AudioStoa

This week's episode features readings from Chap. 21 and 22 of Epictetus' Discourses, respectively entitled "Against those who wish to be admired" and "On precognitions". You may download the episode here.

This episode features readings from Book 1, Chapter 20 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "How the reasoning faculty contemplates itself." Apologies for the delay, I didn't solve my GarageBand corruption issues but found a work-around that actually makes producing the podcast quicker (thereby demonstrating that good and be found in both well and ill-timed events). You may download the episode here.[Update: It transpires some listeners have problems with the Extended Podcast format. As of next episode, I shall therefore be reverting to the usual mp3 format. All apologies to those who cannot withstand my babbling- a liberal use of the forward button will remain your best friend. If you had problems listening to AudioStoa 20 (and didn't before), you may download the regular mp3 version here.]

Back from a short hiatus, this week's episode features readings from Bk. 1, Chap. 19 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "How ought we to bear ourselves towards tyrants?". You may download the episode here.

This week's episode features a reading from Chap. 18, Bk. 1 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "That we ought not to be angry with the erring." You may download the episode here.

This week's reading is Chap. 17, Book 1 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "That the logical art is necessary", prefaced by a brief introduction on the importance of logic in the Stoa and on divination. You may download the episode here.

This week's reading is taken from Epictetus's Discourses, Bk. 1, Chap. 16, entitled "On providence". It talks about, amongst other things, beards (!). You may download the episode here.

The first episode of 2006 features a lovely short treatise taken from Bk. 1, Chap. 15 of Epictetus' Discourses entitled "What philosophy promises." You may download the episode here.

This week's program features a short introduction on the doctrine of universal sympathy and its ethical implications, followed by the reading of Bk. 1, Chap. 14 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "That the Deity oversees all things". You may download the episode here.

This week's episode features a brief excursus on conceptions of slavery and equality in Ancient Greece before proceeding with the reading from Bk. 1, Chap. 13 of Epictetus' Discourses, "How everything may be done acceptably to the Gods", which defends a radical conception of the latter. You may download the episode here.

This week's program features a reading from Book 1, Chapter 12 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "Of Contentment", a wonderful diatribe against, well, whining. You may download the episode here.

This week's episode features an aptly-themed (for our American friends who are celebrating Thanksgiving, at least) reading from Book 1, Chapter 11 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "Of Family Affection". You may download the episode here.

This week's episode features a small introduction, readings from Bk. 1, Chap. 10 of Epictetus' Discourses entitled "Against those who eagerly seek preferment at Rome" as well a personal anecdote of an unexpected encounter with Stoicism. You may download the episode here.

This week's episode features readings from Book 1, Chapter 9 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "How from the fact that we are akin to God may a man proceed to the consequences." You may download the episode here.

This week's program features readings from Book 1, Chapter 8 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "That the faculties are not safe to the uninstructed." In this discourse, Epictetus is arguing for the priority of the moral training (and the proper logical training it presupposes) to any other kind of endeavor. You may download the episode here.

AudioStoa 7 features readings from Bk. 1, Chap. 7 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "Of the use of sophistical [actually, equivocal] arguments, and hypothetical, and the like", concerning the importance of the proper study of reasoning towards ethical inquiry. You may download the episode here, or subscribe to the podcast here or from the iTunes Music Store.

AudioStoa 6 features readings from Ch.6, Bk. 1 of Epictetus' Discourses, entitled "Of Providence", which constitutes a diatribe on the topic of the beneficient order inherent to the rationally-ordered universe against those who would begrudge it. You may download the episode here.[Sorry for the repost- attempting to fix issues with podcast feed.]

This week's program features readings from Epictetus' Discourses I.5, "Against the Academics". The Academic position Epictetus is railing against is a form of scepticism, which might surprise some, and so I briefly explain how such a position was conceivable. You may download the episode here or subscribe to the podcast here.

AudioStoa 4 continues our exploration of Epictetus' Discourses. This week's program features readings from Book I, Chapter 4 of the Discourses entited "Of Progress or Improvement" introduced by a passage bearing on the same topic, chapter fourty-nine of the Manual. The small bit of conversation used in the Discourses passage concerning "Crito" is voiced by Socrates in Plato's dialogue of the same name. Socrates represents for Epictetus the very model of a Stoic sage, and his attitude in the face of misfortune is contrasted to that of Priam (in Homer's Iliad) and Oedipus (in the tragedies concerning him), who for all their kingly power fail to appreciate the Stoic distinction between what is 'up to us' and what isn't. You may download the episode here.

AudioStoa 3 continues our series of readings of Epictetus' Discourses. This week's program features a short introduction to the history of the philosophical criticism of traditional Greek religion as well as the emergence of a certain consciousness of philosophy as a "divine enterprise" before reading from Epictetus' Disc. I.3: "How a man should proceed from the principle of God being the father of all to the rest". There is some clipping in the audio due to hardware issues, for which I apologize. You may download the episode here.

AudioStoa 2 continues the exploration of Epictetus' Discourses. This week, I introduce Disc. I.2, "How a man on every occasion can maintain his proper character" in the context of last week's reading, Disc. I.1, which concerned the vital distinction between those things which are within our control and those which are outside of our control. You may download the episode here.

AudioStoa 1 is the first part of a (long) series which will take us through Epictetus's Discourses. It features a (very) short introduction to the Discourses, the introductory letter from Arrian to Lucius Gellus, as well as Disc. I.1. You may download the postcast here.[Update: There was a problem with the original enclosure webhosting I used. Everything should be operational now. Thanks to the mysterious "Mr. X" who informed me of the problem.]