Stoa Conversations: Stoicism Applied

Caleb

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. JAN 20

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

    JAN 13

    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
  3. 12/23/2025

    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

    1h 1m
5
out of 5
44 Ratings

About

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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