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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Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
54. Do The Right Thing, Now
Marcus Aurelius says that we need to stand erect of our own accord, not wait to be propped up by others.
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
53. Opinions Cause Suffering
Epictetus on the fact that it isn't exile, pain or death that determine our actions, but our opinions of those things.
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
52. Beware Of The Company You Keep
Seneca warns us that the path to virtue is easily disrupted by exposing ourselves to temptation and unsavory company.
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
51. We Are All Brothers & Sisters
Hierocles instructs us on a simple mental exercise to practice the Stoic concept of cosmopolitanism.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
50. Philosophy As A Way Of Life
Musonius Rufus reminds us why we study philosophy, a different pursuit from what goes on in the modern academy.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
49. Living According To Nature
Marcus Aurelius reminds us that to care for all people is according to (human) nature.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
48. Against Nationalism
Epictetus tells us that Socrates never replied to the question "where are you from?" with "I am from Athens," but always with "I am a citizen of the world."
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
47. Courage Requires Justice
Seneca makes the surprising (to some) statement that Stoicism is all about community and sharing.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
46. Use Your Thoughts Well
Marcus Aurelius tells us to ignore the opinion that others have of us, and to focus our energy instead on positive projects.
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
45. Character Is Crucial
Epictetus says that the measure of a person is the goodness of her character. Let's work on it, then!
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
44. The point of philosophy is...
Seneca makes a surprising statement about the primary aim of philosophy. Surprising, that is, if you confuse Stoicism and stoicism...
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
43. What happens after death?
Marcus Aurelius sounds agnostic about the after life. He also seems to think it doesn't matter.
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
42. Beware of superficial judgment
Epictetus observes that even if Plato were handsome and strong, that doesn’t mean those are the traits that made him a great philosopher...
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
41. Wealth not a measure of worth
Seneca has a problem with people who measure their worth by fashion or wealth.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
40. Don’t be an imbecile!
Hierocles reminds us that it is useless to blame things that have no fault. Rather, look at how clumsy or stupid we are sometimes when we use them.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
39. Radical idea: women's equality
Musonius Rufus says women have the same reasoning abilities as man, the same faculty of distinguishing good from bad.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
38. Remember, everything passes
Marcus Aurelius lists a number of important people who are no more, as a reminder of the impermanence of things, and to help us keep what happens to us in perspective.
Mar 1, 2018 · 2 min
37. What good did you do today?
Epictetus says that not doing awful things isn’t enough, it’s too lazy. The point is to positively do good things.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
36. Beware of relying on luck
Seneca uses a beautiful analogy to explain why the Stoic practitioner should not rely on luck, and indeed should be positively weary of it.
Mar 1, 2018 · 1 min
35. Keep your inner demon clean
Marcus Aurelius talks about how we should keep our “daimon,” i.e., our deliberating faculty, or our conscience.