Modern Wisdom5 Exercises From Stoicism To Improve Your Life | Massimo Piggliuci | Modern Wisdom Podcast 170
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 0:23
Why Stoicism starts with what’s “up to you” (Epictetus’ core premise)
Massimo opens with Epictetus’ foundational claim: some things depend on us, others don’t. The practical takeaway is to invest attention and effort only where action is possible, and to stop feeding anxiety over what can’t be changed.
- •Epictetus’ split between what is and isn’t ‘up to you’
- •Ignoring the non-actionable as a sanity strategy
- •Early framing of Stoicism as a practical philosophy for stress
- •The seed of Stoicism’s later exercises: redirect attention to agency
- 0:23 – 4:17
Why Stoicism is having a modern resurgence (and why other philosophies aren’t)
Chris asks why Stoicism—rather than Taoism, Confucianism, or other traditions—has become the modern ‘hot’ philosophy. Massimo explains cultural/linguistic fit and notes that difficult times tend to revive philosophies built for adversity.
- •Eastern philosophies can feel less ‘Western-friendly’ (and vice versa)
- •Personal resonance: why Epictetus ‘clicked’ for Massimo
- •Stoicism’s popularity spikes during crises (e.g., COVID)
- •Other traditions also resurface, but Stoicism dominates discourse
- 4:17 – 5:48
Stoicism was forged in turmoil—and fits today’s uncertainty
Massimo connects Stoicism’s origins in the turbulent Hellenistic period to modern instability. He argues the last century’s wars, climate risk, and nuclear threats create conditions where Stoic resilience feels especially relevant.
- •Historical context: Hellenistic instability shaped Stoic aims
- •Modern parallels: wars, climate, nuclear threats, pandemics
- •Stoicism as guidance for ‘times you can’t control’
- •Resurgence over the last ~20 years explained by chronic uncertainty
- 5:48 – 11:06
Stoicism’s competitive advantage: practice, not armchair theory
The conversation contrasts Stoicism’s actionable exercises with philosophies that remain mostly theoretical or intentionally unsystematic. Massimo explains that Stoics demanded practice and criticized purely intellectual engagement.
- •Stoicism includes concrete day-to-day exercises
- •Aristotle/Epicurus compared as less practice-forward (in Massimo’s framing)
- •Epictetus’ warning: theory without practice wastes time
- •Existentialism as insightful but not a coherent ‘how-to’ program
- 11:06 – 16:56
Stoicism 101: the four cardinal virtues as a moral checklist
Massimo introduces Stoic ethics through the four virtues—practical wisdom, courage, justice, temperance—used like a compass for decisions. He clarifies ‘practical wisdom’ (phronesis) as refining judgment about what is truly good/bad.
- •Four virtues: practical wisdom, courage, justice, temperance
- •Phronesis: good judgment as the only true good; bad judgment as the only true bad
- •Money/health/status as ‘preferred indifferents’—nice but not ultimate goods
- •Virtues as a decision checklist rather than abstract ideals
- 16:56 – 21:15
Applying the virtues: standing up to a boss (and temperance as ‘right measure’)
Through an example of workplace harassment, Massimo demonstrates how each virtue guides action: character development, moral courage, fairness to others, and calibrated response. Temperance is reframed as appropriate intensity—not passivity.
- •Practical wisdom as character improvement via right action
- •Courage as moral courage (risking status/job)
- •Justice as treating others fairly and as you’d want to be treated
- •Temperance: neither doing nothing nor overreacting (e.g., violence)
- 21:15 – 23:59
Why ‘stoic’ got misunderstood: endurance and emotions (not suppression)
Chris raises the modern stereotype of stoics as stiff, emotionally suppressed people. Massimo explains the kernel of truth—endurance and reduced catastrophizing—while rejecting emotional suppression in favor of cultivating healthier emotional patterns.
- •Endurance as a Stoic value when change isn’t possible
- •Catastrophizing makes suffering worse; accepting facts reduces it
- •Stoics don’t ‘suppress’ emotions; they train away disruptive ones (anger, fear)
- •They cultivate pro-social/positive emotions (love, joy, justice)
- 23:59 – 35:34
The ‘dichotomy of control’: what it really means (and why the name misleads)
Massimo unpacks Epictetus’ famous distinction and critiques the modern phrase ‘dichotomy of control’ for implying total control vs none. The real point: the ‘buck stops’ only with your judgments, values, and decisions; outcomes always include external factors.
- •Only fully ‘up to us’: judgments, endorsed values, decisions to act/not act
- •Reputation, health, career are influenceable but not ultimately up to us
- •‘Buck stops with you’ is the key criterion (responsibility/ownership)
- •Internalizing goals: focus on effort/process, accept uncertain outcomes
- 35:34 – 39:19
Does Stoicism create apathy? Apatheia as freedom from destructive emotion
Chris challenges whether Stoicism leads to indifference. Massimo distinguishes modern apathy from Stoic apatheia—being undisturbed by negative passions while still acting fully and responsibly.
- •Apatheia = ‘without’ disruptive passions, not ‘not caring’
- •Stoicism encourages effort plus mature acceptance of outcomes
- •No tantrums when luck turns; ‘next round’ mentality
- •Not positive-psychology optimism—more like realism about Fortuna
- 39:19 – 45:06
Luck, meritocracy, and compassion: from ‘unfortunates’ to ‘losers’
They discuss Fortuna and how ancient views of luck fostered empathy, while modern meritocratic narratives can moralize failure. Massimo uses the ‘unfortunate’ vs ‘loser’ framing to show how language shapes compassion and judgment.
- •Fortuna as randomness that hits even the diligent and virtuous
- •Meritocracy can imply: success deserved, therefore failure deserved
- •Shift in labels reflects a shift in empathy
- •Responsibility still matters, but outcomes are never purely earned
- 45:06 – 46:59
Exercise 1: Dichotomy-of-control journaling (two columns before a challenge)
Chris asks for Massimo’s top five Stoic exercises. The first is a written two-column breakdown—what’s under your control vs not—done before uncertain events to guide preparation and reduce outcome-fixation.
- •Make a two-column list before events with uncertain outcomes
- •Use it repeatedly in the days prior as a reminder
- •Focus energy on actionable preparation
- •Train equanimity toward outcomes you can’t command
- 46:59 – 1:02:06
Exercise 2: Evening review / philosophical journaling (three questions nightly)
Massimo explains the Stoic evening reflection: review the day with three prompts—what went wrong, what went right, what to do differently next time. The emphasis is learning and self-forgiveness, not rumination.
- •Three prompts: wrong, right, improve next time
- •Learn from mistakes; don’t waste energy replaying the past
- •Immediate self-forgiveness (Seneca) after extracting the lesson
- •Life’s routines repeat—so rehearsal improves future responses
- 1:02:06 – 1:08:35
Exercise 3: Reframing obstacles + ‘challenge’ mindset (and the lockdown fridge story)
Massimo illustrates Stoic reframing through a lockdown incident: a broken refrigerator becomes a problem-solving challenge rather than a catastrophe. He ties this to the psychological ‘framing effect’ and Marcus Aurelius’ idea that ‘the obstacle becomes the way.’
- •Catastrophizing vs reframing as a solvable challenge
- •Framing effect: same facts, different emotional/behavioral outcomes
- •Lockdown example: switch diet, call landlady, solve logistics calmly
- •‘Life is a mind trick’—so choose productive interpretations
- 1:08:35 – 1:13:02
Exercise 4: Sunrise meditation—cultivating transcendence and cosmic perspective
Massimo’s occasional practice is to wake before dawn and watch the sunrise mindfully. The goal is reconnecting with nature and the larger causal web of existence, producing a non-mystical sense of transcendence linked to long-term wellbeing.
- •Plan: wake early, go to a viewpoint, observe sunrise with attention
- •Reconnection to the cosmos; remembering dependence on nature/the sun
- •Transcendence without supernatural belief (Carl Sagan ‘stardust’ framing)
- •Effort matters: sunrise, not sunset, because the ‘pilgrimage’ is part of it
- 1:13:02 – 1:26:31
Exercise 5: Premeditatio malorum + memento mori to clarify priorities
Massimo finishes with two closely related practices: rehearsing adversity in advance (carefully, to avoid spiraling) and meditating on death to sharpen priorities. Together they reduce fear, increase preparedness, and guide time use toward what matters.
- •Premeditatio malorum: walk through worst-case scenarios and your responses
- •Caveats: avoid emotional spirals; writing in 2nd/3rd person adds distance
- •Meditation on death: don’t fear death; use finitude to prioritize meaning
- •Seneca on time: we guard money but give away time—yet time can’t be repaid
