DeepSummary
In this episode, host Ryan Holiday discusses the virtues of stoicism and what the stoic philosophers may have gotten wrong. He acknowledges that while stoicism promotes virtues like courage, discipline, and wisdom, some of its core ideas were flawed due to the oppressive societal norms of the time, such as accepting slavery and misogyny. Holiday suggests that the stoics made mistakes in their personal lives and philosophical ideas.
During the discussion, Holiday converses with a guest who argues that stoicism may have overlooked the importance of emotions and compassion. The guest contends that modern science recognizes the bidirectional influence between thoughts and emotions, advocating for a more balanced approach that allows for emotional expression while maintaining thoughtfulness.
Holiday agrees that stoicism should not be about suppressing emotions entirely, but rather about understanding and processing them appropriately. He emphasizes the virtue of justice in stoicism, which encompasses compassion, empathy, and caring for others and the world. Holiday advocates for a nuanced understanding of stoicism that avoids turning it into a dogma or a recipe for sociopathy.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Stoicism, while promoting virtues like courage, discipline, and wisdom, may have incorporated flawed societal norms of the time, such as accepting slavery and misogyny.
- The stoics made mistakes in their personal lives and philosophical ideas, and their philosophy may have overlooked the importance of emotions, compassion, and love.
- A balanced approach that allows for emotional expression while maintaining thoughtfulness and caring for others and the world is advocated.
- Stoicism should not be treated as an infallible dogma, and its limitations should be acknowledged while incorporating insights from other philosophical traditions.
- The stoics' focus on controlling thoughts may have overlooked the bidirectional influence between thoughts and emotions, as understood through modern scientific research.
- The virtue of justice in stoicism, which encompasses compassion, empathy, and caring for others and the world, should be emphasized.
- The stoics may have lacked a robust toolkit for solving societal problems and creating progress, often resigning in the face of injustices or flawed systems.
- A nuanced understanding of stoicism is advocated, one that promotes personal growth while caring for others and the world, avoiding the perception of stoicism as a recipe for sociopathy.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Stoicism is not supposed to turn your heart to stone. It's supposed to mean you're not overwhelmed by your emotions. You're not this walking open wound. But, I mean, when I think of the circles of Hierocles, I think about someone who's actually working quite hard to care about as many people as possible.“ by Ryan Holiday
- “I think it's just important that we don't turn stoicism into a dogma, and we don't hold the stoics up as, as being more than what they are, which is just human beings.“ by Ryan Holiday
- “You shouldn't accept anything uncritically or unquestioningly. And we should look for the flaws in not just stoicism, but we should look for what's good in other schools of philosophy to add or to supplement stoicism.“ by Ryan Holiday
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Episode Information
The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Wondery
7/2/24
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