Practical Stoicism – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, I discuss Meditation 3.2 from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. This meditation reflects on the inherent beauty in all things that align with Nature, even when they might seem imperfect or undesirable to us at first glance. Marcus uses examples such as cracks on a freshly baked loaf of bread or the ripe, oozing fig to illustrate how side effects of Nature’s processes carry their own grace and fascination. I explore two key takeaways: I. Understanding Natural Processes – By studying and respecting Nature, we learn to identify the optimal points in its processes, whether in baking bread or recognizing when something has reached its natural conclusion. II. Redefining Beauty – Marcus invites us to find beauty not just in the outcomes we prefer but in all stages of life’s processes. Even in things like a furrowed brow, overripe fruit, or the inevitability of decay, there is a harmony with Nature that can inspire respect, wonder, and acceptance. Finally, I reflect on how shifting our judgment of ugliness to one of wonder and appreciation can deepen our understanding of the world and our place in it. "We must also observe closely points of this kind, that even the secondary effects of Nature's processes possess a sort of grace and attraction. To take one instance, bread when it is being baked breaks open at some places; now even these cracks, which in one way contradict the promise of the baker's art, somehow catch the eye and stimulate in a special way our appetite for the food. And again figs, when fully mature, gape, and in ripe olives their very approach to decay adds a certain beauty of its own to the fruit. Ears of corn too when they bend downwards, the lion's wrinkled brow, the foam flowing from the boar's mouth, and many other characteristics that are far from beautiful if we look at them in isolation, do nevertheless because they follow from Nature's processes lend those a further ornament and a fascination. And so, if a man has a feeling for, and a deeper insight into the processes of the Universe, there is hardly one but will somehow appear to present itself pleasantly to him, even among mere attendant circumstances. Such a man also will feel no less pleasure in looking at the actual jaws of wild beasts than at the imitations which painters and sculptors exhibit, and he will be enabled to see in an old woman or an old man a kind of freshness and bloom, and to look upon the charms of his own boy slaves with sober eyes. And many such experiences there will be, not convincing to every one but occurring to him and to him alone who has become genuinely familiar with Nature and her works." – Meditations 3.2 -- Go ad-free : https://stoicismpod.com/members Join the Discord Community : https://stoicismpod.com/discord 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://bsky.app/profile/tannerocampbell.bsky.social Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we begin Book 3 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Meditation 3.1 reminds us that our time is limited—not just by death, but by the potential loss of our rational faculty as we age. Marcus writes that even if life continues, our ability to reason, comprehend, and adapt to events may diminish. He urges us to press forward with our pursuit of Virtue while we still have the capacity to live thoughtfully and intentionally. Memento Mori—the practice of remembering our mortality—grounds Stoic practice, but Marcus reminds us that it is not a lifehack to achieve personal goals or ambitions. Instead, it’s a practice rooted in the Stoic commitment to living in alignment with Nature and contributing to the greater good of the Cosmopolis. This meditation challenges us to reflect on how we use the present moment, which is the only time truly within our power, to make progress toward Virtue. "We ought to take into account not only the fact that day by day life is being spent and a smaller balance remaining, but this further point also that, should we live longer, it is at least doubtful whether the intellect will hereafter be the same." - Meditations 3.1 -- Go ad-free : https://stoicismpod.com/members Join the Discord Community : https://stoicismpod.com/discord 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I reflect on Meditation 9 from Book 2 of Meditations. Marcus Aurelius reminds us to always remember the nature of the Cosmos and our place within it. He emphasizes that the Cosmos is a rational and self-sustaining system, and as part of it, we share in that logic and beneficence. Marcus urges us to act in accordance with Nature, meaning that we should strive to be rational and beneficent, just as the Cosmos is. I explore how the Cosmos, though not consciously acting like a human, sustains itself in a way that allows everything within it to exist and perform its roles. By understanding this, we realize that no external force can prevent us from making choices in line with our rational nature. While external circumstances may influence us, it is ultimately our choice how we respond to them. Marcus reminds us that it is not the external situation, but how we make choices, that determines whether we act with wisdom and virtue. I also touch on the Stoic concept of personal responsibility, explaining how we are always accountable for our choices. Even when provoked, such as by an unkind boss, it is our choice how we react, and only we can choose to act with virtue or vice. The key is not just in the choice itself, but in the reasoning behind that choice. By internalizing the understanding that we are in control of our responses, we can aim to align ourselves with the rational and beneficent nature of the Cosmos. "Always remember the following: what the nature of the Whole is; what my own nature is; the relation of this nature to that; what kind of part it is of what kind of Whole; and that no man can hinder your saying and doing at all times what is in accordance with that Nature whereof you are a part." - Meditations 2.9 -- Go ad-free : https://stoicismpod.com/members Follow the print publication : https://stoicismpod.com/print Take the free course : https://understandingstoicism.com Order my book : https://stoicismpod.com/book Source Text : https://stoicismpod.com/far Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wednesdays are now Epictetus days -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (George Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Meric Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (A.S.L Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Enchiridion (Elizabeth Carter) : https://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the futility of half-way measures from Seneca. -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're talking about... Aristotle's Causes? It gets a little weird. Also, some special news. -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tanner says yes, Massimo Pigliucci says no. -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it impossible that embarrassment is an emotion the Sage would possess? Seneca promises us that Sages will blush if it is in their nature, as this is a bodily function that actors cannot summon nor can anyone prevent -- we do not control our bodies, as we do not own them -- but does blushing always equal embarrassment? And if so, is appropriate embarrassment a thing which exists? -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know, I know, "challenge accepted, Tanner!" But in all seriousness, books don't provide the same utility as a toilet... and sometimes you really need a toilet. In this episode, Virtue is the toilet. Perhaps the most ill-behaved metaphors I've ever made on this program. -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Virtue has more to do with aesthetic than it does anything else? I don't know... but can understanding Virtue through the lens of aesthetic ratios like the Golden Rule make understanding Virtue easier? I still don't know, but this is a great conversation with David Fideler, author of Breakfast with Seneca. -- #1 : View all our sponsor links : https://sponsors.stoicismpod.com #2 : Get rid of ads : https://practicalstoicism.supportingcast.fm #3: Visit our store : https://shop.stoicismpod.com #3: Attend a live workshop : https://actualstoicism.com #4: Read our articles : https://read.stoicismpod.com #5: Join the Discord : https://stoicismpod.com/discord #6: Join the journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journaling -- Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-long Online copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubon Online copy of Meditations (Farquharson) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/farquharson Online copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices