The Foundations Series
Essays exploring the fundamentals of Stoicism
The Foundations Series: Part 1 – Eudaimonia: My Experience
A personal account of my journey from alcoholism to coherence and beauty
I never sought Eudaimonia.
I arrived at it indirectly, through failure, addiction, and the gradual recognition that chasing feelings leads to disintegration.
The Foundations Series: Part 2 – Why Reality Matters
The structure of reality, and the true cost of ignoring it
If chasing good feelings leads to disintegration, then something more important must be setting the terms.
The problem is not that life goes wrong. It’s that it follows rules we don’t particularly like, and it follows them anyway.
The Foundations Series: Part 3 – Rational Agency – The Bedrock of Stoicism
Everything in Stoicism concerns decisions. Here’s why.
There is only one thing that’s really yours: your next decision.
This might sound like metaphysical or spiritual twaddle, but is actually a well-reasoned and robust claim. This essay lays out that reasoning.
The Foundations Series: Part 4 – The Inner Citadel
How to understand the Inner Citadel and its place in the Stoic life.
Here, we explore the gap between inputs and action, and begin our journey into Stoic practice.
The Foundations Series: Part 5 – The Domain of Action
How to interact with the world effectively
In this one, we explore the Disciplines of Action and Desire, and how they shape our approach to action.