I've been falling asleep to your podcasts since I was 17 years old. You've helped me discover so many philosophical ideas that I would've otherwise never encountered. Thanks for all that you do 🫡
Much love Steven! I originally came to your podcast because I was freshly riding the wave of Stoicism in 2020. My personal experience with this philosophy was originally keeping my emotions out of my choices but I was practically trying to be a “robot” in a sense, trying to rationalize some fairly odd behavior with reason without bringing in emotion. Now that I’m three years wiser, I learned that putting emotional perspective into my choices instead of my emotions controlling my actions had made me feel more complete in my day-to-day… all n all just wanted to show love for helping me out this early work morning, take care
I didn't know Neo Stoics existed! But hearing this explanation really helps me feel more, well, compassionate towards the old and new version of this philosophy. Seriously, thank you for this. I originally followed because of your explanations of Byung-Chul Han, so glad to hear these podcasts of yours are willing to reference previous ones. It feels like a saga!
Troy came out in 2004. Great episode! Thanks for the updated perspective on emotions in Stoicism. I also appreciate how you were able to weave in a new perspective on the social contract. Lots of great stuff in this episode!
Today, I was searching for some videos on RUclips to practice my English listening skills because I'm trying to learn the language. I came across this particular video, and although I didn't understand 100% of what was said, I was able to grasp most of the main ideas thanks to your excellent diction and clarity when speaking. I, as non-native speakers, really appreciate that :). It was a great episode; I especially agree with the idea that modern philosophy should consider the best available scientific knowledge when it comes to understanding ourselves and the world around us.
Love your podcasts. I ve been bedridden and in and out of hospitals for the past two years and it helps keep my mind active. Your podcasts on deleuze were a great introduction and helped me get into him which now helps with my degree
I don't know Stoicism very deeply, but the understanding that I had of it, and the application of it that helped me was a lot, was more along the lines of: There are things that aren't worth ruminating on. It helped me cut way down on neurotic re imaginings. I slander people a hell of a lot less. ect. ect. I guess I mentally glossed over the whole "having the emotion at all in the first place is bad" part, probably because I wouldn't ascribe to it. I think there's a very important distinction between how we feel in the present and how we feel in the present about the past. Just found this channel, learning a lot, thanks!
This video opened my reasoning to a whole lot of things,I was personally weighed by my emotions always.After listening to this,it changed how I see things and people.I wish I came across You a while ago.
Great podcast!, emotions are useful and necessary but you don't want to be controlled by them, and there are times you need to suppress them for a time. I find stoicism very useful, but it is only one of the many philosophical tools I have picked up from Philosophy in general.
So happy you enjoyed it! Just a clarification though this episode was very much Martha Nussbaum's critique of a common oversimplification of those ideas. I could absolutely do episodes on earlier philosophy and do a way better job than I was capable of in 2013. It just comes down to people requesting it. Thanks for listening! :)
I've listened to all of your podcasts, all of R. Roderick's, and nearly all of M. Sugrue's and Staloff's. Theirs have been very well presented but often too abstract and esoteric (read professorial); yours are--by far--the most accessible to the average listener and, let's not forget ... fun! Bravo ... and thanks.
I've delved into Nussbaum a little with her book "Hiding from Humanity". It's an interesting one because she targets disgust and its production of stigma. She concludes that disgust should not be a factor in morality in contemporary liberal societies because of how it has been associated with ostracism and prejudice against out-groups. However, a potential irony is that if disgust and tribalism are natural phenomena for humans, then trying to be rid of it or shove it away would be an instance of us hiding from our humanity. Fortunately, I think that disgust is a socially learned reaction and emotion, so it could be learned differently (although many in the biological and medical fields would disagree). I wonder how many other emotions are socially learned, like it seems that shame and guilt might be. How can you feel these emotions without having first been taught what a society considers right and proper? Maybe we moved beyond the tabula rasa idea too quickly. It's also interesting that Nussbaum seems to have made it a project to evaluate the emotions - which are good, which are bad, which can be tweaked or improved, which should be rejected. I'm unsure if anyone else has done it before in this way.
Great to have you back, Stephen! Btw, Sam Harris did a podcast with Martha, and they clashed a little, don't know how much free time you have on your hands these days, but it was an intreresting conversation. Thanks for all the great content, you've been putting out for years now!
Republicans and Jocko Willink say that, "If you help people by giving them money, you're really weakening and hurting them", but if that was true then Bangladesh and poor places should have the the strongest Olympians and the best business mogals, but it seems like that lack of aid to those countries weakens them. I think getting help and resources is preferable so long as people put them to good use, as opposed to making them tough it out on their own. "No one assends alone". (I could be wrong)
Our emotions make us truly alive. Use them as a tool to improve your circumstances in a kind and productive way. Compassion is the same thing as self interest for the wise.
Hey man. Does this makes sense: all pursuits of meaning/goals are to distract ourselves from the thought of inevitable death. Therefore, all pursuits of meaning/goals are a cope. Only 1 goal is not a cope: pursuing immortality. Since it addresses the actual and only problem we are trying to avoid which is death.
I would say it makes sense, but isn’t a great argument. Imo pursuing immortality is the biggest cope, for in doing so one is attempting to distract oneself from the *inevitable* death by trying to avoid it. At least with other goals one is only distracting themselves, and not deluding themselves too.
Sounds like Ernest Becker. Have a couple episodes we did on him a while back if you're interested. Thanks for listening and for continuing to think for yourself! :)
I mean I'm a high school dropout so bear with me, but wouldn't the urge to give guidance, mentorship, encouragement etc come from a root of compassion? I feel like you said it yourself, those are all things that you give freely. That's a compassionate act. Did they not see it that way? I understand that our modern definitions can be different, but I'm going to get caught up on this if I don't get an answer lol.
Kant and Nietzsche, oh my goodness... You know, sometimes I think these guys just got waaaay too far up their own buttholes about this stuff. The monumental self-importance it must take to acknowledge how you personally relate to the experiences in your life and because of your aha moment automatically assume that that is universal, that each person doesn't get their own individual aha moments if they should go searching for it, it's like wow, That's like some Gaston level sh*t right there haha. Forgive me I mean, is there something I'm missing here? Because it seems like that's an incredibly egocentric way to live. I've never appreciated that about philosophy, I've never appreciated that they took the joy of the exploration of new ideas that could be shared and talked about and learned and grown from, and decided to turn it into a damn debate about who is actually living life correctly. Its much like we've seen religion do throughout time, assign it to other people. !! No lol, that's not how it works. People have their own multidimensional emotional landscapes that are the product of personal experiences, and yeah sure like tons of us overlap and whatnot, but the sheer upper body strength required to heft arrogance of that density is incredible! Imagine assigning a universal blanket meaning to something so broad and far-reaching as compassion? And I guess you know pretty much every other thing they've decided has only one route which is also incidentally the same route they can relate to personally haha, Really? Am I, am I just missing something huge here? Oh my gosh I'm sorry. I don't have anybody to talk with philosophy about and I'm not a student of it I just do it I guess. Just think the things. It's what we're doing right? Thinking the things and then talking about thinking about the things? Haha
lol awesome channel, reason would say have no children at all tho guess that mother wasn't really thinking things through before she decided to Have more than one kid 😂
I've been falling asleep to your podcasts since I was 17 years old. You've helped me discover so many philosophical ideas that I would've otherwise never encountered. Thanks for all that you do 🫡
I am gonna do that tonight 🤣
Tried last night, but was to intrigued to fall asleep
Car broke down on the motorway a week ago. This podcast was helpful this week...
Much love Steven! I originally came to your podcast because I was freshly riding the wave of Stoicism in 2020. My personal experience with this philosophy was originally keeping my emotions out of my choices but I was practically trying to be a “robot” in a sense, trying to rationalize some fairly odd behavior with reason without bringing in emotion. Now that I’m three years wiser, I learned that putting emotional perspective into my choices instead of my emotions controlling my actions had made me feel more complete in my day-to-day… all n all just wanted to show love for helping me out this early work morning, take care
12:07 😂
You were missed, glad you're back!!!!
Hello Stephen, yours is the best short-form philosophy podcast I've come across.
"The part of life we really live is small. For all the rest of existence is not life, but merely time." - Seneca
I didn't know Neo Stoics existed! But hearing this explanation really helps me feel more, well, compassionate towards the old and new version of this philosophy. Seriously, thank you for this.
I originally followed because of your explanations of Byung-Chul Han, so glad to hear these podcasts of yours are willing to reference previous ones. It feels like a saga!
Troy came out in 2004.
Great episode! Thanks for the updated perspective on emotions in Stoicism. I also appreciate how you were able to weave in a new perspective on the social contract. Lots of great stuff in this episode!
Today, I was searching for some videos on RUclips to practice my English listening skills because I'm trying to learn the language. I came across this particular video, and although I didn't understand 100% of what was said, I was able to grasp most of the main ideas thanks to your excellent diction and clarity when speaking. I, as non-native speakers, really appreciate that :). It was a great episode; I especially agree with the idea that modern philosophy should consider the best available scientific knowledge when it comes to understanding ourselves and the world around us.
Love your podcasts. I ve been bedridden and in and out of hospitals for the past two years and it helps keep my mind active. Your podcasts on deleuze were a great introduction and helped me get into him which now helps with my degree
I don't know Stoicism very deeply, but the understanding that I had of it, and the application of it that helped me was a lot, was more along the lines of: There are things that aren't worth ruminating on. It helped me cut way down on neurotic re imaginings. I slander people a hell of a lot less. ect. ect.
I guess I mentally glossed over the whole "having the emotion at all in the first place is bad" part, probably because I wouldn't ascribe to it.
I think there's a very important distinction between how we feel in the present and how we feel in the present about the past.
Just found this channel, learning a lot, thanks!
This video opened my reasoning to a whole lot of things,I was personally weighed by my emotions always.After listening to this,it changed how I see things and people.I wish I came across You a while ago.
Great podcast!, emotions are useful and necessary but you don't want to be controlled by them, and there are times you need to suppress them for a time. I find stoicism very useful, but it is only one of the many philosophical tools I have picked up from Philosophy in general.
great to see your going back to ancient stoic and cynic philosophy.
So happy you enjoyed it! Just a clarification though this episode was very much Martha Nussbaum's critique of a common oversimplification of those ideas. I could absolutely do episodes on earlier philosophy and do a way better job than I was capable of in 2013. It just comes down to people requesting it. Thanks for listening! :)
Glad to see you back!
I've listened to all of your podcasts, all of R. Roderick's, and nearly all of M. Sugrue's and Staloff's. Theirs have been very well presented but often too abstract and esoteric (read professorial); yours are--by far--the most accessible to the average listener and, let's not forget ... fun!
Bravo ... and thanks.
I've delved into Nussbaum a little with her book "Hiding from Humanity". It's an interesting one because she targets disgust and its production of stigma. She concludes that disgust should not be a factor in morality in contemporary liberal societies because of how it has been associated with ostracism and prejudice against out-groups. However, a potential irony is that if disgust and tribalism are natural phenomena for humans, then trying to be rid of it or shove it away would be an instance of us hiding from our humanity. Fortunately, I think that disgust is a socially learned reaction and emotion, so it could be learned differently (although many in the biological and medical fields would disagree). I wonder how many other emotions are socially learned, like it seems that shame and guilt might be. How can you feel these emotions without having first been taught what a society considers right and proper? Maybe we moved beyond the tabula rasa idea too quickly.
It's also interesting that Nussbaum seems to have made it a project to evaluate the emotions - which are good, which are bad, which can be tweaked or improved, which should be rejected. I'm unsure if anyone else has done it before in this way.
Love this. Missed you. Wishing you well
Great episode Civvie! The fact that Strife is from 1996 is honestly mindblowing. Also, Beavis and Butthead clips are always welcome.
Great episode, glad to see you back! 🎉❤
Glad to have you back Steven, been missing you!
Thank you so much for everything you do! I'm a huge fan. x
I think that I have been asking myself questions and you have been answering them..
Hecuba was the wife of King Priam, as I recall...
::handshake:: Dude, you're really smart like whoaaaaaaa.
Hope things are ok now. Was thinking the other day it's been a while since you had last posted. Glad your back and thanks for another great episode!
Great to have you back, Stephen!
Btw, Sam Harris did a podcast with Martha, and they clashed a little, don't know how much free time you have on your hands these days, but it was an intreresting conversation.
Thanks for all the great content, you've been putting out for years now!
Republicans and Jocko Willink say that, "If you help people by giving them money, you're really weakening and hurting them", but if that was true then Bangladesh and poor places should have the the strongest Olympians and the best business mogals, but it seems like that lack of aid to those countries weakens them. I think getting help and resources is preferable so long as people put them to good use, as opposed to making them tough it out on their own. "No one assends alone". (I could be wrong)
Our emotions make us truly alive. Use them as a tool to improve your circumstances in a kind and productive way. Compassion is the same thing as self interest for the wise.
Hey man. Does this makes sense: all pursuits of meaning/goals are to distract ourselves from the thought of inevitable death. Therefore, all pursuits of meaning/goals are a cope. Only 1 goal is not a cope: pursuing immortality. Since it addresses the actual and only problem we are trying to avoid which is death.
This is a build up from one of your videos. Love your work man!!!!
I would say it makes sense, but isn’t a great argument. Imo pursuing immortality is the biggest cope, for in doing so one is attempting to distract oneself from the *inevitable* death by trying to avoid it. At least with other goals one is only distracting themselves, and not deluding themselves too.
Interesting conclusion, would you say that suicide is worthy pursuit as well?
Sounds like Ernest Becker. Have a couple episodes we did on him a while back if you're interested. Thanks for listening and for continuing to think for yourself! :)
That kind of view seems reasonable until you face violence and destroy of values.
Wow. I can't get on board 100% with neo-stoicism as Nauusbaum sees it, but there's a lot of wisdom there.
Just did a university philosophy assessment and now a new episode to celebrate lol
The combination of compassion with empirical thinking is he foundation of Buddhist thought.
I like her ideas, sounds awefully familiar... something something to each according to their need
Thank you for all your hard work!
I hope at some point you summarize the hundred schools of thought from early eastern philosophy 😊
"Feed me my bottle you pestilent swine!" I will find an excuse to use this somewhere.
Emotions can suck/be annoying, but without them there's no point to anything beyond being a boring/bored hedonistic piece of sh*t
He's back! Hopefully, things are okay!
Compassion may not be painful in many ways. In our language, compassion is translated into caring rather than pain.
keep going ! love ur content
the more i listen to your stuff the more curious i am on your take on zizek...
I mean I'm a high school dropout so bear with me, but wouldn't the urge to give guidance, mentorship, encouragement etc come from a root of compassion? I feel like you said it yourself, those are all things that you give freely. That's a compassionate act. Did they not see it that way? I understand that our modern definitions can be different, but I'm going to get caught up on this if I don't get an answer lol.
they definitely WERE thinking about children....
:D
"I actually can" - Immanuel Kant
Agamemnon was the leader of the Greeks who were besieging Troy
I never cease cracking up when seeing these silly , over-tatted post-modern stoics.
Hector's father was named Priam not Agamemnon
Your voice is addiction
Kant and Nietzsche, oh my goodness... You know, sometimes I think these guys just got waaaay too far up their own buttholes about this stuff. The monumental self-importance it must take to acknowledge how you personally relate to the experiences in your life and because of your aha moment automatically assume that that is universal, that each person doesn't get their own individual aha moments if they should go searching for it, it's like wow, That's like some Gaston level sh*t right there haha. Forgive me I mean, is there something I'm missing here? Because it seems like that's an incredibly egocentric way to live. I've never appreciated that about philosophy, I've never appreciated that they took the joy of the exploration of new ideas that could be shared and talked about and learned and grown from, and decided to turn it into a damn debate about who is actually living life correctly. Its much like we've seen religion do throughout time, assign it to other people. !! No lol, that's not how it works. People have their own multidimensional emotional landscapes that are the product of personal experiences, and yeah sure like tons of us overlap and whatnot, but the sheer upper body strength required to heft arrogance of that density is incredible! Imagine assigning a universal blanket meaning to something so broad and far-reaching as compassion? And I guess you know pretty much every other thing they've decided has only one route which is also incidentally the same route they can relate to personally haha, Really? Am I, am I just missing something huge here? Oh my gosh I'm sorry. I don't have anybody to talk with philosophy about and I'm not a student of it I just do it I guess. Just think the things. It's what we're doing right? Thinking the things and then talking about thinking about the things? Haha
Martha is Queen , Queen of Lame Minds
❤
Ahem. FIRST!!!!
lol awesome channel, reason would say have no children at all tho guess that mother wasn't really thinking things through before she decided to Have more than one kid 😂
the philosophy of the snowflake ❄️