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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Apr 1, 2019 · 2 min
334. The fanciness of your scabbard says nothing about the effectiveness of your sword
Seneca uses the analogy of a scabbard and a sword to remind us that external goods, like wealth or health, are indeed preferable, but only in a limited fashion. What's truly important is the shape of our character.
Mar 29, 2019 · 3 min
333. What does it mean to live every day as if it were your last?
Marcus Aurelius advises us to live by avoiding both violent emotions and torpor, and by not being a hypocrite. But also, to treat every day as if it were our last. What does that mean?
Mar 28, 2019 · 3 min
332. The importance of sound judgment
Seneca provides a very clear explanation of the Stoic distinction between virtue and external things, leading to the surprising conclusion that even health is not an unquestionable good.
Mar 27, 2019 · 2 min
331. How to achieve serenity
Seneca talks about a major "side effect," so to speak, of the Stoic stance: achieving tranquillity of mind through the development of an attitude of equanimity.
Mar 26, 2019 · 2 min
330. Virtue is the only good, naturally
Cicero asserts the standard, and apparently paradoxical, Stoic position that virtue is the onyl true good. Let's see why.
Mar 25, 2019 · 3 min
329. Be aware of what you can and cannot change
Seneca says that Nature does not discriminate, it hands out suffering and death to everyone, eventually. But we can still make our life better by developing equanimity toward what we cannot change while trying to change what we can.
Mar 22, 2019 · 2 min
328. How to shape your character
Epictetus reminds us that character is a matter of habit. Willfully change your habits, and you will be on your way toward becoming a better human being.
Mar 21, 2019 · 3 min
327. Welcoming Cicero to our line up
This episode features our first discussion of Cicero. While not a Stoic (he considered himself an Academic Skeptic), he was sympathetic to Stoic philosophy, and frequently borrowed from it to create his own eclectic blend of moral philosophy.
Mar 20, 2019 · 3 min
326. These are your choices
Seneca, building on the Stoic concept of universal causation, reminds us that we don't get to say how the universe works. Our only choices are to accept it (and work within it), or take "the open door," as Epictetus puts it.
Mar 19, 2019 · 3 min
325. Can we really improve ourselves?
Seneca reminds us that although some people are naturally more virtuous than others, and that much depends on our family upbringing, we are capable of making rational decisions as adults. So make the decision to practice every day to become a better human being.
Mar 18, 2019 · 2 min
324. Wisdom as a better filter to examine your life
Seneca provides us with one of the best definitions of wisdom. Let's see what it means, and how to apply it to our daily life.
Mar 15, 2019 · 3 min
323. Marcus Aurelius and the chocolate cake
Marcus Aurelius exhorts us to not just do it, but slow down, think about it, and then see if we really want to do it.
Mar 14, 2019 · 3 min
322. Stoicism and war
Seneca says it no uncertain terms: it is not wisdom that contrives arms, or walls, or instruments useful in war; nay, her voice is for peace, and she summons all mankind to concord.
Mar 13, 2019 · 3 min
321. The three parts of philosophy
Seneca summarizes the reasons why to live a good life (the domain of Ethics) one has to learn how to reason well (Logic) and how to better understand the world (Physics).
Mar 12, 2019 · 3 min
320. Concern yourself with careful living
Seneca criticizes the tendency of some philosophers to spend a lot of time trying to develop more careful ways of speaking, at the expense of figuring out more careful ways of living.
Mar 11, 2019 · 2 min
319. Here's your top priority in life
Seneca says that it causes far too much discomfort to the ears of others to be recognized as a learned person. Better for us and everyone else to be recognized as a good person.
Mar 8, 2019 · 2 min
318. In order to learn something new you need to forget what you think you already know
Epictetus advises his students, and all of us, to drop our preconceptions and actually open our minds to new notions. Try to practice that the next time you engage in a "conversation" on social media.
Mar 7, 2019 · 3 min
317. Seneca criticizes the institution of war
In a rather forceful passage Seneca makes a strong political statement, referring to Roman imperialism as "sacrilege on a grand scale." Unfortunately, two millennia later, we still honor that sort of sacrilege, which flies in the face of the virtue of justice and the concept of cosmopolitanism.
Mar 6, 2019 · 2 min
316. Wealth doesn't make you a better person
Seneca constructs another logical argument to make the point that wealth is not an intrinsic good. Rather, it is how it is used that can be good or bad. Know any virtuous billionaires, by chance?
Mar 5, 2019 · 3 min
315. Chance events are not good for you
Seneca builds a simple argument to show that random events, like winning a lottery, are actually not good for you, despite appearances to the contrary.