Stoic Self‑Control as Civic Competence

Stoicism frames self‑control not as brittle toughness but as an intelligence: a disciplined allocation of attention and emotion toward problems where one has real agency and toward maintaining pro‑social role obligations. Teaching these practices (role ethics, focus on 'what is up to us', calibrated emotional responses) is a practical civic curriculum that strengthens deliberation, reduces performative outrage, and improves institutional functioning. — If adopted as a civic education priority, Stoic self‑control could lower polarization, improve public reasoning, and give policy makers a concrete tool for building resilience in democratic institutions.