Why Stoicism treats self-control as a form of intelligence

"Stoicism is a philosophy of life that suggests that the best way to live a human life is to ask yourself what kind of a living organism human beings are. And the answer that the Stoics give to that question is that fundamentally we are highly social and capable of reason. We're that intelligent. It follows, according to them, that a good human life is one way you use reason in order to solve problems and you behave in a cooperative, pro-social fashion."

"One of the crucial insights of the Stoics is that we should focus on what is up to us, as the ancient Stoic Epictetus put it, and try to accept with equanimity what is not up to us. In other words, focus where your agency is active, where you are efficacious in doing things, and then accept whatever comes as it comes because you really don't have a choice."

"The Stoics are nothing if not realists about life. They try to understand how human life works and they try to live the best life possible. One of the things that we do understand from biology, psychology, is that we have limited time and energy to do things, both physical energy and emotional energy. And so if we insist on pursuing approaches that are likely not to work or they're not efficacious, you know, our agency doesn't really have any effect on it, then we are only making our life miserable."

Stoicism holds that humans are fundamentally social and rational organisms. A good life consists in applying reason to solve problems and acting in cooperative, pro-social ways. A central Stoic principle is to concentrate effort on what is within one's control and to accept with equanimity what lies beyond one's agency. Realism about human limitations—finite time and emotional and physical energy—motivates avoiding futile pursuits that waste agency and produce misery. Prioritizing efficacious actions preserves resources and enables better outcomes. Stoic practice thus aligns rational problem-solving, emotional regulation, and pro-social behavior to achieve a well-lived life.

Read at Big Think