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Practical Stoicism

Stoicism Isn’t Toxic, But Misunderstanding It Can Be (Meditations 3.6)

Practical Stoicism

Evergreen Podcasts

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8662 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, I explore Meditations 3.6 and the challenge Marcus Aurelius presents to those seeking the Good life: is there anything higher than justice, truth, temperance, and fortitude? If we find something greater, we should pursue it wholeheartedly. But if not, then we must commit ourselves fully to Virtue. I also address the common misconception that Stoicism promotes emotional repression or toxic perfectionism. True Stoicism is about disciplined reasoning, self-improvement, and moral alignment—not detachment or indifference. If the pursuit of Virtue is the highest aim, then what could be better than dedicating our lives to it? “If you discover in the life of man something higher than justice, truth, temperance, fortitude, and generally speaking than your understanding contented with itself, where it presents you behaving by the rule of right, and satisfied with destiny, in what is assigned to you and is not yours to choose; if, I say, you see something higher than this, turn to it with all your heart and enjoy the supreme good now that it is found…” - Meditations 3.6 TAKEAWAYS + The highest good in Stoicism is the pursuit of Virtue—nothing else surpasses it. + True Stoicism is not about emotional repression but about disciplined reasoning and moral alignment. + The pursuit of an ideal, even if unattainable, is valuable in itself and fuels lifelong self-improvement. LINKS — Go ad-free: https://stoicismpod.com/members — Follow the print publication: https://stoicismpod.com/print — Take my free courses: https://stoicismpod.com/courses — Order my book: https://stoicismpod.com/book — Source Text: https://stoicismpod.com/far — Follow me on BlueSky: https://stoicismpod.com/bluesky — Follow me on YouTube: https://stoicismpod.com/youtube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:30.2

Whoa, there.

0:33.5

Victoria's had a Friday night to remember.

0:36.0

But now she's outside in the pouring rain and...

0:38.7

Oh, what? You are joking. I've got no data. How are we going to get home?

0:43.3

But then she remembers she's with EE.

0:45.9

Yes, Uber still works.

0:47.6

So then she...

0:49.3

Uber's on me, guys. Should we get a kebab?

0:51.7

Use essential apps like Uber and WhatsApp even when you run out of data.

0:55.7

Search EE Mobile.

0:57.3

Stay connected at 0.5 megabits per second.

0:59.6

Terms apply. Welcome back, Prokaptan.

1:16.4

I'm glad you're here.

1:17.6

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but I'm glad to have returned from a recent week-long

1:22.2

trip to St. Augustine, Florida, where I was certain I'd encounter beautiful, tropical

1:27.2

weather, but instead found temperatures colder every single day I was certain I'd encounter beautiful, tropical weather, but instead found temperatures

1:28.9

colder every single day I was there than those here in England.

1:33.7

Weather and illness, notwithstanding, I enjoyed much of what St. Augustine had to offer and had

1:39.0

a great time there with friends and colleagues. Shout out to the excellent sweet water coffee

...

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