Gaining From Challenge and Disorder: Being Antifragile Within Stoic Philosophy

“A Stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.”

― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

There is a lot in common between Stoicism and the term “Antifragility” from the controversial author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb. More accurately antifragility could be seen as an adjective that can be acquired through the practice of Stoic philosophy.

A thing, a person, or anything is antifragile, if it gains (mass, wisdom, skill) contrary to lose, from stressors and the things that affect it. Picture your muscles as an example of antifragility, the more stress you apply to them (in moderate measure of course), the bigger they get, and the more the ladies will look at you on the street!

Antifragility is found in many things in the universe, and it is found in Stoic philosophy as well.

“Seneca’s version of that Stoicism is antifragility from fate. No downside from Lady Fortuna, plenty of upside.”

― Nassim Nicholas Taleb

A practicing Stoic wins (virtue, capacity to be courageous, capacity of being virtuous) from the stressors, and…