Better Spartan than Stoic?
1. Reality calls
The first thought is ultimately, reality is supreme. I love stoicism, but my overall critique of stoicism is that it seems a bit divorced from reality. That is, a lot of Stoic thought is theoretical, whereas Spartan thought and practice is more deeply intertwined.
For example, in terms of bodily physique aesthetics, what does a Stoic look like? Nobody knows. But we have a very vivid depiction of what a spartan looks like; just watch the movie 300 on repeat.
2. Who did the ancients respect?
It seems almost universal in history, everybody respects the Spartans. For their courage, their witness, their manliness, etc.
3. Bellum!
What is also very interesting about the Spartans is that they were not positive warmongers. Rather, they were just focused on defense. They didn’t fuck with anybody, and also, they didn’t want to be fucked with.