The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

How do you make a decision when you might be wrong? Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci joins me to explore critical thinking and scepticism in everyday life.

Drawing on his book How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic, Massimo explains how the ancient sceptics and Cicero approached uncertainty. We discuss degrees of confidence, how much evidence a decision needs, and why an open mind still needs a way to act.

You’ll hear how to examine a belief you hold strongly, argue for a view you disagree with, and distinguish scepticism from self-doubt. We also explore relationships, meaningful work, unsolicited advice and helping children think for themselves.

Try this after listening: choose one belief you hold strongly. Ask how confident you are, and what gives you that confidence.

Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/VSDxXsN2aC8

Massimo’s book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806907/how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-by-massimo-pigliucci/

Figs in Winter: https://figsinwintertime.substack.com/

Massimo’s website: https://massimopigliucci.net/

Go well.

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Your body reacts before you decide anything. Seneca says even the wise still blush and sweat. This short Stoic practice helps you name the first jolt of anger or anxiety and stop mistaking it for a decision.

This is the first episode of One Passage: one ancient passage, one practice to try today. Notice the flinch once, name it, and record whether you caught it. Even noticing it after you’ve reacted counts.

Passage: Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letter 11, translated by Richard M. Gummere.

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You keep returning to the reply that hasn't come, the decision someone else is making, or the conversation you wish had gone differently. This 13-minute guided meditation uses Epictetus's image of the dice and the player to work with one situation you've been carrying. Settle with the breath, separate what has fallen from the use you can make of it, and choose one next action. The practice is called The Throw And The Play. There is space to reflect throughout, so bring a small, everyday concern and take your time. Source: Epictetus, Discourses 2.5.

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You know how you want to handle anger. Then someone says the wrong thing, and you're already reacting.

This 45-minute Stoic talk works through PAUSE: Perceive, Acknowledge, Unhook, Sort and Engage. It connects the Stoic distinction between an impression and your response with guided practice for emotionally charged moments, followed by questions from the original live session.

Practise making room for the feeling while choosing what to do next. The feeling may still be there.

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A 13-minute guided sleep practice for nights when your body is in bed but the day is still moving through your mind.

This slow full-body scan moves from the scalp to the toes, letting the jaw, shoulders, hands, hips and legs release into the mattress. There is almost no philosophy here, deliberately. Nothing to learn and nothing to solve.

Put the phone down, get comfortable, and let the practice fade with you.

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Anger can feel like strength, clarity or self-respect. But once it gathers momentum, it narrows your choices and makes you pay for the first reaction twice.

In this full live masterclass, I explore Seneca's three warnings about anger: it makes us a slave, accelerates quickly and spreads between people. I share the question that has helped me interrupt it: "Is this worth sacrificing my peace of mind over?" We also work through practical Stoic tools including premeditatio malorum, journalling, the physiological sigh, sleep and exercise, compassion, boundaries, and learning to catch anger before it becomes an identity.

Stoicism is not a promise that you will never feel angry. It is a practice of noticing the first movement, protecting your tranquillity, and choosing what happens next.

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A 7-minute guided Stoic practice for the morning of a presentation, interview, difficult meeting or test.

You will rehearse one realistic setback, separate what is yours from what is not, and choose how you want to act when the moment arrives. The practice draws on premeditation of adversity, Epictetus's first chapter of the Enchiridion, and Cicero's archer image.

Use it before the event, then take one sentence with you: I have prepared. I will do my part. The rest is not mine.

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Envy has a terrible reputation. But the feeling itself can tell you what you value, where comparison has hooked you, and what you may need to work towards.

In this episode, I separate malicious envy from the more useful kind, drawing on Alain de Botton, the story of Mozart and Salieri, and my own experiences learning guitar and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I also share a simple envy diary practice you can try for one week.

The point is not to pretend envy is noble. It is to stop hiding it, read the signal honestly, and turn it into work that matters.

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Some mornings, grief is present before you open your eyes. This gentle guided practice does not ask you to stop grieving or manufacture a better mood. You will make a little room for the weight, notice one source of warmth, and choose one small act of care for the next few hours. The Stoic frame draws on Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.48; the guided structure is a modern adaptation. Use it seated or lying down. If the practice feels too much today, ordinary breathing is enough, and you can stop.

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One of Marcus Aurelius's most famous online quotes does not appear in the Meditations. In this episode, I look at several fabricated, misattributed and over-smoothed Stoic quotes, including one I used myself.

The point is bigger than pedantry. A philosophy built on checking impressions should not be taught through claims nobody checked.

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