Stoic Concept

Preferred and Dispreferred Indifferents

Things that are naturally preferred or avoided but don't determine happiness.

While health, wealth, and reputation are 'preferred indifferents' (naturally desirable but not essential for happiness), illness, poverty, and disgrace are 'dispreferred' but equally don't determine our wellbeing. This nuanced view allows us to work for good outcomes while remaining unattached to them, pursuing what's naturally preferable while accepting whatever comes.

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