Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

Areté: Philosophy and Coaching

Dec 7, 2023

Brian Johnson, Founder & CEO of Heroic Public Benefit Corporation and author of Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential, discusses his book, the influence of Stoicism, the concept of 'Targeted Thinking,' defining wisdom, being a role model for children, avoiding becoming victims of anger, and the importance of philosophers in pointing out mistakes and addressing anger issues.

01:00:50

Creator website

Episode guests

Brian Johnson

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The concept of arête emphasizes living a good life by embodying virtue and excellence in every moment.

Wisdom and the cardinal virtues of discipline, love, and courage are essential for pursuing a good life.

Targeted thinking, which involves setting clear objectives and taking specific actions, is a powerful tool for personal growth and virtuous living.

Deep dives

The Concept of Arête and Living a Good Life

Brian Johnson discusses the concept of arête, which embodies living a good life by being your best self in every moment. Drawing from ancient Greek philosophers and Roman stoics, he highlights that virtue and excellence are at the core of arête. By understanding this philosophy and integrating it with modern science, Brian believes that arête can guide individuals in navigating the complexities of the modern world and lead to a life of flourishing.

Taking Ownership and Reclaiming Agency through Targeted Thinking

01:23

Emotional awareness and self-reflection in managing anger and triggers

01:18

Turning Complaints into Fuel for Action

01:20

Embracing Growth Mindset and Fundamental Habits for Personal Development

01:18

Introduction

2min

Redefining Words and Activating Heroic Potential

22min

Using Suffering as Motivation

14min

Exploring Wisdom and Its Application in Life

4min

The Role of Parents in Self-Improvement and Personal Development for Children

7min

Mastery Modeling, Coping Modeling, and the Stoic Approach

2min

The Role of Philosophers and Addressing Anger Issues

9min

In this episode, I speak with Brian Johnson, the Founder & CEO of Heroic Public Benefit Corporation. Brian is the author of a new book called Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential.

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Highlights

* What Brian’s new book Arete is about

* How Brian has been influenced by Stoicism

* What is “Targeted Thinking” – can you explain to listeners what you mean by that and why it’s so important?

* You talk quite a bit about wisdom. I like to ask different people how they would define what they mean by the word wisdom.

* You talk in the book about being a parent – what do you think the main things to bear in mind are when trying to be a role model or offer guidance to our children?

* How can we avoid becoming victims of our own anger?

* How people can find out more about what Brian is doing through Heroic

Links

* Arete: Activate your Heroic Potential

* Order the Book on Amazon

* Podcast

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.