Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

“If a text is not offensive to anyone, it probably isn't very important.”In this conversation, Caleb speaks with Jeremy Wayne Tate, the Co-founder and President of the Classic Learning Test.The Classic Learning Test is bringing back a focus on educating the whole human person by focusing on the great works and fundamental philosophical questions about how to live.If you check out the CLT author bank you’ll find several Stoic names – which we at Stoa love to see.This conversation focuses on the purpose of education, testing, and how to approach the classics today – all with someone who is in the arena shaping how education is done today.https://www.cltexam.comhttps://twitter.com/JeremyTate41(03:31) Telos and Tests(06:06) Why Go Back To The Classics?(08:17) The SAT(09:09) Elite Education(11:05) The Stoics(12:14) Crucial Questions(16:46) How to Approach the Great Works(20:07) C. S. Lewis***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

Does Contemporary psychology overlap with Stoic philosophy? In this episode, Michael and Caleb go through Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It’s a seminal book in modern cognitive psychology and behavioral economics. Most importantly for our purposes, it’s discussion of two key thinking styles, can deepen one’s knowledge of Stoicism and, potentially, help one think better.(01:21) Introduction(06:35) Book Summary(13:44) Going Deeper(23:21) Anchoring(26:05) Stoic Parallels(37:26) Walking Through The Two Systems(50:24) Takeaways

"Happiness, as the goal of life, can be understood as the highest expression of human nature, as encapsulating the chief markers of humanity at its best, namely rationality and sociability."In this conversation, I (Caleb) speak with Chris Gill. We kick off the conversation with topics from his most recent book Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and its Modern Significance. It’s no exaggeration to say that Chris Gill is a legend in modern Stoicism so having him on again was a real privilege.Learning to Live Naturally(02:19) Indifferents(10:39) What Grounds Virtue?(16:55) How to Think About Virtues and Nature(26:44) Stoicism and the Natural World(29:43) Stoic Detachment(38:02) Does Stoicism Promote Self-sufficiency?***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

What does a Stoic eat?How does a Stoic think about food?That's what Caleb and Michael discuss in this episode.Citing all 4 of the Roman Stoics, they cover how ancient Stoics thought about food and how that can shape our behavior today.(01:56) Intro(05:06) Musonius Rufus on Food(14:05) The Social Role of Food(19:09) Seneca on Food(24:53) Mythbusting(28:00) What Should Other People Eat?(33:00) Context Context (35:29) Implications***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

“Iron sharpens iron”In this conversation, Michael speaks with Gregory Sadler. Greg is the Founder and President of ReasonIO, a company dedicated to making resources of contemporary and classical philosophy available and accessible to non-philosophers. I first encountered Greg through his popular YouTube channel, which has hundreds of videos breaking down the thinking of philosophers ranging from Epictetus and Seneca to Hegel and Hume.In this conversation, we cover challenges to the Stoics from a range of philosophers – each criticism should sharpen your picture of Stoicism.(02:04) Greg's Story(06:37) What Attracted Greg to Stoicism?(13:28) Hegel on the Stoics(25:12) Nietzsche’s Challenge(33:36) William James on Stoicism(43:39) Experimentation(46:00) Shifty Stoicism(48:15) Neo-Aristotelian Arguments***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

The best skiers don’t study ancient skiers. The best physicists don’t turn to Ancient Greece in order to push their field forward. So why should philosophers look back at the work of the ancients?In this episode, Caleb and Michael wrestle with that question. Their answers may surprise you.(02:11) The Argument Against Studying Ancient Philosophy (07:00) Who is Actually Doing Philosophy Today?(16:27) Mining for Diamonds(25:00) The Motivational Force of Philosophy(28:17) Communion with the Ancients(32:08) Caleb on Why He Studies Ancient Philosophy(35:55) An Aside on Organs***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

“The central theme of Seneca’s tragedies is how to endure a world in which there is no justice, no safety, no guarantees—political or divine—of human dignity.”For this episode, I went to Sonoma County, California to speak with the poet Dana Gioia.Seneca was a brilliant philosopher and statesman, but not many know he was also a world-class playwright. Dana Gioia is changing that.Our conversation focuses on Dana’s translation of Seneca’s The Madness of Hercules but also covers Dana’s story, Stoicism, and much more.https://danagioia.com/https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p131/seneca-the-madness-of-hercules-translate-by-dana-gioia.html(02:19) Dana's Story(13:29) Choosing Art Over Material Success(19:30) Seneca Enters the Picture(32:02) The Madness of Hercules(38:25) The Value in Seneca's Violence(44:44) Reading The Play(51:21) Reading vs Listening vs Seeing(57:59) Bacchus(59:55) Seneca the Playwright vs Seneca the Philosopher(01:07:31) Seneca on Anger(01:14:26) Stoicism Today(01:21:11) Fasting(01:29:05) Final WordsNote: I had use backup audio for 1:02 to 1:08. You’ll notice a slight decline in audio quality for those 6 minutes.***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

"They say that love is an effort to form a friendship because of an impression of beauty in young persons at their prime..."In this conversation, Caleb and Michael talk about the Stoics on eros and romantic love. First, they cover how the Stoics saw the nature of romantic love. Then, they look at what advice they have for us today. Finally, they end on the topic of heartbreak.(01:35) Introducing Love(05:36) Erotic Love(20:18) Friendship(27:00) Stoic Advice for Modern Relationships(30:39) Knowing How To Say The I(36:59) Role Ethics  (41:24) The Stoics on Heartbreak***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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 Dr. Randolph Nesse.Randolph is the author of Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Insights from the Frontier of Evolutionary Psychiatry. His work focuses on answering fundamental questions like why humans get sick and why we experience anxiety from an evolutionary perspective.This is an essential conversation for understanding the nature of negative emotions. We touch on why we get anxious, what we can do about it, why we may not want to become less anxious, the role of advice, and, of course, the insights of the Stoics.https://www.randolphnesse.com/***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/

“Must I be wasting my time sitting in a corner when I might have been crowned at Olympia?”In this conversation, we discuss failure, how to avoid it, and how to deal with it when it happens. We end by revealing personal experiences with failure.“And what advantage does a wrestler gain from his training partner? The greatest.”(01:57) Introduction(10:40) How To Avoid Failure(21:54) How To Deal With Failure(27:50) Contemplating Adversity(34:52) Failure as Practice(40:06) Failure as Indifferent(44:46) Free for All(48:53) Personal Failure***Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribeDownload the Stoa app (it’s a free download): stoameditation.com/podIf 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/