Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

Caleb speaks with Jennifer Baker about teaching Stoicism and its application to modern day life. Along the way they discuss Aristotle, business ethics, the meaning of living in accordance with nature, and natural vs actual virtue.

https://philosophy.cofc.edu/faculty-staff-listing/baker-jennifer.php

(00:40) Teaching Stoicism In Academia

(04:22) Aristotle

(12:26) Natural Virtue vs Actual Virtue

(17:40) Stoics In The Economy

(30:25) Stoic Answer To Happiness

(36:54) Why Aren't We Happy Already?

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Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Caleb and Michael discuss the Stoics strategy for setting boundaries.

Learn about the issues many Stoic practitioners face with boundaries and how Epictetus counsels us to live better.

(02:59) What Are Boundaries?

(06:13) The Challenge for Stoics

(19:58) Defining and Enforcing Boundaries

(30:46) Everything Is A Scam

(38:33) Enforce Boundaries For The Right Reason

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

“Stoicism is not so much an ethic as it is a paradoxical recipe for happiness.”

Caleb speaks with Allan from What Is Stoicism about the practice of Stoicism as a philosophy of daily life.

They discuss how they think about Stoicism, the work of Pierre Hadot, underrated ideas in Stoicism, and their Stoic practices.

https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/

https://whatisstoicism.com/what-is-stoicism/

(00:33) Allan's Story

(04:59) What Is Stoicism?

(10:54) An Underrated Stoic Idea

(18:18) Stoic Exercises

(28:06) Widening The Domain of Being

(31:48) Philosophy As Gardening

(35:10) Refined Selfishness

(39:55) Stoic Meditation

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

“Shadows and dust”

Caleb and Michael talk about the philosophical themes in the epic movie “Gladiator.” It's the very first Stoa film review.

(00:39) Introduction

(07:26) Movie Review

(09:32) Commodus as Anti-Model

(13:57) Is Maximus Stoic?

(17:03) Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator

(19:50) Maximus is a Stoic Hero

(23:28) The Afterlife

(29:11) Proximo

(34:37) Gladiatorial Games

(37:19) Masculinity and Role Ethics

(48:26) Restoring the Republic

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Why does Musonius Rufus lecture on food and men’s fashion?

Caleb talks to William O Stephens to find out. Learn how the Stoics thought about ordinary issues of life in order to live extraordinarily well.

https://williamostephens.com/

(01:11) Musonius Rufus and Epictetus

(09:09) Why Care About Food and Fashion?

(13:42) Food

(23:16) Optimizing Health

(29:58) The Social Dimension

(36:14) Beards

(45:17) What is Natural?

(52:42) Epictetus on Beards

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

"Nothing has happened which was not going to be, and likewise nothing is going to be of which nature does not contain causes working to bring that very thing about."

The Stoics believed that we were responsible for our actions and that every action was fated.

In this conversation, Michael explains how they made sense of those two ideas.

We cover determinism, freewill, and moral responsibility in Stoicism.

(00:54) Introduction

(04:41) The Lazy Argument

(07:03) Stoic Physics 

(15:56) The Argument for Causal Determinism

(25:10) Moral Responsibility 

(35:33) Free Will

(44:29) Objections

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

In this conversation, Caleb speaks with Jeremy Reid. Jeremy is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at San Francisco State University. They talk about anger and forgiveness, using his excellent paper “Stoic Forgiveness” as a launching off point.

This is an excellent conversation for understanding the Stoic view of anger and enriching it with their practical and compassionate take on forgiveness. Highly recommended.

https://jeremywreid.weebly.com/

(00:30) Stoics on Anger

(11:13) Why Do We Get Angry?

(15:47) Responding to Wrongdoing

(26:24) Forgiveness

(35:08) Forgiving Everyone at Once

(37:36) Self-Forgiveness

(40:48) Flexibility

(43:15) Children Healing Children

(47:59) Intuitive Stoicism

(50:56) Other People's Anger

(54:38) Becoming Less Angry

(01:00:26) Compassion in Stoicism

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

“And what are we by nature? We are free, honorable, and self-respecting. After all, does any other animal blush or feel shame?”

The fear of social disgrace, shame, can prevent us from living well. Yet, the Stoics argued that there’s a related emotion, a kind of self-respect, that can help us live more freely. In this conversation, Caleb and Michael discuss both.

(00:06) Introduction

(04:48) Shame as a Passion

(15:47) Positive Shame?

(17:19) The Role of Our Self-Image

(25:40) Everyone's Guardian Spirit

(32:07) The Hidden Philosopher

(34:28) Halftime Summary

(37:55) Challenges

(40:20) Shame for the Past

(45:04) Self-respect

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

“This day will end like all others.”

“And after that?”

In this conversation, Caleb speaks with Zena Hitz about her recent book “A philosopher looks at the religious life.” They discuss meaning, Christianity, and Stoicism.

https://catherineproject.org/

(01:10) Wholeheartedness

(06:59) Meaning

(14:18) Abandonment

(17:45) Devotion and Role Ethics

(30:08) Service and Happiness

(40:32) Freedom

(44:33) Nietzsche

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Want to become more Stoic? Join us and other Stoics this October: Stoicism Applied by Caleb Ontiveros and Michael

“It’s worse to be the thief, than the person who has their things stolen from them”

In this conversation, Michael and Caleb talk about how Stoics think about anger, revenge, and justice.

They cover common philosophical views of punishment – and note where the Stoics would disagree. This topic is important in many areas of our lives. It's about how we handle situations when someone has treated us badly, how we think about guilt, and how we can build just communities.

(00:35) Introduction

(06:55) Common Accounts of Punishment

(15:51) Stoicism and Anger

(25:47) Epictetus on Punishment 

(32:26) Responding as a Stoic

(33:56) The Stoic Review of Everyone Else's Take on Punishment

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Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/