Management technique a way to

become a more efficient employee or

entrepreneur the philosophy has been

stripped of its deeper ethical

dimensions and repurposed as a

psychological tool for functioning

better within existing systems rather

than questioning or transforming

them in a world facing unprecedented

challenges technological transformation

Democratic fragility ecological crisis

is calm acceptance our highest virtue or

might we need the creative disruption n

championed the stoic division between

what we can and cannot control might

appear prudent but doesn't meaningful

change often begin precisely by refusing

to accept supposed limits on what humans

can

transform the Civil Rights Movement

feminist Revolution and environmental

activism all began with individuals

rejecting established boundaries between

the controllable and

uncontrollable had they adopted strict

stoic principles accept the social

conditions of their time as externals

beyond their control would these

transformative movements ever have

emerged when Martin Luther King Jr

declared I have a dream was he

practicing stoic acceptance of reality

or Nan creation of a new

reality the philosophies of stoicism and

Nan thought both address life's

fundamental uncertainty but differ in

their

aims understanding when to apply

each requires recognizing the distinct

challenges life

presents stoicism serves best in moments

of acute crisis providing immediate

emotional stability when your flight is

cancelled and raging won't help stoic

principles offer practical wisdom it

offers Clarity and objectivity in

situations that demand effective action

and helps navigate circumstances that

truly cannot be changed like terminal

illness or natural

disasters when emotional restraint

prevents harm stoicism becomes a

necessary anchor nichan thought in

contrast is vital when stagnation

threatens growth it thrives in moments

requiring creative reinvention when

challenging unjust systems demands

passionate commitment and during

transformative periods that call for

embracing uncertainty rather than

resisting it when confronting systemic

racism or Environmental ruction Nan

creative passion may drive more

meaningful change than stoic

acceptance moving between these

approaches is not arbitrary but requires

philosophical discernment the wisdom to

recognize which mode a situation

demands the true skill lies in knowing

when to build stoic fortresses and when

to embrace nichan

dynamism this oscillation between

restraint and expression acceptance and

creation m end the natural rhythms of

life

itself wisdom emerges not from rigid

adherence to either philosophy but from

the ability to shift fluidly between

them containing multitudes as Walt

Whitman might

say perhaps n's critique serves not to

invalidate stoicism but to contextualize

it to reveal it as one possible response

to human vulnerability rather than the

universal wisdom it sometimes presents

itself as as n himself acknowledged

there are many kinds of eyes and

consequently there are many kinds of

truths and consequently there is no

truth the question isn't which

philosophy is universally correct but

which illuminates your particular path

at this particular

moment so in facing life's challenges

ask not only what would a stoic do but

also what would n do and recognize that

the answer that serves life today May

differ from tomorrow's truth share this

video with someone who thinks stoicism

is the answer to everything or with a

friend who might benefit from hearing

about nich's passionate

alternative life is too complex for one

size fits all philosophies and the

conversation between these two

approaches might just help you navigate

your own path with greater wisdom and

vitality