Practical Stoicism

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In this episode, I explore the idea that “silence is complicity” and whether that claim holds up under Stoic scrutiny.

This phrase gets used as a kind of moral pressure—an attempt to force speech or action by implying that not speaking is equivalent to endorsing wrongdoing. But Stoicism doesn’t deal in slogans like this. It deals in judgment. It asks: what is appropriate for me, given my role, my knowledge, and the situation in front of me?

Sometimes speaking is the right thing to do. Sometimes it is not. The Stoic position is not that silence is always justified, nor that speech is always required, but that both must be evaluated through reason.

One of the problems with slogans like “silence is complicity” is that they bypass this process entirely. They encourage immediate assent to an impression—“something is wrong, therefore I must speak”—without first testing whether that impression is accurate, whether one understands the situation, or whether speaking will actually improve anything.

From a Stoic perspective, speaking without understanding can be just as irresponsible as remaining silent when action is required. Both are failures of judgment.

So the real question isn’t whether silence is complicity. The real question is: what is the just and appropriate response here? That requires slowing down, examining the impression, and being honest about what you do and do not know.

It also requires considering your role. Not every situation calls for your voice. Not every issue falls within your responsibility. And not every demand for speech is made in good faith.

That doesn’t mean you default to silence. It means you earn your speech. You speak when you have reasoned your way to the conclusion that speaking is the appropriate action—and you remain silent when that same process leads you elsewhere.

The takeaway is straightforward. Don’t outsource your moral judgment to slogans. Whether you speak or remain silent, make sure it is the result of clear reasoning, not social pressure.

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I am a public philosopher, it is my only job. I am enabled to do this job, in large part, thanks to support from my listeners and readers. You can support my work, keep it independent and online, at ⁠https://stoicismpod.com/members⁠

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Tanner reflects on his recent speaking tour across Scotland—including stops in Glasgow, Fort William, Isle of Skye, Inverness, Ballater, Perth, and Dundee—and explains how the experience reshaped his perspective on what it means to “do the work” as a public philosopher.

While the podcast continues to reach a wide audience, in-person engagement proved uniquely impactful. As a result, Tanner is exploring live Stoicism workshops as a core extension of his work.

This episode introduces a pilot event: a one-day Stoicism workshop in Leicester, designed to test whether live teaching can become a sustainable and meaningful part of his professional model.
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In this episode, recorded from the Isle of Raasay in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, I reflect on endurance and resilience—what they are, how they differ, and why both matter.

The setting matters. The Highlands and islands confront you with something modern life often hides: limits. Weather changes quickly. Conditions are often harsh. Nature does not adjust to you. You adjust to it. This creates a constant reminder of mortality—not just in the literal sense, but in the sense that good conditions don’t last, and neither do bad ones.

From there, I turn to endurance. We often think of endurance as physical strength, but from a Stoic perspective, it is not physical at all. Endurance is the ability to continue through difficulty because you choose to. It is grounded in rational judgment and strength of will, not muscle. Anyone can endure if they have trained their capacity to choose well under pressure.

Resilience is different. Where endurance is about carrying the load, resilience is about recovering after carrying it. It is the ability to return to stability, to maintain hope, and to continue living well after hardship. This is much harder to cultivate.

I push back on the modern idea that resilience is built through constant stress exposure. That approach often misses the essential component: rest. Without deliberate recovery, systems break down. True resilience requires cycles—effort followed by rest, strain followed by recovery.

I use the analogy of steam-bending wood. You cannot force wood into shape all at once. You apply pressure gradually, allow it to rest, and repeat the process. Over time, the structure changes. The same is true for human resilience.

The takeaway is simple. Endurance is about choosing to carry difficulty. Resilience is about knowing how to recover from it. Both are necessary. Neither is built through brute force alone.

Listening on Spotify? Leave a comment! Share your thoughts.

I am a public philosopher, it is my only job. I am enabled to do this job, in large part, thanks to support from my listeners and readers. You can support my work, keep it independent and online, at ⁠https://stoicismpod.com/members⁠
Looking for more Stoic content? Consider my 3x/week newsletter "Stoic Brekkie": ⁠https://stoicbrekkie.com⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://stoicjournaling.com code “BREKKIE” at checkout.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices