Stoic Meditations

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194. On exotic food consumption Sep 10, 2018

Show notes

Seneca is critical of the fact that many ships are required to convey the requisites for a single meal, bringing them from no single sea. Still today so many people indulge in pleasures that cost a lot and cause much environmental damage. Time to revise our priorities about where our food comes from?

193. That which Fortuna has not given, she cannot take away Sep 07, 2018

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Let's talk about the ancient Roman goddess Fortuna, or what the Greeks called Tyche, to whom Seneca often refers in his letters to Lucilius. Why does she play such an important role in Stoic philosophy?

192. We all want lasting joy Sep 06, 2018

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Seneca argues that we want joy in life, and we want it to last. And yet, we insist in seeking it in all the wrong places, from ephemeral pleasures to the fickle praise of others.

191. Beware of flattery, it gets in the way of genuine progress Sep 05, 2018

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Seneca claims that flattery is a subtle enemy of our work toward becoming better persons. Too readily we agree with those who tell us that we are good, sensible, holy even. What's a good attitude toward praise, then?

190. Practicing philosophy is like going to spiritual gym Sep 04, 2018

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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.

189. Adversity is just a gym to exercise your virtue Sep 03, 2018

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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.

188. Old age, frail and not Aug 31, 2018

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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.

187. Take care of your body, with temperance Aug 30, 2018

Show notes

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.

186. How to excel at being human Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

Marcus Aurelius reminds us that there is no difference between acting according to nature and according to reason. What did he mean?

185. Where philosophy begins Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

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.

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