Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

Caleb
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Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay discuss how to build resilience, develop virtue, and make sense of the world through Stoic philosophy. One episode a week. Get the Stoa app: www.stoameditation.com/pod [https://www.stoameditation.com/pod] Get the Stoa Letter: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [https://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe?utm_source=podcast_description] www.stoaletter.com

  1. What Stoics Find in the New Testament (Episode 222)

    VOR 6 TAGEN

    What Stoics Find in the New Testament (Episode 222)

    Michael picks up the New Testament for the first time and does something unusual: he treats Jesus not as a religious figure, but as a philosopher. A contemporary of the Stoics and Epicureans, teaching in the same era, competing for the same minds. The results are surprising. Some of Jesus’ core teachings land hard from a Stoic lens. Vice lives in desire, not action. The cowardly adulterer is worse than the bold one — he has two vices instead of one. Virtue demands the right reason, not just the right deed. Film your charity for Instagram and you’ve already collected your reward. Turn the other cheek isn’t passive — it’s radical character consistency. And loving your enemies? If you only love your friends, you’re not doing anything impressive. Everyone does that. But then things get complicated. What’s the ethical function of miracles? Why does faith matter if the Stoics demand knowledge? And if heaven promises a hundredfold return on your sacrifice, doesn’t Christianity collapse into delayed hedonism? Michael and Caleb wrestle with all of it — the overlaps, the tensions, and the parts that don’t resolve neatly. (03:00) Reading Jesus as a Philosopher (07:30) Vice Lives in Desire, Not Action (12:30) Virtue Requires the Right Reason (17:00) Turn the Other Cheek (22:00) Love Your Enemies (28:00) Cast the First Stone (37:30) The Danger of Appearances (41:30) Where a Stoic Pushes Back (51:20) Ted Chang and the Literature of Faith Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    55 Min.
  2. Michael's Life Philosophy

    24. FEB.

    Michael's Life Philosophy

    What does a historian of Stoicism actually believe? Michael puts his money where his mouth is and lays out his personal philosophy of life from scratch. The result is something between Stoicism and Aristotle — keeping the Stoic emphasis on character and agency while smuggling in a little more common sense about the human condition. (00:00) Why articulate a personal philosophy? (04:00) The geometric method (05:00) The eudaimonistic framework (10:30) What kind of thing are we? (16:30) Degrees of happiness (22:00) Rejecting the Stoic binary (24:00) Unequal agency, genuine hardship, and obligations to others (32:00) The capabilities approach (37:30) The Stoic counterargument (44:30) Summary Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    49 Min.
  3. Four Ways To Be Happy (Episode 220)

    27. JAN.

    Four Ways To Be Happy (Episode 220)

    Marcus Aurelius gives us a recipe for happiness in Meditations 2.16. Caleb breaks down the four ways we do the exact opposite: fighting reality, turning away from others, being ruled by pleasure and pain, and acting without purpose. Sometimes the best path to happiness isn’t chasing it directly, but removing what makes us miserable. (01:00) The Four Items: A Recipe for Happiness (03:50) First: Stop Fighting Reality (05:50) Second: Live Well With Others (09:30) Third: Don’t Be Ruled by Pleasure or Pain (11:00) Fourth: Act With Purpose (13:10) Closing Reading of Meditations 2.16 Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    16 Min.

  4. 20. JAN.

    The Roman Socrates Tells Us How To Live (Episode 219)

    The teacher of Epictetus deserves more attention than he gets. Michael returns to Musonius and pulls out three themes: philosophical minimalism, a complicated egalitarianism, and surprisingly specific practical advice. Musonius distrusts overly academic philosophy. He wants simple arguments that appeal to common sense, then action. He argues women should study philosophy because they share the same capacity for reason—but still maintains distinct roles based on natural differences. And he gets remarkably concrete: raw food diets, growing out your hair, never pressing charges for assault, physical labor as the ideal job for a philosopher. Musonius doesn’t fit neatly into modern categories. Previous episode: (06:00) Philosophical minimalism: simple arguments, then practice (14:00) Why fewer strong arguments beat many weak ones (19:00) Complicated egalitarianism: equal as humans, different in roles (26:00) The middle ground between traditionalism and progressivism (31:00) Controversial practical advice begins (33:00) Physical labor as excellent work for philosophers (35:00) Marriage, children, and conservative sexual ethics (39:00) When to disobey your father (46:00) Diet, dress, and developing calluses (48:00) The case against luxury (50:00) Why you should grow out your hair Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    54 Min.
  5. Musashi’s Book of Five Rings: The Ground Book (Episode 218)

    13. JAN.

    Musashi’s Book of Five Rings: The Ground Book (Episode 218)

    What can a 17th-century samurai who won 60 duels to the death teach us about living well? Caleb and Michael explore the first book of Miyamoto Musashi’s classic work. The Ground Book lays a foundation that cuts across all pursuits. The conversation draws connections to Stoic ideas about indifference, adaptability, and the danger of becoming too attached to any particular school or method. (03:30) Musashi’s life (07:00) How mastering a craft teaches philosophy (10:00) The four ways of life: warrior, carpenter, farmer, merchant (19:00) Living first, reflecting later—inverting the academic model (26:00) Philosophy is learned through living, not just reading (30:00) The way: don’t get attached to any single weapon or style (38:00) Politics, martial arts, and the trap of picking teams (43:00) Indifference as flexibility and adaptability (50:00) Rhythm, timing, and setting the tempo of life (53:00) The ethical dimension: making your thinking free of evil (56:30) Musashi’s nine rules for practicing the way Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    57 Min.

  6. 6. JAN.

    How to Be Smarter (Episode 217)

    What do the Stoics mean by intelligence? And how do you actually develop it? Caleb breaks down prudence into six trainable components from the ancient Stoic Arius Didymus: sound judgment, circumspection, shrewdness, sensibleness, soundness of aim, and ingenuity. Each gets a week. Each gets concrete exercises. This isn’t abstract philosophy. It’s a practical program for sharpening your thinking in whatever domain matters to you. (00:00) A Framework for Stoic Intelligence (04:50) Week 1: Sound Judgment — Knowing What to Do and How (12:50) Week 2: Circumspection — Keeping Your Perception Current (20:20) Week 3: Shrewdness — Acting Right Without Deliberation (28:40) Week 4: Sensibleness — Discerning Better from Worse (32:50) Week 5: Soundness of Aim — Hitting Your Target (37:10) Week 6: Ingenuity — Finding a Way Through (41:40) Closing Thoughts Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    44 Min.

  7. 30.12.2025

    What We Read, Watched, and Learned in 2025 (Episode 216)

    Michael and Caleb look back on their favorite reads, conversations, and discoveries from the year. They discuss why Cicero’s On Ends deserves a spot on every Stoic’s reading list, what the New Testament and Stoicism have in common, and the power of keeping philosophical maxims close at hand. The conversation covers a Spanish Jesuit’s handbook on practical wisdom, Plato’s failed attempt to mentor a tyrant, and which Stoic exercises actually work in daily life. Finally, they wrap up with moves of the year. (01:00) Cicero’s On Ends: Why It’s the Perfect Second Book (08:10) Reading the New Testament as a Stoic (17:00) The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracián (24:20) The Life of Plato: Philosophy Meets Tyranny (28:00) Stoic Maxims as Mental Magic (32:20) The 10 Stoic Exercises: What Actually Works (37:20) Movie Picks: Lord of the Rings and The Great Beauty Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    43 Min.

  8. 23.12.2025

    A Stoic Book Review of the Odyssey (Episode 215)

    The founders of Stoicism—Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus—all wrote about Homer. Zeno’s longest work was called Homeric Problems. When we read the Odyssey, we’re reading what the Stoics read. We’re studying their curriculum. Following this tradition. Michael and Caleb examine what makes the Odyssey Stoic and what makes it decidedly not. Odysseus perseveres through failures, temptations, and divine opposition for twenty years. He just wants to go home. That single-minded endurance is deeply Stoic. But Homer’s hero also cries openly, grieves for years, and slaughters everyone who wronged him. He’s a brilliant bullshitter who tells elaborate lies even to gods. Is that Stoic?The tension between these traditions reveals something important about both. (0:00) Why the Stoics Studied Homer (6:30) Sparknotes (14:30) Stoic Theme: Perseverance Through Failure (22:40) Stoic Theme: Intelligence as Virtue (26:00) Stoic Theme: Cosmopolitanism and Being a Good Guest (35:00) Stoic Theme: Tact as Social Virtue (42:10) Non-Stoic Theme: The Emotional Hero (46:30) Non-Stoic Theme: Revenge and the Suitors (54:00) Non-Stoic Theme: The Trickster Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account. Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/ Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/ Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

    1 Std. 1 Min.
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Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay discuss how to build resilience, develop virtue, and make sense of the world through Stoic philosophy. One episode a week. Get the Stoa app: www.stoameditation.com/pod [https://www.stoameditation.com/pod] Get the Stoa Letter: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe [https://www.stoaletter.com/subscribe?utm_source=podcast_description] www.stoaletter.com

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