The Internet’s Favourite Philosophy: What Actually Is Stoicism?

May I recommend the philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd. For the best basic introduction to his philosophy (in English), may I recommend ch 11 (Theory of Reality), ch 12 (Theory of Society), and ch 13 (Theory of “The State”) in “The Myth of Religious Neutrality” by Roy A Clouser (will need to read chs. 1-10 for chs 11-13 to make sense) 😊

You talk to everybody. Good, bad or indifferent😅😅😅😅

Wow, I'm learning a lot. Great episode!

It is as if they are trying to explain stoicism in the same way as a person that has glimpsed a breast out of the corner of their eye, but never actually seen one naked in its full glory. All is enigmatic cleavage.

The person you should have been talking to is Donald Robinson ….??

Hi Alex,

I’m writing because something has been weighing on me ever since you announced you were no longer vegan, and I’ve struggled to articulate it until now.

When you stepped back from veganism, you mentioned you would still publicly advocate for reducing animal suffering and continue engaging with the ethical arguments. But from the outside, it appears that this advocacy has almost entirely stopped. What confuses me most is how someone who once argued so powerfully that killing sentient animals for trivial reasons is morally indefensible could now see that practice as acceptable, or at least no longer feel compelled to speak against it. I’m trying to understand how such a deep moral conviction could reverse in this way.

This question matters to me personally because your work was a major part of what led me to go vegan. Before encountering your arguments, I resisted the idea completely. But one by one, the justifications I relied on—cultural, practical, psychological—dissolved under the weight of the reasoning you presented. I reached a point where continuing to eat animals felt impossible. It was one of the most ethically transformative experiences I’ve had, and it was largely because of you.

So I hope you can understand why your change in stance feels unsettling, even disorienting. I’m not trying to corner you or demand an explanation—I’m genuinely trying to make sense of how someone who articulated the moral necessity of veganism so clearly could come to see things differently. What changed, internally or philosophically, that made the killing of sentient beings for comparatively trivial preferences seem permissible again?

If you’re open to sharing your thinking, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks for taking the time,

Xav

36:38 Pneuma or breath seems to be very similar to the modern physics concept of energy.
Everything is made of matter and energy where matter is the passive physical stuff and energy is the active physical element.

I find the parallel between the stoic concept of nature “ending” and the bing bang to be quite interesting. Even down to a more recent theory that the universe is currently shrinking and will result in another big bang, echoing the concept of nature repeating itself.

Obviously it’s just a surface deep connection I’m pointing out right after hearing it and haven’t thought on it too deeply.

There's a difference between being correct and being right.

I'm hearing connection to the "Phi" levels of conciousness in this theory of the stoics.

Stoicism is not an athiest philosoophy. It is a pagan outlook rooted in surviving wars and bloodshed. Marcus Aurelius was a pagan Roman Emperor. All of the stoic philosophers were pagans.

After so many fancy talks, I still can't be sure if Alex's chair actually exists or not exactly

Sweet tree 🎄

Is it wrong to not chase a piece of trash down the road, if it is how long do you chase till it’s no longer a bad thing?

Stoicism can make you a better and resilient person, but it does not necessarily destroy the human identity—which is what most founders of most religions believe is necessary for true salvation.

In essence, stoicism is a wonderful tool to live rationally within the world—but it is not the same as the profound liberation that comes from completely letting go of the human perspective in favor of a "divine," forgiving and unified consciousness.

As a cs student i can definitely say, propositional logic simply allows you to model reality with more complexity than basic arristotalean logic does.

I was at the gym I started this and every time they said "logician" I heard "magician". I was in awe for like 21 minutes trying to wrap my head around it.

I laugh when people hear a rigorous logical argument and respond with "oh thats icky or extreme bro, u really believe that?" Bro, u didnt give a rebuttal, so yes, I do.

Although it might be out of your academic circle, I'd love to hear an episode on an Eastern philosophy school.
That would be great since many of us don't know much about it apart from some shallow hippie stuff

Merry Christmas

I think I have finally found a world view that makes the most sense to me.

How the heck is John saying Pneuma? That took me out

Alex looked better in beard ❤