One way of opening up stoastadism is to explore the differences with classical stoicism. Let us mention ten features here, the remaining differences will emerge gradually, in different practical contexts.
No peace of mind. urban stoic does not aim for peace of mind, especially lacking a sense of calm as a goal. Instead, good order in one's thoughts is an important goal for a stoic. The object of his reflection is his own beliefs, feelings and emotions, values, preferences, antipathies, sympathies and goals; changes in all of these and the rearrangements that follow from these changes.
Acceptance of feelings. Whereas the classical stoics considered all emotions to be faults, urban stoic softens the position considerably: emotions only generally contain a certain amount of fallibility which is worth reflecting on and trying to clarify. urban stoic accepts all emotions if they are reasoned with enough justification. urban stoic seeks out the rational-scientific aspects of emotions, with the aim of understanding them better.
The limits of personal responsibility. Unlike the original Stoicism, Urban Stoicism is not interested in the "independence" of the inner self. Instead, Urban Stoicism is interested in the limits of its own sphere of responsibility. Limiting what is mine is even one of the most important aspects of community life. In Stoicism, one is primarily responsible for one's own values and thinking, but one is also responsible for one's simple daily life, as well as for those closest to one (including friends). Other responsibilities are a degree more distant, and are certainly better viewed in terms of other philosophies.
Organisation and arrangements. Organising things that fall within one's own area of responsibility is a stoastadian's favourite hobby. The strongest and most original playground and goal of Stoastadian thinking is the organisation of ordinary life.
The distinction between community and sociality. Urban Stoicism makes a strict distinction between sociality and communality. All sociality is good, it cannot be too much and it is all voluntary. Sociality, on the other hand, always has a strong negative side; namely, that which is rejected, excluded, that which is opposed.
Urban philosophy. Urban Stoicism is an urban philosophy. The city is fundamentally social, not communal. In the city, one is free to choose which community to belong to, to change to another, or to belong to no community at all. In the city, one can, if one wishes, be anonymous to one's neighbours and, in relation to sociality, live as one chooses.
The politically tolerant right-wing liberal. urban stoic, like the original stoic, believes that man is internally free. Since everyone is free, it is natural to accept individual freedom, not to try to deny it. One who accepts individual freedom is necessarily tolerant. He who seeks to extend individual freedom in the belief that it is incompatible with a strong state is politically right-wing liberal.
Market-oriented and market-friendly. For Stoastadilians, the market is how people exercise their freedom of choice; what people want; what value or price they are prepared to place on the products of other people's labour produced for the market. The market is then a form of sociality. Urban Stoicism accepts the market and considers all legal markets to be free.
Taking into account modern science. Urban Stoicism accepts all science: empirical science, natural science, contemporary science, and always tries to take into account the results of their research, especially the latest results. However, urban stoic has the strongest appreciation of the human sciences, since they are most directly related to everyday life: psychology, sociology, economics, political science, philosophy of the world, history, law, etc. But, as the classical Stoics believed, those who construct their imaginations with mere words deserve to be disparaged and marginalised.
The supreme value of a Stoastadian is ordinariness. Urban Stoicism is a philosophy of ordinary, everyday modern life. It includes shopping, evaluating restaurants and cafes, comparing means of transport, being market-minded, market-friendly, economy-friendly, watching football, interpreting and enjoying films and music, walking around town, drinking wine with friends, chatting, attending the annual meeting of the housing association, eating good food and preparing it yourself, and so on. urban stoic does not seek to go beyond ordinary everyday life.
