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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Aug 13, 2018 · 1 min
174. Learn from teachers who do, not just talk
Seneca advices his friend Lucilius to pay attention to people who act right, not just talk right. When we pick a role model to improve our character, let's pick someone whose actions we want to imitate, they are a better guidance to virtue.
Aug 10, 2018 · 2 min
173. Compel Fortuna to play on equal terms
Seneca argues that we can force Fortuna, the goddess of luck, to deal with us on equal terms, by not being slaves to external things we cannot control. Cultivate equanimity, and Fortuna will play fair with you.
Aug 9, 2018 · 1 min
172. Pay attention to what others say, inhabit their minds
Marcus Aurelius gives some commonsensical advice on how to interact with other people, which leads us to a brief discussion of what counts as "Stoic" advice in the first place.
Aug 8, 2018 · 1 min
171. Revenge is not justice
Epictetus reminds his students that engaging in a wrong act, even one done in response to an injustice, stains our own character, and therefore hurts us first and foremost. Stoics don't favor retributive justice systems.
Aug 7, 2018 · 2 min
170. What's the problem with the passions?
Seneca reminds us of the distinction between unhealthy and healthy emotions: being overwhelmed by the first ones tears us apart internally, while cultivating the second ones brings harmony to our psyche.
Aug 6, 2018 · 2 min
169. No pain no gain, says Musonius
Musonius Rufus, in an implicit rebuttal to the Epicureans, reminds us of all the things that is worth experiencing pain to achieve, most importantly being a good, just, and temperate person.
Aug 3, 2018 · 2 min
168. You should live neither in a place of torture nor in a cafe
Seneca gives rare advice on one's abode. It should be a place that does not get in the way of practicing virtue, which means neither too uncomfortable (if we can avoid it) nor too luxurious or distracting.
Aug 2, 2018 · 2 min
167. Philosophy may be painful or a pleasure, but it's worth it
Seneca disagrees with Epictetus: the first says that philosophy is a pleasant medicine, the second that it is a painful one. And yet they agree that it is a remedy that, taken regularly, makes for a wholesome life.
Aug 1, 2018 · 1 min
166. Is the problem with the place, or with you?
Seneca says that more often than we realize we blame our problems on the time and place we live in, without understanding that the fault may be with us, and that we should work on ourselves, instead of finding excuses.
Jul 31, 2018 · 2 min
165. You want to change the world? Begin by changing yourself
Seneca argues that we are born with the ability to reason and to improve our reasoning. We are also naturally social, and prefer virtue over vice. Hard to believe, right? And yet, he's got a point.
Jul 30, 2018 · 2 min
164. A good life depends not on length, but on our use of it
Seneca argues that it is the quality, not the duration, of one's life that is important, and that we often live long when measured in years, and yet too little in terms of what we accomplish.
Jul 27, 2018 · 2 min
163. What's really important in your life?
A straightforward quote by Epictetus allows us to reflect on what a philosophy of life is, and why everyone needs one.
Jul 26, 2018 · 1 min
162. On the difference between philosophy and logic chopping
Seneca says that he'd prefer to be told how to help people, rather than how many different meanings of the word "people" there may be.
Jul 25, 2018 · 2 min
161. Things themselves have no power to form our judgments
Life is hard as it is, says Marcus Aurelius, there is no need to make ourselves more miserable by adding unnecessary opinions that increase our suffering.
Jul 24, 2018 · 3 min
160. Reflect on the roles you play, and play them well
Epictetus introduced a major innovation in Stoic ethics with his theory of roles. We are first and foremost members of the human cosmopolis. But also fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends, colleagues. How do we balance the conflicting demands of such diverse roles in life?
Jul 23, 2018 · 2 min
159. Won't you be my neighbor?
Seneca reminds us that we can't live happily if we transform everything into a question of our own utility. We must live for your neighbour in order to live for ourselves.
Jul 20, 2018 · 1 min
158. What do you think is truly good for you?
Marcus provides us three options for what sort of thing is truly good for you, and argues that a person of understanding will go for the third one. Have you reflected on what is good for you, and why?
Jul 19, 2018 · 1 min
157. On family matters, take the high moral ground
Epictetus advises us to forgo issues of material resources and remember that family relationships in great part define who we are. After all, if we can't practice virtue with our brothers, sisters, and parents, with whom can we practice it?
Jul 18, 2018 · 1 min
156. Everyone who craves externals is a slave to them
Seneca says that if we are going after the satisfaction of lust, greed, ambition, and so forth, we make ourselves slaves to fortune. Not so if we regard what we have as loans from the universe, which the universe can take back at any moment, by any means.
Jul 17, 2018 · 2 min
155. Calibrate your desires, achieve serenity
Musonius Rufus reminds us that it is far easier to curb our desire for our neighbor's wife than to pursue it Not to mention that it is the right thing to do.