Stoicism: how to cope with war, what is a hate speech, and NATO's expanding – Massimo Pigliucci

Massimo Pigliucci is an American biologist and philosopher. He is the author of books on Stoicism, an extremely popular philosophical branch. I asked him about what the stoics think about today's news: the war in Ukraine, and the scandal with the oppositional Russian TV channel in Latvia. Also, we covered how to deal with anger during the war and even the outcome of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

00:00 Is the philosophy of stoicism still relevant to people? The Stoics are trying to shift their emotional spectrum. They try to cultivate what they consider to be healthy emotions. Even when anger is justified, if you act on it, you will make mistakes. We are talking about war now, but I also talked a lot about stoicism during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
08:19 What depends on us and what doesn't? Our own judgments and decisions to act or not to act. Football World Cup: victory depends on many things: from your comrades, from the opponent. The decisions that the player will make at any given moment depend on him. If I live in a country where there is a regime that started a war with which I do not agree, and so on - what should I do? Sometimes the best thing you can do is just walk away and let others know why you did it. But if we start making excuses and saying that nothing will ever change... It's just not true. Modes are changing.
18:28 Stoicism focuses on the individual and their personal choices and actions. There was a real war between Sparta and Athens. Situations have not changed so much, people are still the same. Stoicism is a personal philosophy. Someone decides to start a war, and draws their country into it. Stoicism will tell you: yes, these people attacked your country. But they are still your brothers and sisters. They simply act incorrectly, do not know what they are doing. And so, yes, of course, you have the right to defend yourself. But at the same time, this philosophy reminds us that this has happened before.
26:15 Is patience a real virtue? A distinction must be made between patience and passivity. Stoics are not the ones who are always waiting for something.
29:05 Revenge is often associated with hatred and anger. Anger often turns into hatred, and hatred drives people to revenge. Many people in the world and, of course, in Ukraine would like to see Putin dead. Some Ukrainians wish death on all Russians. Justice, however, requires that the people responsible for the war be brought before an international tribunal, and then suffer the punishment he will appoint. But at the same time, we do not pursue every soldier, they follow orders. Russian soldiers are morally responsible, they are waging a war about which they understand that it is unfair, then they must leave the battlefield.
35:33 An opposition Russian TV channel was closed after one presenter said on the air that he felt sorry for the Russian soldiers. From the point of view of stoicism, this presenter was right: we should feel sorry for the Russian soldiers. It's good to remind yourself that those on the other side are at war, but they are the same people. After the 2001 attacks, Bill Mayer said: It takes courage. He was trying to make a distinction that I think is perfectly valid.
40:50 I support the Ukrainian people, since the beginning of the war I have regularly donated money. I am sure that some of your listeners in Ukraine will be offended by what we are saying. The Stoics remind me that other people's opinions do not depend on me. If you say, "I'm offended," it usually means the end of the dialogue. Words are not bullets. They cannot hurt you. Some people use their resentment as a way to silence others.
48:05 In the US, freedom of speech is an absolute right, but it has never been like that. The border runs through incitement to violence. If we start saying that insults or hate speech should be prohibited in any situation, then a situation may arise where someone will be accused of promoting hatred unfairly. The question is how much you want to restrict freedom of speech, on the one hand, or protect people's freedom, on the other. The US Constitution prohibits freedom of speech only from restrictions imposed by the government. Twitter is not a government, but a private company.
56:27 Is it even possible to remain a good person during the war? To be neutral and this does not concern me, I think, is a bad choice. And this is despite the fact that it is often difficult to formulate the correct opinion. There is no doubt that Russia is the aggressor; therefore, my sympathies should be on the side of Ukraine. But if you expand the scope and begin to take into account the history of interaction between Russia and NATO, this changes the context. This does not justify aggression. But there are historical and cultural reasons that must be taken into account if we are to move forward.

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