Stoic Meditations

Massimo Pigliucci

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).

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1,094 episodes
Updated Aug 23, 2022

Episodes1094

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May 14, 2021 · 2 min
854. Challenging your incorrect emotions
Cicero gives a nice rundown of the Stoic theory of emotions, which holds up well according to modern cognitive science. Emotions have cognitive components, so we can challenge them when they are not good for us.
May 13, 2021 · 2 min
853. The nature of fear
If our concerns are in agreement with reason, they are healthy; but fear is not in agreement with reason, and it is therefore unhealthy.
May 12, 2021 · 2 min
852. The nature of volition
Where this strong desire is consistent and founded on prudence, it is by the Stoics called volition. And this they define it thus: volition is a reasonable desire.
May 10, 2021 · 3 min
851. Perturbations of the mind
Zeno’s definition, then, is this: “A perturbation” (which he calls “pathos”) “is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.”
May 7, 2021 · 2 min
850. What is apatheia?
The sage will achieve a state of apatheia, meaning lack of disturbance from unhealthy emotions like fear, anger, and hatred. But she will also experience healthy emotions, like love, joy, and a sense of justice.
May 6, 2021 · 3 min
849. Five philosophical takes on grief
Cicero very clearly and succinctly explains the difference among five Hellenistic takes on grief, including two Stoic ones, one by Cleanthes (the second head of the Stoa) and one by Chrysippus (the third head).
May 5, 2021 · 2 min
848. Grief is an opinion
Grief arises from an opinion of some present evil, which includes this belief, that it is incumbent on us to grieve.
May 4, 2021 · 2 min
847. Philosophical contradictions
Most people appear to be unaware what contradictions these things are full of. They commend those who die calmly, but they blame those who can bear the loss of another with the same calmness.
May 3, 2021 · 3 min
846. Willing grief away
Cicero gives an example of people suddenly setting grief aside because they are absorbed in an urgent task. He infers that, therefore, grief is a matter of opinion, not of nature.
Apr 30, 2021 · 2 min
845. Facts vs judgments
You see, the evil is in opinion, not in nature.
Apr 29, 2021 · 2 min
844. Comfort by comparison
[We can point] out that nothing has happened but what is common to human nature; [which] does not only inform us what human nature is, but implies that all things are tolerable which others have borne and are bearing.
Apr 28, 2021 · 3 min
843. Cicero vs the Epicureans, part II
Cicero presents three major objections to Epicureanism, which he argues is a fundamentally incoherent philosophy. See if you agree with his analysis.
Apr 27, 2021 · 2 min
842. Cicero vs the Epicureans
I should agree with Epicurus that we ought to be called off from grief to contemplate good things, if we could only agree upon what was good.
Apr 26, 2021 · 2 min
841. Music or Socrates?
Cicero says that if one is distraught she should read Socrates rather than listen to music. I disagree. Music may be soothing in the long run. Socrates is the long term cure.
Apr 23, 2021 · 2 min
840. Should we contemplate future adversity?
There are two ways to think about potential future setbacks: emotionally, and rationally. The first approach only causes perpetual distress. The second one prepares our mind to deal with what may be coming.
Apr 22, 2021 · 2 min
839. Being prepared for anything
Cicero tells us that Anaxagoras, the Presocratic philosopher, was ready to accept the death of his son, because he had always known he was a mortal. This isn't lack of care, it's mental preparedness.
Apr 21, 2021 · 3 min
838. Why and how to overcome grief
Grief, Cicero tells us, is a highly destructive emotion. While we shouldn't go around telling others not to grieve, we ourselves should take care to react differently to the loss of a loved one.
Apr 20, 2021 · 3 min
837. The four fundamental disturbances of the mind
Cicero gives us a classification of disturbances of the mind: when we think that something is good (now or in the future) but it actually isn't. And when we think that something is bad (now or in the future) but it actually isn't.
Apr 19, 2021 · 2 min
836. Pity vs envy
Cicero makes an argument that the ideal Stoic, the sage, should feel neither envy nor pity. He was spectacularly wrong, and directly contradicted by Marcus Aurelius. Let's see why.
Apr 16, 2021 · 2 min
835. The absurdity of envy
The word envy comes from Latin for "looking too closely into other people's fortune." Let us see why this is most definitely not a thing that a Stoic should indulge in.