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). Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support
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Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 1 day 23 hours 40 minutes
episode 365: 365. Your role model may be closer than you think
In which I compare my adoptive grandfather to Cato the Younger. Not because he fought battles against tyrants, but because he was a decent and kind human being.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 364: 364. Virtue is all-or-nothing, and yet, we can make progress
Cicero talks about one of the classic Stoic paradoxes: virtue is all-or-nothing, and yet one can make progress toward it. How is this possible? In this episode we explain, by way of a geometrical analogy.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 363: 363. Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do
Marcus Aurelius argues that when we do something right we shouldn't expect either recognition or a return. Otherwise, we are doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 362: 362. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s account every day.
Seneca reminds us that we do not actually know when "the remorseless law of Fate" has fixed the time of our death. Therefore, we should prioritize what's important, postpone nothing, and balance our life’s account every day.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 361: 361. No sensation of evil can reach one who is dead
Seneca agrees with Epicurus: there is no sense in fearing what happens after death, since we won't be there to experience it. Therefore, we should not allow religious and political authorities to manipulate us through that fear.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 360: 360. Not feeling pain would make us inhuman, not sages
Seneca talks to his friend Lucilius about how to console the bereaved, dispelling the stereotype of Stoics as individuals who go through life with a stiff upper lip.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 359: 359. The universe is morally neutral
Seneca says that good and evil are not in the world per se, but in our judgments about the world, and the actions we take as a consequence of those judgments. Which is why training ourselves to arrive at better judgments is so crucial.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 358: 358. Challenge your impressions, don't "just do it"
Epictetus tells us about a fundamental Stoic technique: never act on first impressions and implied judgments. Always pause, challenge your impressions, make the judgments explicit, and see whether they were on target or not.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 357: 357. The view from above, Seneca style
Here is Seneca's version of an exercise most often associated with Marcus Aurelius: when you feel overwhelmed by your problems, take a minute to consider a broader perspective. When your mind is calmer, come back to earth and tackle the problems.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/supportepisode 356: 356. What ought to be done must be learned from one who does it
Seneca suggests we pick a role model to help us become better persons. This ancient practice actually gets some empirical confirmation from modern psychology. So, who's your model, and why?
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support