Are Stoics happier?

Yes, the Stoics can not only be happy but also feel the full range of emotions. They can be happy, sad, angry, or intense, without the need to hide behind faces emptied of expressions. The Stoics feel emotions as given by Nature but do not get overwhelmed by them.

What is the difference between Hedonism and stoicism?

Stoicism vs Hedonism: the distinction. When comparing stoicism vs hedonism, the most important distinction is based on the idea of pleasure. In stoicism, pleasure is perceived as neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’, but rather something to view indifferently. In hedonism, one’s focus is largely set on the pursuit of pleasure.

What is the hedonist theory of happiness?

Hedonism holds that the preponderance of pleasure over pain is the recipe for happiness even if this is not what one desires most. Desire theory holds that that fulfillment of a desire contributes to one’s happiness regardless of the amount of pleasure (or displeasure).

Was Nietzsche a Stoic?

It seems to me that to read Nietzsche well must also be to honor his antagonistic spirit. The truth is that Nietzsche himself, in his later years, became highly critical of Stoic and Epicurean philosophy. After some ambivalence in his middle years, he also rekindled his early hostility to Socrates, the Stoics’ idol.

Are Stoics hedonists?

Stoicism and Hedonism are two opposing ideologies — yet they seem so similar to the untrained eye. A Hedonist lives for pleasure and does whatever they want in the moment. Likewise, a Stoic lives for the moment. A Hedonist wants to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

What do philosophers say about happiness?

Some philosophers believe happiness can be understood as the moral goal of life or as an aspect of chance; indeed, in most European languages the term happiness is synonymous with luck. Thus, philosophers usually explicate on happiness as either a state of mind, or a life that goes well for the person leading it.

How did the Stoics attack hedonism?

The Stoics typically attacked hedonism using the Socratic method, by exposing contradictions in their opponent’s position through questioning. For example, there are often apparent conflicts between the claim that pleasure is the goal of life and some of their actions, or other moral assumptions held by them.

What is the meaning of hedonistic ethics?

(ethics) The belief that pleasure or happiness is the highest good in life. Some hedonists, such as the Epicureans, have insisted that pleasure of the entire mind, not just pleasure of the senses, is the highest good.

Is pleasure good or bad according to Stoics?

It’s important to bear in mind, therefore, that unlike Antisthenes, the Stoics were not saying that pleasure is bad. However, they did believe that hedonism, the assumption that “pleasure is (intrinsically) good”, was a vice, and the basis of an irrational passion.

What did Socrates say about hedonism?

Socrates was the original source for criticisms of hedonism found in the Cynic-Stoic tradition. His student Antisthenes reputedly said that pleasure is bad, and that he would rather go insane than experience pleasure.