Stoic Decision Filter

Clarity before action.

Stoic Decision Filter is an independent reading and reflection project that uses the working framework of the ancient Stoics — Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius — to help modern readers think through hard choices. The interactive tool requires JavaScript, but the editorial pages below are full articles you can read as plain HTML.

Read the site

What is Stoicism? — A grounded primer on the philosophy: its origins in Athens around 300 BCE, the dichotomy of control from Epictetus' Enchiridion, the four cardinal virtues (practical wisdom, courage, justice, temperance), and the daily practices the Stoics used.
How the filter works — An honest walkthrough of the four lenses the tool applies to every decision: what is within your control, what is outside it, the character test, and the steady recommendation. Includes what the tool deliberately will not do.
Essays — Short original pieces applying Stoic ideas to ordinary situations. Current essays include Anger is a poor counselor, How to decide when to quit, and The evening review.
About the project — Who runs the site, editorial standards, and how it is funded.
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About Stoic philosophy

Stoicism began in Athens around 300 BCE and became the most influential practical philosophy of the Greek and Roman world. Its central claim is that a good life depends on what you do, not on what happens to you. External events — money, status, health, the behavior of other people — are largely outside your control. Your judgments and actions are not. The Stoics held that focusing your effort on what is actually yours to control is the foundation of a steady mind and a useful life.

The four lenses used by this site are drawn directly from that tradition. They are the same for every decision because a frantic mind invents new categories for every problem; a steady one uses the same few. To use the interactive filter, please enable JavaScript and reload this page.

Contact: support@kryptoncapital.org. This tool is for reflection and education. For serious life decisions — medical, legal, financial, mental health — please consult a qualified professional.