The Daily Stoic13 Marras 2018

Be A User, Not A Loser

Dr. D.T. Suzuki, a 20th century Japanese author who was largely responsible for popularizing Buddhism, Zen, and Shin in the West, was once approached at the end of a dinner party. “How is it, Dr. Suzuki,” the woman asked, “we spend the entire evening asking you questions and nothing is decided.” He looked at her and replied, “That’s why I love philosophy: no one wins.”

While the Stoics, notably Cato the Elder, had a visceral disdain for sophistry and debate for debate’s sake, they would have agreed with this premise. Stoicism was not a parlor game, nor was it religious dogma with its absolutism and black and white rules.

Stoicism is ultimately a philosophy for life and life is complicated. It is also a philosophy that embraces the individual, and every individual life is different. That’s why the writings of Seneca don’t fit puzzle perfect with the writings of Marcus Aurelius, which themselves are not perfectly aligned with the teachings of Epictetus, despite the latter’s influence over the former. There is no “winner” or “best” among these equals, there is simply a wide breadth of overlapping wisdom designed for a multitude of situations.

Our job is to avail ourselves of this information and put it to use where we can, however it makes sense for the situations in which we find ourselves. What we don’t have time for are pedantic debates about whether so-and-so was a true Stoic or in-fighting about whether this person or that person is continuing the Stoic legacy properly. There are no winners in philosophy, though there certainly are losers. The best person to be, of course, is a user of the philosophical knowledge we have available to us.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(3158)

7 Stoic Strategies To Deal With Jerks

Difficult people have been testing our patience for thousands of years. But the Stoics understood why these encounters can cost us far more than a few minutes of frustration.Watch this episode on YouT...

4 Loka 15min

The Art and Obsession of Writing with Rich Cohen

After more than a dozen books and decades writing for publications like Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, Rich Cohen knows how a great story can change the way we see both the past and ourselves. In toda...

3 Loka 1h 17min

You Can Get Away From It All Anytime You Like | 12 Stoic Ways to Quiet Your Mind

You have to learn how to retreat into yourself. And then return, renewed, to whatever is waiting for you.📚 If you liked this episode, pick up a copy of Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday | https://...

2 Loka 14min

Do You Know Where to Find It? | Why Does Ancient Wisdom Still Surprise Us?

That’s Stoicism. A philosophy to help us in our search. But where do we start with it?The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic will be released October 6, 2026—but signed and numbered first...

1 Loka 14min

50 Stoic Rules to Live By

The Stoics wrote about almost every part of life, but which of their ideas are worth carrying with you every day? In this episode, Ryan shares 50 short rules from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, a...

30 Syys 25min

It’s Happening To Them…and To You Too

Time has passed. The ideas haven’t changed, as the Stoics say, but you have. The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic will be released October 6, 2026—but signed and numbered first-edition ...

30 Syys 2min

You Should Be In The Thick of It | How Oprah Discovered Stoicism

How are you making your impact felt? How are you bringing your beliefs—and virtues—into the world?👉 Watch Ryan's episode with Oprah here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiua-LIB7MY📚 Books:Build the...

29 Syys 18min

It Shows Us This | Your Actual Needs Are Small

On the one hand, history is a catalog of human misdeeds. On the other hand, is history not also a catalog of human greatness?📚 History Matters by David McCullough🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday i...

28 Syys 6min