:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Apathy is not caring; Stoicism is caring deeply but refusing to be ruled by what you can't control. A Stoic works on the judgement underneath the feeling rather than numbing it — an apathetic person just checks out.
Side by side
| Aspect | Stoicism | Apathy |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling | Worked at the judgement | Numbed / absent |
| Caring | Cares deeply | Doesn't care |
| Action | Engaged, deliberate | Withdrawn |
| Aim | Flourishing | None |
What each one means
In ordinary English, uncomplaining endurance of hardship without showing what it costs. In philosophy, a school founded in Athens and carried on in Rome by Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius: virtue is the only real good, we should live in agreement with nature and reason, and peace comes from telling what is in our control from what is not.
Full definition of Stoicism →The contrast above sets out how Apathy differs from Stoicism on the points that actually matter.