Oikeiôsis: The UK's Hottest Year on Record

Oikeiôsis: The UK's Hottest Year on Record

From Practicing Stoicism by Tanner Campbell

January 3, 2026 · 9 min · Season 1 · Episode 1

About this episode

In this episode, Tanner Campbell discusses the ethical implications of the UK's hottest year on record through the lens of Stoic philosophy.

This podcast is supported entirely by you, the listener. Without you patronage, none of this is possible. Become a patron of my work for as little as $0.50/week here: https://liberapay.com/tannerocampbell/ -- In this episode of Practicing Stoicism, I use the news that 2025 was the UK’s hottest year on record as a practical case study for Stoic ethics. I am not interested here in debating climate science, percentages, or blame. Instead, I focus on a Stoic question that is both simpler and more demanding: given what we know, what is the just thing for us to choose? I examine common Stoic misunderstandings around responsibility, especially the modern tendency to treat Hierocles’ Circles of Concern as an “order of operations” that excuses indifference to distant problems. I explain why this interpretation is wrong, how the Stoic concept of oikeiōsis actually works, and why moral concern naturally expands outward from the self to family, community, and ultimately the world we depend on. I also introduce a different way of visualising Stoic concern, drawing on work I’ve done with Kai Whiting in What Is Stoicism? A Brief and Accessible Overview, to show why care for the environment is…

People in this episode

Host: Tanner Campbell

Topics covered

  • Stoic ethics
  • climate change
  • responsibility
  • oikeiōsis
  • environmental justice
  • moral concern

Keywords

  • Stoicism
  • climate ethics
  • oikeiōsis
  • environmental responsibility
  • justice
  • Hierocles’ Circles of Concern

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: What Is Stoicism? A Brief and Accessible Overview

Places: UK

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