Donald Robertson is a stoicism historian, a psychotherapist and an author.
Marcus Aurelius has become one of the most quoted and most popular philosophers in history. His meditations have helped millions of people to find solace in hard times and deal with setbacks in life. But which elements of his life and philosophy have been hidden from the public and h ... Show More
Yesterday
The Most Hardcore Military Stories In History - The Fat Electrician - #1165
The Fat Electrician (aka Nic Palmer) is a military veteran, comedian and YouTuber. Expect to learn why we don’t promote war heroes anymore and what most heroes have in common, behind the stories of Logan Westin, Pappy Gun, and other not well-known heroes of past wars, what the mo ... Show More
2h 47m
Oct 17
Why Pessimism Makes Dumb Ideas Sound Smart - David Deutsch - #1164
David Deutsch is a British physicist, a pioneering researcher in quantum computation, and author. Expect to learn how David has changed his views on the limits of human potential in recent years, why people should have an optimistic view of the world, which current problem most p ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 15
9 Harsh Truths No One Wants To Admit - Shaan Puri - #1163
Shaan Puri is an entrepreneur, former CEO, podcaster, and angel investor. Expect to learn why the economy is basically run on insecure people, why it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, what’s holding most young people back from achieving more, why you should ... Show More
1h 38m
Jul 2023
How To Put Stoicism Into Practice | Donald Robertson
Donald Robertson describes Stoicism as "a kind of psychological toolbox", full of strategies for handling anxiety, anger and pain, and that framing runs through this whole conversation. We trace the history of the philosophy and pull practical use out of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetu ... Show More
1h 19m
Nov 2024
Donald Robertson on Socrates, Philosophy, and Modern Self-Help
I sat down with Donald Robertson, author and psychotherapist, for a proper conversation about Socrates: his life, his methods, and why a man who wrote nothing down still shapes how we think two and a half thousand years later.Donald blends cognitive behavioural therapy with ancie ... Show More
2h 57m
Aug 2022
Donald Robertson on Illusion of Mastery, The View from Above, and Time Travelling Stoics
It is easy to read a lot about Stoicism and mistake that for actually practising it. I put this to Donald Robertson, and we get into the gap between knowing the ideas and living them, what he calls the illusion of mastery.We also talk about the view from above as a practice, and ... Show More
25m 5s
Feb 2025
How Did Socrates Become So Wise?
Where did Socrates' wisdom actually come from? It was not raw intellect alone. In this conversation, Donald Robertson and I look at the daily habits, the charisma, and the genuine love of people that made Socrates the figure everyone after him kept arguing with.Donald reaches for ... Show More
3m 17s
May 2025
#417 — Philosophy for Life
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Donald Robertson about Stoicism and the good life. They discuss the relationship between wisdom and virtue, ancient versions of psychotherapy, parallels between Stoicism and Buddhism, practical vs. analytical styles of philosophy, CBT's origins ... Show More
22m 30s