In essence, stoicism is emotional indifference and is a term derived from an ancient Greek school of philosophy.
According to Richard Dawkins: what is the conclusion if—as he actually believes—the world and life itself, functions based on natural selection and random mutation…evolution and natural selection and this means that everything is meaningless—people’s individual lives and life in general?
The old atheist view tended towards becoming depressed to the point of madness and suicide. However, the New Atheist view is to take the stoic tough guy approach.
From Laura Sheahen, “The Problem with God: Interview with Richard Dawkins,” Beliefnet:
If it’s true that it causes people to feel despair, that’s tough. It’s still the truth. The universe doesn’t owe us condolence or consolation; it doesn’t owe us a nice warm feeling inside. If it’s true, it’s true, and you’d better live with it.
He goes one to, essentially, propose Neo-Pagan-Atheism:
However, I don’t think it should make one feel depressed. I don’t feel depressed. I feel elated. My book, “Unweaving the Rainbow,” is an attempt to elevate science to the level of poetry and to show how one can be-in a funny sort of way-rather spiritual about science. Not in a supernatural sense, but there are uplifting mysteries to be solved. The contemplation of the size and scale of the universe, of the depth of geological time, of the complexity of life–these all, to me, have an inspirational quality. It makes my life worthwhile to study them.
Of course, granted and by his own definition, this is admitting that it is a fact that everything is meaningless—people’s individual lives and life in general extrinsically and objectively and that we must take it upon ourselves to invent intrinsic subjective meaning.
Of course, firstly meaning should be parsed from purpose,see: Meaning and Purpose
Yet, most importantly is that while because Richard Dawkins is a scientist he recommends finding meaning through scientific pursuits his view prescribes that we each find, make, our own meaning. But what happens when he finds his in science, you find yours in theism, Adolf Hitler finds his in the Holocaust, Mother Theresa finds hers in charity, Jeffrey Dahmer finds his in murderous cannibalism, etc.? (see Atheism on Meaning and Purpose).
Then, may the fittest survive because everything is meaningless—people’s individual lives and life in general and the one truth is natural selection and random mutation…evolution and natural selection.
Learn more on Neo-Pagan-Atheism, here.