Pragmatism

Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus: two faces of stoicism when the pressure shifts

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

Marcus Aurelius wrote for himself, with no thought of publication, and that journaling helped him govern an empire under enormous pressure. In this period of liquidity stress I understand why: Epictetus gave me the theoretical foundations, but it is Marcus Aurelius who becomes essential now, when theory must turn into concrete action.

You do not give up the planting. You face it, one number at a time.

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Accepting is not enough: why not succumbing is the real challenge

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

Accepting a trigger from the past does not automatically mean feeling fine. The real challenge comes after: not succumbing when that trigger resurfaces. In moments of tiredness, when even metacognition risks becoming a spectator instead of a guide, it is the Go stones placed in calm moments that make the difference.

As Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius taught, each in his own way: do not deny the emotion, do not let it take control.

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Internalisation, part two: when it arrives to save you precisely in the tired moments

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

Internalisation truly shows itself when it arrives precisely in the tired moments, almost saving you without looking like a miracle.

During this period of accumulated tiredness I saw metacognition block compulsive tendencies at work, I saw how talking openly helps in the family more than any technique, and I understood the thin line between personal growth and dangerous narratives built with the very same tools we use to improve ourselves.

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Internalising: when a concept stops being a tool and becomes part of you

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

Internalising does not mean repeating until you memorise. It means bringing a concept so deeply inside that it becomes an automatism, something you no longer have to reach for when you need it. Over the past year philosophy moved from work into personal life as a genuine escalation.

Two recent episodes, a complex negotiation and a volunteering situation with an aggressive interlocutor, showed me what it means when Socrates, Dewey and Gadamer stop being tools and become part of you.

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Simplicity as a superpower: when less becomes more

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

Complexity is a composition of well-structured simplicities. It sounds like a paradox, and yet two very different contexts showed it to me: structured video games like Soviet Republic, where I learned to focus on one system at a time instead of trying to master everything at once, and an unexpected video call with Marco, thrilled after trying a rough game I had built with AI.

Simplicity applied well creates great things.

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The philosophical framework for AI: when eight thinkers become sparring partners

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

I skipped the Easter post because I did not have the insight. AI helps me, but with the human at the center: having it write something just for the sake of it would have meant betraying myself. Today I tell the story of how eight philosophers, Socrates, Kant, Hegel and the others, became an operational framework for dialoguing with AI and doing coding.

Not tools to apply, but a way of thinking to inhabit.

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When the Gate fails: Philosophy applied, Mistakes included

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

I failed Kant’s gate in a recent conversation, and that failure conditioned everything that followed. And yet something moved anyway. Because naming philosophical concepts strengthens and internalizes them.

Eight philosophers, one framework: not academic material, but tools for communicating better, understanding where you go wrong, and creating the conditions for certain Go stones to produce unexpected results.

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Demotivation: The Silent Cost of Those Who Truly Believe

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

Demotivation hits even those who pour their soul into what they do, fight the status quo, and truly believe. It is not weakness, it is physics. Without allies and without a system, even the most determined people hit kilometer 20 of the marathon already spent, the stadium nowhere in sight. But a system changes everything.

And certain Go stones, placed with patience, show their value when you least expect it.

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Technology Kills Human Connection. Are We Sure?

Free Thoughts, Pragmatism /

AI kills creativity, technology destroys human connection. We hear it constantly, but are we sure? At the playground with my kids, iPhone in hand and Claude Code running, I was chatting with other parents and playing with Marco and Amelia. The technology was working for me, I was building everything else.

The real tool was never the hardware. It was thinking.

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Transmitting Complexity: The Socratic Method in Daily Life

Connections, Pragmatism /

How do you transmit critical thinking without “teaching”? The Socratic method is the answer: not providing solutions, but asking questions that guide others to find their own. I apply it everywhere, from conversations taking children to school to dialogues with friends over coffee. “Why do you think it’s like this?” instead of “you must do this.” The Italian context tends to value the guru who gives quick answers, but those seeking substance recognize the value of dialogue. The most beautiful moment? That pause when you see the spark ignite. That “Ah, wait…” when the idea takes form on its own. The rhizome is born this way: from co-creation, not imposition.

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