The Academic Imperfectionist

#105: Professor John Sellars on how to live like a Stoic

Mar 7, 2025
Professor John Sellars, an ancient philosophy scholar and co-founder of Modern Stoicism, discusses Stoic Week and practical Stoic practices. He explains judgments and control, Epictetus and Marcus on freedom and perspective, and how short immersions vs lifelong habits affect resilience. Expect talk of journaling, reading, and resisting superficial pop-Stoic tips.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Therapy Meets Virtue Ethics

  • Stoicism blends psychotherapeutic techniques with a robust virtue-ethics framework.
  • Its goal is both emotional regulation and developing character for the common good.
ADVICE

Pause Before You Post

  • Slow down and create cognitive distance before reacting to stimuli, especially online.
  • Pause to assess value judgments instead of immediate emotional posting or replies.
ANECDOTE

Epictetus' Freedom Example

  • Epictetus was a former slave who emphasised inner freedom through control of judgments.
  • His lived experience underpins Stoic advice about what truly remains within our power.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app