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Why is Silicon Valley so obsessed with the virtue of suffering?


Photo by Tracy Ma / The New York Times; Getty Images

Stoics and their friends remain the main ideological leaders for companies from Google to Apple - and the new entrepreneurial lobbying firm even called itself Cicero.

The rich people of Silicon Valley now probably live their best lives. John Dorr, an early investor in Amazon and Google, calls their time "the largest legal accumulation of wealth in history."

Yet the people of Silicon Valley seem determined to make themselves miserable. They sit for weeks on end in painful, silent meditations. They deliberately starve for several days. A cold morning shower is an occasion for boasting. Notoriety is a mark of honor.

Therefore, the most useful clues to understanding today's Silicon Valley can come from its beloved ancient philosophy: stoicism.

Stoicism, the ancient Greek school of thought, argued that the only true values ​​in life are internal virtues, such as self-control and courage. The Stoics proposed methods that can endure pain and pleasure.

These virtues are exhibited on the website of the new lobbying firm in the field of entrepreneurship - Cicero Institute (Cicero Institute). The organization quietly began its activities last year and intends to defend the interests of startups.

Its homepage is cited by Cicero, a Roman statesman philosopher who shared many of the ethical systems of Stoicism, while maintaining skepticism about his metaphysics: “I have always believed that the unpopularity acquired by doing the right thing is not at all unpopularity, but glory.”

As stocks rise in spite of crises, as a new wave of wealth rises in the American West , and increases and rewards are distributed, despite scandals , the old mantra that every startup will save the world now sounds unconvincing. But the postulates of Stoicism - which can be interpreted to say that the world and its current power structure, as they are, are properly designed - fit into this well.

Is this really so?


For many years, Stoicism — for two decades , according to some estimates — remains the favorite “ temporary ” viral philosophy. The theme of stoicism usually pops up in the Valley in the context of concern for personal life. Startups, large and small, believe that their mission is to make life’s transactions seamless and enjoyable. But the leaders building these things are convinced that a pleasant life will make them soft. Therefore, they try to bring pain.

“We are in constant comfort,” said Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, in an interview with Daily Stoic, a popular blog for the techno-stoic community. Mr. Rose said he is trying to incorporate into his life practices that “mimic” the environment of our ancestors and their everyday difficulties: “These can be such simple things as walking in the rain without a jacket or putting on sandals in December snow when I I take the dog out for a walk in the morning. ”

Tim Ferriss, a popular life hacker in the county, wrote on his blog that stoicism is "the perfect" operating system "to succeed in high stress conditions."

Elizabeth Holmes , founder of Theranos, a disastrous startup for health diagnostics, and star of the new HBO documentaryof his collapse, often referred to the "Thoughts" of Marcus Aurelius. The bookshelves of ordinary technical staff often have more than one stoic work.

Y Combinator, a startup incubator, includes William B. Irwin's Guide to Good Living: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy on its Entrepreneur Book List. Ryan Holiday's books on Stoicism are especially popular , which open up philosophy to newcomers. (Mr. Holiday is one of the authors of The Daily Stoic, a daily meditation for the barefoot and bow-hunting party).

Further, there are founders who may not call themselves Stoics, but practice some of the principles of Stoicism. Among them are Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, who likes to walk five miles daily to work and 10 days a year to meditate in silence. He recently discussed “homemade cold baths” and “one meal a day” in a podcast with Ben Greenfield, who preaches about health.

Why are they attracted to stoicism?


Ada Palmer is a professor of early modern history at the University of Chicago and a novelist. Her books are popular in Silicon Valley, and she often goes to techie dinners.

“It’s very interesting to watch them feel kind of sad lethargy,” says Dr. Palmer. "When you are 37, you are rich, retired and unhappy, it causes bewilderment."

She understands why they then turn to stoicism. She called stoicism "the perfect therapy for grief and blinding the rat race."

“A lot of stoicism is about achieving inner peace,” she said.

This works for business leaders. Other philosophical schools during the ancient rise of Stoicism warned that politics and the pursuit of wealth would only lead to stress and risk, said Dr. Palmer, and some called for an abandonment of active life and even renunciation of property. But stoicism is not.

Instead, the Stoics believed that everything was perfect in the universe, and that everything that seemed bad or unfair, in secret depths, was a blessing. This philosophy is convenient if you already think that the rich are destined to be rich and the poor are destined to be poor.

“The new popularity of stoicism in a technological gathering, in my opinion, is strikingly similar to the popularity of stoicism among the powerful elite of ancient Rome,” said Dr. Palmer. "As Rome gained power, the popularity of stoicism grew because it was the only ethical system that worked well for the rich and influential."

Why does it matter?


The Cicero Institute arose in Silicon Valley in a period of tension, being founded by a man with a complex history.

Joe Lonsdale, who founded the institute with his wife Taylor, is also the founder of Palantir , a data-mining firm that has been embroiled in scandals for a long time due to its surveillance efforts and preventive police control. In 2015, The New York Times Magazine announced his relationship with a sponsored student who accused him of sexual harassment. He denied these allegations. (The student sued him, he filed a counterclaim, the claims were withdrawn; Stanford forbade him to appear on campus, but then reversed this decision ). Mr. Lonsdalemade friends with Peter Thiel at Stanford and, like Mr. Thiel, opposed the “ fighters for social justice ”.

Public anger at large technology companies is growing, and political leaders are starting to pay attention to it.

The Cicero Institute promises to fight for business opportunities for entrepreneurs, focusing on deregulation, with particular emphasis on facilitating the possibility of creating startups in prisons, healthcare and education. Mr. Lonsdale believes, for example, that "private prison contracts link financial rewards with performance indicators."

Cicero, in turn, resigned, but then returned to the political arena when he saw growing corruption. He was eventually killed for this.

About the mascot of the institute, Dr. Palmer said: "They chose the one who leaves inaction during the crisis to try to prevent a coup."

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