Essays


This is the complete index of my “Philosophy as a Way of Life” ongoing series of essays (began in July 2018). There are four broad categories: Art of Living (i.e., practical philosophy), Good Reasoning (i.e., logic and critical thinking), How the World Works (i.e., science and metaphysics), and Books (both individual reviews and book club series). Higher numbers indicate more recently published essays.

Most recent entries

  • 347. Which virtue? Prudence vs Temperance (Patreon / Medium)
  • 346. Seneca to Lucilius: 74, on virtue and what is truly good or bad in life (Patreon / Medium)
  • 345. A conceptual map of the Hellenistic schools of life philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 344. The midnight library (not a book review) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 343. Book Club: Scientific Metaphysics, 5, Causation, free will, and naturalism (Patreon / Medium)

____________________

Everything else…

Art of Living (i.e., practical philosophy);
Good Reasoning (i.e., philosophy and critical thinking);
How the World Works (i.e., metaphysics and natural science);
and Books (because reading books is fraking — not a typo — important!).


ART OF LIVING

New (or Neo-) Skepticism
Stoicism
Cicero
Plutarch (forthcoming)
Marcus Aurelius
Epictetus
Musonius Rufus
Seneca
Pratical Advice
Hellenistic philosophy Q&A
Philosophy and General Culture
Non-Hellenistic Philosophies of Life
More Practical Philosophizing


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New Skepticism

  • 333. Beyond Stoicism? An ongoing spiritual-cognitive journey (Patreon / Medium)
  • 332. Stoics vs Skeptics: is Knowledge even possible? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 325. Virtue epistemology, anyone? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 321. Neoskepticism as a philosophy of life (Patreon / Medium)

Stoicism

  • 341. A handy-dandy guide to what to take and what to leave from Stoic philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 327. The Lucan trilogy: 3 — Stoic politics from Zeno to Seneca (Patreon / Medium)
  • 319. The Lucan trilogy: 2 — Julius Caesar as Stoic fool and the Stoic theory of justice (Patreon / Medium)
  • 316. The Lucan trilogy: 1 — Lucan, Stoic poet (Patreon / Medium)
  • 314. How to practice Stoicism with Epictetus (Patreon / Medium)
  • 304. What makes for a good life? One possible answer (Patreon / Medium)
  • 303. Stoicism and the hustle economy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 302. The Vietnam War, Tonkin, and the alleged Stoicism of James Stockdale (Patreon / Medium)
  • 299. Why I am a Stoic (even if Mark Manson isn’t) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 298. Your health is not under your control — A reminder (Patreon / Medium)
  • 293. It’s natural, but is it right? On the perils of rage (Patreon / Medium)
  • 291. 24 common criticisms of Stoicism — and some answers (Patreon / Medium)
  • 280. Demonax, Cynic philosopher and Epictetus’ friend (Patreon / Medium)
  • 278. Gregory Hays, translator of Marcus Aurelius, does a hack job on Stoicism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 273. The last time you will do this (Patreon / Medium)
  • 269. Is it morally wrong to have children? A Stoic response to the anti-natalism argument (Patreon / Medium)
  • 268. Dreading hardship? Think like a Norwegian. Or a Stoic (Patreon / Medium)
  • 265. Stoic compassion: should I be understanding toward terrorists? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 263. Stoic anti-role models: Achilles (Patreon / Medium)
  • 250. Stoicism and… psychedelics? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 248. Socrates vs Epictetus: on suicide (Patreon / Medium)
  • 244. How to be a Stoic when facing modern politics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 238. Did the ancient Stoics believe in a living cosmos? Does it matter? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 235. I ain’t “bitching,” I’m pointing out that something ain’t right (Patreon / Medium)
  • 225. What if there is no such thing as character? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 214. A philosophical dispute on the terrazza, by R.S. Colter (Patreon / Medium)
  • 211. The ancients can’t help us. Yes, they can (Patreon / Medium)
  • 195. I am a (practicing) Stoic, not a stoic (Patreon / Medium)
  • 191. Stoicism and creative works (Patreon / Medium)
  • 175. On COVID-19 and pandemics: a Stoic perspective (Patreon / Medium)
  • 171. Gaius Blossius, the revolutionary Stoic (Patreon / Medium)
  • 169. A Stoic guide to your Valentine Day (Patreon / Medium)
  • 161. Martha Nussbaum on cosmopolitanism — and why I once again disagree with her (Patreon / Medium)
  • 147. $toicism, Broicism, and stoicisM — Part III: Stoicism and the Military (Patreon / Medium)
  • 146. $toicism, Broicism, and stoicisM — Part II: the Manosphere (Patreon / Medium)
  • 145. $toicism, Broicism, and stoicisM — Part I: it’s not about becoming rich & famous (Patreon / Medium)
  • 138. Stoicism’s origin stories (Patreon / Medium)
  • 131. The three rules of Stoic Club (Patreon / Medium)
  • 128. How to deal with insults, the Stoic way (Patreon / Medium)
  • 125. Prosochē or not prosochē? On Stoic mindfulness (Patreon / Medium)
  • 123. Learning Stoicism from non-Stoics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 122. How to square the circle: Stoicism as personal philosophy vs issues of social justice (Patreon / Medium)
  • 118. My first three (Stoic) steps (Patreon / Medium)
  • 117. Stoicism in three simple steps (Patreon / Medium)
  • 111. Stand up, be a Stoic! (On political activism) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 103. Arête: on the nature of human excellence (Patreon / Medium)
  • 95. What is and is not in our power, part II (Patreon / Medium)
  • 94. What is and is not in our power, part I (Patreon / Medium)
  • 90. Silicon Valley style Stoicism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 87. Surprisingly, you may not be the best judge of your own emotions (A response to Agnes Callard) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 82. Stoicism, friendship, and grief (Patreon / Medium)
  • 73. How I practice Stoicism: 9 easy exercises (Patreon / Medium)
  • 71. Could caring hurt your soul? What does that mean, anyway? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 69. Immigration, borders, and the thorny issue of cosmopolitanism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 66. Nope, Jeff Bezos is not a Stoic (Patreon / Medium)
  • 63. Yes, Stoicism can make us “happy” (Patreon / Medium)
  • 62. Let’s talk about the premeditation of adversity (Patreon / Medium)
  • 58. Toward the Fifth Stoa: the return of virtue ethics, part II (Patreon / Medium)
  • 57. Toward the Fifth Stoa: the return of virtue ethics, part I (Patreon / Medium)
  • 55. There is nothing banal about philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 50. New Year’s resolutions, Stoic style (Patreon / Medium)
  • 48. What don’t you get about “do your best”? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 47. Oikeiôsis: how to feel at home in the world (Patreon / Medium)
  • 46. Is “X” Stoic? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 41. Lawrence Becker (1938-2018) and how to live a meaningful life against the odds (Patreon / Medium)
  • 40. How to become a better Stoic (hint: same as becoming a better Christian) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 36. Stoic minimalism is not enough: why physics and logic are crucial to ethics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 34. There is no darkness at the heart of Stoicism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 32. On resisting the lure of offense, a Stoic perspective (Patreon / Medium)
  • 30. Stoic cosmopolitanism: ideal state or individual ethics? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 16. Martha Nussbaum on Stoicism: a respectful reply (Patreon / Medium)

Cicero

  • 328. Stoicism and Skepticism: when Seneca mentions Cicero — Part II (Patreon / Medium)
  • 324. Stoicism and Skepticism: when Seneca mentions Cicero — Part I (Patreon / Medium)
  • 121. Cicero’s On the Nature of the Gods, and why the Stoics got it wrong: part II (Patreon / Medium)
  • 120. Cicero’s On the Nature of the Gods, and why the Stoics got it wrong: part I (Patreon / Medium)
  • 114. Academica, part II (Patreon / Medium
  • 113. Academica, part I (Patreon / Medium)

Plutarch (forthcoming)

Marcus Aurelius

  • 22. Marcus Aurelius’ ten commandments to himself (Patreon / Medium)

Epictetus

  • 262. Epictetus and freedom (Patreon / Medium)
  • 231. Epictetus’ Stoicism in nine crucial steps (Patreon / Medium)
  • 54. Epictetus vs Jesus on figs: the difference between philosophy and religion (Patreon / Medium)
    • 14. Epictetus argues against the death penalty (Patreon / Medium)

Musonius Rufus

  • 309. Musonius Rufus – Lecture VIII: That kings (and all politicians) also should study philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 301. Musonius Rufus -Lecture VII: That one should disdain hardship (Patreon / Medium)
  • 292. Musonius Rufus -Lectures V & VI: On theory, practice, and training (Patreon / Medium)
  • 274. Musonius Rufus -Lectures III & IV: On the education of women (Patreon / Medium)
  • 266. Musonius Rufus -Lecture II: That people are born with an inclination toward virtue (Patreon / Medium)
  • 260. Musonius Rufus – Lecture I: There is no need of giving many proofs for one problem (Patreon / Medium)

Seneca

  • 188. Think of covid-19 as if you were in exile with Seneca (Patreon / Medium)
  • 181. Interplanetary colonization? Seneca advises against it (Patreon / Medium)
  • 51. Seneca’s commandments to himself (Patreon / Medium)
  • 17. Seneca On Anger is not exactly about anger, and rightly so (Patreon / Medium)
  • 311. Seneca to Lucilius: 72, on busyness as the enemy of philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 294. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 71, what is virtue for? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 276. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 70, on the proper time to slip the cable (Patreon / Medium)
  • 272. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 67, on ill-health and endurance of suffering (Patreon / Medium)
  • 258. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 66, on the nature of virtue (Patreon / Medium)
  • 240. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 63, on grief for lost friends (Patreon / Medium)
  • 222. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 61, on meeting death cheerfully (Patreon / Medium)
  • 221. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 60, luxury vs the meaning of life (Patreon / Medium)
  • 220. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 59, on pleasure and joy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 213. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 58, on being (Patreon / Medium)
  • 205. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 52, on choosing our teachers (Patreon / Medium)
  • 186. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 51, on resort villas and morals (Patreon / Medium)
  • 177. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 49, on the shortness of life (Patreon / Medium)
  • 141. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 48, tricks of logic (Patreon / Medium)
  • 140. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 47, on slaves and human beings (Patreon / Medium)
  • 139. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 44, philosophy as the great equalizer (Patreon / Medium)
  • 112. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 42, good people are rare, sages exceedingly so (Patreon / Medium)
  • 106. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 41, the god within us (Patreon / Medium)
  • 99. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 39, on healthy and unhealthy desires (Patreon / Medium)
  • 77. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 36, helping others to keep their commitments (Patreon / Medium)
  • 64. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 33, on the use of philosophical maxims (Patreon / Medium)
  • 42. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 31: the great potential of the human mind (Patreon / Medium)
  • 26. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 30, death of an Epicurean (Patreon / Medium)
  • 21. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 29, how to truly help a friend (Patreon / Medium)
  • 10. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 28: traveling won’t cure your inner problems (Patreon / Medium)
  • 2. Seneca to Lucilius: Letter 27: on the source of real joy (Patreon / Medium)
  • Previous entries in the Seneca to Lucilius series can be found here

Practical Advice

  • 339. Should I give money to a beggar? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 334. I am an immigrant, and I’m being treated unfairly (Patreon / Medium)
  • 310. My partner is not a Stoic, how do I develop a successful relationship? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 306. How does one cope with sexual assault? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 296. Alzheimer’s: a Stoic take (Patreon / Medium)
  • 249. Should I join protests in the streets? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 243. My career doesn’t impact the world, should I change it? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 241. My mother doesn’t like my Stoic practice (Patreon / Medium)
  • 239. My coworkers are difficult, should I change job? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 236. My grandfather threatens to end our relationship if he doesn’t have his way (Patreon / Medium)
  • 234. I’m too nuanced for my friends, what should I do about it? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 203. Do I have to be political? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 202. How do I keep training myself to become a better person? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 200. What do I do with my rage at the injustice I am witnessing? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 193. What are the limits of our ethical duties? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 189. Should I vote for the lesser evil? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 184. Should I laugh at corona-memes? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 182. Should I volunteer during a pandemic, at risk of my health? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 180. Do I keep paying my cleaning person during self-isolation? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 178. My mother abused me, should I reach out to her? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 167. How do I overcome fear? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 119. How do I date a single mom (or dad)? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 109. What’s the Stoic attitude toward virtual reality? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 102. How to deal with a fickle wedding planner, Stoic style (Patreon / Medium)
  • 100. I’m in love, and terrified to lose her (Patreon / Medium)
  • 76. Should I support my evangelical family? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 68. How do I deal with unhappy memories? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 59. I’m no longer a Christian, but I haven’t come out yet (Patreon / Medium)
  • 53. We cannot have children, now what? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 43. Is it acceptable to eschew filial duty in order to make room for more positive influences in one’s life? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 28. How do I say “no”? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 23. I hurt my best friend and she won’t accept my apologies (Patreon / Medium)
  • 11. What about politics? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 1. What about the toxicity of public discourse? (Patreon / Medium)

Hellenistic Philosophy Q&A

  • 336. What is the connection between eudaimonia and virtue? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 312. Would Epictetus save his mother or two strangers? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 305. Is virtue a subjective concept? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 288. Are Stoics anarchists? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 285. But, if people were Stoics, wouldn’t the Nazi win? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 281. Stoicism and developmental defects (Patreon / Medium)
  • 277. Shouldn’t Stoics be charitable toward other people’s behaviors? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 267. Shouldn’t a Stoic be something of a dick to get things done? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 251. Happiness, virtue, or tranquillity — what is the ultimate end of life? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 247. The four cardinal bad sensations (Patreon / Medium)
  • 192. What is the role of faith? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 110. Why do Stoics emphasize leading a virtuous life as opposed to answering how to lead a happy life? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 38. What if people are objectively bad? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 25. Is gratitude a Stoic value? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 3. How is non-existence ever preferable? (Patreon / Medium)

Philosophy and General Culture

  • 284. Stoicism and literature: A Man in Full, by Tom Wolfe (Patreon / Medium)
  • 229. The Brand New Testament and the moment we die (Patreon / Medium)
  • 172. Chekhov’s An Artist’s Story: a critique of charitable work b(Patreon / Medium)
  • 132. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen: a Stoic commentary (Patreon / Medium)
  • 97. Socrates on stage, with notes on the problem with democracy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 88. Television review: Netflix’s Roman Empire (Patreon / Medium)
  • 85. Theater review: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, tyranny, and the Stoicism of Brutus (Patreon / Medium)

Non-Hellenistic Philosophies of Life

  • 204. Stoicism and Daoism: a comparison (Patreon / Medium)
  • 179. Stoicism and Confucianism: a comparison (Patreon / Medium)
  • 173. Bushido and Stoicism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 160. Stoicism and Buddhism: a comparison (Patreon / Medium)
  • 149. Wrong Again? One more on Stoicism vs Epicureanism, by Catherine Wilson (Patreon / Medium)
  • 143. Catherine Wilson: an Epicurean is (again) wrong about Stoicism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 107. Epic battles in practical ethics: Stoicism vs Objectivism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 8. Epic battles in practical ethics: Stoicism vs Epicureanism (Patreon / Medium)

More Practical Philosophizing

  • 342. Brutus, Cassius, and the philosophy of tyrannicide (Patreon / Medium)
  • 340. On moral sainthood, and why it ain’t worth having (Patreon / Medium)
  • 331. The (real) problem(s) with critical race theory (Patreon / Medium)
  • 330. Mos maiorum: on the crucial importance of social norms (Patreon / Medium)
  • 329. Personal vs social practical philosophies: do we change the world, or just cope with it? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 308. Shall we kill the Mytilenaeans? — Imperialism and the lure of genocideShall we kill the Mytilenaeans? — Imperialism and the lure of genocide (Patreon / Medium)
  • 300. Concept map your life to check if you are doing what is meaningful to you (Patreon / Medium)
  • 297. Kant’s three fundamental questions — How would you answer them? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 295. Does cancel culture exist? It doesn’t matter, it’s an almost entirely horrible idea anyway (Patreon / Medium)
  • 286. Academic writing and epistemic injustice (Patreon / Medium)
  • 283. The four ways to learn and practice virtue ethics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 271. Should we destroy the classics to save them from whiteness? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 264. No, Nature doesn’t have rights. And she’s not a person (Patreon / Medium)
  • 255. Gould on Darwin and Kropotkin: should we seek moral guidance in nature? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 245. Love at first sight, a philosophical analysis (Patreon / Medium)
  • 242. So, what have I done so far? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 237. The ultimate guide to talking with your friends about moral relativism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 233. The great existential category mistake, or why Tolstoy was wrong about the meaning of life (Patreon / Medium)
  • 227. The perils of trying to do (more of) the right thing (Patreon / Medium)
  • 224. The perils of “audism” and of speaking on behalf of a group c(Patreon / Medium)
  • 223. Three decades in America, a personal journey (Patreon / Medium)
  • 218. The Peter Parker Principle (PatreonMedium)
  • 216. Universal morality and the golden rule(s) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 215. Can wisdom be taught? It’s complicated… (Patreon / Medium)
  • 212. Letter, counter-letter, cancel culture and freedom of discourse (Patreon / Medium)
  • 208. Popular vs populist philosophy: a response to Timothy Williamson (Patreon / Medium)
  • 207. Hypomnema: the importance of keeping a notebook (Patreon / Medium)
  • 174. On philosophical counseling (Patreon / Medium)
  • 166. What makes people happy or unhappy — the empirical evidence (Patreon / Medium)
  • 165. “Why do I need a philosophy of life?” Let me tell you (Patreon / Medium)
  • 162. Liliana Segre: Holocaust survivor, natural Stoic (Patreon / Medium)
  • 159. Is philosophy helpful when tragedy strikes? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 158. Should we learn morals from AI? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 148. The ethics of suicide — assisted or not (Patreon / Medium)
  • 144. Thucydides and the human condition (Patreon / Medium)
  • 142. Following in Socrates’ steps: from natural science to moral philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 137. Are you ready to die? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 134. Ethics begins at home, a personal update (Patreon / Medium)
  • 130. Secular pilgrimages: the Academy, the Lyceum, and the Stoa (Patreon / Medium)
  • 126. Emerson on self-reliance (Patreon / Medium)
  • 124. The lure and danger of extreme examples (Patreon / Medium)
  • 105. What is wisdom? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 104. What does it mean to be “from” somewhere? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 101. Thoreau’s Journal: on writing (why and how) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 92. David Brooks and the five lies culture tells us (Patreon / Medium)
  • 89. Some of my most loved relatives are sexists and racists. Now what? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 84. Another attack on western philosophy, because, sex (Patreon / Medium)
  • 81. Thoreau and civil disobedience (Patreon / Medium)
  • 74. Epic battles in practical ethics: Virtue ethics vs Consequentialism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 72. Is public philosophy good? Obviously (A response to Agnes Callard) (Patreon / Medium)
  • 61. Epic battles in practical ethics: Arendt vs Thoreau (Patreon / Medium)
  • 60. What on earth is practical philosophy? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 56. Is there a will to meaning? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 33. Weekend Epicureanism? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 27. Protagoras: should we re-evaluate the Sophists? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 20. Telic vs atelic activities, and the meaning of life (Patreon / Medium)
  • 15. On the objectivity of ethical judgments (Patreon / Medium)
  • 6. Why does your life matter? A personal story and a challenge to readers (Patreon / Medium)

GOOD REASONING

  • 335. On the relationship between science and philosophy: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom (Patreon / Medium)
  • 323. Electrons, the Holy Trinity, and the arrogance of pseudo-skepticism (Patreon / Medium)
  • 320. Have humans lived in a pluriverse of worlds? No, they haven’t (Patreon / Medium)
  • 317. How philosophy makes progress (Patreon / Medium
  • 307. My relative, the anti-vaxx conspiracy theorist (Patreon / Medium)
  • 290. Can we test theology experimentally? On the nature of theological vs scientific theories (Patreon / Medium)
  • 282. It’s all bullshit! On the relationship between pseudoscience and pseudophilosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 279. Richard Dawkins writes really silly things about science and philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 257. Socrates, reductionism, and proper levels of explanation (Patreon / Medium)
  • 254. So, you want to be a critical thinker? Listen to Marcus Aurelius (Patreon / Medium)
  • 246. Don’t ever say “you always want to be right.” It’s not an argument (Patreon / Medium)
  • 219. Good and bad reasons to argue (Patreon / Medium)
  • 196. No, predictions are not overrated. On some scientists’ strange attitude toward philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 190. Free will, conceptual landscapes, and the nature of philosophical progress (Patreon / Medium)
  • 164. “I don’t read biased news.” Yes you do, because there is no other kind. And that’s okay (Patreon / Medium)
  • 154. The pathetic syllogism and how to console people in grief (Patreon / Medium)
  • 153. How to behave virtuously in an irrational world, Part III (Patreon / Medium)
  • 151. How to behave virtuously in an irrational world, Part II (Patreon / Medium)
  • 150. How to behave virtuously in an irrational world, Part I (Patreon / Medium)
  • 86. Stoic epistemology 101: Zeno and the metaphor of the hand movement (Patreon / Medium)

HOW THE WORLD WORKS

Metaphysics
Biological Sciences
Cognitive and Social Sciences
Physics

Metaphysics

  • 289. The self is not a fiction — On the perils of doing metaphysics by way of pathologies (Patreon / Medium)
  • 256. If there is pseudo-science, is there also pseudo-philosophy? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 252. The promise and perils of process metaphysics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 210. Here’s is why physicist George Ellis is almost certainly wrong about free will (Patreon / Medium)
  • 187. Stoic ontology 101: the difference between reality and existence (Patreon / Medium)
  • 183. The crucial difference between metaphysics and epistemology (Patreon / Medium)
  • 170. Metaphysics is dead. Long live metaphysics! Assorted musings of a philosopher-scientist (Patreon / Medium)
  • 157. How to make up philosophical problems and then “solve” them (Patreon / Medium)
  • 93. Bad ideas in practical philosophy, Nick Bostrom edition (Patreon / Medium)
  • 9. Heraclitus, the pre-Stoic philosopher who inspired Marcus Aurelius (Patreon / Medium)

Biological Sciences

  • 313. Nope, it isn’t “cognition all the way down” (Patreon / Medium)
  • 270. The Gaia Hypothesis: science or pseudoscience? A response (Patreon / Medium)
  • 261. The Gaia Hypotheses: science or pseudoscience? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 259. To lock down or not to lock down? An evidence-based approach to anti-covid measures (Patreon / Medium)
  • 253. No, plants don’t think (Patreon / Medium)
  • 185. Is the human species exceptional? It depends… (Patreon / Medium)
  • 168. Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop: the problem isn’t the patriarchy, it’s the pseudoscience (Patreon / Medium)
  • 80. Practical problems in medical ethics: III. Taking the sting out of memory (Patreon / Medium)
  • 79. Practical problems in medical ethics: II. Deaf by design (Patreon / Medium)
  • 78. Practical problems in medical ethics: I. An unexpected finding of non-paternity (Patreon / Medium)

Cognitive and Social Sciences

  • 338. The neuro- and evolutionary biology of drives, emotions, and feelings (Patreon / Medium)
  • 287. Implementation intentions: a powerful tool to accomplish goals (Patreon / Medium)
  • 275. Beyond self-control? How wellbeing is affected by hedonic vs long-term goals (Patreon / Medium)
  • 217. Why psychology and history don’t have overarching theories – and probably never will (Patreon / Medium)
  • 197. Reason vs emotions? Three models (Patreon / Medium)
  • 133. Stoicism and arousal: so you think you can’t control your emotions, eh? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 108. Misguided ideas in applied ethics: the neurophilosophy of moral intuitions (Patreon / Medium)
  • 98. The perils of neurophilosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 70. The seven universal rules of morality (Patreon / Medium)
  • 49. Stoic psychology 101: impressions, assent and impulses (Patreon / Medium)
  • 12. Luck is all in your mind (Patreon / Medium)
  • 7. The neuroscience and philosophy of evil (Patreon / Medium)

Physics

  • 206. The universe simulates itself into existence, and other nonsense from modern pseudo-physics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 201. The Copenhagen Confusion, by Jim Baggott (Patreon / Medium)
  • 199. Physicist don’t know what to world is like, at bottom (Patreon / Medium)
  • 67. Here and now, we say. But does modern physics have a problem with that? (Patreon / Medium)

BOOKS

Index of book club entries and book reviews. Because reading books is fraking important. Individual essays appear on the Patreon and Medium platforms. Numbers refer to publication sequence since 2018 (higher numbers, more recent).

Book Club Series
Book Reviews

Book Club Series

  • 337. Scientific Metaphysics, 4, A bestiary of the manifest image (Patreon / Medium)
  • 326. Scientific Metaphysics, 3, Scientific vs speculative ontology (Patreon / Medium)
  • 318. Scientific Metaphysics, 2, What prospects for a naturalized metaphysics? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 315. Scientific Metaphysics, 1, What is naturalistic metaphysics? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 232. Practical Philosophy, 4, Private life and public culture (Patreon / Medium)
  • 230. Practical Philosophy, 3, Families and why they matter (Patreon / Medium)
  • 228. Practical Philosophy, 2, Practical ethics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 226. Practical Philosophy, 1, What is practical philosophy? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 209. Xenophon’s Memorabilia, 4, Socrates teaches a lesson in statesmanship (Patreon / Medium)
  • 198. Xenophon’s Memorabilia, 3, Socrates gives advice about politics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 194. Xenophon’s Memorabilia, 2, Socrates teaches a lesson to his son (Patreon / Medium)
  • 176. Xenophon’s Memorabilia, 1, in defense of Socrates (Patreon / Medium)
  • 155. The Art of Living, 4, How to study practical philosophy: a three-pronged curriculum (Patreon / Medium)
  • 136. The Art of Living, 3, The hidden structure of the Enchiridion (Patreon / Medium)
  • 129. The Art of Living, 2, The concept of spiritual philosophical exercises (Patreon / Medium)
  • 116. The Art of Living, 1, The Skeptics don’t believe in the art of living. Or do they? – (Patreon / Medium)
  • 115. The Inner Citadel, 9, Marcus Aurelius: the man himself (Patreon / Medium)
  • 96. The Inner Citadel, 8, The discipline of action, in the service of humanity (Patreon / Medium)
  • 83. The Inner Citadel, 7, The discipline of desire, or amor fati (Patreon / Medium)
  • 65. The Inner Citadel, 6, The discipline of assent (Patreon / Medium)
  • 52. The Inner Citadel, 5, The beautifully coherent Stoicism of Epictetus (Patreon / Medium)
  • 44. The Inner Citadel, 4, The philosopher-slave and the emperor-philosopher (Patreon / Medium)
  • 39. The Inner Citadel, 3, The Meditations as spiritual exercises (Patreon / Medium)
  • 29. The Inner Citadel, 2, A first glimpse of the Meditations (Patreon / Medium)
  • 18. The Inner Citadel, 1, Marcus Aurelius’ teachers (Patreon / Medium)
  • 37. The Character Gap, 4, Improving character by way of divine assistance? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 35. The Character Gap, 3, What can we do to improve our characters? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 31. The Character Gap, 2, The way we actually are (Patreon / Medium)
  • 24. The Character Gap, 1, What is character and why is it important? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 19. Early Socratics Dialogues, 8, Euthydemus and the difference between sophistry and philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 13. Early Socratic Dialogues, 7, Hippias Minor – or why virtue is knowledge and no one does evil on purpose (Patreon / Medium)
  • 4. Early Socratic Dialogues, 6, Hippias Major and what it means when something is “fine” (Patreon / Medium)
  • Previous entries on Early Socratic Dialogues can be found here.

Book Reviews

  • 322. How Fascism Works (Patreon / Medium)
  • 163. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (Patreon / Medium)
  • 156. The Stoic Challenge, by William Irvine (Patreon / Medium)
  • 135. The Stoic Life, by Tad Brennan (Patreon / Medium)
  • 127. Cicero, the life and times of Rome’s greatest politician (Patreon / Medium)
  • 91. John Sellars’ Stoicism, a no-nonsense guide to the ancient philosophy (Patreon / Medium)
  • 75. Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens – What can we learn from ancient history? (Patreon / Medium)
  • 45. Divination in the ancient world, from Plato to the Neoplatonists by way of Aristotle and the Stoics (Patreon / Medium)
  • 5. Beware of the dark side of Stoicism (Patreon / Medium)