The rival philosophies to Stoicism that you've never heard about (with Greg Lopez)

Jun 18, 2025 1h 8m 12 insights Episode Page ↗
Spencer Greenberg speaks with Gregory Lopez, co-author of 'Beyond Stoicism', about deriving modern insights from ancient Greco-Roman philosophies like Stoicism, Epicureanism, Pyrrhonism, and Cyrenaicism. They discuss concepts like eudaimonia and telos, and how these philosophies offer comprehensive life guidance beyond mere "life hacks."
Actionable Insights

1. Adopt a Life Philosophy

Instead of just using ’life hacks,’ adopt a comprehensive life philosophy that provides a consistent value system and a ‘North Star’ for your life. This helps clarify what you’re truly aiming for and guides your actions in a coherent direction.

2. Question ‘What is Good?’

Engage in the process of sitting down and thinking deeply about what is truly good and why, even if you don’t believe in objective answers. This self-reflection is a useful exercise for clarifying your personal values and life direction.

3. Empirically Study Your Values

Recognize that fundamental values are not rational or irrational, but arational. Discover your true values through empirical self-study, by trying different things and observing how your life develops to see what feels suitable for you.

4. Understand Before Changing

Before manipulating, changing, or rejecting a philosophy, ensure you deeply understand its original meaning and context. This prevents misunderstandings and allows for informed acceptance or rejection based on accurate premises.

5. Transfer Aversions Internally

To control unhealthy emotions (passions) and reduce anxiety, transfer your aversions from external things (like performance outcomes) to internal judgments. Recognize that anxiety stems from valuing things not truly valuable or beyond your complete control, and instead focus on improving your character and mental state.

6. Act Intentionally & Pro-socially

After gaining control over unhealthy emotions, act intentionally rather than reactively, and always act pro-socially. This means striving not to harm others and, as much as possible, gradually expanding your circle of concern to help more people.

7. Solidify Habits Moment-to-Moment

For advanced practitioners, rigorously apply the principles of dampening desires for external things and acting pro-socially in every moment. This discipline is about solidifying the habits built in the first two stages through continuous, moment-to-moment practice.

8. Remove Mental Distress

Pursue mental pleasure, which Epicureans believed is the highest good, by completely removing mental distress. Practice recalling mental pleasures on demand, such as memories of friendship, to achieve a smooth and consistent state of well-being.

9. Cultivate Close-Knit Community

Form close-knit, intentional communities with like-minded people and spend a large amount of time with them. This practice, along with living simply, helps achieve mental pleasure through good conversations and strong friendships.

10. Doubt Non-Apparent Things

To achieve mental tranquility (ataraxia), doubt non-apparent things—ideas and philosophical concepts not directly perceived by your senses—because worrying about them causes mental stress. Practice self-argumentation using modes like disagreement or relativity to realize the difficulty of knowing what’s truly good or bad, then let go of the worry.

11. Follow Common Custom & Sense

When faced with theoretical or abstract concerns, follow common custom, culture, and common sense in your actions. Focus on what is apparent and what others are doing to avoid getting bogged down in unresolvable doubts and to live your life.

12. Pursue Momentary Physical Pleasure

Live moment to moment, trying to grab as much physical pleasure as possible, as Cyrenaics believed physical pleasure is the highest good and most apparent to the mind. Focus on finding physical pleasure easily from simple things, savoring the experience in the moment, rather than expending great effort or reflecting on past pleasures.