PODCAST · society
Geeky Stoics
by Stephen Kent
Your favorite stories are part of your real life. Star Wars. The Lord of the Rings. Marvel. Batman. Are you listening to what they’re trying to tell you? Geeky Stoics is all about Stoicism, Philosophy, and Wisdom found in Pop Culture.http://geekystoics.com/ www.geekystoics.com
Episodes
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The Odyssey Isn't About Odysseus | A Thematic Review
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
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The Pagemaster and Young Men's Malaise
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.com Every now and then, I get motivated to write about a story I loved, which is niche and rather unknown to our subscribers. The Pagemaster (1994) is one such story. This VHS-era classic, starring Macaulay Culkin...
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The State of Star Wars
We are witnessing the decline of Star Wars’ cultural dominance. In this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the current state of Star Wars, from its cultural impact to the storytelling challenges, and speculate about how the franchise might revive itself. We have a book coming this year!!! The Great...
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Unmasking Toxic Empathy
In this week’s live stream and podcast, Geeky Stoics is exploring the concept of toxic empathy, its implications, and how it influences society, politics, and relationships. Riley and Stephen delve into the nature of empathy, moral virtue, and the importance of balancing compassion with...
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The Stoicism in The Screwtape Letters
Today’s reading of The Screwtape Letters focuses on Chapter 3, a letter about personal/family relations and the importance of managing your impressions regarding facial expressions, tone of voice and other mannerisms. Things can break down rapidly when a relationship drifts toward enmity and...
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All Men Have Something To Teach
Behind the scenes of the first Geeky Stoics retreat This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
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Maybe Escapism is Good, Actually
I don’t like to turn my brain off when enjoying a movie, show, or book. For me, the point has never been to “escape” the real world or be off in La-La Land; it’s to think more deeply. If a story isn’t engaging me on the level of morality, ethics, political thought….I get kind of bored. So, I’ve...
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Luminous Beings Are We: A Christmas Message
There’s a scene in The Empire Strikes Back that never gets old. It’s kept its grip on me to this day. Luke in the Dagobah swamp, staring down the task he’s already decided is impossible. “It’s too big,” he says. And Yoda’s quiet reply exposes the lie most of us carry: that truth is limited to…
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Wisdom showdown: Uncle Ben vs Uncle Ben
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.com Uncle Ben from Spider-Man serves as an introduction to wisdom and “maxims” for many kids around the world. It all starts with the movies we watch and the books we read. Here’s Uncle Ben in the 2002 movie….…
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I finally made the video I’ve been scared to make.
This one feels different. It’s the first time I’ve ever made something this personal for Geeky Stoics, pulling back the curtain on my struggle as I lost myself in my Air Force career, and how I found my way back, training for a Half Iron Man. It’s a story about identity, ambition, and the moment...
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What's This About A Bible Sales Surge?
News reports this October showed a surge in Bible sales across the United States and the UK, confirming what so many people can feel and polls have supported…which is that a religious revival is happening in the West. Generation Z, which Pew Research defines as being born between 1997 and 2012....
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Can we choose our feelings? Reflecting on Charlie Kirk, empathy and objective morality
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.com Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join us for our next live video in the app and upgrade your subscription to get more involved in the community.
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Tolkien, Virtue, and the Good Life
Hobbits are curious creatures. Simple taste, a love of “good tilled earth” and yet surprisingly courageous. And according to Dr. Christopher Snyder, they might hold the key to living the good life. This week, I had a delightful conversation with Dr. Snyder, medieval historian, Tolkien scholar…
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Call It What It Is
Updating your perspective on the world can, for some, be like seeing for the first time. Many of us have seen videos of colorblind people getting access to new tech that helps them see the full spectrum. When they tap in for the first time, it’s overwhelming and emotional. Something true shines...
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Is Stoicism Enough?
It’s time for another long-form podcast! In this episode, we welcome Parker Settecase of ParkNotes Parker's Ponderings for a deep dive into the limits of Stoicism, the role of the God/Logos in this philosophy, and how these same ideas filter through Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and more....
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Interview: Andrew Heaton of the Political Orphanage
Andrew Heaton is a comedian, political commentator, author, and political orphan best known for his skits on ReasonTV. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Andrew for many years and traveling in similar media circles. We both love to chat and interview people, and so when I saw he’d joined Substack…
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Reviewing "Superman": Virtue or Vice?
Somehow…Monday returned. Welcome back! This morning I am headed into Washington, DC to speak to a group of young professionals about communication and breaking through both the noise and polarization. These are tough times for getting your message across. Ears are closed. Eyes are covered....
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4 Seneca Lessons You Can Use Today
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.com Once you go down the Stoicism rabbit hole, you can’t escape the ubiquitous appeal and words of Marcus Aurelius in Meditations. It’s everyone’s favorite, and for mostly good reason. But Seneca's Letters From A...
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Aiming At Heaven
On a flight layover in the UK, Geeky Stoics visits the home, grave and world of famed author, philosopher and academic: C.S. Lewis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
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Master Samwise: Star Wars, Storytelling, and the Art of Saying 'Yes'
We’re experimenting here at Geeky Stoics. Both Stephen and I have really missed the long-form podcast and discussion format, going back to my original podcasting days at the Star Wars Report and Stephen’s at Beltway Banthas. I’m so glad we get to introduce this format here on Substack, featuring…
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Philosophy or Psychology?
If you want to understand the intellectual fault lines of the 20th century, you don’t need to go to a fancy college. You can just sit down with some old movies. We don’t touch on horror movies often on Geeky Stoics, in fact, this is a first. I just finished KINGDOM OF CAIN, a fascinating book…
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The "Daily Stoic" Interview
Hopefully, you’re caught up on Geeky Stoics and enjoyed the panel conversation we hosted with Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. The conversation covered Stoicism and Objectivism, two distinct philosophies with a lot in common and even more in conflict. Now you can move on to the next piece of...
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Live in Palm Springs: Ryan Holiday on Stoicism vs Objectivism
It’s a good day to be a Geeky Stoics subscriber here on Substack! You all get first access to this week’s video conversations with Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. I told you about the trip to Palm Springs, and it was to moderate this panel tackling the differences and overlaps of Stoicism and...
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Why So Serious?
"What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears. New ills will come, or old ones will return. Meanwhile, keep your spirit cheerful." - Epictetus, Discourses The other day, my daughter was stressed about some complicated logistical stuff happening two days in the...
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Why Star Wars Andor Is Not That Radical
This week, I put together an essay I’ve been dying to make for well over a year. This is about Star Wars: Andor and whether or not the show supports a Marxist lens on freedom in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars fans online had a field day with the words and deeds of one character, Nemik, who not...
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Every Winter Feels Like The Last
My family has taken to teasing me over my annual surprise when a shrubbery or tree on our property shows signs of life around March or April. I must admit, I do look at my plants in the winter and think to myself, “Well, that’s it. They’re dead.” And I do this every year. I kneel at the side of…
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A Guide to Narnia "The Magician's Nephew"
Did you see the news about The Chronicles of Narnia? After years of negotiation, director Greta Gerwig has closed a deal to have her Narnia movie hit theaters on November 26, 2026 before streaming on Netflix that Christmas. It’s pretty exciting! We love C.S. Lewis’ Narnia here on Geeky Stoics.…
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Tolkien & The Dream That Wasn't
The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. — Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring Throughout The Lord of the Rings, doom and tragedy are...
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Middle-earthMixr + Geeky Stoics
It’s a rare and beautiful thing to meet someone with whom you discover so much in common. Not just experiences, but sentiment and aspiration. That’s how I felt after taping a podcast with Evan, best known for his viral Twitter account, @MidddleearthMixr. Going into this conversation about Tolkien...
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Lincoln, Lewis, Losses and Listening
The first thing you’ll see in my home when you enter is a framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Below the image of America’s 16th president, a man who arguably refounded the United States and became one of its most consequential figures, is a list of his numerous failures. The guy posted a lot of...
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Vegeta's Pride & Rebuilding of Self
“It is not a golden bit that makes one horse superior to others.” -Seneca, Letters from A Stoic It’s taken longer than I intended to find a Dragon Ball Z topic for Geeky Stoics. This uniquely popular anime in the United States was my second love growing up, right next to Star Wars. My favorite...
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Stoic Lessons in Game of Thrones
A podcast addition to Geeky Stoics “Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well” - Epictetus, Enchiridion, 8. Grey Worm looks at Missandei, with a profound seriousness on his face but a sort of...
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Geeky Stoics Takes a Walk in the Woods
A few weeks ago, Riley and I got together in Northern Virginia to spend some time working on Geeky Stoics’ future. For me, the highlight was taking a morning walk out in the Manassas Battlefield Park and sharing some ideas with each other about why we take fiction so seriously. The goal was a...
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Luke, Moses, Jonah and The Call
“There’s no difference between responsibility and adventure” is something said by Jordan Peterson in his most recent chat with Joe Rogan. I scribbled that one down as soon as I heard it. It resonated for a few reasons, chief among them that accepting responsibility in my own life around age 20…
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Hobbits, Rebels, Death Stars and Home
Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have two very similar moments. As a great threat makes itself known in each world, a band of potential heroes circle up to assess the danger and devise a plan. In Star Wars: Rogue One this is the “rebellions are built on hope speech” delivered by Jyn Erso who…
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An Unpayable Debt: Tolkien and Lewis
“Just because some people are nice to you, doesn’t mean you should spend time with them” -Epictetus in The Art of Living You probably have gotten an earful for most of your life about choosing your friends wisely. Mom or Dad might have told you this, maybe a coach and most certainly your Sunday...
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The Way We Love Animals Matters
“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it — why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?” -Marcus Aurelius Love languages are funny. Some people really value conversation in their relationship, others value closeness. I remember...
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The Case For Playing Dress Up
There are two truths I want you to hold at once. The first truth is that you have no time to waste being someone you’re not. I recently interviewed this young entrepreneur named Nicolas Kirkland, and he said something that stuck with me — “Why do you gotta act like everybody else? Everybody else…
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The Lannisters Knew How To Handle Critics in Game of Thrones
This week we’ve been back through Game of Thrones in our house. I haven’t watched it again since 2011 when the series first premiered on HBO and took over popular culture for the next eight years. There’s so much to be said about the characters in this show. Starks. Lannisters. Targaryens....
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Difficult People Are Essential
While I was chaperoning my daughter’s Scout Troop at summer camp in July, I took The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe with me to revisit the classic C.S. Lewis tale with adult eyes. It was fun. I fully appreciate now why I loved this story so much growing up. I also can appreciate with even more...
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Why I Do This Newsletter
Owen: "We don't need anything from you, Kenobi." Obi-Wan: "It's just a toy."Owen: "It's a lot more than that." ―Owen Lars to Obi-Wan Kenobi I’ve been thinking a lot today about why I do this. Here’s what I came up with. Geeky Stoics is about drawing out the transcendent from the entertaining.…
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Warm Memories Push Us Forward
Why do our warmest memories sort of hurt? You know the feeling. An old home video from childhood where you’re opening Christmas presents in the company of siblings and cousins, or the memory box from high school full of photos and scribblings featuring your long-lost best friends. We miss these...
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The Glasses We See Through
A journey through perspective taking with Star Wars and C.S. Lewis. The glasses we wear in life change everything. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
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A Time For Yelling
“What view is one likely to take of the state of a person’s mind when his speech is wild and incoherent and knows no restraint?” The Roman known as Seneca asked this question sometime around the year 50 AD in a collection of letters now published as Letters From A Stoic. It’s possible I like this...
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Strong, Empty Feelings
Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis), known to friends and family as “Jacksie” (or Jack), was a stridently opinionated young man from the earliest age. He was a bookworm, an avid enjoyer of mythology and you could even say he was a bit too pleased with himself for it. During an unpleasant period of...
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Climb The Desk, See Differently
Yesterday I revisited a Robin Williams classic, the Dead Poets Society. This movie likely inspired a generation of English teachers, based on how many times this movie was shown to me in school by a teacher with a twinkle in their eye. Everyone fancies themselves the Williams character, Mr....
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I Don't Think About You At All
Once there was a Gnat who flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and he settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, the Gnat made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a…
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It's Okay To Just Enjoy Things
Nothing is worse than losing your sense of who you are. That’s what Riley wrote about for Geeky Stoics just a few days ago. C.S. Lewis worried about this too. He had this sense that Satan himself would love nothing more than to alienate the individual from the person in the mirror. That horrible,...
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Let's Do This Together
The problems on Naboo were deeper than a droid army invasion in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Their planet was divided. One culture and species above the water, another pushed below. The Gungans are sort of a George Lucas stand-in for an indigenous people, while the human beings of...
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This Is a Field Manual, Not a Retreat
Life is comfortable in the ivory tower. You can look down on the rest of the world from the observatory window, seated next to your collection of books chock full of ancient wisdom and quips. The Jedi Order was trapped in this state during the years leading up to the Star Wars prequel trilogy...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Your favorite stories are part of your real life. Star Wars. The Lord of the Rings. Marvel. Batman. Are you listening to what they’re trying to tell you? Geeky Stoics is all about Stoicism, Philosophy, and Wisdom found in Pop Culture.http://geekystoics.com/
www.geekystoics.com
HOSTED BY
Stephen Kent
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Geeky Stoics have?
Geeky Stoics currently has 233 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Geeky Stoics about?
Your favorite stories are part of your real life. Star Wars. The Lord of the Rings. Marvel. Batman. Are you listening to what they’re trying to tell you? Geeky Stoics is all about Stoicism, Philosophy, and Wisdom found in Pop Culture.http://geekystoics.com/ www.geekystoics.com
How often does Geeky Stoics release new episodes?
Geeky Stoics is no longer actively publishing new episodes, but the existing catalog remains available.
Where can I listen to Geeky Stoics?
You can listen to Geeky Stoics on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening.
Who hosts Geeky Stoics?
Geeky Stoics is created and hosted by Stephen Kent.
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