Massimo Pigliucci is a modern Stoic philosopher and a professor of philosophy at the City College of New York. He started his academic career as an evolutionary biologist, publishing close to two hundred papers, before transitioning fully to philosophy. Outside academia, he is best known for bringing ancient philosophical traditions into direct contact with contemporary life. His books include How to Be a Stoic (2017), Beyond Stoicism, and How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic. He also writes the Substack newsletter Figs in Winter, which is currently his primary public platform.

Follow Massimo on Substack.

From biology to philosophy

Pigliucci grew up in Rome, raised Catholic. He discovered philosophy in secondary school, where three years of lessons put an end to his Catholicism. From there, he moved through secular humanism, a worldview that gave him a general picture of the world but not a practical toolkit for living. When divorce and the death of his father arrived, secular humanism had little to offer. In time, that gap led him toward virtue ethics and eventually toward Stoicism. Of all the Greco-Roman traditions, he found it the most practical and the most aligned with his own character.

His scientific background shapes how he reads and teaches philosophy. The epistemology is grounded and the historical claims are careful. He brings a particular interest in questions of knowledge and evidence: how we know what we know, and what degree of confidence any claim actually warrants. Those concerns run through all three of his books reviewed on Via Stoica. They also form the central argument of How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic.

Every statement that I make about anything, including my personal philosophy of life, should be understood as: yes, but I could be wrong. And I hold this only with a high degree of probability, but not with certainty.

Massimo Pigliucci, interview with Massimo, Via Stoica Podcast [~32:00]

Books reviewed on Via Stoica

Overall, Via Stoica has reviewed three of Massimo Pigliucci’s books. Each one represents a different stage of his philosophical development and a different entry point for the reader.

How to Be a Stoic (2017) uses Epictetus as a conversation partner to explore how Stoic philosophy applies to modern life. In particular, it is the most practical of his three books and the natural starting point for anyone coming to his work for the first time.

Beyond Stoicism (2024), co-written with Meredith Alexander Kunz and Gregory Lopez, is an eclectic guide to multiple philosophical traditions. Each chapter covers a different school of thought alongside Stoicism, with practical exercises at the end. It is the right book for a reader who has worked through the Stoic introductions and wants to think beyond a single framework.

How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic (2026) takes Cicero as its guide through ten teachings on knowledge, grief, aging, justice, and how to face death. It argues that a healthy skeptical posture is not a contradiction of Stoic practice but a check on it. Via Stoica scored it 9 out of 10.

The Via Stoica connection

Benny first met Massimo at one of his Stoic seminars in Athens in June 2025. They met again at a seminar in Turin in 2026. Via Stoica has interviewed Massimo twice on the podcast: once about How to Be a Stoic and Beyond Stoicism, and once about How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic.

Watch the first conversation on YouTube.

Watch the second conversation, on How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic, on YouTube.

Where to find Massimo

Massimo Pigliucci’s books are available wherever books are sold. The most direct route to the new book is the Penguin Random House page for How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic. His Substack newsletter, Figs in Winter, is his primary ongoing platform. There, he continues to explore philosophy as a way of life. He has also produced two video lecture courses for The Great Courses: one on Stoicism and one on the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, both available on Audible.

If you want to go deeper into Stoic practice, you can schedule a free consultation with Benny as your Stoic coach. Listen to The Via Stoica Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.