Distinctions Without Differences
Wisdom involves recognizing when apparent distinctions are real and when they are mere words masking a single reality.
Stoic dialectic training included identifying genuine versus illusory distinctions. The difference between 'preferred indifferent' and 'bad' is genuine and important; the difference between being admired and not admired is illusory from the standpoint of what truly matters. Clear thinking requires maintaining real distinctions and dissolving false ones.
The first step toward wisdom is knowing what is not wisdom.
Stoic dialectic training is an ancestor of modern critical thinking education in its attention to valid and invalid distinctions.
Epistulae Morales