Preferred & Dispreferred Indifferents
An important Stoic idea was the distinction of preferred and dispreferred “indifferents”. Wealth, health and other material goods are indifferent with respect to them having no bearing on one’s character from a moral and virtuous standpoint (i.e., the decision to be morally upright is in the control of the person regardless of their station in life). However, some indifferents are preferred as they assist us in realizing our goals while others that would cause us to detour from our plans or hinder our progress would be categorized as dispreferred.
The following list of indifferent things by Chrysippus and other Stoics being neither good nor bad, are listed as pairs of opposites (Diogenes Laertius, 7.102):
- Life and death
- Health and disease
- Pleasure and pain
- Beauty and ugliness
- Strength and weakness
- Wealth and poverty
- Good reputation and bad reputation
- Noble birth and low birth
- …and other such things.