The Stoic Dichotomy of Control, and an Anatomy of Thought

Stoicism - a primer

While this post is not meant to be a full overview of Stoicism, a brief background may be of use. The majority of this is taken from the /r/Stoicism FAQ, so definitely check that out if you have any broader questions/interests.

"Stoicism was a 'school' of philosophy in ancient Greece and Rome... The ultimate goal of such a school was improvement (or transformation) of one's character."

Some of the key figures in Stoicism are: Zeno of Citium (334 – 262 BC) founded the Stoic school, although no original texts remain, Seneca (4 BC – AD 65) a Roman politician, Epictetus (50 – 135 AD) born a slave, whose only writings we have are notes taken by a student, and Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180 AD) a Roman emperor.

The original Stoic education consisted of 3 parts: Logic, Ethics (which was broken down into wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance), and Physics. Most surviving texts, and modern Stoic discussion, focuses on Ethics.

"Where the central question of much modern ethics revolves around what specific acts are moral or immoral, this doesn't seem to have been how the classical Greeks even thought about the question. The focus of their attention was on character; if one develops a virtuous character, moral acts follow naturally."

"[The Stoics believed] Virtue consists of acting consistently according to nature... A human following nature meant reaching full, flourishing maturity..., or perhaps a mixture of that and something like the modern idea of self-actualization... In addition...the Stoics also adopted...the word "Nature" to apply to the universe as a whole... The Stoics regarded the universe itself as God."

The Dichotomy of Control

The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.

~Epictetus (The Discourses)

The Stoic dichotomy of control is, simply put, the idea that things are either within our control or not. This distinction is valid not only for thoughts, but experiences, actions, goals/desires, and all aspects of life.

What I hope to show here is how this simple "truth" can be used in practice to help guide your thoughts towards more productive aspects of your life, and introduce some key ideas to dive deeper into if it interests you.

What's within my control?

Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.

~Epictetus (The Enchiridion)

The Stoics draw the line of what is within our control around the direct actions we take, specifically excluding any experience, as well as the outcomes/results of action. While most outcomes are able to be influenced, only those aspects in which you directly act to exert influence are within your control.

One area the distinction between action and outcome is especially important is when it comes to goals. Instead of setting goals based on external circumstance, focus your goals solely on the aspects over which you have control.

Body

As an example from the quote above, let's look at "body". Knowing what we know today about the body, there are plenty of aspects that are outside of our control (genes, bodily harm from accidents, etc.), as well as plenty of aspects within our control (diet, exercise, choosing to get vaccinated, etc.). Instead of setting a goal of "losing X pounds in Y time", focus your goals and energy towards the actions that may, or may not, lead you there, such as "eat more whole foods" and "cut back on soft drinks".

The Stoics would generally label a healthy body as a "preferred indifference", meaning it is something one can prefer, but not at the expense of living a virtuous life. This means we can pursue a healthy body by taking actions within our control to achieve it, and enjoy it if/while it lasts, but not be so attached to it that when things outside our control take it away from us it is a major cause of distress.

Emotions

If any external thing causes you distress, it is not the thing itself that troubles you, but your own judgment about it. And this you have the power to eliminate now.

~Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)

Another key aspect of life this can be applied to is emotions. While feeling emotions is not something within our control, our response to them is. This response is vital because emotions have a way of directing our thoughts and actions towards perpetuating the emotion. Once you feel a strong negative emotion coming on, what do you about it; let it fester and grow, or nip it at the bud?

While you may want to prevent the feedback loop of negative emotions, the opposite may be true for positive emotions. Making the distinction and reasoning about which emotions you foster and which you don't is fully within your control.

The Stoics make a clear distinction between strong emotions and reasoning, pointing out that emotions cloud your reasoning skills, and reasoning can help clear your head of emotions.

Summary

The key to the dichotomy of control is to focus your thoughts, energy, goals, etc. towards - and take responsibility for - those aspects of life over which you have control, while maintaining an indifference towards those aspects over which you do not have control.

An Anatomy of Thought

Mindfulness and reflection - a primer

After running over a lot of different thoughts, pick out one to be digested thoroughly that day.

~Seneca (Letters from a Stoic)

According to Wikipedia, mindfulness is "the practice of purposely bringing one's attention in the present moment without judgment". One of the most thorough ways this can be achieved is through dedicated, deliberate practice such as meditation. An easier way of engaging in this practice is by simply reflecting on the day - specifically the moments in which you would have acted differently if you could go back - and using that insight to help prevent making the same mistake again. The important part here is focusing on the moment itself, not just on wishing you had acted differently or gotten a different result (both of which are outside of your control).

Using the example of the body, maybe you convinced yourself to skip working out that day, or indulged in an unhealthy behavior. Reflecting on that fact, and going back to the moment in the day you made the decision, what were the thoughts going on in your head? Maybe it was how tired you were, or the fact that there's always tomorrow, or "just this once" (for the umpteenth time).

Or using the example of emotions, if you let a negative emotion get the better of you and, had you noticed, you would have prevented an outburst. What did it feel like to in that moment? Was there a tightness in your chest, a clenching of your fist, racing thoughts? Use those physical sensations as triggers to take a moment to reflect during your daily life.

The simple act of reflecting on moments and determining the characteristics that lead to, or accompanied, negative actions makes you aware of them, which can help prepare you for the next time. When you are in the moment, simply being aware of thought/feeling and how it might influence your decision making can be enough to get you back on the "right" track. Keeping an eye out for those characteristics in your daily life is fully within your control. While you will not always catch yourself in the moment, with practice you will catch yourself quicker and more often, tightening the feedback loop of mindfulness.

Break things down into smaller parts

Just as important as knowing what to look for - which can be assessed with reflection - and how to go about looking - which requires additional practice - is what to do once you become aware of the thought.

Instead of taking the first thought that comes to mind (or 'identifying with the thought' as it is sometimes referred), take a moment to examine it and its related or constituent parts.

Sometimes referred to as "First Principles" thinking - especially in philosophy and the sciences - the idea is to find the fundamental truths, or aspects, and work your way up from there. Dig deeper to find the aspects that stand out as more useful, such as aspects you have control over.

Another concept that can help reasoning about the external world, and your place in it, is "Systems Thinking". This is simply the practice of finding common structures and focusing on how the individual parts interact and relate. What lead to the thought you have, some sort of strong emotion? Are there related aspects to the idea where you could act to apply leverage? Are there down-steam consequences or feedback loops at play?

Finding what's within your control - a mental model

All models are wrong, but some are useful.

~George E. P. Box

Being able to break things down into smaller parts can help you find the aspects over which you have control, which can help you draw your attention to them. Having this "algorithm" or "filter" you consciously apply to aspects of thoughts helps train your brain to do it automatically, subconsciously. While the idea may seem simple, its simplicity makes it easier to engrain.

This is just one of many mental models that can help guide your thinking towards making better decisions and living a happier life. What other mental models are you already using consciously or subconsciously, for better or worse?

Resources / Further Reading

Personal recommendations