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Artwork for Stoic Meditations
Religion & Spirituality

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

Newest first
  • Feb 4, 2019 · 3 min

    294. Three simple steps to live a good life

    Seneca reminds us that the tools for becoming a better person are simple and inexpensive. In this episode we discuss the three basic tools of the Stoic practitioner.

  • Jan 31, 2019 · 2 min

    292. Fortuna is your sparring partner

    Seneca reminds us that it may be just as difficult to deal with good fortune as with the bad variety. Regardless, everything life throws at us is an opportunity to exercise our virtue.

  • Jan 30, 2019 · 3 min

    291. Practical exercises in self-deprivation

    Seneca says that doing without things for a while renews our appreciation for them. In this episode we examine five exercises in mild self-deprivation guaranteed to reset your hedonic treadmill.

  • Jan 28, 2019 · 2 min

    289. Pay attention to the good parts of your life

    A contemporary theory of consciousness, proposed by philosopher Jesse Prinz, recalls Seneca's treatment of the emotions, and teaches us how to avert painful thoughts by focusing on the good things that happen to us.

  • Jan 25, 2019 · 2 min

    288. Your "happiness" is up to you, really

    Epictetus reminds us that the only things that are truly good or bad for us are our judgments, which are under our control. It follows that "happiness," in the sense of a life worth living, is also under our control.

  • Jan 24, 2019 · 2 min

    287. What's a good reason to endure hardship?

    Seneca reminds us that athletes willingly subject themselves to harsh regimes in order to succeed. But when it comes to becoming a better person most of us think it's just too difficult.

  • Jan 22, 2019 · 2 min

    285. Everything depends on opinion

    Seneca tells us that our happiness, or lack thereof, is a matter of our own opinion. No, he's not making a relativist or post-modernist argument on the nature of knowledge.

  • Jan 18, 2019 · 1 min

    283. On the importance of friendship

    The Stoics, the Epicureans, and Aristotle all agreed on one thing: friends are important. In this episode we talk about why, and how the Stoics differ from the other two schools on this topic.

  • Jan 17, 2019 · 2 min

    282. Life's a play, act well

    Seneca uses a metaphor that later became famous with Shakespeare: life is like a play, so what counts is not its length, but how well we act our parts.

  • Jan 16, 2019 · 2 min

    281. The asymmetry of being dead

    Seneca points out that people regret not being alive a thousand years from now, and yet are not bothered by the thought of not having been alive for the past thousand years.

  • Jan 15, 2019 · 2 min

    280. Distribute your wealth like after a banquet

    Seneca recalls an ancient Roman custom according to which the host of a banquet would distribute gifts to his friends at the end. Consider doing the same after your life has ended.

  • Jan 11, 2019 · 1 min

    278. Every good life is complete

    Seneca argues that life is not like a journey. Whenever it is interrupted it is a whole life, if we have been living it virtuously.

  • Jan 10, 2019 · 2 min

    277. A prepared mind tackles adversity better

    Today's quote from Seneca is the root of the modern Stoic technique of premeditatio malorum, a meditation in which we try to get mentally prepared to tackle adversity.

  • Jan 9, 2019 · 2 min

    276. The real stature of people

    Seneca uses a beautiful analogy to argue that some people may look impressive while they aren't, and other people truly are impressive and yet remain overlooked.