Stoic Meditations
Occasional reflections on the wisdom of Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers with Prof. Massimo Pigliucci. Complete index by author and source at https://massimopigliucci.org/stoic-podcast/. (cover art by Marek Škrabák; original music by Ian Jolin-Rasmussen).
50. Philosophy As A Way Of Life
1 Mar 2018
Musonius Rufus reminds us why we study philosophy, a different pursuit from what goes on in the modern academy.
49. Living According To Nature
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius reminds us that to care for all people is according to (human) nature.
48. Against Nationalism
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus tells us that Socrates never replied to the question "where are you from?" with "I am from Athens," but always with "I am a citizen of the world."
47. Courage Requires Justice
1 Mar 2018
Seneca makes the surprising (to some) statement that Stoicism is all about community and sharing.
46. Use Your Thoughts Well
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius tells us to ignore the opinion that others have of us, and to focus our energy instead on positive projects.
45. Character Is Crucial
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus says that the measure of a person is the goodness of her character. Let's work on it, then!
44. The point of philosophy is...
1 Mar 2018
Seneca makes a surprising statement about the primary aim of philosophy. Surprising, that is, if you confuse Stoicism and stoicism...
43. What happens after death?
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius sounds agnostic about the after life. He also seems to think it doesn't matter.
42. Beware of superficial judgment
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus observes that even if Plato were handsome and strong, that doesn’t mean those are the traits that made him a great philosopher...
41. Wealth not a measure of worth
1 Mar 2018
Seneca has a problem with people who measure their worth by fashion or wealth.
40. Don’t be an imbecile!
1 Mar 2018
Hierocles reminds us that it is useless to blame things that have no fault. Rather, look at how clumsy or stupid we are sometimes when we use them.
39. Radical idea: women's equality
1 Mar 2018
Musonius Rufus says women have the same reasoning abilities as man, the same faculty of distinguishing good from bad.
38. Remember, everything passes
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius lists a number of important people who are no more, as a reminder of the impermanence of things, and to help us keep what happens to us in perspective.
37. What good did you do today?
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus says that not doing awful things isn’t enough, it’s too lazy. The point is to positively do good things.
36. Beware of relying on luck
1 Mar 2018
Seneca uses a beautiful analogy to explain why the Stoic practitioner should not rely on luck, and indeed should be positively weary of it.
35. Keep your inner demon clean
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius talks about how we should keep our “daimon,” i.e., our deliberating faculty, or our conscience.
34. Follow the counsel of reason
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus reminds us that sometimes the reasonable thing to do is to suspend judgment. And always to face reality rather than engage in wishful thinking.
33. What counts as a good life?
1 Mar 2018
Seneca says that the important thing is not how long a life you live, but what you do with it.
32. What matters is the here & now
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius thinks that it’s good to keep things in perspective, and that we only control the here and now.
31. Doing beats complaining
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus reminds his student that certain things are an inevitable feature of the universe, and that it is better to work on them than just wish them away.
30. On death & the value of life
1 Mar 2018
Seneca uses Epicurus’ argument for why we should not be afraid of death, focusing instead on how to best live our life.
29. What makes your life worth it?
1 Mar 2018
Marcus Aurelius introduces us to the apparently paradoxical notion that life, death, honor, dishonor, pleasure and pain are neither good nor bad.
28. Caring about your soul
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus makes an interesting contrast between taking too much care of our bodies and too little care of our minds.
27. True friendship is rare
1 Mar 2018
Seneca advises us on how to behave with true friends, and reminds us of how important they are in our life.
26. We are all brothers & sisters
1 Mar 2018
Hierocles reminds us that we are fundamentally social animals, and that we are here to help each other.
25. Practice, practice, practice!
1 Mar 2018
Musonius Rufus says that nobody is born a writer, musician, or athlete. People get there by studying and practicing. The same goes for virtue.
24. Clean up your own thinking
1 Mar 2018
Marcus tells us that it’s too easy and unnecessary to worry about other people’s thoughts. It is far more difficult, but useful, to worry about our own.
23. Don’t argue with stones
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus says that some people hardens their opinions into stones. It’s their problem, don’t waste your time arguing with them.
22. On wealth and virtue
1 Mar 2018
Seneca tells Lucilius that wealth should be limited, something that exposed him to charges of hypocrisy. Regardless, what is the relationship between wealth and virtue?
21. Use your time well...
1 Mar 2018
Marcus reminds us that our life is short, and that we don’t really know what day will be our last. So why not use our time in the best possible way?
20. Virtue is a matter of practice
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus says that we become virtuous in the same way as athletes and musicians become more proficient at what they do: by constant practice.
19. Find wisdom wherever it is
1 Mar 2018
Seneca wanders into Epicurean territory, as a scout, not a traitor.
18. Opinions cannot hurt you
1 Mar 2018
Marcus is summarizing here some of the most important concepts of Stoicism, especially why we should pity, and not get upset with, people when they make mistakes.
17. On dealing with nasty people
1 Mar 2018
Hierocles reminds us how to best respond to another human being who has ill feelings toward us.
16. Philosophy is about doing
1 Mar 2018
Musonius Rufus says that philosophers should speak clearly, and most of all should live the way they talk.
15. Don’t sell your soul cheap!
1 Mar 2018
Epictetus asks us at what price we are willing to sell our soul, and advises us to aim for the highest one possible.
14. Read well, not a lot
1 Mar 2018
Seneca reminds us that reading is serious business, and that time is limited. Choose well the authors in whose company you wish to spend time.
13. The duties of friendship
1 Mar 2018
Marcus reminds us that we have duties toward the people we live with, and how to be positive about our friends.
12. How to act toward others
1 Mar 2018
The second century Stoic Hierocles sounds very Christian, and for good reasons.
11. Seneca on not wasting time
1 Mar 2018
This could be the last day of your life. Are you going to waste it by binging on a mediocre television show?
10. Is the wise person self sufficient?
28 Feb 2018
Seneca puts forth a paradox: the wise person is self-sufficient, and yet she desires friends and neighbors. How is this possible?
9. Take care of your mind, it's precious
28 Feb 2018
Epictetus notes that we can do a lot more with our mind than with our body. And yet we obsess over the latter and care little for the former.
8. Don't do anything that requires a wall or a curtain
28 Feb 2018
The emperor-philosopher tells us that there is no profit for our character in doing things that require lying, being hypocritical, or otherwise damage our integrity.
7. Time to die or to go lunch?
30 Dec 2017
Epictetus tells us that we have to tend to whatever is happening right now. If we are about to die, let’s deal with it. But if not...
6. Don’t postpone, life speeds by
29 Dec 2017
Seneca tells us that time is a precious commodity, and one that, once loaned, can never be paid back.
5. Useful vs pedantic knowledge
27 Dec 2017
Musonius Rufus reminds us of the difference between useful philosophy and dull mind games.
4. Focus on what is in your power
26 Dec 2017
Epictetus reminds us of the wisdom of understanding what is and is not under our control.
3. Marcus on not getting offended
24 Dec 2017
Marcus Aurelius reminds us that it is a strange thing to get offended by what people say or do.
2. Epictetus on what is good
22 Dec 2017
Epictetus teaches us what is truly good in life.
1. Marcus is thankful
21 Dec 2017
Marcus Aurelius is thankful to his grandfather and his mother.