The Practical Stoic

With panic spreading around the world as a result of the coronavirus Simon Drew and Kai Whiting discuss our responsibilities as Stoics to act as rational leaders during these uncertain times. The following links will give you access to some of the most reliable information about the virus, and our advice is to learn the facts, to think rationally about the best steps to take, and to look after yourself, your families, your communities and your fellow citizens in the most effective ways possible.  HARVARD: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/be-careful-where-you-get-your-news-about-coronavirus-2020020118801 CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html US FOOD AND DRUG: https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-issues/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19 NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters   Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest  Travis Hume is the creator, administrator, and writer of Applying Stoicism and its social media accounts. He writes daily on practicable applications of Stoic philosophy for the modern day, based upon first-hand real-world experiences. Travis Hume Website: https://applyingstoicism.com/ Travis Hume Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/applyingstoicism  Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest  Michael Tremblay is a PhD. student in philosophy at Queen’s University, Kingston. Before going to Queen’s University he completed a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy at Carleton University in Ottawa. During his time at Carleton he wrote a Master’s thesis on the Stoic Epictetus. His PhD work continues to examine Stoic ethics, and the question of how the Stoics thought we should cultivate our virtue.  Michael’s main interest is in ancient philosophy, specifically moral education in the Stoics. He’s fascinated by the Hellenistic conception of philosophy as a way of life, which is to be practiced in order to achieve virtue and happiness. He is also interested in philosophy as a skill or craft, and how training and practice factor into becoming a better philosopher. Beyond philosophy, Michael is passionate about martial arts and competes regularly in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Guest Links Michael's Website: CLICK HERE Academia: CLICK HERE LinkedIn: CLICK HERE Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest  Nancy Sherman is University Professor and Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University.  Sherman is a New York Times Notable Author. Her books include Afterwar, The Untold War, and Stoic Warriors.  From 1997-1999, she served as inaugural holder of the Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the US Naval Academy, designing and teaching the brigade-wide military ethics course and laying the groundwork for the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership.  Sherman has received numerous prestigious fellowships, including those from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council for Learned Societies, the Mellon Foundation, the Yale Whitney Humanities Center, the American Philosophical Society, the Newcombe Fellowship of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts. Sherman is a frequent contributor to the media worldwide. She has research training in psychoanalysis from the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute and regularly consults with military and veterans groups in the U.S. and abroad on issues of ethics, moral injury, and posttraumatic stress. In October 2005, she visited Guantanamo Bay Detention Center as part of an independent observer team assessing the medical and mental health care of detainees.  She lectures widely nationally and abroad. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard in philosophy. Guest Links WEBSITE: https://www.nancysherman.com/  ----more---- Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest  Donald is a cognitive-behavioural therapist, trainer and writer.  He's the author of six books on philosophy and psychotherapy. The latest, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, was recently reviewed in The Wall Street Journal and became the #1 best seller in philosophy throughout the US.  Donald is from Scotland originally but is now a Canadian citizen, and lives in Toronto.  He's been writing about and lecturing on Stoicism for roughly 25 years and is one of the founding members of the Modern Stoicism organization, a nonprofit responsible for Stoic Week and Stoicon, the international conference.   Guest Links THINK LIKE A ROMAN EMPEROR: CLICK HERE WEBSITE: CLICK HERE YOUTUBE: CLICK HERE LINKEDIN: CLICK HERE TWITTER: CLICK HERE   Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest: Greg Sadler is a practical philosopher who offers consulting, coaching, and speaking through his company ReasonIO.  He is also the editor of Stoicism Today, co-host of the radio show Wisdom for Life, and the producer of the Half Hour Hegel series.  His popular YouTube channel has over 1500 videos on philosophy, and he is approaching 80,000 subscribers.  He recently started the Sadler's Lectures podcast.  He also teaches at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Marquette University, and Carthage College. Guest Links ReasonIO - https://reasonio.wordpress.com/ YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Sadler's Lectures Podcast - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler Author Blog - https://gbsadler.blogspot.com/ ----more---- Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the podcast, I share my top 5 recommendations of where to start with your Stoic reading. Also, head to the link below to find my ultimate list of books on Stoicism and links to where you can buy them. STOIC READING LIST:https://www.simonjedrew.com/stoicreading/ I tend to recommend that people start with the classics. By starting at the source of our understanding of Stoicism you'll be able to get a clear picture of exactly how the Stoics thought and what they taught. My 5 recommendations are:  1 - Letters from a Stoic by Seneca 2 - On the Shortness of Life by Seneca 3 - Meditations by Marcus Aurelius  4 - Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus 5 - The Art of Living by Epictetus (Translation by Sharon Lebell)  STOIC READING LIST:https://www.simonjedrew.com/stoicreading/ Please reach out to me if you know of any books that you think should be on the list. Simon Drew Links: Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Guest  Prof. Pigliucci has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. He currently is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His research interests include the philosophy of science, the relationship between science and philosophy, the nature of pseudoscience, and the practical philosophy of Stoicism. Prof. Pigliucci has been elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science “for fundamental studies of genotype by environmental interactions and for public defense of evolutionary biology from pseudo-scientific attack.”  In the area of public outreach, Prof. Pigliucci has published in national and international outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, among others. He is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Contributing Editor to Skeptical Inquirer. He blogs on practical philosophy at Patreon and Medium.  At last count, Prof. Pigliucci has published 165 technical papers in science and philosophy. He is also the author or editor of 13 books, including the best selling How to Be A Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books). Other titles include Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk (University of Chicago Press), and How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy (co-edited with Skye Cleary and Daniel Kaufman, Penguin/Random House). Guest Links BOOKS: CLICK HERE WEBSITE: CLICK HERE YOUTUBE: CLICK HERE PATREON: CLICK HERE TWITTER: CLICK HERE   Simon Drew Links Patreon: patreon.com/simonjedrew Coaching: simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Practical Stoic Mastermind: facebook.com/groups/practicalstoicmastermind Facebook: facebook.com/simonjedrew Instagram: instagram.com/simonjedrew LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonjedrew Website: simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About the Episode  In this episode Simon Drew gives a concise overview of the core ideas of Stoicism. He starts with the main goal of Stoicism, which is to align with nature. He then gives an overview of the way in which we can get to that goal, and then lays out some of the best "tools and tactics" of Stoicism that can help us to live a virtiuous and examined life.  Key Points:  1 - The goal of Stoicism is to "align with Nature". This means to understand that you are not separate from Nature. You are a part of it in the same way that a Lion is part of it, but you need to understand what your unique place within Nature is. To understand your unique place is also to understand your unique virtues as a human being. "Eudaimonia" is the phrase that Stoics used to describe our end goal, and this can be translated to "flourishing".  2 - If aligning with nature is the end goal, then virtue is our aim. To be virtuous is to be a good human, and to live a life that takes into account our own unique virtues as humans. Our most unique virtue is that of rationality and correct judgement, and the Stoics taught that we should use the faculty of reason to effectively judge how to be virtuous.  3 - The Stoics gave us a rundown of what they called the four "Cardinal Virtues". These are courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. These are our aims, and when we can fully embody these virtues then we can move closer to achieving Eudaimonia.  4 - The Stoics had many great "tools and tactics" that we can use to help us to reason our way into a better state of being. Some include:  5 - The Dichotomy of Control. This basically means that there are some things within our control, and there are many more things that are outside our control. The most effective way to live life is to focus only on what we can control, and to forget the rest.  6 - The good, the bad and the indifferent. This is the Stoic idea that there are some things that are good (virtues), there are some that are bad (vices), and there are some things that simply aren't good or bad. For example, courage is good, it's opposite (cowardice) is bad, and something like money would be indifferent seeing as it can be used for good or bad.  7 - Amor Fati is a latin phrase that means "love your fate". This simply means that we need to learn how to accept and make use of everything that happens to us. Good and bad things will happen to you, and the most effective way to face these circumstances is to learn how to love whatever happens to you. In that way you'll be able to live as if life is happening for you, not too you.  8 - Memento Mori is another latin phrase that means "remember death." This is a mantra that the Stoics used so that they would always know that time is not guaranteed. We could die today, next week, next month, or 80 years from now, but the fact of life is that none of us make it out alive. When we understand this we are better prepared to make use of the time we do have, which is now.  9 - Rehearse poverty. This is the exercise of practicing the things that you're afraid of. For example, the Stoics, like Seneca, would set aside a time when they would live as if they had very little. By doing this they would come to see that poverty in itself is not scary or evil at all. This is aligned with our modern understanding of psychology in that the best way to overcome a fear is to voluntarily subject yourself to the thing you're afraid of.  10 - Negative visualisation is another technique for understanding your fears and anxieties. The basic idea is that there will always be terrible things that happen, but better the devil you know than the one you don't. So imagine all of the terrible things that could happen, and you'll come to one of a few possible conclusions. For one, the thing that might happen may not be scary at all, in which case you can stop worrying. Maybe the thi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:  Stoicism began as one of the major schools of philosophy within the Hellenistic period in the mediterranean. For context, Hellenistic literally means “one who uses the Greek language”. This period is marked to have started around the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and some estimates suggest that it ended in 146 BC  following the invasion of the Greek heartlands by Rome. Most people agree that this period officially ended in 31 BC.  We talk about Hellenism as a period in time, but we can also talk about the “Hellenistic schools of thought”, or the “Hellenistic Philosophies”. This was the period when Greece gave rise to the first structures of Democracy, and places like Athens, where Stoicism began, were bustling with new inventions and ideas. It was a cultural expansion unlike any other time in History, and we have that to thank for much of our western culture that we enjoy today.  I have a great interview with Michael Tremblay where we discuss the ins and outs of the Hellenistic philosophies, but for now it’s important to know that this period in ancient Greece was marked by massive advancements and explorations into art, theatre, mathematics, sciences, music, literature and of course, philosophy, including schools of philosophy that you may have heard of, like the Cynics, the Skeptics, the Epicureans, and of course, Stoicism, which all belonged to the “Hellenistic” tradition.  And so that brings us to the birth of Stoicism.  Zeno of Citium was by all accounts the official founder of the Stoic school of philosophy. The story goes that Zeno was a wealthy merchant who was shipwrecked while traveling to Athens with a load full of purple dye. This was very expensive cargo as this die was extracted painstakingly from sea snails, and it was seen as a symbol of luxury and royalty to use such a colour. And as Donald Robertson puts it so eloquently, Zeno’s fortune came from and now returned to the sea.  So now Zeno is stuck in Athens. What does he do? Well the legend goes that Zeno did what any of us would have done; he traveled to the Oracle of Delphi to receive guidance from the God Apollo. There, the Oracle told him that he was to “dye himself with the colour, not of dead shellfish, but of dead men.”  Zeno interpreted this to mean that he should learn from the great thinkers of the past, and began at once to read about people like Socrates, which is very important to know as the Stoic philosophy is widely considered to be a derivative of the Socratic teachings, especially with its focus on virtue as the main good in life.  And so the legend continues that as Zeno was reading about Socrates, he asked the bookseller, “tell me where I can find a man like this?”. And because Athens was a town full of thinkers and philosophers the bookseller pointed out the window at a man called Crates of Thebes, a famous Cynic philosopher.  And so Zeno went on to study with Crates for a couple of decades before he started his own school of philosophy in around 300BC on the stairs of a painted porch in Athens called the Stoa Poikile, thus, Stoicism is created - a philosophy that was founded in the principle that a good life is one that is aimed first at virtue, and is lived in alignment with Nature.  We really don’t have many writings from the early Greek Stoics, and it’s not until Stoicism makes its way to Rome that we really start to get some great literature to sink our teeth into. It’s important to note that between Greece and Rome there were many notable philosophers who lead the Stoic school and added to the teachings of Zeno. Some of these include Cleanthes, the second head of the Stoic school, and Chrysippus, the third head. And we also have Diogenes of Babylon, who travelled to Rome in 155BC with other philosophers and spread these Greek ideas to the Roman Empire. And so here we are in Rome, an Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices