In Episode 90, I interview Peter Limberg, the steward of The Stoa. Almost a year ago now, on March 21st, 2020, as the pandemic arrived in North America, Peter started an online event space inspired by the Stoa Poikile (“painted porch”) in ancient Athens where Zeno held the philosophical discussions that came to be known as “Stoicism”.
Peter’s modern Stoa was a space to explore much more than just Stoicism though, offering a platform for a variety of different thinkers and practices, quickly becoming a popular digital refuge to explore the philosophical issues brought up by the uncertainty of the time. After participating in a few events myself, Peter asked me to co-host a handful of one-off sessions, like Amor Fati, Loving Cringe Meditation, and Narcissistic Spotlight, which led to a regular series I facilitated on the Stoa for nearly a year called Shame Breakthrough Bootcamp.
In this interview, Peter takes us inside the formation of the Stoa and his vision for a space where divergent philosophies can be explored without shame. Peter talks about the “meta” or bird’s eye perspective he uses to try on new and challenging ideas so as to enrich his own perspective, even if those ideas ultimately aren’t his cup of tea. We explore the courage, openness, and acceptance needed to move past our own discomfort in order to raid the philosophical closets of other thinkers.
If you haven’t already participated in The Stoa, I highly recommend checking out some events before the one-year anniversary on March 21st, 2021 where the fate of Peter’s experiment will be unveiled at the Maybe the End of The Stoa Party. You can also follow Peter on Twitter and read about his wild existential journey over the course of The Stoa through his Stoic practice of near-daily journalling.
Note: this interview was edited for clarity.
