Massimo Pigliucci
How To Be A Stoic
Introduction to Massimo Pigliucci
Massimo Pigliucci was born in Monrovia, Liberia and raised in Rome, Italy. He is an extremely well educated man, holding doctorates in genetics [University of Ferrara, Italy], biology [University of Connecticut], and philosophy of science [University of Tennessee].
He describes himself as “..a biologist and philosopher, teaching at the City College of New York”. He moved to the United States 30 years ago and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife Jennifer.
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
My interest in Massimo Pigliucci is as a philosopher specifically as an pro-active exponent of Stoicism.
In a recent interview for Modern Stoicism he was asked when and how he first became interested in Stoicism:
"I can tell you the exact date: September 5th, 2014! I had been going through a bit of mid-life crisis, some personal issues (divorce, my father’s death), as well as a transition to a new job and a move to a new city. While not unusual, that sort of things, especially when combined, can take a toll.
So I was looking for a new framework to replace my secular humanism, which I had adopted since I was a teenager and had left the Catholic Church, but which just didn’t seem to offer me any practical guidance on how to navigate what life was throwing at me. After briefly considering Buddhism, it occurred to me that the answer would likely lie in virtue ethics. So I began to study Aristotle, and then Epicurus. Neither of whom clicked, for different reasons (Aristotle is too aristocratic, Epicurus counsels against socio-political involvement).
Then, on that day back in 2014, I saw on my Twitter feed Modern Stoicism’s call to celebrate Stoic Week. And I thought, what the hell is Stoic Week, and why would anyone celebrate the Stoics? But I remembered that Stoicism too was a type of virtue ethics, and that I did enjoy reading Marcus Aurelius in college, and translating Seneca from Latin in high school. So I signed up. And here we are."
To Massimo Pigliucci the most important aspect of Stoicism is that:
"...it is a coherent and eminently practical philosophy of life. Internal coherence appeals to my analytical side, as both a scientist and a philosopher. And practicality is what I came here for."
What does Massimo Piliucci Bring To The Table?
I only recently became aware of Massimo Pigliucci when I was researching material for an article on the meaning of life and I watched, and subsequently posted, a video of a discussion with a panel of experts on rational thinking, and he was one of the panellists.
I found his approach very easy to follow and he seemed genuinely passionate about Stoicism not merely as a set of philosophical ideas but a practice.
This resonates with me because as you will have read on the home page the purpose of this site is to show you how to cope in tough times, and to provide you with the tools to do this successfully.
This site is not about "shooting the breeze" and expressing opinions for abstract speculation, my intention is to ensure that everything I share on this site is:
- Based on real-life practical experience from my own personal journey.
- Based on practices, rather than beliefs, that you can apply and that will have a profound and positive effect on your life.
Massimo Pigliucci caught my attention for 2 practical reasons:
- He seems to have a gift for exposition and he has created a wealth of easy to understand material that is readily available online [details below].
- He doesn't just talk about Stoicism he lives it. For him, Stoicism is a practise.
This last point is very important to me because as outlined above the resources that I share on this site are practise based.
He summarises three basic elements of Stoic practise as:
[1] Living According To Nature
"To live according to nature means to take seriously human nature, specifically the fact that we thrive only in the context of a society and that we are capable of reason.
Three things follow: (1) we are all members of the same human cosmopolis; consequently, (2) we should try to practice oikeiosis, the “appropriation” of other people’s concerns as if they were our own; and, therefore, (3) a good human life consists in applying one’s reason to improve society."
[2] The Four Virtues
"The practice of the four cardinal virtues (which turn out to be among a small subset of virtues recognized cross-culturally) of practical wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.
This practice is an incredibly effective way to orient yourself in life, to prioritize what is important, and to navigate even complex situations in the most ethical way.
Any time you have to make a decision, just ask yourself: is this good or evil (practical wisdom)?
Am I being as courageous as the occasion requires?
Am I acting justly with respect to others?
Am I doing this in the right measure?
You’d be surprised how easy it is to figure out what the right thing to do is, with this compass in hand (whether we actually do it or not, of course, depends on the progress we have made)."
[Points 1 and 2 above taken from Virtue Ethics Is A Big Tent by Massimo Pigliucci]
[3] The Dichotomy Of Control
Epictetus’ Enchiridion, his handbook of Stoic practice, states:
“Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.”
Which is very similar to the Christian serenity prayer:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”
Massimo Pigliucci observes that:
"The sentiment is found in a number of other traditions as well. Solomon ibn Gabirol, an eleventh-century Jewish philosopher, for example, expressed it this way: 'And they said: at the head of all understanding — is realizing what is and what cannot be, and the consoling of what is not in our power to change.'
Shantideva, an eighth-century Buddhist scholar, similarly wrote: 'If there’s a remedy when trouble strikes / What reason is there for dejection? / And if there is no help for it / What use is there in being glum?' "
[Point 3 above taken from Everything You Need To About Dichotomy Of Control by Massimo Pigliucci]
Massimo Pigliucci - Resources
Articles
$toicism, Broicism, and stoicisM — Part I: it’s not about becoming rich & famous
$toicism, Broicism, and stoicisM — Part II: the Manosphere
Video
Stoicism as a philosophy for an ordinary life | Massimo Pigliucci | TEDxAthens
Blogs
Podcasts
BBVA
Books
The best books on Stoicism recommended by Massimo Pigliucci
Books on Stoics by Massimo Pigliucci
Other Articles On This Site Aligned With This Theme
Return to: Inspirational People
LATEST ARTICLES
-
Your Relationship With Failure Is Critical To Your Success
Just Because You Have A Spectacular Failure Doesn’t Mean The Game Is Over. The thought that you could fail can really slow you down. But the problem is not the failure, the problem is your relationshi… -
Lost, Stuck & Going Round In Circles?
Are You Lost In Transition? To be in an alien North African city, late in the evening, in the dark, completely lost in transition from the main market square back to the obscure location of our Riad… -
Seeing Is Believing Or Is It?
Do You Believe What You See Or Do You See What You Believe? Like the characters in "The Matrix" we are fooled by the illusion that what we see is how things really are. Why? Because this is the mind's… -
What Difference Did You Make?
What Impact Will You Leave In The Lives Of Others? If you knew you were going to die tonight and you were given a few minutes to reflect before that happened, what would you say was the meaning of yo… -
Compassion Is Selfish And You Need It
If You Want Others To Be Happy, Practice Compassion. If You Want To Be Happy, Practice Compassion. Compassion is derived from the Latin words "com pati" meaning to suffer with. It has been defined as… -
The Placebo Effect - 2 Key Takeaways
The Power Of Expectation Of An Outcome Regardless Of The Lack Of Any Substance To That Expectation. Traditionally, the placebo effect occurs when false, or dummy, treatments of inert substances [that… -
The Red Pill
This Is What Will Happen After You Take It.
"This is your last chance," rebel leader Morpheus tells Neo, holding a coloured pill in each hand. “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in y… -
Transformational Life Hacks
This Has To Be One Of The Best Ways For Living The Best Life You Can Possibly Live. An online search on life hacks will invariably provide you with multiple links to ways of increasing your productivi… -
This Too Shall Pass
The Blessing And The Curse Of Impermanence. There is a story of a king who sought wisdom. Eventually he heard of a man living in a remote part of the kingdom who had a reputation for great wisdom. The… -
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
The Stories That We Tell Ourselves Are A Matter Of Choice. The stories we tell ourselves form the backcloth and the tapestry of our lives. These narratives shape and define our sense of self and how a… -
Who Do You Trust?
Trust Is A Choice And It Creates Your Reality. Nothing in life is permanent and nothing lasts forever. Every relationship ends in tears. Somebody leaves or somebody dies. This is how things are. This… -
How Positive Asymmetry Can Transform Your Life
Finding This Hidden Value Is The Key To A Huge Upside. Most of us spend our lives working to linear rules where there is an equal relationship between effort and result. Work hard you get a result. Wo… -
5 Tips For Developing A Growth Mindset
How To Be There When Preparation Meets Opportunity. The growth mindset holds the core belief that your intelligence and personality is something you can develop and that you can expand and grow. The p… -
Lost For Words? Experience Truth
If you can't think of the right thing to say, say nothing.
The concepts we employ, the categorizations we apply and the words we choose and use to articulate a direct experience put us in a double bi… -
Belief - A Terrible Tyrant Or An Empowering Servant
To Believe Or Not To Believe - That Is The Question. Nothing has inflicted more suffering on humanity than its beliefs and dogmas. The religious and cultural beliefs that sanction and allow or impose… -
How To Avoid Herd Mentality
How To Stay Far From The Madding Crowd. Herd mentality describes how we make decisions based on what everyone else is thinking and doing. It is also known as a mob or crowd mentality. We follow the he… -
Are You Trying To Teach A Cat To Bark?
We Suffer Every Time We Believe A Thought That Argues With What Is. When your mind is perfectly clear, what is, is what you want. If you want reality to be different than it is, you might as well try… -
The Value Of Slack
Slack Is The Capacity To Effect Change And The Resource To Deal With The Unexpected. Many organizations are obsessed with efficiency and try to ensure that every resource is fully utilized to its full… -
6 Tips To Help You Stop Trying Too Hard
Less and less do you need to force things, until you arrive at non-action. We are brought up to believe that we get what we want in life as a result of what we do, by the actions that we take, that ha… -
Your Point Of Focus
Is It Helping You Or Hindering You? Your point of focus is the central point of your attention. Your point of focus is a binary choice and the result of that choice is critical to your happiness, your… -
Your Secret For Success
To accomplish any success in life, you must identify accurately what it is that you hunger for, thirst for and long for. The purpose of this article is to look at the foundation of the secret for succ… -
Can You Stop Thinking?
Discover The Joy Of A Quiet Mind Can you stop thinking? According to Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno the art of not thinking about anything is not easy to achieve. Even practising monks find it dif… -
How To Build Self Confidence
What Is Holding You Back From Pursuing Your Dreams? Your self confidence is based on ability. Your self confidence is all about your level of trust, faith and belief in your abilities [your power] and… -
How To Overcome Fear And Perform Powerfully
Learning how to overcome fear and perform powerfully is a skill that we all need to acquire as fear of failure affects most of us at some point in our lives. Whilst it is natural to feel a level of fe… -
Dance Into The Light And Stop Chasing Your Tail
You are creating hell on earth when you are too subsumed within your underlying and deeply embedded negative energetic states. To counter your dissatisfactions and misery you initially go unconscious… -
Change Your Language To Change How You Feel
How you mentally characterize a situation has a profound impact on how you respond to it emotionally. There is a direct causal link between how you think about a situation, the words you use to articu… -
How To Live In A Participatory Universe
What good is a universe without somebody around to look at it? What Conclusions Can We Draw About Living In A Participatory Universe? The inescapable conclusion is that the world and the universe (wit… -
4 Keys To Working With The Energy Of Life
The journey home to the energy of life does not consist in arriving at a new destination it is a coming home to one’s self. [1] How are you feeling, what is your dominant emotion right now? [2] Where… -
How To Deal With The Challenges Of Playing The Long Game
You have to be willing to suffer today in order to reap enormous rewards tomorrow. The long game is so hard to play because it involves taking a series of very small steps, that people rarely see, per… -
If You Don't Take Care Of You, Who Will?
How To Build Self Esteem In my early life and until my early twenties I suffered from a deep inferiority complex and low self esteem. Forty years later and, said in sincerity and with humility, I have…