Stoicism for people who don’t want self-help | Massimo Pigliucci: Full Interview

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why Stoicism fails when treated like self-help | Massimo Pigliucci► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3_EAZd0-rw Stoicism has been flattened into slogans about toughness, detachment, and emotional silence, a version that’s easy to sell, but mostly wrong. Massimo Pigliucci returns Stoicism to its original purpose: a practical philosophy built to help ordinary people make better judgments, set wiser priorities, and live well with others in a world that resists control. 0:00 Chapter 1: What is Stoicism? 2:11 Role ethics 4:29 Eudaemonia 4:59 What constitutes a Eudaemonic life? 5:31 Being a Cosmopolitan 5:45 Epictetus’ 3 fundamental disciples 6:10 Desire 6:39 Action 7:05 Assent 8:00 3 general areas of study 8:22 Physics 9:43 Action 10:07 Logic 11:07 Does Stoicism work? 12:02 Cognitive behavioral therapy 16:03 The risk of Eclecticism 18:42 Philosophical pessimism 21:04 Modern Stoic writers 22:01 Chapter 2: The Stoic toolkit 22:22 Managing our emotions 28:45 Preparing for difficult situations 36:00 Finding peace in a chaotic world 45:08 Making difficult decisions 51:00 Becoming a better person 1:08:21 Chapter 3: Debunking misconceptions about Stoicism 1:10:21 Stoicism’s resurgence 1:13:52 Stoicism as a remedy for bad times 1:16:29 The “stiff upper lip” myth 1:21:05 Two ways to misconstrue Stoicism 1:26:16 Stoicism and pleasure 1:28:00 Preferred indifference 1:34:30 The Stoic Opposition Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/stoicism-full-interview/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Massimo Pigliucci: Massimo Pigliucci is professor of philosophy at City College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His latest book is Beyond Stoicism: A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers (2025). He lives in New York.