Suggested Readings
A few recommendations by Figs in Winter for your reading pleasure
Stoicism, insults, and political correctness. Recently I’ve been thinking more about insults and what Stoicism might tell us about how to view them. That’s been prompted by some articles by William Irvine and Eric O. Scott about insults, social justice, and political correctness, following Irvine’s recent publication of the book A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt and Why They Shouldn’t. Their discussion does a good job of applying Stoic philosophy to a specific dilemma that’s topical at the moment. There’s been a lot of reference in the media recently to “microaggression”, “safe spaces”, and “trigger warnings”, particularly on US college campuses. … (Donald Robertson's Stoicism)
Cicero & the ideal of virtue. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE), one of Rome’s greatest orators and philosophers, placed the concept of virtus or virtue at the heart of his moral and political philosophy. For Cicero, virtus was the quintessential Roman ideal, encompassing courage, moral integrity, and civic responsibility. Understanding Cicero’s conception of virtus is essential for grasping how Roman thinkers fused traditional Roman values with philosophical reasoning to shape personal conduct and political action. … (Philosophy Now)
Why humans were never inevitable. Speculative evolution is irresistible fun. Steiner blessed his snouter species with names such as “Tyrannonasus imperator” and winkingly explained how a nearby thermonuclear test annihilated the rhinogrades’ archipelago, erasing all evidence of their existence. Other scientists have fondly extended the joke by including Rhinogradentia in official taxonomies. Following the English translation of Steiner’s work (published on April Fool’s Day in 1967), a fan reportedly founded the National Organization for Snouter Ecology (NOSE). Even George Gaylord Simpson — the most renowned evolutionist of the generation — joined in, writing in Science that Rhinogradentia’s discovery was the 20th century’s “most startling zoological event.” … (Big Think)
The global retreat from scientific temper. Across much of the academic world, the principles that once defined science—empirical testing, openness to correction, and immunity from authority—are under strain. Leading institutions are now adopting the rhetoric of “decolonizing” science: a movement that began as a moral project to redress historical imbalances but is increasingly becoming an epistemological rebellion against the very idea of universal standards of evidence. This trend is visible even at the highest levels. Nature’s editorial “Decolonize Scientific Institutions, Don’t Just Diversify Them” (2025) acknowledges legitimate inequities but also implies that Indigenous or spiritual worldviews should be accorded epistemic equality with modern science. That suggestion blurs the line between respecting cultural heritage and redefining what counts as knowledge. What is at stake is not a debate about who should do science, but what science is about. … (Skeptical Inquirer)
Writing faculty push for the right to refuse AI. The world’s largest professional organization of writing educators disagrees with the notion that the rise of generative artificial intelligence in the classroom is unavoidable. Earlier this month, the Conference on College Composition and Communication passed a resolution affirming the rights of students and faculty to refuse the use of generative AI in the writing classroom. “Unsubstantiated claims about how generative AI increases productivity” and a string of other concerns underpinned the resolution including the technology’s corrosive implications for data privacy, labor rights, academic freedom, the environment and the critical thinking skills humans develop through the process of writing. … (Inside Higher Education)
Liked the Robertson piece.