If a stoic should try to be rational and steady despite setbacks and external influences, do that mean a sociopath can lead a stoic life?
Obviously the question cannot be turned around (stoics aren’t all sociopaths).
Perhaps a better way to phrase the question is: Is empathy required to understand and follow stoicism.
A more extreme version of the question may be: Could a zombie (unconscious human emulation) love a stoic life. As in, does stoicism require the adept to actually *feel* this way of life for it to be valid? One view is that stoicism is an internal and personal way, so if it’s not felt personally and only an external emulation, then there no point. Another view is that stoicism improves the environment for others and those that cross paths with the stoic. So there may be some fringe benefit of a zombie stoic.
Also imagine that the zombie stoic could be an example for how others could live, and in turn foster real stoicism. If there is any evangelical value in stoicism, this would count, no?