Episodes
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This special episode contains a live recording of my recent talk for Conversations with Modern Stoicism, hosted by . We were celebrating Marcus Aurelius’ birthday, and I spoke at length about what I think we can learn from ancient Greece about the dangers faced by democracy, and how Socrates and the Stoics could help us. I was speaking live from Athens, the birthplace of democracy. Thanks to Phil Yanov, for providing the audio recording for this podcast episode.
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In this episode, I speak with Mark Tuitert. Mark is an Olympic gold medallist in speed skating. He is the author of a new book called The Stoic Mindset: Living the Ten Principles of Stoicism.
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Highlights
* How Mark’s accomplishments in speed skating shaped his life
* How he first become interested in Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius inspire you
* How do you Stoicism helped Mark as an athlete
* What do you think were the key things that helped you deal with your own anger?
* What do you think the relationship is between the sporting or Olympic mindset and the Stoic mindset?
* What’s your favorite exercise from the book and why?
* How do you feel about the experience of being in Athens and visiting the home of philosophy?
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In this episode, I speak with Anthony Magnabosco a founder and the current Executive Director of the nonprofit Street Epistemology International, an educational organization that is committed to addressing dysfunction in public and private discourse by encouraging rationality through civil conversation. Anthony has been involved with Street Epistemology since 2013, and has given dozens of talks and workshops at conferences and events domestically and internationally. Many of his conversations have been uploaded to YouTube and demonstrate how Street Epistemology can be applied to a variety of claims including ones that are spiritual, political, or societal.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* What is Street Epistemology?
* What have you learned from your experience of using Street Epistemology?
* How do you think it relates to the original Socratic Method?
* How might it relate to psychotherapy?
* Do you think Street Epistemology has any therapeutic potential?
* What do you think of variations of Street Epistemology like Hidden Claim or the Spectrum SE we see Peter Boghossian doing?
* What do you think the future holds for the method?
Links
* Street Epistemology website
* Anthony Magnabosco YouTube
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In this episode, I speak with Colin Elliott, Associate Chair in the Department of History at Indiana University. He describes himself as an economic and social historian with an interest in money, disease and ecology in the ancient Roman world. His latest book, Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World was released on 6th Feb, the same day as my Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. It is currently Amazon’s #1 New Release in Communicable Diseases. Colin is also the host of the Pax Romana Podcast.
Highlights
* What was the Antonine Plague?
* What are our main sources of information on the plague?
* What does Galen have to tell us?
* Can we tell anything at all about the plague or its impact from Marcus’ comments in the Meditations?
* How do you think the plague may have been viewed from a religious perspective? To what extent would it have been interpreted as a punishment from the gods?
* What do you think the social consequences were?
* What do you think the effect of the plague may have been on Rome’s military capability at the time?
* Are there any parallels that can be drawn between Marcus’ pandemic and our own?
* How might Marcus’ reign have gone differently, or how might Rome have fared better, if the plague had never happened?
Links
* Indiana University Staff Profile
* Pox Romana on Amazon
* Pox Romana at Princeton University Press
* The Pax Romana podcast
Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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In this episode, I read an exclusive excerpt from my latest book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, published by Yale University Press, as part of the Ancient Lives Series. The book is a philosophical biography of the Roman emperor, which contains many references to the Meditations and how his philosophy shaped his life. You can help it reach a wider audience by pre-ordering now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other bookseller.
While the First Marcomannic War was raging, Marcus Aurelius, surrounded by death and betrayal, found consolation in writing his famous notes “to himself” on Stoic philosophy. He also made a solemn vow. If he survived long enough, he would go on pilgrimage to Athens and join the supplicants being initiated in the Temple of Demeter at nearby Eleusis. Hadrian had tried to bring the Eleusinian Mysteries to Rome, but their mystique was rooted in the Greek temple’s ancient site.
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NEW: My publisher, Yale University Press, has generously agreed to offer a whopping 30% discount to you, my Substack Subscribers, when you pre-order my new book Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. Simply click the pre-order button and at the checkout enter the coupon code Y24AURELIUS to claim 30% off. This offer is valid now, and until February 5th, 2024. (NB: Offer only available to orders placed on the Yale website for delivery to the US or Canada.)
Praise from other Authors
“Few historical figures are as fascinating as Marcus Aurelius, the emperor-philosopher. And few writers have been so effective at bringing his complex life and character to the attention of modern readers as Donald Robertson.”—Massimo Pigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life“Robertson has written a very thorough and very readable account of Marcus’s life and the events and people that shaped him. Anyone who wants to understand the author of Meditations should read this book.”—Robin Waterfield, author of Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The Annotated Edition“Donald Robertson guides us into the world of a philosopher-emperor whose humility and Stoic teachings fill the pages. We are indebted to Robertson for this wonderful account of the emperor who penned notes to himself while in battle that would be later known as the Meditations and read by millions for philosophical inspiration. Simply spellbinding.”—Nancy Sherman, author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience“This highly readable biography is the perfect place to begin for anyone who wants to learn more about the man behind the Meditations.”—John Sellars, author of The Pocket Stoic“Robertson’s biography provides a compelling narrative of Marcus’ life, carefully based on the primary sources. He brings out very clearly the life-long significance of Stoicism for Marcus and the interplay between philosophy, politics, and warfare.”—Christopher Gill, author of Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and Its Modern Significance
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In this episode, I briefly discuss what Marcus Aurelius said about masculinity, and how it might differ from what some modern self-improvement influencers say, despite their claims to be influenced by Stoicism.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* The resurgence of Stoicism and the manosphere
* Stoic philosophy versus being “stoic”
* Marcus Aurelius’ enemies accused him of being unmanly
* Marcus’ mother and father’s influence
* The influence of Emperor Antoninus Pius
* What Marcus says about manliness and anger
* Marcus sums up manliness in one of his favourite slogans: “Upright, not set upright.”
Links
* Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor
* Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
* How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
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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.
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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
* YouTube Channel
* Linkedin
* Instagram
* Facebook
* Twitter/X
* Podcast
Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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In this episode, I read an exclusive excerpt from my latest book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, published by Yale University Press, as part of the Ancient Lives Series. The book is a philosophical biography of the Roman emperor, which contains many references to the Meditations and how his philosophy shaped his life. You can help it reach a wider audience by pre-ordering now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other bookseller.
Marcus Aurelius did not have a heart of stone. When the news was brought to him that one of his most beloved tutors had died, the young Caesar was distraught, and tears poured down his cheeks—he may perhaps have started to beat his chest and tear his clothes in grief. Palace servants, afraid his reputation would be harmed by such a public display of raw emotion, rushed to his side, trying to restrain him. His adoptive father, the emperor Antoninus Pius, a thoughtful and gentle man, gestured for them to step aside. He whispered, “Let him be only a man for once; for neither philosophy nor empire takes away natural feeling.”
Praise from other Authors
“Few historical figures are as fascinating as Marcus Aurelius, the emperor-philosopher. And few writers have been so effective at bringing his complex life and character to the attention of modern readers as Donald Robertson.”—Massimo Pigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life“Robertson has written a very thorough and very readable account of Marcus’s life and the events and people that shaped him. Anyone who wants to understand the author of Meditations should read this book.”—Robin Waterfield, author of Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The Annotated Edition“Donald Robertson guides us into the world of a philosopher-emperor whose humility and Stoic teachings fill the pages. We are indebted to Robertson for this wonderful account of the emperor who penned notes to himself while in battle that would be later known as the Meditations and read by millions for philosophical inspiration. Simply spellbinding.”—Nancy Sherman, author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience“This highly readable biography is the perfect place to begin for anyone who wants to learn more about the man behind the Meditations.”—John Sellars, author of The Pocket Stoic“Robertson’s biography provides a compelling narrative of Marcus’ life, carefully based on the primary sources. He brings out very clearly the life-long significance of Stoicism for Marcus and the interplay between philosophy, politics, and warfare.”—Christopher Gill, author of Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and Its Modern Significance
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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In this episode, I speak about Socrates with Armand D'Angour, professor of classics at Oxford University. He is the translator of How to Innovate: An Ancient Guide to Creative Thinking (2021) and the author of Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher (2020), among other works.
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Highlights
* Why should we care about Socrates today?
* How reliable are our sources regarding Socrates?
* What was Socrates like as a young man?
* How do you imagine his relationship with Pericles and Aspasia?
* Why did Socrates love Alcibiades so much?
* Did Socrates have a mental illness?
* Why was Socrates executed?
Links
* Armand D’Angour’s website
* Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher
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In this episode, I speak about Clarity and Wisdom with executive coach, Jim Vaselopulos. Jim is co-host of The Leadership Podcast. We discuss his new book, Clarity: Business Wisdom to Work Less and Achieve More.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* What is clarity?
* What's the relationship between wisdom and clarity?
* What are the benefits of having more clarity?
* What gets in the way of clarity?
* How do we get clarity?
* How do we help other people to get more clarity?
Links
* The Leadership Podcast website
* The Leadership Podcast on Apple
* Jim Vaselopulos on LinkedIn
* Clarity: Business Wisdom to Work Less and Achieve More
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In this episode, I speak about Stoicism and Buddhism with Matthew Gindin. Matthew is a former Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition. He taught meditation practices for 15 years, and has written extensively for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He is now the author of the newsletter on Substack.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* How Matthew became interested in Stoicism and his other philosophical influences, such as Spinoza
* The rise in popularity of Stoicism, e.g., how it appeals to people interested in Buddhism, etc.
* What do you think Stoicism and Buddhism have in common?
* The historical relationship between Stoicism and Buddhism, e.g., communication between ancient eastern and western philosophers
* How Stoics could benefit from learning more about Buddhism
Links
* Substack Newsletter
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In this episode, I talk to Ryan A. Bush, author of Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture and the forthcoming Become Who You Are: A New Theory of Self-Esteem, Human Greatness, and the Opposite of Depression. Bonus: Ryan is generously offering listeners two free ebooks from his website, called the Psychitect’s Toolkit and The Book of Self Mastery.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* What is Designing the Mind and Psychitecture?
* How Ryan’s background in design influenced his approach to self-improvement
* The main thing Ryan thinks people should learn to stop doing
* The philosophical influences on Ryan’s work
* How Ryan became interested in Stoicism
* How Ryan’s work draws on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)
* The role of metacognition and meditation
* Ryan’s views about anger
* How his new book, Become Who You Are, differs from his previous book
Links
* Instagram
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Website
* Design the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture
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Elliot Chung, a student at Phillips Academy Andover, interviewed me recently for his new Philosophy for the Modern Mind podcast, and we decided to share our conversation on this podcast as well. We talk in particular about how Stoicism could be of practical benefit to young people, and the challenges they face today.
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Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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How to drink like a Roman emperor, if that emperor is Marcus Aurelius. In this episode I explore the relationship between Stoic philosophy and the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, discussing how Stoicism can help those suffering from alcoholism, as well as their friends and families. I spot parallels between the Twelve Step advice and Stoic teachings, and give examples from the life of Marcus Aurelius. I talk about how his wayward brother, and co-emperor, Lucius Verus, was almost certainly an alcoholic. Also, Frank, retired NYPD police officer, shares his experience of combining Stoicism the Twelve Step Program.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
The original article is available on Substack, titled How to Drink Like a Roman Emperor.
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In this episode, I talk with Marc J. Victor, about Stoicism and politics. Marc is an attorney in the US, where he is a certified Criminal Law Specialist, and president of the Attorneys for Freedom law firm. He is also an activist and founder of the Live and Let Live global peace movement.
Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.
Highlights
* Why Stoicism is attracting more interest today
* Misconceptions
* What is the Live and Let Live Movement?
* What does “live and let live” mean in terms of your philosophy?
* The relationship between Stoicism and the Live and Let Live principle
* How does the movement define aggression?
* Our competence to avoid being victims of exploitation
* Rhetoric, lawyers, and philosophy
* Final question: “How could we better incorporate Stoicism into a political philosophy that could help us achieve global peace?”
Links
* Live and Let Live
* Marc J. Victor
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In this episode, I talk to Robin Waterfield about the life and philosophy of the Greek philosopher, Plato. Robin is a British classicist who has translated many works of Plato, Xenophon, and other Greek writers. He is also the author of several books, including the recently-published Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy, the first full-length modern biography of Plato in English. Robin is also a member of our board of advisors for the Plato’s Academy Centre.
Highlights
* Why is Plato “super-important” today?
* The Socratic Problem — to what extent can we separate Socrates from Plato?
* How eclectic was the early Academy?
* How did Plato differ from the image of Socrates in his dialogues?
* The relationship between Plato and Pythagoreanism
* What advice would Plato give us about dealing with social media?
* Final question: “Why are we born to suffer and die?”
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Links
* Plato of Athens, Oxford University Press
* Robin Waterfield’s website
* Plato’s Academy Centre
*
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In this episode, Donald talks with Michael Tremblay. Michael is the co-founder of the Stoa Meditation app and co-host of the Stoa Conversations podcast. He has a doctorate in philosophy from Queens University in Ontario. His research has focused on moral education in the Stoics, and philosophy as a way of life. He’s also a wrestler and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* How did you become interested in ancient philosophy and why Stoicism rather than Buddhism?
* What is the main thing that we can learn from Epictetus about moral education
* What we can learn from the use of athletic imagery as a metaphor for philosophy in Epictetus and other ancient sources
* Marcus says the “art of living” is more like wrestling than dancing – do you agree?
* The relationship between martial arts, like BJJ, and Stoic askesis
* Could athletic or martial arts training ever conflict with the goals of Stoicism?
Resources
* Michael on Twitter
* Stoa Meditation on Twitter
* Michael’s Website
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In this episode, Donald talks with Matthew Sharpe. Matt is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Deakin University in Australia. He’s spoken at Stoicon in Athens. He is the co-author of Philosophy as a Way of Life, and one of the translators of The Selected Writings of Pierre Hadot: Philosophy as Practice. His most recent book is titled Stoicism, Bullying, and Beyond: How to Keep Your Head When Others Around You Have Lost Theirs and Blame You.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* Stoicism and Philosophy as a Way of Life
* Why isn’t Stoicism more popular in academia?
* Pierre Hadot and Stoicism
* Philosophy and Spiritual Exercises
* Philosophy and the History of Psychotherapy
* Anger, Self-Estrangement, and Politics
* The French Enlightenment and Philosophy as a Way of Life
Links
* Matthew Sharpe Profile at Deakin University
* Stoicism, Bullying, and Beyond
* The Other Enlightenment: Race, Sexuality and Self-Estrangement
* The Selected Writings of Pierre Hadot
* Philosophy as a Way of Life: History, Dimensions, Directions
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In this episode, I chat with host of the In Search of Wisdom podcast, and founder of the Perennial Leader Project. Josh was one of the speakers at our Stoicon-x Military event a few years ago. We’re both very active on Substack now, Josh at so I thought it would be a great opportunity to reconnect and chat about philosophy as a guide to life.
Highlights
* How Joshua got into philosophy
* His journey as a podcaster speaking to people about the nature of wisdom
* Stoicism and other philosophies
* Desire and attachment in philosophy
* Conceit, and skepticism as a way of life
* How the Delphic maxims can teach us about philosophy
Links
* Newsletter on Substack
* In Search of Wisdom Podcast @in sear on Substack and on Spotify
* Perennial Meditations Podcast
* @JWBertolotti on Twitter
* Perennial Leader Project website
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This is the famous speech, which we’re told inspired Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, to embark on a life of philosophy. He came across it in Book Two of Xenophon’s Memorabilia Socratis, where Socrates is portrayed reciting a version of it, which he learned from the celebrated Sophist and orator, Prodicus. It’s an exhortation to philosophy, which uses the legend of Hercules as an allegory to illustrate the choice between a life of virtue and one of vice. This story was illustrated in our graphic novel, Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Highlights
* Introducing the speech
* Hercules confronted by the choice between two paths in life
* The temptations of Kakia or Vice, to a life of pleasure and idleness
* The exhortation of Arete or Virtue, to temperance and endurance
* The legacy of the speech and influence on Stoicism
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