How Stoicism Became The World's Greatest Scam

Summary by Krater

This video explores how ancient Stoicism was co-opted and commercialized by the manosphere and modern self-help culture, contrasting the commodified version of Stoicism ("Broicism") with its authentic philosophical origins through interviews with experts.

From the video

Answers: How did Stoicism become a billion-dollar scam and turn into Broicism?

• Stoicism vs Broicism
• Commercialization of philosophy
• Manosphere and stoic culture
• History of Stoicism
• Cognitive behavioral therapy and stoicism

What it concludes

• Ancient Stoicism focused on character, virtue, and emotional resilience, whereas Broicism distorts it into a product for hyper-masculinity, wealth accumulation, and emotional suppression.
• Modern internet culture and the manosphere repackaged Stoic maxims into life hacks and expensive courses to sell self-help products to vulnerable young men.
• Stoic practices share foundational roots with cognitive behavioral therapy, emphasizing that men are disturbed by their views of things rather than the things themselves.
• The commercialization of Stoicism by influencers replaces traditional Stoic virtues with superficial status symbols and monetization strategies.