If It’s Not Simple, It’s Bullshit

<p>There’s not much in Stoicism that’s particularly groundbreaking: Focus on what you can control. Be a good person. Manage your emotions. </p><p>A lot of the famous Stoic quotes are pretty basic too: </p><p><a href='https://dailystoic.com/epictetus/?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=convertkit&amp;utm_campaign=its-bullshit'>Epictetus</a>: “It’s not things that upset us, it’s our judgement about things.” </p><p><a href='https://dailystoic.com/marcus-aurelius/?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=convertkit&amp;utm_campaign=its-bullshit'>Marcus Aurelius</a>: “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” </p><p><a href='https://dailystoic.com/seneca/?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=convertkit&amp;utm_campaign=its-bullshit'>Seneca</a>: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality” </p><p>The elementary school-level simplicity isn’t a bug. It’s a feature: </p><p>There’s a great line in <a href='http://geni.us/6XmrtGq'>Kurt Vonnegut’s <em>Cat’s Cradle</em></a>: </p><p>&quot;Dr. Hoenikker used to say that any scientist who couldn&apos;t explain to an eight-year-old what he was doing was a charlatan.&quot; </p><p>A lot of complicated stuff isn’t actually complicated...it’s made to seem that way so no one will notice that it’s actually bullshit. A lot of philosophy is badly written...because if it wasn’t, people would actually understand what the “philosopher” was saying and laugh them out of a job. </p><p>What the Stoic writings are about is not impressing anyone, nor making the reader feel like a genius for getting all the way through. No, they are designed to be short and to the point. No puffery. No throat-clearing. Using the absolute minimum number of words to make the most straightforward point. </p><p>We might call this counter-signaling, or better, a show of confidence. When you’ve got the goods, you don’t need to dress it up or make a hard sell. Just lay it out and let people take it or leave it. </p><p>So it should go for us, in all aspects of ou