Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

Caleb and Michael discuss an objection to Stoicism: the impossibility objection. Along the way, they talk about the challenge of living by Stoic principles, especially in extreme situations, and whether achieving the ideal Stoic sage is possible. 03:26 The Argument 14:47 Why It Matters 17:06 Stoicism Doesn't Require Unrealistic Control 27:15 Forceful Impressions 35:44 Can We All Be Sages? 44:54 Ca...

How can you use Stoicism to cultivate compassion and build deeper connections? Brittany Polat joins Caleb to talk about the themes from her new set of meditations: Deeper Connections. They discuss the meaning of Stoic compassion and what becoming more compassionate looks like in theory and practice. Deeper Connections Journal Like A Stoic https://stoicismforhumans.substack.com/ (01:11) Stoic Compa...

Caleb and Michael talk about Seneca’s 94th Letter to Lucilius. In it Seneca debates the place of rules in the philosophical life with the ancient Stoic Aristo. It's a topic of theoretical and practical importance. How do you use rules, proverbs, and precepts well when they are such imperfect tools? What's the difference between rules and principles?  (02:39) The Debate Over Rules (16:19) Aristo (2...

In this conversation, Michael Tremblay and Erlend MacGillivray take a deep dive into Stoic history and the life of Epictetus. It’s an excellent discussion for anyone looking to enrich their knowledge of ancient history and situate the Stoics in their time. https://schoolofepictetus.substack.com/ (01:20) Getting Into Stoicism (05:33) Epictetus (10:26) Epictetus's World (13:34) Philosophy in Rome (2...

In this conversation, Caleb and Michael talk Socrates. Why was he held in such high regard by the Stoics? What’s the line of philosophical theory and practice connecting Stoicism to Socrates? And how did Socrates philosophy differ from the Stoics? (03:52) Who Was Socrates? (07:07) Philosophy As A Way Off Life (14:48) The Socratic Method (20:49) Virtue Is Knowledge (26:15) Self-knowledge (33:40) Th...

In this conversation, Caleb speaks with William O Stephens about his 6 core themes of Stoicism. Epictetus’s 'Encheiridion': A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics https://williamostephens.com/ (04:12) Self-Control (09:31) Seeing Things As They Are (14:34) Living In Accordance With Nature (22:12) Role Ethics (35:57) Virtue Depends On Knowledge (42:59) Stoicism Is Aspirational *** Learn more ab...

Register for a free workshop January 3rd: stoameditation.com/workshop Join our live course – starting next week: stoameditation.com/course Happy new year! Thanks for listening to Stoa Conversations. In this one, Caleb and Michael discuss their highlights from 2023 – one year of podcasting in public. Relive your favorite philosophical moments with them as they share the key insights from the year a...

(00:11) Scott Aikin (03:35) Massimo Pigliucci (05:08) Donald Robertson (07:09) Brittany Polat (10:29) Tim Lebon (14:34) Chris Gill *** Learn more about our new year’s course: stoameditation.com/course Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod...

Register for a free workshop January 3rd: stoameditation.com/workshop Are New Year’s resolutions Stoic? Caleb and Michael talk about the Stoic cases for and against the practice. Then they move to what we can learn from the Stoics about setting resolutions well. (01:41) Against Resolutions (09:44) The Case For Resolutions (18:47) Making New Year’s Resolutions Well (24:14) Getting Concrete (26:55)...

In this conversation, Caleb speaks with Aiste Celkyte about the Stoic theory of beauty. They cover what the Stoics saw as beautiful, how their aesthetics expresses their ethics, and the practical application of this neglected topic. Aiste Celkyte is a professor at the university of Leiden and author of The Stoic Theory of Beauty . (00:57) What Is Beautiful For The Stoics? (06:51) Ancient Sources (...

Start the year with others looking to apply Stoicism to our life. Join our 3-week intensive course: https://stoameditation.com/course The Stoics are always reminding us to improve ourselves now. But how do you actually do that? What advice do they have for us? Caleb and Michael discuss a simple 3 step approach to procrastination we can glean from the ancient Roman Stoics. (03:33) The Stoic Solutio...

In this conversation, Caleb speaks with Rob LaFleur, Professor of Anthropology & History at Beloit College and teacher of The Great Courses Books That Matter: The Analects of Confucius . Stoics care about virtue and role ethics – two things central to Confucianism. Understanding the similarities and differences between the two philosophies can only enrich one’s philosophical theory and practic...

Caleb and Michael debate the role of politics in the modern Stoic life. Caleb argues that Stoics should stay away from politics – like the Epicureanism. Michael thinks this couldn’t be any more wrong. Heated, if Stoic, debated ensues. (05:18) Arguments Against Politics (25:49) The Wisdom of Epicurus (33:52) Justice Without Politics (37:57) The Stoic Case for Politics (51:33) The Norms for Engaging...

In this episode, Caleb speaks with Mahmoud Rasmi, a former philosophy professor from Lebanon, on philosophy, business, and the importance of asking questions well. Philosophy for Business Leaders: https://amzn.to/3NeQ7gi https://twitter.com/Decafquest (03:04) Getting Into Philosophy (12:26) Losing Your Business (14:11) Philosophy vs Critical Thinking (25:23) Are Philosophers The Best Thinkers? (32...

Caleb and Michael engage in a discussion on Existentialism, explaining its essence, distinguishing it from Stoicism, and extracting valuable insights. Michael underscores the significance of authenticity, while Caleb highlights the ideas of bad faith and radical freedom. (02:20) Existentialism (18:20) Stoicism vs Existentialism (32:17) Existentialism for Stoics *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for...

For episode 100, Caleb and Michael discuss Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations 2.1. Thank you for listening. Send us a note at stoa@stoameditation.com if you ever have any comments, questions, or requests. (03:01) Reading 2.1 (04:32) Praemediatio Malorum (09:44) Dealing With Others (17:15) Seeing Goodness (24:46) No One Can Harm Us (27:15) Overcoming Anger (36:16) Working With Others (41:44) The Obstacl...

Caleb and Michael talk about forgiveness and clemency. How does the Stoic idea of forgiveness differ from the popular account – and when should we pardon other’s wrongdoing or address it head on? (01:16) What Is Forgiveness? (15:59) The Stoic Account (25:00) Forgive Everyone At Once (28:18) Clemency (35:10) Is Clemency Only A Tool For The Strong? (45:07) Challenges *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter...

Caleb speaks with Jennifer Baker about teaching Stoicism and its application to modern day life. Along the way they discuss Aristotle, business ethics, the meaning of living in accordance with nature, and natural vs actual virtue. https://philosophy.cofc.edu/faculty-staff-listing/baker-jennifer.php (00:40) Teaching Stoicism In Academia (04:22) Aristotle (12:26) Natural Virtue vs Actual Virtue (17:...

Caleb and Michael discuss the Stoics strategy for setting boundaries. Learn about the issues many Stoic practitioners face with boundaries and how Epictetus counsels us to live better. (02:59) What Are Boundaries? (06:13) The Challenge for Stoics (19:58) Defining and Enforcing Boundaries (30:46) Everything Is A Scam (38:33) Enforce Boundaries For The Right Reason *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter f...

“Stoicism is not so much an ethic as it is a paradoxical recipe for happiness.” Caleb speaks with Allan from What Is Stoicism about the practice of Stoicism as a philosophy of daily life. They discuss how they think about Stoicism, the work of Pierre Hadot, underrated ideas in Stoicism, and their Stoic practices. https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/ https://whatisstoicism.com/what-is-stoicism/ (00...

“Shadows and dust” Caleb and Michael talk about the philosophical themes in the epic movie “Gladiator.” It's the very first Stoa film review. (00:39) Introduction (07:26) Movie Review (09:32) Commodus as Anti-Model (13:57) Is Maximus Stoic? (17:03) Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator (19:50) Maximus is a Stoic Hero (23:28) The Afterlife (29:11) Proximo (34:37) Gladiatorial Games (37:19) Masculinity and R...

Why does Musonius Rufus lecture on food and men’s fashion? Caleb talks to William O Stephens to find out. Learn how the Stoics thought about ordinary issues of life in order to live extraordinarily well. https://williamostephens.com/ (01:11) Musonius Rufus and Epictetus (09:09) Why Care About Food and Fashion? (13:42) Food (23:16) Optimizing Health (29:58) The Social Dimension (36:14) Beards (45:1...

"Nothing has happened which was not going to be, and likewise nothing is going to be of which nature does not contain causes working to bring that very thing about." The Stoics believed that we were responsible for our actions and that every action was fated. In this conversation, Michael explains how they made sense of those two ideas. We cover determinism, freewill, and moral responsibility in S...

In this conversation, Caleb speaks with Jeremy Reid. Jeremy is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at San Francisco State University. They talk about anger and forgiveness, using his excellent paper “Stoic Forgiveness” as a launching off point. This is an excellent conversation for understanding the Stoic view of anger and enriching it with their practical and compassionate take on forgiveness. H...

“And what are we by nature? We are free, honorable, and self-respecting. After all, does any other animal blush or feel shame?” The fear of social disgrace, shame, can prevent us from living well. Yet, the Stoics argued that there’s a related emotion, a kind of self-respect, that can help us live more freely. In this conversation, Caleb and Michael discuss both. (00:06) Introduction (04:48) Shame...