Stoicism and Martial Arts with Michael Tremblay

In this episode, Donald talks with Michael Tremblay. Michael is the co-founder of the Stoa Meditation app and co-host of the Stoa Conversations podcast.  He has a doctorate in philosophy from Queens University in Ontario.  His research has focused on moral education in the Stoics, and philosophy as a way of life.  He’s also a wrestler and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Highlights

• How did you become interested in ancient philosophy and why Stoicism rather than Buddhism?

• What is the main thing that we can learn from Epictetus about moral education

• What we can learn from the use of athletic imagery as a metaphor for philosophy in Epictetus and other ancient sources

• Marcus says the “art of living” is more like wrestling than dancing – do you agree?

• The relationship between martial arts, like BJJ, and Stoic askesis

• Could athletic or martial arts training ever conflict with the goals of Stoicism? 

Resources

• Michael on Twitter

• Stoa Meditation on Twitter

• Michael’s Website