What is Stoicism, really?

Practical Stoicism

Evergreen Podcasts

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Modern interpretations of Stoicism are often wildly inaccurate, reducing the philosophy to a life hack for suppressing emotions, a tool for productivity-obsessed entrepreneurs, or a justification for toxic masculinity. But do any of these portrayals hold up under scrutiny? In this episode, I break down these misconceptions by turning to the words of ancient Stoic thinkers—Musonius Rufus, Zeno of Citium, and others—who show us that Stoicism is far more profound and ethical than pop culture suggests. We’ll explore: — Why Stoicism is not about indifference but about focusing on what truly shapes our character. — How both men and women are equally called to pursue Virtue. — Why Stoics deeply care about things outside their control, despite the common misunderstanding. — The true meaning of Stoic emotional management, which is about reasoning through emotions rather than repressing them. At its core, Stoicism is a philosophy of moral excellence, a commitment to aligning ourselves with Nature, and a guide to becoming a force for good in the world. Getting Stoicism right matters—not just for personal development, but for the influence it has on society as a whole. “The goal (of Stoicism) is to live in agreement with nature. For our individual natures are parts of the nature of the whole universe.” — Zeno of Citium Join the Practical Stoicism community, the Society of Stoics, at https://community.stoicismpod.com. Members enjoy ad-free episodes, weekly journaling prompts, a membership medallion, and access to regular live calls and discussions. Join today at https://community.stoicismpod.com. Buy my book: https://stoicismpod.com/book Read source material: https://stoicismpod.com/far Subscribe on YouTube: https://stoicismpod.com/youtube Follow me on Bluesky: https://stoicismpod.com/bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:56.0	claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com slash lead. Terms and conditions apply. Welcome back for Kapton. Glad you're here this week. This week I'm doing something just a little bit different, as I've been seeing a lot of just really terrible takes from large newspaper outlets and media outlets about what stoicism is.
1:29.6	So I thought I would use my platform to create something that was kind of like, I don't know,
1:35.0	a singular short, let's say it's brief, explanation of what stoicism isn't and is.
1:43.0	So this isn't going to be a meditation episode. This is going to be something
1:45.6	that I would encourage you to share with people when they incorrectly interpret what your stoicism is.
1:53.5	I'm also going to attempt to get this published in some of those aforementioned reputable publications.
2:00.4	And I think that's probably enough of an
2:02.3	introduction. There won't be any mid-episode breaks in this particular episode, because, well,
2:08.4	this is a piece of what I consider to be public service. It's a public service announcement,
	...

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