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Philosophy · 266 lessons in the app

Philosophy for beginners, one idea at a time

Epictetus on what's in your control, memento mori, the will to power. Big ideas one at a time, each with the book it comes from, so you know where to read more.

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Philosophy45s read

Lesson 1 of 3

Stoicism: Control What You Can

The Stoics divided the world into two categories: things within your control (your thoughts, judgments, actions) and things outside it (other people, outcomes, the weather). Anxiety comes from trying to control the uncontrollable. Freedom comes from focusing exclusively on your own response. Epictetus was a slave who found perfect freedom through this idea.

Source Epictetus. (c. 108 CE). The Enchiridion.

Quick quiz

According to the Stoics, what is the primary source of anxiety?

Philosophy42s read

Lesson 2 of 3

Memento Mori: Remember You Will Die

Roman generals returning from victory had a slave ride beside them whispering 'memento mori', remember you will die. Not as a curse but as a gift: perspective. Death gives life urgency. Steve Jobs read a poem every morning asking: 'If today were my last day, would I want to do what I'm about to do?' That question drove Apple.

Source Holiday, R. (2014). The Obstacle Is the Way.

Quick quiz

What was the original purpose of 'memento mori' for Roman generals?

Philosophy42s read

Lesson 3 of 3

Virtue and Character in Stoicism

The Stoics believed that virtue, wisdom, courage, justice, moderation, is the only true good. External things (wealth, reputation, pleasure, even health) are 'preferred indifferents', nice to have but irrelevant to genuine wellbeing. A person of character can be happy in chains; a person of poor character can be miserable in luxury. This makes Stoicism a philosophy of extraordinary psychological resilience: your wellbeing depends on nothing outside your control.

Source Marcus Aurelius. (c. 170 CE). Meditations.

Quick quiz

What do the Stoics consider the only true good?

263 more philosophy lessons in the app

Every title here is a lesson in Scroll, with its own quiz. Five a day are free; Premium has no daily limit.

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  1. Plato's Allegory of the Cave
  2. Nietzsche's Will to Power
  3. The Ship of Theseus
  4. Pascal's Wager
  5. Aristotle's Virtue Ethics
  6. Kant's Categorical Imperative
  7. Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good
  8. Socrates and the Art of Questioning
  9. Existentialism: Existence Precedes Essence
  10. The Trolley Problem
  11. The Social Contract
  12. Hume and the Problem of Induction
  13. Descartes and the Cogito
  14. Rawls and Justice as Fairness
  15. Schopenhauer: Will and Representation
  16. The Paradox of Hedonism
  17. Determinism and Free Will
  18. Buddhist Philosophy: The Middle Way
  19. Wittgenstein: Whereof One Cannot Speak
  20. Epicureanism: Pleasure Properly Understood
  21. Moral Relativism vs Universal Ethics
  22. Hegel and the Dialectic
  23. Camus and the Absurd
  24. The Is-Ought Problem
  25. Simone de Beauvoir: One Is Not Born a Woman
  26. Philosophy of Mind: Dualism vs Physicalism
  27. The Paradox of Tolerance
  28. Rousseau's Noble Savage
  29. Epistemology: What Can We Know?
  30. The Examined Life
Show all 263 titles
  1. Justice in Plato's Republic
  2. Derrida and Deconstruction
  3. Foucault: Power and Knowledge
  4. Stoic Cosmopolitanism
  5. The Problem of Evil
  6. Pragmatism: What Works Is True
  7. Phenomenology: Back to the Things Themselves
  8. Political Philosophy: Liberty vs Equality
  9. The Nature of Time
  10. Hannah Arendt: The Nature of Evil
  11. Taoism: Go With the Flow
  12. Confucianism and Social Harmony
  13. The Free Rider Problem
  14. Nietzsche's Eternal Recurrence
  15. Analytic vs Continental Philosophy
  16. The Prisoner's Dilemma
  17. Peter Singer and Effective Altruism
  18. Zeno's Paradoxes
  19. Rights: Natural vs Legal
  20. The Examined Death: Philosophy of Mortality
  21. Cosmological Arguments for God
  22. The Simulation Hypothesis
  23. The Open Society
  24. Machiavelli: The Prince
  25. The Golden Rule Across Cultures
  26. Applied Ethics: Philosophy in the Real World
  27. Frankfurt's Free Will: Hierarchical Desires
  28. The Philosophy of Language
  29. Moral Luck
  30. Personal Identity: Are You the Same Person You Were?
  31. Negative vs Positive Liberty
  32. Plato's Theory of Forms
  33. Functionalism and the Chinese Room
  34. Spinoza's God-or-Nature
  35. Animal Rights and Moral Consideration
  36. The Nature of Numbers
  37. The Contact Hypothesis
  38. Contractualism: What We Owe Each Other
  39. The Gettier Problem
  40. The Absurdity of Life Without God
  41. The Ethics of Whistleblowing
  42. The Chinese Room and Consciousness
  43. Moral Intuitions: Data or Noise?
  44. Cognitive Biases and Rational Agency
  45. The Problem of Moral Disagreement
  46. Effective Altruism: The Philosophy of Impact
  47. Philosophy of Religion: Faith and Reason
  48. The Naturalistic Fallacy
  49. The Paradox of the Heap
  50. Judith Butler and Gender Performativity
  51. The Repugnant Conclusion
  52. The Philosophical Zombie
  53. Environmental Ethics
  54. The Philosophy of Time Travel
  55. Parfit's Reasons and Persons
  56. The Concept of Justice: Procedural vs Substantive
  57. The Hard Problem vs Easy Problems of Consciousness
  58. Communitarianism vs Liberalism
  59. The Epistemic Injustice
  60. The Greatest Philosophical Questions Unanswered
  61. On Living Well: The Examined Life Today
  62. The Philosophy of Art
  63. Confucius on Self-Cultivation
  64. Rawls' Difference Principle in Practice
  65. The Philosophy of Death: What Is It to Die?
  66. Technology and the Good Life
  67. Philosophy as a Way of Life
  68. The Four Cardinal Virtues
  69. Preferred Indifferents
  70. The Logos: Universal Reason
  71. The Stoic Sage
  72. Apatheia: Freedom from Passion
  73. Fate and Providence
  74. The Eternal Present
  75. Prohairesis: Your Moral Will
  76. Impressions and Assent
  77. The Reserve Clause
  78. The Three Disciplines of Epictetus
  79. Oikeiosis: Natural Affinity
  80. Sympatheia: Universal Connection
  81. Kathekon: Appropriate Action
  82. Stoic Physics: The Living Universe
  83. The Ruling Faculty
  84. Logos Spermatikos: Seeds of Reason
  85. Ekpyrosis: The Great Conflagration
  86. Stoicism and Social Engagement
  87. Why Stoicism Endures
  88. Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher King
  89. Meditations: Notes to Himself
  90. The View from Above
  91. Marcus Aurelius on Anger
  92. Marcus Aurelius on Impermanence
  93. Marcus Aurelius on Other People
  94. The Obstacle Becomes the Way
  95. Marcus's Morning Ritual
  96. Marcus Aurelius on Fame
  97. Returning to Virtue
  98. Marcus Aurelius as Military Commander
  99. What Marcus Learned from His Teachers
  100. The Death of Marcus Aurelius
  101. Epictetus: From Slave to Teacher
  102. The Enchiridion: Pocket Philosophy
  103. Epictetus on Education
  104. Epictetus on What to Desire
  105. Epictetus on the Body
  106. Epictetus on Insults
  107. Epictetus on Blame
  108. How Epictetus Taught
  109. Epictetus on Exile
  110. Epictetus on Friendship
  111. Epictetus on Loss
  112. The Lamp of Epictetus
  113. Seneca: The Controversial Stoic
  114. On the Shortness of Life
  115. Seneca on Procrastination
  116. On the Tranquility of Mind
  117. Seneca on Anger
  118. Seneca on Benefits
  119. Seneca on Friendship
  120. Seneca on Consolation
  121. Seneca on Travel
  122. Seneca on Leisure
  123. Seneca on Books
  124. Letters to Lucilius
  125. Seneca on Providence
  126. The Death of Seneca
  127. Zeno of Citium: Where It Started
  128. Chrysippus: The Stoic Architect
  129. Musonius Rufus: The Roman Socrates
  130. Cato the Younger: Stoic in Politics
  131. Cleanthes: The Boxer-Philosopher
  132. The Stoa Poikile
  133. Panaetius and Roman Stoicism
  134. Posidonius: Stoic Scientist
  135. Aristo of Chios: The Radical
  136. Stoicism in the Roman Army
  137. Negative Visualization
  138. Amor Fati: Love Your Fate
  139. The Evening Review
  140. Voluntary Discomfort
  141. Journaling Like Marcus
  142. Fasting as Stoic Practice
  143. Cold Exposure and the Stoic Body
  144. Watching Your Language
  145. The Stoic Approach to Gossip
  146. Simplicity as Stoic Practice
  147. Building a Stoic Community
  148. Viktor Frankl and Modern Stoicism
  149. Stoicism in Special Forces Training
  150. CBT's Stoic Roots
  151. Ryan Holiday and the Stoic Revival
  152. Building a Stoic Life Today
  153. Eudaimonia: The Stoic Version
  154. The Unity of Virtue
  155. Stoic Justice in Practice
  156. Stoicism and Slavery
  157. Stoic Courage
  158. Temperance as Stoic Discipline
  159. Stoic Wisdom: Practical Intelligence
  160. The Stoic on Ambition
  161. Stoic Perfectionism vs. Progress
  162. Stoicism and Emotion: The Full Picture
  163. The Role of Sleep in Stoic Ethics
  164. Stoicism on Wealth and Poverty
  165. Stoic Parenting
  166. How Stoics Thought About the Past
  167. Stoicism and the Natural World
  168. Stoicism on Reputation
  169. Competing Duties: Stoic Decision-Making
  170. The Stoic Approach to Privilege
  171. Stoicism on Pleasure
  172. On Being Alone
  173. Dealing with Uncertainty
  174. The Logos Within
  175. Attention as the Core Practice
  176. Cognitive Reappraisal: Ancient and Modern
  177. The Stoic View of Suicide
  178. The Stoic Relationship with Food
  179. Stoicism on Insomnia
  180. Seeing Things As They Are
  181. Stoicism on Political Power
  182. The Stoic Work Ethic
  183. Stoicism and Anxiety
  184. The Socratic Roots of Stoicism
  185. Stoicism vs. Epicureanism
  186. Stoicism vs. Cynicism
  187. Stoicism and Platonism
  188. Stoicism and Christianity
  189. Stoicism in the Renaissance
  190. Montaigne's Stoic Inheritance
  191. Stoicism and Descartes
  192. Immanuel Kant's Stoic Debt
  193. Stoicism and William James
  194. Stoicism in Modern Psychotherapy
  195. Stoic Logic
  196. Stoicism in Legal History
  197. Stoic Physics and Modern Science
  198. Stoicism at Work
  199. Stoicism in Conflict
  200. Stoicism Under Illness
  201. Stoicism and Leadership
  202. Stoicism in Recovery
  203. The Stoic Athlete
  204. Seneca on Time and Memory
  205. Stoicism and Forgiveness
  206. Stoicism and Envy
  207. Stoic Generosity
  208. Stoicism on Self-Discipline
  209. Stoicism and the Fear of Failure
  210. Stoic Listening
  211. The Stoic Teacher
  212. Stoic Detachment and Full Engagement
  213. What Stoics Read
  214. The Stoic and Technology
  215. Stoicism and Social Media
  216. Acceptance Without Passivity
  217. The Good Life Needs No Defense
  218. Practicing Philosophy in Public
  219. Stoicism and Cognitive Distortions
  220. Stoicism and Resilience Research
  221. Transcending Circumstances
  222. Stoicism and Mindfulness: Similarities
  223. Stoicism and Mindfulness: Differences
  224. Stoicism and Positive Psychology
  225. Stoic Cosmology and Meaning
  226. Stoic Humor
  227. Stoicism and Gratitude Science
  228. Stoicism and the Immune System
  229. What Stoicism Cannot Do
  230. How to Disagree: The Stoic Way
  231. Stoicism and Political Protest
  232. Stoic Wisdom on Relationships
  233. Stoicism's Single Sentence

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