The Daily Stoic - Why Anger Might Be The Worst Vice

Episode Date: March 9, 2020

There are many different vices out there. It’s long been a debate amongst priests and philosophers if some are worse than others, or if they are all created equal. Even amongst the Stoics there was some debate—were all sins the same? Was being or doing wrong a matter of degree, or was it black and white?It’s one of those things that vexes philosophers but is obvious to normal people. Of course some vices are worse than others. Of course there is a grey area! Welcome to life, genius. Seneca eventually concurred. As he writes in Of Anger, anger must rank fairly high on the list of vices because it has so few redeeming qualities. “It’s a worse sin than luxury,” he says, “since that is enjoyed by personal pleasure, whereas anger takes joy in another’s pain.” Malice and envy are similar, he said, because they are about wanting other people to be unhappy, not just yourself. Anger and envy are about inflicting harm on others, not just on oneself.  Point being: It’s better to be a little bit Epicurean (that is, to enjoy some pleasure) than it is to be an asshole. If you’re going to sin or give in to vice, make sure it only ruins your life. Make sure it’s something internal, not something like anger—which inevitably makes itself felt by the people around you. To sin, to fall short, is one thing. To punish innocent people? Well, that’s even worse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystowic.com. Why anger might be the worst vice? There are many different vices out there. It's long been a debate amongst priests and philosophers whether some are worse than others or if they are all created equal. Even amongst the stoics, there was some debate. We're all sins the same, was being or doing wrong a matter of degree, or was it black and white. It's one of those things that vexes

philosophers, but is very obvious to normal people. Of course, some vices are worse than others. Of course, there is a gray area, welcome to life, genius. Sanika eventually concurred. As he writes in of anger, anger must rank fairly high on the list of vices because it has so few redeeming qualities. It's a worse sin than luxury, he says, since that is enjoyed by personal pleasure,

whereas anger takes joy in another's pain. Malice and envy are similar, he said, because they are about wanting other people to be unhappy, not just yourself. Anger and envy are about inflicting harm on others, not just on oneself. Point being, it's better to be a little bit epicurian, that is, to enjoy some pleasure,

than it is to be an asshole. If you're going to sin a little bit epicurian, that is, to enjoy some pleasure, than it is to be an asshole. If you're going to sin or give in to a vice, make sure it only ruins your life. Make sure it's something internal, not something like anger, which inevitably makes itself felt by the people around you. To sin, to fall short, is one thing. To punish innocent people? Well, that's even worse.

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You can listen to the Daily Stoic early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple podcasts. Celebrity feuds are high stakes. You never know if you're just gonna end up on page six or Du Moir or in court. I'm Matt Bellasai. And I'm Sydney Battle, and we're the host of Wondery's new podcast, Dis and Tell, where each episode we unpack a different iconic celebrity feud.

From the build up, why it happened, and the repercussions. What does our obsession with these feuds say about us? The first season is packed with some pretty messy pop culture drama, but none is drawn out in personal as Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears. When Britney's fans form the free Britney movement dedicated to fraying her from the infamous conservatorship, Jamie Lynn's lack of public support. It angered some fans. A lot of them.

It's a story of two young women who had their choices taken away from them by their controlling parents, but took their anger out on each other. And it's about a movement to save a superstar, which set its sights upon anyone who failed to fight for Brittany. one who failed to fight for Brittany. Follow Disenthal wherever you get your podcast. You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music or the Wondery app.