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Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

Stoa

Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay discuss how to build resilience, develop virtue, and make sense of the world through Stoic philosophy.

One episode a week.

Get the Stoa app: www.stoameditation.com/pod
Get the Stoa Letter: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

158 - Bryan Caplan on Epicureanism, Agency, and Self-Help (Episode 158)
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  • 158 - Bryan Caplan on Epicureanism, Agency, and Self-Help (Episode 158)

    Bryan Caplan, economist and bestselling author, discusses practical wisdom from modern economics and ancient philosophy. He argues against medicalization of human behavior, champions personal agency, and reveals why appeasement often beats confrontation. Caplan shows how lessons from economics can serve as self-help and why creating a "social bubble" – the modern version of an Epicurean garden – might be the smartest way to navigate modern life. The conversation spans Epicurean and Stoic perspectives on death, social obligations, and the thinker Thomas Szasz. Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine [https://amzn.to/4fx6wIX] The Myth of the Rational Voter [https://amzn.to/4fdRqrp] Caplan on Szasz [https://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/pdfs/szasz.pdf] *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [http://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe] Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://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/

    Tue, 19 Nov 2024
  • 157 - You Are Not Your Thoughts But You Are How You Think (Episode 157)

    Michael and Caleb explore how understanding ourselves as our faculty of choice—not our bodies, possessions, or reputation—transforms our approach to life's challenges. Learn how clarifying what we are (and aren't) guides self-improvement and decision-making, unlocks insights in Stoic theory, and ultimately leads to a more tranquil existence. (06:10) Why It Matters Who We Are (09:30) What Are We? (16:28) You Are Not Your Thoughts  (24:25) Personal Identity And Indifferents (30:29) Solving What Is Up To You (34:34) So How Do We Live? (43:22) We Really Really Cannot Be Harmed By Others *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [http://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe] Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://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/

    Tue, 12 Nov 2024
  • 156 - The Stoic's Guide to Perspective: Epictetus's Handbook 26 (Episode 156)

    Why Epictetus tells us to compare our suffering to others.  This simple exercise can help you in times of crisis.   Join Michael as he breaks down Epictetus's Handbook 26. *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [http://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe] Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://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/

    Tue, 05 Nov 2024
  • 155 - Spencer Klavan on Science vs. Religion (and Why the Stoics Were Not Materialists) (Episode 155)

    Has Science proven that the world is nothing more than a physical machine without overarching purpose? Spencer Klavan's most recent book answers with an emphatic no. Ancient philosophy and modern science reveal that the worldview of materialism is not enough. Instead, our picture of the world must include mind as a fundamental ingredient – just as the Stoic and Christian worldviews do. Light of the Mind, Light of the World [https://amzn.to/3UhhWYO] Young Heretics Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/young-heretics/id1513602173] (01:28) Resetting the Narrative About Science (10:14) Science vs. Religion (23:30) Secularism and the Sacred (29:48) Genesis (42:50) The Stoic View of the World (49:48) Determinism *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [http://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe] Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://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/

    Tue, 29 Oct 2024
  • 154 - Why Most Things Do Not Matter: Indifferents (Episode 154)

    What if the things you obsess over daily don't ultimately matter? The ancient Stoics had a radical idea: most of what we chase - wealth, fame, even health - is neither good nor bad. They called these things "indifferents." In this episode, Caleb reads his short piece on indifferents and adds additional commentary. Read the piece: https://www.stoaletter.com/p/indifferents *** Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [http://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe] Download the Stoa app (it's a free download): https://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/

    Tue, 22 Oct 2024
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