In this episode I talk with Jason Pack — a world-class backgammon grandmaster, geopolitical analyst, and host of Disorder, a podcast about what he calls “the global enduring disorder.” It’s an unexpected mix of topics: the psychology of high-stakes decision-making, the Stoic discipline of attention, and how lessons from the game board apply to politics, lead ... Show More
Nov 21
Growing Into Roles We're Not Good At Yet
In this episode I talk about what it’s like to take on a large number of new roles in a very short period of time, and how doing so can leave you feeling detached from yourself unless you approach those roles with clear thinking, humility, and attention. Over the last few years I ... Show More
16m 30s
Nov 14
Living Well on a Hot Planet [The COP30]
In this episode I take a current headline—the opening of COP30 in Belém, Brazil—and sit with it like a philosopher, not a pundit. Instead of debating policy language or political victories, I look at what a global event like this means for people trying to live excellently right ... Show More
25m 35s
Nov 5
Gender Roles and the Rational Soul
In this episode I take on a listener question about gender roles and Stoicism — whether they exist, how the Stoics would have defined them, and what any of it means for modern relationships. We look closely at Musonius Rufus, the so-called “fourth head” of the Stoic school, who a ... Show More
22m 28s
Sep 16
The struggle for the good life | Massimo Pigliucci on ancient philosophy for the modern era
We all want to live the good life. But how many of us can claim to be truly content? Join philosopher and evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci as he argues that pleasure, character, and a healthy dose of doubt, form the basis of the good life, and that purpose in life is cruc ... Show More
29m 29s
Jul 2025
#974 - Joe Folley - Existential Philosophy, Nietzsche, Suffering & Self-Awareness
Joe Folley is a philosopher, writer, and host of the Unsolicited Advice YouTube channel. Philosophy has a way of finding us in one form or another, sometimes in a book, sometimes in a moment of crisis. Thinkers like Nietzsche and Camus have helped shape how we see life, death, an ... Show More
1h 25m
Sep 8
Hegel on Stoicism (Part One)
Discussing the section on Stoicism in Hegel's "Phenomenology of Spirit," which is under "Freedom of Self-Consciousness," "Stoicism, Scepticism, and the Unhappy Consciousness." This comes right after his famous lordship and bondage chapter, and explains how in reaction to being de ... Show More
58m 13s
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
Feb 2025
Nietzsche on overcoming nihilism | Philosopher Babette Babich
Nietzsche, the birth of tragedy, and the technology trap with Babette BabichDo life's struggles make the search for meaning a hopeless endeavour?Join renowned, continental philosopher Babette Babich as she explains the Nietzschean path to finding purpose, arguing that we must emb ... Show More
18m 3s
Jan 2025
Ancient solutions for modern problems | Stoicism Series PART 2 | Massimo Pigliucci
How to be a StoicWhat can Zeno of Citium teach you about going to the movie theatre?Join philosopher and author Massimo Pigliucci for part two of a series on the ancient practice of Stoicism, exploring and analysing ideas from Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Zeno of Citiu ... Show More
20m 44s
Jan 2025
Ancient solutions for modern problems | Stoicism Series PART 1 | Massimo Pigliucci
How to be a StoicWhat can Marcus Aurelius teach you about the iPhone?Join philosopher and author Massimo Pigliucci for part one of a series on the ancient practice of Stoicism, exploring and analysing ideas from Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Zeno of Citium.Massimo Pigli ... Show More
19m 10s
Nov 2024
Donald Robertson on Socrates, Philosophy, and Modern Self-Help
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1882875/open_sms">Send us a text</a></p><p>In this episode, I sit down with <b>Donald Robertson</b>, renowned author, psychotherapist, and expert in ancient philosophy, to dive deep into the life, methods ... Show More
2h 58m