The What Is Stoicism? Podcast

Today's episode offers some Stoic advice on using the virtue of Justice to guide our interactions with other people.As Seneca put it: "Our fellowship is very similar to an arch of stones, which would fall apart, if they did not reciprocally support each other."📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what oikeiosis is and how you can use it to guide your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"So until your pleasantries become solid beliefs and you’ve acquired some means of keeping yourselves safe, I’d advise you to be cautious when engaging with non-philosophers."—Epictetus📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reading of the fifth book of Marcus Aurelius's twelve-book work.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just like we have the power to interpret the past in the most constructive way possible, we also have the power to make our own choices in response to questions about the future.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what eudaimonia is and how you can use it to guide your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"There is no real doubt that it is good for one to have appointed a guardian over oneself, and to have someone whom you may look up to, someone whom you may regard as a witness of your thoughts."—Seneca, Letters 25📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what the circles of concern are and how you can use them to guide your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Roman senator Cato the Younger died in 46 BC but during his lifetime and in the years since his death, he has widely been considered as a near-perfect living embodiment of Stoicism.He was known for his moral integrity, his tenacity in supporting just causes and his immunity to bribes at a time when such corruption was commonplace. He was a respected military tribune who led from the front and shared in the hardship of his men. In his stubborn defense of the Roman Republic, he even preferred death over being ruled by Julius Caesar.The Stoic philosopher Seneca had huge admiration for Cato and advised his friend Lucilius to choose Cato as a role model and to use the Stoic as a ruler against which he could measure and straighten his own behavior.We have some good insights into Cato's adherence to Stoicism from Plutarch's Parallel Lives and I'd like to share a couple of them today as examples of how he demonstrated his character.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story I'd like to share in today's episode comes from Seneca's On Tranquility of Mind essay and features some interesting and entertaining details from the life of a philosopher called Julius Canus.Seneca's underlying motivation for holding Canus up as a role model in this story was to demonstrate how one can maintain a calm mind in the face of adversity.What Julius Canus faced is likely to be a lot more extreme than what most of us will face on a daily basis but this is encouraging in itself - if someone can maintain tranquility of mind in the direst of circumstances, surely it can be done when the stakes aren't so high.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Greek Stoic philosopher Cleanthes was originally a boxer who took up philosophy when he came to Athens and eventually became the successor to Zeno of Citium as the second head of the Stoic school around 262 BC.He supported his studies by working as a water-carrier at night and the short anecdotes we have about his life provide good lessons on humility and simple living.The biographical stories I share about Cleanthes in this episode come courtesy of Diogenes Laertius and his famous work Lives of the Eminent Philosophers.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Stoic story takes the form of two short anecdotes from the life of the philosopher Paconius Agrippinus.The examples from Agrippinus's life are used by Epictetus in his Discourses to demonstrate to his students what it truly means for one to desire only what is up to them to be averse to what is not.They also show how the Stoics in general believed in practicing the virtue of courage by sticking to one's principles in the face adversity and trying to do the right thing even if it could result in negative consequences.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Stoics knew how useful stories and examples could be in the illustration of philosophical lessons.Clear descriptions and explanations of principles are vital of course but demonstrating them in practice is an invaluable tool in helping people to understand them.The example I share in this episode comes from Seneca's Consolation to Marcia, which was a letter the Stoic statesman sent to his friend to help her manage her grief followingthe death of her son.The real-life examples Seneca presents convey lessons that we could adapt and apply not just to grief but to any misfortune as we decide how we will respond to what we face in life.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What we can learn from dogs, the animal that Socrates called "a true philosopher."The video mentioned in this episode: This golden retriever has shown us all the true meaning of optimism, hope and gratitude📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reading of the fourth book of Marcus Aurelius's twelve-book work.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

☀️ Micro Morning Meditations: https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/subscribe----"For the morning is the youth of the day, when everything is bright, fresh, and easy of attainment; we feel strong then, and all our faculties are completely at our disposal.Do not shorten the morning by getting up late, or waste it in unworthy occupations or in talk; look upon it as the quintessence of life, as to a certain extent sacred."—Schopenhauer, Our Relation to Ourselves Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what the Stoic motto of living according to Nature means and how you can use it in everyday life.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Desire has a reliable way of making us view our lives through the lens of what we don’t have.This lens obscures from our sight the many blessings we already have and puts us into a discontented state of ungratefulness.Thankfully, Stoicism helps us find a better perspective.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what the Stoic sage is and how you can use it in your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reading of the third book of Marcus Aurelius's twelve-book work.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what the Stoic reserve clause is and how you can use it in your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode is a guided Stoic meditation that aims to help bring you back to the present moment. It’s something you’ll hopefully find valuable to return to when thoughts about the past and future get a little overwhelming.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what the dichotomy of control is and how you can use it in your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"It’s typically human to feel affection even for people who make mistakes. The feeling is a response to the thoughts that they’re your kin, that they’re led astray against their will by their ignorance, that shortly both of you will be dead, and especially that he did you no harm, because he didn’t make your command center worse than it was before."— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.22📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A short exploration of Seneca's advice to his friend Lucilius and the following related sentiment from the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer:"Each day is a little life: every waking and rising a little birth, every fresh morning a little youth, every going to rest and sleep a little death."📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer episode will provide you with a straightforward understanding of one of the elements of Stoicism that can sometimes be confusing - what the philosophy considers to be good, what it considers to be bad, and what it considers to be indifferent.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this interview with Jon Brooks, I share my journey into Stoicism and how it has helped me find meaning and purpose in life. I discuss how I was introduced to Stoicism through the Tim Ferriss podcast and William B Irvine's book "A Guide to the Good Life". I also explain how Stoicism's focus on personal responsibility and practical philosophy resonated with me and led me to start creating content on the topic early on in my philosophical journey.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What keeps people coming back to a Roman Emperor’s 2000-year-old journal?To help answer that question, in this episode I share one short lesson from each of the twelve books of the Meditations.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what negative visualization is and how you can use it in your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reading of the second book of Marcus Aurelius's twelve-book work.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what Amor Fati is and how you can use it in your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Young Plato is a fantastic documentary about a headmaster embarking on a quest to teach children to use philosophy to examine their own thoughts and question the world around them. There are certainly plenty of lessons that older generations can learn too.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This short explainer will provide you with a straightforward understanding of what Memento Mori (Latin for “remember you must die”) is and how you can use it in your Stoic practice.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plato’s Academy Centre is a non-profit organization raising funds through a variety of means with the ultimate goal of opening an international conference venue overlooking Plato’s Academy Park, the original site of Plato’s school of philosophy.In addition to their fundraising, the group also publishes articles and holds events about Stoicism and other philosophical topics. I was happy to take part in a short interview for PAC’s Substack page recently which you can listen to in this episode.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The more consistently you journal,” writes Brittany Polat in her book Journal Like a Stoic. “The more impact you’ll see in your daily life.”If you’re interested in starting a journaling habit or are seeking some new approaches to your existing practice, Journal Like a Stoic is an excellent resource.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By studying them, by practicing them, and by writing about them, we can ensure that the fundamental principles of Stoicism will always remain “at hand” to us and that our philosophy is very much a lived one.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I don’t know” is the key that unlocks the gate to learning. Without that admission, the journey ends. No one can be taught what they think they already know.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Disu is the co-founder of Octillion Capital Partners, a company that seeks to acquire clean and sustainable brands in the health, beauty, food and beverage industries.In this interview, I talk to Ayo about his work with Octillion and how he applies Stoicism in his personal and professional life.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A simple approach to daily Stoic journaling.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 short Stoic life lessons that initially sound difficult to believe.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to use Stoicism to prepare for each and every day.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What we can learn from Jose Mujica's rejection of riches.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Stoic lesson in gratitude from the Philosopher-King, Marcus Aurelius.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How memento mori practices can help you appreciate the gift of each new day.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How you can apply Leonardo’s learning process to your practice of Stoicism.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow in the footsteps of Marcus Aurelius with this fun but useful Stoic exercise.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The good news is that an evening routine doesn’t need to be mentally taxing.Done the right way, it can gently draw a line under the day that has just passed, and put the mind at rest, ready for satisfied slumber.If your morning routine is your start-up cycle, your evening routine is your shut-down sequence.Here is a short Stoic evening routine you can try that will help you happily put the finishing touches on your day.You can find the mentioned longer guided meditation here.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having been a fan of Massimo Pigliucci’s work for several years, I was grateful to receive a review copy of his latest book, The Quest for Character.While this book isn’t solely focused on Stoicism, the philosophy and its main figures are referenced many times throughout as Pigliucci tries to determine whether good character is something that can be taught.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode looks at the interesting story of why Stoicism is indebted to what might just be your new favorite color - Tyrian purple.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode features 11 short Stoic rules for life that aren’t rules at all.Rather, they’re important questions that Stoicism gives us the ability to ask ourselves so that we might keep building our own excellent character.📻 FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO + EMAIL CONTENTCheck out What Is Stoicism? on Substack:https://whatisstoicism.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.