Stoicism 101 | Nancy Sherman
This episode features Nancy Sherman, Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and author of "Stoic Wisdom," who redefines Stoicism as a deep philosophy for self-knowledge and resilience, countering common misinterpretations of "sucking it up." She explains Stoic practices for managing emotions, anticipating adversity, and fostering global connection.
Deep Dive Analysis
12 Topic Outline
Introduction to Nancy Sherman and Stoicism's Misconceptions
Defining Stoicism: Ancient Greco-Roman Philosophy for Vulnerability and Virtue
Misinterpretations of Stoicism: 'Suck It Up' vs. Social Connection
Operationalizing Stoic Wisdom: Core Practices and Meditations
End-of-Day Meditation for Ego Bruises and Attachments
Comparing Stoic and Eastern Meditation Approaches
Cultivating Global Connection: The Circles Practice
Monitoring and Shaving Down Biases and Impulsive Impressions
Addressing Stoicism's Historical Context: The Issue of Slavery
Pre-rehearsal of Evils: Anticipating Worst-Case Scenarios
Mental Reservation: Hedging Bets for Agility and Adaptiveness
The Role of Lightness and Humor in Stoic Philosophy
7 Key Concepts
Stoicism (Capital S)
An ancient Greco-Roman philosophy focused on finding calm in uncertainty, dealing with vulnerability, and cultivating virtue. It emphasizes being good in a globally connected world and understanding one's patterns of thought and emotion, often seen as an early form of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Cosmopolitans
A term originating with the Stoics, meaning 'citizen of the cosmos' or universe. It reflects their belief in a shared humanity and global connection, emphasizing that individuals are part of a larger, cooperative endeavor.
Pre-rehearsal of Evils
A Stoic meditation practice involving dwelling in the future and anticipating worst-case scenarios or dreaded outcomes. The goal is to mentally prepare, cushion against being blindsided, and live with potential adversities so they are less disarming if they occur.
Mental Reservation
A Stoic practice of hedging one's plans and intentions by adding an 'unless' clause. This fosters agility and adaptiveness, preventing rigid attachment to specific outcomes and allowing for flexibility when unforeseen events occur.
Impulsive Impressions
The Stoic term for fast, unreflected thoughts or reactions that can lead to maladaptive emotions like anger or prejudice. Stoicism teaches monitoring these impressions and introducing a higher layer of reflection to avoid immediate assent and change one's interpretations of the world.
Circles Practice
A Stoic visualization exercise where an individual imagines themselves at the center with concentric circles representing different groups (family, kith and kin, wider community, humanity). The practice involves zealously imagining bringing the outermost circles closer to the center to cultivate empathy and a sense of global connection.
Non-consequentialism (Stoic)
A Stoic principle that encourages focusing on the 'doing,' striving, and living well, rather than solely on optimizing for specific outcomes. This reorients one's thoughts to prioritize effort and ethical conduct over desired results, reducing disappointment if outcomes are not as expected.
8 Questions Answered
Stoicism is an ancient Greco-Roman philosophy that teaches how to deal with vulnerability and uncertainty, find calm, and live a virtuous life by understanding and tempering one's emotions and thoughts.
Modern interpretations, especially among self-optimizers, often emphasize self-reliance and 'sucking it up' at all costs, overlooking the Stoic emphasis on social connection, virtue, and community support.
Stoics are not about suppressing emotions entirely but rather tempering them and understanding their cognitive basis. They encourage reflection on impulsive emotional reactions to prevent them from running away from us.
Stoicism offers practices like end-of-day reflection on ego bruises, 'pre-rehearsal of evils' to anticipate challenges, and 'mental reservation' to cultivate flexibility in plans, among others.
Stoicism encourages viewing oneself as a 'citizen of the cosmos' and practicing 'circles meditation' to vividly imagine bringing distant people closer to one's core, fostering empathy and a sense of shared humanity.
Stoics believe in actively changing the world by monitoring and adjusting one's interpretations and biases, rather than simply resigning oneself to circumstances. They emphasize that we create the world through how we see things.
Stoics advocate for non-consequentialism, focusing on the effort, striving, and ethical conduct in pursuing goals rather than being rigidly attached to specific outcomes. This helps in maintaining agility and resilience.
While ancient Stoics operated within a society that practiced slavery, some, like Seneca, advocated for treating enslaved people with humanity due to their shared reason, though some of these claims might have been prudential or self-serving within the Roman system.
14 Actionable Insights
1. Monitor Impulsive Impressions & Biases
Monitor your impulsive impressions and biases by practicing not assenting to them immediately; instead, press a ‘pause button’ to create space for slow, reflective thinking and change maladaptive interpretations.
2. Daily Reflection on Ego Bruises
At the end of the day, reflect on instances where your ego was bruised or emotions like anger or fear got the better of you, to temper expectations and let go of ‘sticky attachments’.
3. Pre-rehearse Worst-Case Scenarios
Practice ‘pre-rehearsal of evils’ or ‘fear setting’ by dwelling on and anticipating dreaded future outcomes to mentally prepare and cushion against being blindsided.
4. Practice Mental Reservation/Agility
Practice ‘mental reservation’ by adding ‘if’ or ‘unless’ clauses to your plans and intentions, anticipating that things might not work out as desired, to foster mental agility and adaptability.
5. Cultivate Social Support Networks
Cultivate strong friendships, family, and community attachments as essential social supports for resilience, recognizing that you cannot overcome everything alone.
6. Visualize Global Cosmic Connection
Practice ‘becoming at home in the world’ by visualizing concentric circles with yourself at the center, then using vivid imagination to bring people from the outermost circles closer to your center, fostering global connection and diminishing ego.
7. Focus on Striving, Not Outcomes
Reorient your focus from outcome optimization to the process of ‘doing’ and ‘striving,’ asking if you did your best and acted ethically, rather than solely dwelling on consequences.
8. Temper, Don’t Suppress Emotions
Temper your emotions rather than suppressing them entirely, recognizing that Stoicism is about understanding and managing feelings, not eliminating them.
9. Regularly Perform Value Checks
Regularly perform ‘value checks’ to assess if you are investing in and valuing the right things, such as being a good person and contributing to a good community, rather than solely pursuing material gain or personal strength.
10. Challenge Invincibility Beliefs
Challenge beliefs of invincibility or anti-fragility, recognizing that everyone is vulnerable, and focus on dealing with vulnerability rather than striving for invulnerability.
11. Distance from Uncontrollable Outcomes
Practice distancing yourself from outcomes not within your control, such as health or the actions of others, to avoid over-investment and facilitate adjustment to unforeseen events.
12. Approach Warily, Avoid Clinging
Approach desired things and avoid undesirable ones with caution, but do not cling to outcomes so intensely that you cannot let go if circumstances change.
13. Change World Via Interpretations
Recognize that you interpret and interact with the world through your own ’lenses,’ and actively work to change those lenses if they are distorting reality or leading to mis-evaluations, thereby influencing the world around you.
14. Cultivate Lightness and Humor
Cultivate a sense of lightness and humor, even when facing difficult topics like mortality, to foster social bonds and avoid taking yourself too seriously.
6 Key Quotes
If you've ever seen an arm or a leg separated from the trunk of the body, that's what we make of ourselves when we cut ourselves off from each other.
Marcus Aurelius (as quoted by Nancy Sherman)
Suck it up and truck on is their mantra. That is an element of stoicism, the idea of having really strong will and being tough no matter what. But the Stoics were also these amazing emotion theorists. They knew more about the emotions than most people know today.
Nancy Sherman
We're co-workers. We're fellow workers. Even when we're asleep, we're contributing to this larger whole.
Marcus Aurelius (as quoted by Nancy Sherman)
You always sort of have this, maybe it won't. You kind of have this clause that you stick in. If things work out, but they may not.
Nancy Sherman
You can't cancel it out, to use a phrase, simply because it doesn't jibe with our current views of what we know to be a better world and a better social structure.
Nancy Sherman
Kiss your child goodbye in the morning as if it's the last time.
Epictetus (as quoted by Nancy Sherman)
5 Protocols
End-of-Day Reflection (Seneca's Practice)
Nancy Sherman (describing Seneca's practice)- At the end of the day, in a quiet moment (e.g., after one's spouse is asleep), review the events of the day.
- Identify instances where one felt angry, afraid, or where one's ego was offended (e.g., being slighted, not getting desired respect, being put in a less important position).
- Reflect on why these events caused such a reaction, questioning one's investment in particular outcomes or the 'sticky attachments' to certain ways of thinking.
- Consider if one is overestimating the importance of reputation, wealth, or other external factors, and aim to let go of these acquisitive tendencies.
- The goal is to release oneself from poor ways of thinking or mis-evaluations, carrying over a more balanced perspective to the morning.
Pre-rehearsal of Evils (Premeditatio Malorum)
Nancy Sherman- Dwell in the future and anticipate things that could happen that might unmoor you or are dreaded.
- Imagine the worst possible outcome of a situation (e.g., rehearsing one's mortality, a child leaving for school for the last time).
- Live with this imagined worst-case scenario for a while, asking if it is truly as bad as it seems or how one might respond to it.
- The purpose is to prepare mentally, cushion against being blindsided, and reduce the disarming effect if such an eventuality occurs.
Mental Reservation
Nancy Sherman- When forming intentions, plans, or life goals, always stick in a 'hedging your bet' clause.
- Formulate your plan with an 'unless' or 'if things work out' clause (e.g., 'I will go out for a boat ride unless it rains,' or 'My book will be a great success, but maybe it won't').
- Get yourself used to the idea that the desired outcome might not happen exactly as planned.
- This practice cultivates agility and adaptiveness, preventing rigid attachment to specific outcomes and fostering resilience when unforeseen events occur.
Circles Practice (Becoming at Home in the World)
Nancy Sherman- Imagine yourself at the center of a series of concentric circles.
- The innermost circles represent your immediate family and kith and kin.
- The outermost circles represent people in the farthest reaches of the world, those with little connection to you.
- Through vivid imagination and zealous effort, practice bringing the outermost circle closer to your center, as if they were your kinsmen or family.
- Regularly practice this discipline to make the connection to a larger, shared humanity more vivid and diminish ego investment.
Monitoring Impulsive Impressions and Biases
Nancy Sherman- Recognize that you receive many 'impressions' about the world, some of which are fast and impulsive (e.g., 'I've been dissed,' 'someone is inferior').
- Practice not assenting or immediately saying 'yes' to these impulsive impressions.
- Introduce a higher layer of reflection, pressing a 'pause button' to think more slowly and reflectively rather than reacting quickly.
- Monitor your patterns of attention and challenge your biases and mis-evaluations (e.g., questioning why a remark rubbed you the wrong way, or if your anger is justified).
- The aim is to control your interpretations of the world and change maladaptive emotional and behavioral responses.