Stoic Meditations

Latest Episodes:

284. 40 years or 10,000, makes little difference Jan 21, 2019

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Marcus says that once we have observed human affairs for 40 years, it's the same as having observed them for 10,000 years. Surely he is wrong? Not necessarily...

283. On the importance of friendship Jan 18, 2019

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The Stoics, the Epicureans, and Aristotle all agreed on one thing: friends are important. In this episode we talk about why, and how the Stoics differ from the other two schools on this topic.

282. Life's a play, act well Jan 17, 2019

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Seneca uses a metaphor that later became famous with Shakespeare: life is like a play, so what counts is not its length, but how well we act our parts.

281. The asymmetry of being dead Jan 16, 2019

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Seneca points out that people regret not being alive a thousand years from now, and yet are not bothered by the thought of not having been alive for the past thousand years.

280. Distribute your wealth like after a banquet Jan 15, 2019

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Seneca recalls an ancient Roman custom according to which the host of a banquet would distribute gifts to his friends at the end. Consider doing the same after your life has ended.

279. A little philosophy is a dangerous thing Jan 14, 2019

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Epictetus warn us that a little knowledge of philosophy, without proper guidance, can actually turn us onto even more stubborn fools than we were before.

278. Every good life is complete Jan 11, 2019

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Seneca argues that life is not like a journey. Whenever it is interrupted it is a whole life, if we have been living it virtuously.

277. A prepared mind tackles adversity better Jan 10, 2019

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Today's quote from Seneca is the root of the modern Stoic technique of premeditatio malorum, a meditation in which we try to get mentally prepared to tackle adversity.

276. The real stature of people Jan 09, 2019

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Seneca uses a beautiful analogy to argue that some people may look impressive while they aren't, and other people truly are impressive and yet remain overlooked.

275. Navigating between good and bad fortune Jan 08, 2019

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Seneca tells us that virtue is useful not just in order to handle bad fortune, but also, counter intuitively, to deal with good fortune.

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