Practical Stoicism cover art

Practical Stoicism

Practical Stoicism

By: Tanner Campbell
Listen for free

About this listen

 Stoicism is the pursuit of Virtue (Aretê), which was defined by the Ancient Greeks as "the knowledge of how to live excellently," Stoicism is a holistic life philosophy meant to guide us towards the attainment of this knowledge through the development of our character. While many other Stoicism podcasts focus on explaining Ancient Stoicism in an academic or historical context, Practical Stoicism strives to port the ancient wisdom of this 2300-plus-year-old Greek Philosophy into contemporary times to provide practical advice for living today, not two millennia ago. Join American philosopher of Stoicism Tanner Campbell, every Monday and Friday, for new episodes.Tanner Campbell and 134 Labs Limited 2026 Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • There's been an accident, and I need your help

    There's been an accident, and I need your help
    Feb 23 2026
    Details can be found here: https://gofund.me/8068b7ab0 The story is that my brother, Brian, was out with his friends ice fishing in Maine. He left on his snowmobile to get more bait, or supplies or something, and he hit a pressure pocket (that's how it was describe to me) on the lake and it sent him flying. His helmet came off, he smacked the ice pretty violently, he's broken his neck, a bunch of bones in his chest and abdomen, and a lot of bones in his face. He's been unconscious and in critical care since this past Friday. My understanding is that today he's semi conscious and he's got 6-months to a year of rehab work ahead of him. My brother is a sign manufacturer, his wife is a nurse. They are not a wealthy family and financial help with medical bills would be something of a godsend. If you can afford to give, please do. If you can only afford to share the GoFundMe link, please do. Thanks, Prokoptôns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Curse Moral Relativism!

    Curse Moral Relativism!
    Feb 19 2026
    Subscribe to the FREE Stoic Brekkie newsletter: ⁠https://stoicbrekkie.com⁠ I am a public philosopher. I am enabled to do this job, in large part, thanks to support from my listeners and readers. You can support my work, and keep it independent and online, at https://stoicismpod.com/members In this episode, I respond to a short clip discussing incest as an example of emotivism in meta-ethics. Emotivism claims that when we say something is wrong, we are not stating a fact but expressing disapproval. The suggestion in the clip is that incest may ultimately be “wrong” only because we feel that it is wrong. I take that seriously. It is true that many people struggle to articulate why incest is objectively wrong beyond saying it feels disgusting. And philosophers should care about that. If something is wrong, we should be able to explain why in rational terms. Using Stoic role ethics, I outline a clear argument. In Stoicism, some roles are grounded in nature. These roles are not arbitrary. They come with built-in functions and ends. The sibling role is ordered toward familial care, trust, and cooperative development within the household. It is explicitly non-erotic because its function is to stabilize kinship bonds. The lover role, by contrast, is ordered toward erotic partnership and exclusivity. When a person attempts to merge these roles, they introduce incompatible aims into a single relationship. Stoic role ethics holds that voluntarily chosen roles must not contradict natural ones. If they do, one role must be abandoned. Because the sibling role is grounded in nature, it cannot be abandoned without corrupting its function. Adopting the lover role toward a sibling therefore represents a rational error. It makes both roles impossible to fulfil properly. This means the wrongness is not based on disgust. It is based on contradiction within the structure of human roles and the failure to live coherently within them. Stoicism does not reduce morality to feeling. It grounds moral judgment in reason, nature, and the proper fulfilment of roles within the human community. I also explain why this matters more broadly. If moral claims are reduced to preference or emotion, then they shift with culture, fashion, or mood. Stoicism resists that instability by anchoring ethics in a rational framework. That framework may be debated, refined, or defended, but it is not merely expressive. The point is simple: saying something “feels wrong” is not the same as explaining why it must be wrong. Philosophy should move us from reaction to reason. Listening on Spotify? Leave a comment! Share your thoughts. Podcast artwork by Original Randy: https://www.originalrandy.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • 🏛️ The Marcus Aurelius Fan Club [Special Edition]

    🏛️ The Marcus Aurelius Fan Club [Special Edition]
    Feb 13 2026
    I answer questions from a classroom of children about Stoicism and "the old times, when I was a kid." Please enjoy this special edition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 29 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.