Roman Plow, Sovereign Tree: Seneca and Zhuangzi
From Waywords Studio Full Slate by Steve Chisnell
May 1, 2026 · 43 min
About this episode
This episode explores the philosophical comparisons between Stoicism and Daoism through the works of Seneca and Zhuangzi, addressing themes of duty, usefulness, and global inequity.
Can Stoicism answer our dilemma? Is the suffering child a product of a world that demands every second and every soul be “useful” to the state? By comparing the “Roman Plow” of duty to the “Sovereign Tree” of uselessness, we ask if our participation in the “Achievement Society” is actually what pays for global injustice and inequity. Compare Seneca’s On the Shortness of Life with the Zhuangzi in this reflection on Stoicism vs. Daoism. Learn why “uselessness” is a survival strategy against the “Extraction Economy” and how Cincinnatus’s Roman Plow creates a utilitarian trap. Oh, and how The Expendables does, too. Episode 6.33 – Roman Plow, Sovereign Tree: Seneca and Zhuangzi Readings & Resources: Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. “On the Shortness of Life.” Gareth Williams, trans., 2003. Zhuangzi. The Zhuangzi . Martin Palmer et. al., trans. 2020. Cicero, Marcus Tullius. De Officiis (On Duties) . Walter Miller, trans., 1913. Han, Byung-Chul. The Burnout Society . Stanford University Press, 2015. Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority . Translated by Alphonso Lingis…
People in this episode
Host: Steve Chisnell
Topics covered
- Stoicism
- Daoism
- global injustice
- utilitarianism
- extraction economy
- uselessness
- achievement society
Keywords
- Stoicism
- Daoism
- Seneca
- Zhuangzi
- uselessness
- extraction economy
- global injustice
- achievement society
- utilitarian trap
- Otium honestum
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: On the Shortness of Life, The Zhuangzi, De Officiis (On Duties), The Burnout Society, Totality and Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority, The Expendables
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