Stoic Meditations

Marcus Aurelius talks about being helpful to society. And yet he was an emperor who waged war and presided over slavery. How do we reconcile his actions with his Stoicism? At least in three ways, explored in this episode. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca quotes the Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus to the effect that everything changes all the time, panta rhei. It follows that it is futile to get attached to things, including our own bodies. Enjoy what you have, but consider it a temporary loan from the cosmos. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca tells Lucilius that we need rest and relaxation, but we can exercise virtue even in our choice of how we relax and entertain ourselves. Consider how you refresh your mind, the next time you pick a movie or organize a vacation! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca tells Lucilius that he welcomes knowledge from all fields, not just philosophy. That's why he wrote books on natural questions, including on the nature of comets, earthquakes, thunderstorms, and the causes of the flooding of the Nile. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

According to Epictetus philosophy gets started when we are genuinely interested in why people disagree about things. Not in terms of factual matters, which empirical evidence can settle, but about values and how we should think about the world and therefore act in it. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Marcus Aurelius reminds us that there is no difference between acting according to nature and according to reason. What did he mean? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca reminds us that we have some power to make our body last longer, by exercising temperance in our pleasures. Enjoy your next meal, just don't over do it. And remember, Stoics drink wine, but they don't get drunk. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca tells Lucilius that old age is natural and to be welcomed. So long as it maintains our mind in working order. If that's not the case, then the Stoics prefer to exit through the open door, as virtue itself becomes impossible to practice. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca says that the wise person (and, by extension, the practitioner of Stoicism) will deal with poverty, sorrow, disgrace or pain, because she is alert and fortified, ready to treat adversity as a way to improve her character. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca reminds Lucilius that we can't relegate our quest for becoming better persons to intervals between indulgences. It's like going to the gym: you have to do it regularly and often, or you won't get the benefits. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stoicmeditations/support