Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Join Rob Colter and Massimo Pigliucci for a series of engaging conversations, sometimes with special guests, on what it means to practice philosophy as a way of life. New episodes out on the second Friday of every month. Full index at https://philosophyasawayoflife.blog/philosophy-for-life-podcast/Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Practical philosophy as daily life • Stoicism (Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca) • virtue ethics, emotions, resilience • relationships, love, marriage, bullying • politics, leadership, justice • translation, modern interpretations • comparisons: Epicureanism, Aristotelianism, Confucianism, Buddhism, existentialismThis podcast features conversational interviews and discussions about practicing philosophy as an everyday way of life. Hosted by Rob Colter and Massimo Pigliucci, it often centers on Stoicism as a practical tradition, drawing especially on figures such as Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Musonius Rufus, and Cicero. Across the episodes, the hosts explore core Stoic ideas—virtue, judgment, freedom, emotions, resilience, and the role of “spiritual exercises” or training—and how these concepts are meant to be lived rather than merely studied.
Alongside Stoicism, the show compares and contrasts other philosophical and ethical frameworks that can guide daily living, including Epicureanism, Aristotelianism, existentialism (with attention to Simone de Beauvoir and themes like authenticity and bad faith), Confucian moral cultivation, and points of contact and divergence between Buddhism and Stoicism (including mindfulness, meditation, and views about anger). A recurring interest is how philosophical commitments relate to religion, meaning, happiness, and the boundaries of what counts as a “philosophy of life.”
The podcast also connects philosophy to contemporary personal and social challenges. Topics include relationships and family life, marriage and partnership, love, bullying, coping with adversity, and applying Stoic ideas in settings such as prisons. It addresses civic and ethical dimensions as well, including politics, leadership, and environmental responsibility. Several conversations examine how ancient philosophy is communicated today through books, translation, popular media, therapy-informed approaches, and modern Stoicism organizations and events.
