The Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote 124 letters to his friend Lucilius and reveled in his replies: "Your letter has given me pleasure, and has roused me from sluggishness." —Seneca, Letters 74.1 This collection of letters is today one of our best sources of Stoic life advice from ancient Rome. In this episode, we look at why we should consider writing some letters of our own. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hoste...
Nov 27, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Donald Robertson’s new book How To Think Like Socrates will be a welcome release for anyone keen to delve into the life of the man often referred to as the grandfather of Western philosophy. Almost all philosophical schools after Socrates traced their roots to him, including the Stoics. In this episode, I talk to Donald about the book and what we can learn today from how Socrates thought all those years ago. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https:/...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Let’s face a worry together using this time we have carved out specifically for our philosophical practice. It’s a short exercise, so there’s no need to rush. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 13, 2024•4 min•Season 1Ep. 165
The formula for human greatness: it’s a grand proposition that there would even be one but is it really as simple as loving what happens? 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 06, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 164
In this episode, I explore a fun writing prompt that can help achieve the powerful perspective of Stoic objectivity. It's reminiscent of an exercise Marcus Aurelius described to himself as follows: “This should be your practice throughout all your life: when things have such a plausible appearance, show them naked, see their shoddiness, strip away their own boastful account of themselves. Vanity is the greatest seducer of reason: when you are most convinced that your work is important, that is w...
Oct 30, 2024•6 min•Season 1Ep. 163
A discourse from Epictetus and three entertaining stories of Stoic philosophers to provide good examples of ways in which today, no matter what happens, we can always exercise our freedom of will. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 23, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 162
In his book Being Better , Kai Whiting tells us that the Stoic philosopher Panaetius established the idea that everyone has four roles in life. In this episode, we look at what those roles are and how we can perform them as well as possible. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 16, 2024•6 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Three philosophical questions, courtesy of the late poet John O'Donohue, to ask yourself today and help inform the actions you take. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 09, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 160
By repeatedly telling ourselves negative stories we add a second layer of suffering to whatever sorrow we happen to encounter. Due to our close proximity to them, instead of detaching from the stories, we end up detached from reality. If we are to see these stories for what they really are we must zoom out from them. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 02, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 159
This episode is based on Epictetus's teaching of a classic Stoic trope: the less we shy away from adversity, the more strength and courage we build in ourselves. In other words, the more challenges we give our best to, the better equipped we become to face similar challenges in the future. (And by doing so, we prove to ourselves what we're capable of.) 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...
Sep 25, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 158
"Of all men they alone are at leisure who take time for philosophy, they alone really live; for they are not content to be good guardians of their own lifetime only. They annex every age to their own; all the years that have gone before them are an addition to their store." —Seneca, On the Shortness of Life XIV 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 18, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 157
“Because most of what we say and do isn’t essential. Ask yourself at every moment, Is this necessary?” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.24 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 11, 2024•4 min•Season 1Ep. 156
The Stoics strongly believed that we should be respectful to everyone, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. It’s a freeing attitude: not only can we refuse to let the malevolent actions of others harm our free will, but we also always maintain the power to love, respect, and help those same people. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 04, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 155
The ancient Stoic teacher Epictetus said we should contemplate daily the freedom of our will: The fact that no matter what happens or what anyone else does, our thoughts and actions are our own and no one else’s. This knowledge of what is and isn’t ours, and of what is and isn’t possible for us, allows us to focus on the things we can actually affect. On the other hand, we are able to calmly assess the events, opinions, and circumstances that don’t land within our sphere of control and effective...
Aug 28, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 154
"Our fellowship is very similar to an arch of stones, which would fall apart, if they did not reciprocally support each other." — Seneca, Letters 95.53 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 21, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 153
A step-by-step exercise showing how to mentally reframe challenging situations. Video referenced in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__JLFw2FtEQ 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 07, 2024•6 min•Season 1Ep. 152
"What I will teach you is the ability to become rich as speedily as possible.. I will lead you by a shortcut to the greatest wealth... not wanting something is just as good as having it. The important thing either way is the same – freedom from worry." —Seneca, Letters 119.1–2 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 31, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 151
In this episode, we look at Cicero's third Stoic paradox—that all vices are equal and all virtues are equal. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 24, 2024•7 min•Season 1Ep. 150
We often bemoan the restrictions that are placed on us. Whether we feel held back by our many personal responsibilities or stifled by our work environment, we harbor a desire for more freedom. But what actually is freedom and how do we attain it? 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 17, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 149
As we know, Stoicism is a practical philosophy. Theory alone does not improve the skill of being good. Only the struggle of everyday experience improves it. We’re interested in how we might be good, rather than merely know goodness. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 10, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 148
It’s obvious to say, but important nonetheless: if we’re to make progress toward a more Stoic life, we have to regularly practice the principles of the philosophy. And if we’re to regularly practice the principles, we’ll first need to understand and remember them. The French philosopher and historian, Pierre Hadot, wrote of the importance of keeping our philosophical principles “at hand” so that we’re able to use them in response to the events we face, as if immediately answering a question we’v...
Jul 03, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 147
In this episode, we look at Cicero's second Stoic paradox—that virtue is all that is needed for happiness. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 26, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 146
It’s a common disruption to our tranquility: putting someone else’s life on a pedestal compared to our own. We envy the apparent prosperity and happiness of others while losing sight of the things in our own lives that we should be quite content with. The full story of someone else’s life can’t be known. Their inner world isn’t visible to us. To have their life, we’d need to inherit everything about them. Would we really be willing to take that risk? To help regain your freedom from this kind of...
Jun 19, 2024•8 min•Season 1Ep. 145
A guided contemplation to help you reflect on a powerful idea from Stoicism: the notion that our insignificance isn't a bad thing. This idea can be liberating and transformative, guiding us toward greater peace, humility, and—surprisingly—purpose. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 12, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 144
"Liberty is having a mind superior to injury, a mind that makes itself the only source from which its pleasures spring, that separates itself from all external things, avoiding the unquiet life of one who fears everybody’s laughter, everybody’s tongue. For if there is anyone who can offer an insult, who cannot?" —Seneca, On the Constancy of the Wise Man 19.2 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See a...
Jun 05, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 143
"Each day acquire something that will fortify you against poverty, against death, indeed against other misfortunes as well; and after you have run over many thoughts, select one to be thoroughly digested that day." —Seneca, Letters 2.4 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 29, 2024•5 min•Season 1Ep. 142
In this episode, we look at Cicero's explanation of the Stoics' main guiding principle—that virtue is the only true good in life. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 22, 2024•7 min•Season 1Ep. 141
"The present moment is enough for you,” Marcus Aurelius told himself in his Meditations. As Pierre Hadot wrote in his book Philosophy as a Way of Life , this had a double meaning: It is enough to keep you busy; you have no need to think about anything else; and It is enough to make you happy; there is no need to seek for anything else. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
May 15, 2024•4 min•Season 1Ep. 140
To help achieve the kind of mental freedom the Stoics enjoyed by worrying less about the opinions of others, I have constructed a short exercise that uses some imagery from Kurt Vonnegut's novel Breakfast of Champions . I’ve called it the Molecular Pause technique. When to use it: Use the Molecular Pause technique whenever you feel discomfort or hesitation in your actions due to the fear of judgment. What to use it for: Use this technique to remind yourself to, as Seneca put it, be your own spec...
May 08, 2024•7 min•Season 1Ep. 139
A reading of the twelfth book of Marcus Aurelius's twelve-book work. 📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENT Check out What Is Stoicism? on Substack: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 01, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 138
