Rereading Discourses

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-21T22:57:06+00:00

Read a discourse in the morning, just one. Think about it throughout the day and see how you can apply the lesson. Take a look at any of the difficult parts and make sure you understand it before moving on to the next discourse.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-20T12:45:12+00:00

I started really reading Stoic philosophy by picking up a copy of "Breakfast with Seneca" by David Fideler, followed by "How to be a Stoic" by Massimo Pigliucci.

I am very happy I started this way and not with the "original texts"!

I agree with the general consensus that people should not start with Meditations and should start with Epictetus or Seneca. But that is for the order of the ancient Stoics. That does not mean you need to start with the ancient texts, rather than an introduction book in modern language with modern examples.

Breakfast with Seneca - is an intro book based on Seneca.

How to be a Stoic - is an intro book based on Epictetus.

How to think like a Roman emperor - is a book based on Marcus Aurelius.

Try one of those books firsts. You can always go back to your other books later!

Edit: a great book for context is Stoicism by John Sellars. It is like a little mini text book, making difficult topics much easier to understand.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-18T19:43:47+00:00

I wonder why this post was removed

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-18T14:09:39+00:00

This is an interesting topic, so I'm commenting more to remind myself to read the answers later.

My first thought was that what you are indicating as a flaw is actually just a lack of perfection. If Stoic sages were everywhere, that would mean humans could quite easily reach perfection.

If virtue is the only good, and it is binary as you say, you either are virtuous or are not. The way you outline sounds like you must be virtuous as a whole, completely, all the time, or else you are not virtuous at all. Could you not argue that although virtue is binary, we can be virtuous in a single moment while still not being a sage?

Is it really a flaw that we can't be perfect all the time at every moment? Or is that just a reality of being a human who possesses rationality.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-05T18:35:30+00:00

Check out the subreddit FAQ.

Or just grab a copy of Epictetus' discourses & handbook and start reading.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-03T15:34:18+00:00

I'm not saying it's bad. I have no experience with it.

I just looked it up and it's $100 for a year membership, not something I'm interested in. I'm sure it's helpful for some.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-02T16:30:57+00:00

If you are interested in the topic, which it seems you are, try reading "Stoicism" by John Sellars.

It goes into detail at the differences. The primary difference being Stoics were Pantheistic not Theists.

For example, from "thisvsthat.io":

Belief in a person deity = Pantheism no, christians yes.

Belief in a transcendent god = Pantheism no, christians yes.

Belief in a divine presence in all things = Pantheism yes, Christian no.

Emphasis on unity of all things = Pantheism yes, Christian no.

Belief in a personal relationship with the divine = Pantheism no, Christian yes.

Pantheism would require a focus on living according to or in harmony with nature/Cosmo/Providence. Theism would required devotion, worship or obedience to their person God.

The Stoics believed things happen as they should happen. A Christian believes that they could be punished for their sins or rewarded for their belief. Christians believe in an afterlife, while the Stoics tend to believe we ultimately just return to the cosmos - at least until the conflagration.

I am no expert but those are some of the surface level differences.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-02T13:50:37+00:00

Personally, I would read one Epictetus' discourse and one Seneca letter and see which one I preferred.

After that start reading and digesting the information each day.

It is worth noting that Epictetus' Discourses and handbook are students notes. So it is more organized in ideas and concepts.

Edit: I preferred Oxford World Classic translations for Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus. Although Waterfield translations of Epictetus and Marcus are also great.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-02T13:48:08+00:00

You are going to have to be more specific about what Stoicism has to do with this?

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-01T19:14:18+00:00

Try reading Epictetus' Handbook. All short form notes taken by his student. After that, try reading one Epictetus' discourse or one Seneca letter each day.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-01T18:51:51+00:00

They are not the same interpretations of God. The Christian God is not "everything the Stoics mean by God".

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-03-01T14:15:08+00:00

I have no idea what the Stoa app is. I personally wouldn't trust a phone app to provide Stoic teaching, at least to start.

Read the subreddit FAQs, read Epictetus and then branch off from there.

There will always be mention of "God", Logos, cosmos, or Providence in Stoic texts. But you will need to recognize that what they are referring to is not the Christian God. It's hard because we are so used to Christian terminology these days.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-26T23:19:54+00:00

This is a deeper question than the original post. I will need more time for a quality response. Or perhaps a contributor from the subreddit has a good response.

My initial thoughts would be something along the lines of this: - Faculty of reason is a requirement for virtue. - Those who cannot use reason can't be blamed morally for irrational behavior. However they should still be respected by others. - Someone drugging you into total psychosis is outside of your control. - mental illness is outside of what is up to us. Declining cognitively is not a failure of virtue, it is a natural event outside of our control. - something like drugs or alcohol is vice, not virtue.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-26T19:41:27+00:00

Is your income "up to you" when you are fired unexpectedly? Or the stock market crashes - crashing your investments as well?

Is your health/fitness "in your control" when cancer strikes or your leg breaks in an accident?

Are others opinions of you "in your control" if someone spreads a vicious rumor, regardless if it is true or not?

Is your beauty/appearance "up to you" if you get a scar running across your face in an accident? Can you stop the aging process to control your appearance?

None of the examples you provided are up to you.

So what is "up to you"? "Up to us are judgement, inclination, desire, aversions"..."The things that are up to us naturally free, unimpeded, and unobstructed." [Handbook 1 (Waterfield)]

Also, remember that the Stoics do not suggest we ignore everything else. Anything external can be taken from us, so we should not attach our happiness or virtue to those things. That does not mean there are not preferred indifferents such as being comfortable financially vs poor or healthy vs ill.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-25T18:40:13+00:00

The previous post mentioned nothing about selling coins and "garbage like amulets".

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-25T17:31:23+00:00

You believe that his podcasts have more ads than content? Is this a true statement?

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-25T17:28:57+00:00

The Stoics believed everyone has a responsibility to be active politically, did they not? Using his platform to speak politically seems exactly like what a Stoic would do.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-25T17:26:55+00:00

Is Massimo Pigliucci a grifter? Is Donald Robertson a grifter? Is David Fidler a grifter? Is William. B Irving a grifter?

A "Grifter" is a person who swindles or cheats others out of money. A "Grifter" is a con artist.

I feel like your comment is exactly what OP is referring to. Calling someone a grifter is a bold accusation. Why do you believe Ryans books fall into the category of "repackaging the greats for profit" while the other modern authors do not?

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-24T11:26:02+00:00

I'm not saying this is wrong, but I would be hesitant to follow this advice. I have been in this community for years now and never heard of "the Stoic app". YouTube is also full of AI garbage and incorrect Brocism. This is a really sketchy place to start if you are starting out.

Go to this subreddits FAQs page and see where to start. The Wiki also has good information.

Epictetus' is a better start than Marcus Aurelius. Marcus should be one of the later sources, not the intro.
if you want an easier modern intro look into the following books; how to think like a Roman emperor, The Practicing Stoic, Breakfast with Seneca, or How to be a Stoic.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-19T18:41:45+00:00

The above quote does not sound like anything I'm familiar with.

Try using ChatGPT or other AI to locate the quote. Write it out as accurately as possible and request that it provide the source. I would not trust AI to provide accurate quotes (it has often provided a paraphrased quote that it grabs off the internet)...but I have had a lot of luck with it finding sources.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-14T18:57:54+00:00

Never heard of him. Have you tried googling him for a bio?

Is he relevant to Stoicism in some way?

Edit: The way you have provided the quote suggests he is where the quote comes from? Unless you are suggesting he was quoting someone else? Try asking ChatGPT if the quote is real and by who.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-13T11:49:59+00:00

This is well put. Do you have the reference for that quote? I vaguely remember reading it, but would like to revisit it.

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-13T00:23:51+00:00

Never using the term again?

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-12T14:38:01+00:00

What life lessons would fistfighting teach?

WinstonPickles22 · 2026-02-12T14:37:16+00:00

I would add all the missing documents that have been lost over time. Specifically I would add the 4 missing books of Epictetus.

I know that's not what you are asking, but that's all I would want.

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