Stoic Meditations

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314. Much of what we have is superfluous Mar 04, 2019

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Seneca says that his life's journey taught him that much of what we possess is superfluous, and indeed positively gets in the way of living a good life. He ought to know, as we discuss in this episode.

313. When to care, or not, about other people's opinions Mar 01, 2019

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Marcus Aurelius reminds us that all too often we care far too much about the opinions of people we do not actually hold in high esteem. If they judge us badly according to mistaken values, the problem is theirs, not ours.

312. Make your life the best it can be given the materials you are given Feb 28, 2019

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Seneca brings up a parallel between the life of virtue and the art of a sculptor like Phidias. Just like a good sculptor will make the best art that the materials at his disposal permit, so we can be good human beings regardless of the specific circumstances of our lives.

311. Everyone is a good pilot on a calm sea Feb 27, 2019

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Seneca uses a sailing metaphor to remind us that hardship in life, just like a storm at sea, is what truly tests our virtue, as the storm tests the pilot's skills.

310. Treat yourself as you would a sick friend Feb 26, 2019

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Seneca dispels the stereotype of Stoics as going through life with a stiff upper lip. Stoic training doesn't insulate us from sufferings. It gives us tools to deal with suffering.

309. Moderate insanity is not a good thing Feb 25, 2019

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Seneca directly takes on the Peripatetics, followers of Aristotle, and criticizes their notion that virtue always lies in the middle. Some things, like insanity, or anger, are not good even in small quantities.

308. Planning is more important than worrying about outcomes Feb 22, 2019

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Epictetus wonders why people pay attention to outcomes, which are outside of their control, and not so much to planning, which very much is under their control.

307. The orchestra of your mind Feb 21, 2019

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Seneca draws a beautiful analogy between the harmonious sounds of an orchestra and the harmonious thinking of a well structured mind.

306. If you want to understand things, write them down Feb 20, 2019

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Seneca suggests that we should alternate between reading and writing in order to truly understand and internalize new concepts. Which, of course, is yet another way to achieve a major goal of Stoic training: arrive at better and better judgments.

305. Read books, it's good for you Feb 19, 2019

Show notes

Seneca gives this most sensical of advices: read books by others, especially if they disagree with you. Turns out, it's a good way to improve our judgments of things, a major goal of Stoic training.

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