Cost of Glory 113 - Cato and his Stoicism: w/ Johnathan Bi
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Oct 3, 2025 
Johnathan Bi, a philosophy podcaster and lecturer from the Cosmos Institute, discusses the complex legacy of Stoicism through Cato the Younger. He shares his own journey from embracing Stoicism to exploring other philosophies, revealing Nietzsche's critique of Stoicism as merely a coping mechanism. The conversation dives into Stoic contradictions, Cato’s austere persona, his political clashes with Caesar, and how Stoicism’s appeal persists in modern anxiety. Ultimately, they reflect on Cato's legacy and the moral ambiguities of Stoic ideals.
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Founders And Stoics Shaped By Fortune
- Bi recounts founders of Stoicism and famous Stoics who faced reversals: Zeno washed ashore poor and Seneca enriched under Nero.
- He uses these life-stories to illustrate how hardship or advantage shaped Stoic affiliation.
Preferred Indifferents Create A Paradox
- Stoics claim virtue alone suffices for happiness and call externals 'preferred indifferents', a move that creates paradoxes.
- That double-move lets practitioners pursue externals while claiming they don't affect true happiness.
Cato’s Deliberate Austere Persona
- Alex describes Cato's austere public persona: rough tunic, no shoes, deliberate unkemptness as moral training and political signal.
- Cato used that appearance to embody Stoic indifference and to gain attention for political influence.
