Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesWatch this New In-Depth Interview About Stoicism and the Art of Living
I recently travelled to Topanga in California to have a conversation about philosophy with Andre Duqum for his Know Thyself YouTube channel. Andre has a beautiful studio and he’s a wonderful interviewer. We spoke for four and a half hours. On the trip from Laguna Beach, my Uber driver was a great guy, who was really into yoga and philosophy.
Stoicism is not unemotional
The misconception that Stoics are unemotional like a robot or, as they put it, a statue is so widespread that I’ve decided to put together some brief notes to summarise the opposing view, taken with modifications from my book Stoicism and the Art of Happiness (2013). The modern word “stoicism” (lowercase) means someone who has a stiff upper-lip, or more specifically someone who suppresses or conceals unpleasant or embarrassing emotions.
Marcus Aurelius Was Not an Emotionless Stoic
People often view Marcus Aurelius as the voice of calm, detached, serenity, but make the mistake of assuming that he was completely emotionless. The real Marcus was more interesting than that. He experienced grief, wept, and worried. He struggled with anger, fear, illness, bereavement, war, plague, political intrigue, and the moral burden of ruling the whole Roman Empire.
The Rivalry of Athens and Sparta
In this episode, I talk to award-winning historian, and novelist, Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy. He is the author of numerous books on ancient history, especially the Romans, and we’ll be discussing his latest one, which came out in May, Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece. Do you think readers will perceive any parallels between ancient Athenian politics and recent history? What are our sources like for this period? How biased are they? What’s missing?
How to Be a Happy Skeptic with Massimo Pigliucci
The Stoic Question: Philosophy and Psychology Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and How to Think Like Socrates, explores the meeting point of Stoicism, philosophy, psychology, psychotherapy, and the art of living through solo reflections and conversations with leading experts on anger, anxiety, resilience, self-improvement, and how to live well.
This Darkness Is Not That Darkness
In a recent article, I told the story of how a forgotten form of psychotherapy from the Second World War was used by military psychiatrist Douglas M. Kelley to treat American soldiers suffering from combat stress, now called PTSD. (Link at the bottom of this page.) This short follow-up article focuses on how you can apply the same ideas today for self-improvement.
Join us today for "How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic"
Later today, 15th of June, at 12pm eastern time, I’ll be chatting with Massimo Pigliucci about skepticism and his forthcoming book How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic: The Power of Doubt in a Meaningful Life–Lessons from Cicero’s Philosophy. Everyone is welcome. You’ll be able to join the live stream on Substack using this link, and a recording will be sent out afterwards.
Patience on the Out-Breath
One of the most robust findings in the field of psychotherapy research is that people can overcome anxiety by systematically facing what they have been avoiding. Therapists call this exposure therapy. It has been a central component of behaviour therapy, and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) since the 1950s. Exposure involves deliberately facing feared situations, in reality or in vivo, rather than avoiding them.
Do not bite off more than you can chew...
If you undertake a role which is beyond your powers, you both disgrace yourself in that one, and at the same time neglect the role which you might have filled with success. We all adopt different roles in life, which depend on our ability to influence external events, in various ways. Epictetus seems to mean that if we’re going to undertake roles where we’re expected to manage people or events appropriately then we should first be certain that this is within our power.
How to Change your Response to a Situation
One of the most common questions that people ask me, in coaching or therapy, is some variation of “How do I make sure I respond differently to problems in the future?” What they mean is that they’ve tried journalling, meditation, and a load of other therapy and self-help, which they feel has been of some benefit, but it hasn’t actually helped them respond differently in real situations, which trigger old habits, anger, anxiety, or other responses they want to change.