How Much News Should a Stoic Consume?
In this episode I wrestle with how much news a practicing Stoic should actually consume. I define a “news media diet,” weigh different source types (fellow citizens, establishment outlets, and subject-matter experts), and argue for a role-driven, locality-first approach that respects our limits of time, competence, and control. I also share my own daily routine and a practical way to stay informed without burning out or being dragged into performative outrage.
Key takeaways from this episode include:
— Total awareness is impossible and counter-productive; Stoic attention should be selective, role-guided, and locally anchored.
— Evaluate sources by access and incentives: citizens (high emotion, low access), establishment media (access but market pressures), experts (highest fidelity, hardest to parse).
— Prioritize local → national → global, expanding outward where issues bilaterally affect your locality and where you can meaningfully act.
— Caring doesn’t require omniscience: when you lack competence or control, prefer modest, concrete goods (e.g., legitimate humanitarian donations) over performative debate.
— Build a bounded routine (e.g., brief market/finance scan, a neutral daily digest, one or two focused newsletters, 30 minutes on local coverage) and avoid doom-scrolling.
— Stoic aim: enough awareness to fulfill your roles justly—no more, no less.
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