So if I'm getting this right, Stoicism mostly just encourages pragmatic action and acknowledges the dichotomy of control?
So it's basically Taoism?
What the Stoics did for us
21–30 of 66 posts
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#22You can download Marcus Aurelius' Meditations for free at my project, Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditation... The translation is good and Meditations is one of my favorite books. Super interesting to get an inside look at how the most powerful man in the world used Stoicism to deal with both the weight of an empire, and with day-to-day trivialities. The Enchiridion is another…
Off-topic, but I’m a big fan of your project. It’s an important work. Kudos for doing it so well.
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#23You can download Marcus Aurelius' Meditations for free at my project, Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditation... The translation is good and Meditations is one of my favorite books. Super interesting to get an inside look at how the most powerful man in the world used Stoicism to deal with both the weight of an empire, and with day-to-day trivialities. The Enchiridion is another…
This is quite a project, I'm very much impressed especially after having discovered the severe limitations and leaving much to be desired of the project guttenberg content https://ebooks.stackexchange.com/questions/7438/how-does-pro....
I very much like the "technically minded reader" orientation you all espouse.
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#24You can download Marcus Aurelius' Meditations for free at my project, Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditation... The translation is good and Meditations is one of my favorite books. Super interesting to get an inside look at how the most powerful man in the world used Stoicism to deal with both the weight of an empire, and with day-to-day trivialities. The Enchiridion is another…
Don't confine yourself to Epictetus' Enchiridion; his Discourses are a delight, especially as translated by Oldfather:
Books I & II: https://archive.org/details/epictetusdiscour01epicuoft
Books III & IV: https://archive.org/details/epictetusdiscour02epicuoft
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#25Stoicism was the only philosophy that I felt was practicable in he real world today. It reminds you that you have control over your own thoughts and you can choose how to respond to outside events. You can appreciate what you have now by negative visualization and remembering there was a time when you wanted it more than anything. That your hard work is good for your own soul even if no one else appreciates it. That life is fleeting, people will leave you, will die and betray you but not be surprised when it happens.
I am in no way affiliated with this site or mailing list but I can't recommend this site enough, it's the only mail I always open in the morning. It's nice everyday to get a new tale of how someone was stoic in a difficult situation. https://dailystoic.com/
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#26TLDR: author is going to teach his kids stoicism until they convert to something else (like Catholicism).
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#27I'm a forensic psychiatrist, and I work in corrections. I have been finding myself recommending books on stoicism to some of my patients after reading a few myself. It's a useful counterpoint to the modern idea that if your life is not Instagram/Pinboard material then you are a failure.
Can you share some recommendations here?
How to be a Stoic changes the historical context of Stoicism to suit Pigliucci's personal views. I do not recommend that book, since his good bits are borrowed from The Inner Citadel. The author lost my respect when he supported the revisionism of the BBC. https://medium.com/opacity/comment-on-klueless-massimo-s-com...
This short essay by GILBERT MURRAY is the best introduction to Stoicism: http://ia600304.us.archive.org/13/items/thestoicphilosop00mu...
After that, you can dive into:
- EPICTETUS, Discourses, Fragments, Handbook (Oxford World's Classics. It features both Enchiridion and fragments)
- MARCUS AURELIUS, Meditations (Oxford World's Classics)
- Any collection of letters and essays written by SENECA
- PIERRE HADOT, The Inner Citadel (Harvard Press, Translated by Michael Chase)
Don't rush through the material, think deeply about every page you read. Don't forget to understand the life and history of each author. Context is extremely important. Don't let modern sensibilities fill the gaps. If you're looking for a solid introduction to traditional logic, I recommend you Socratic Logic, by Peter Kreeft. Lastly, the only way to truly understand Stoicism is to learn about Socrates and Plato as well.
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#28I made a simple Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store that shows a stoicism quote and serene wallpaper in each new tab:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stoikk/hghegkdflff...
Any recommendations for improvements/features/etc are always appreciated.
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#29So if I'm getting this right, Stoicism mostly just encourages pragmatic action and acknowledges the dichotomy of control? So it's basically Taoism?
Quite likely just the same basic ideas under different packaging, yes.
Though classical Stoicism did have a bunch of other beliefs mixed in about god, nature, and science, but people mostly ignore those parts and focus on the parts that apply to day to day behavior.
Re: What the Stoics did for us
#30I'm a forensic psychiatrist, and I work in corrections. I have been finding myself recommending books on stoicism to some of my patients after reading a few myself. It's a useful counterpoint to the modern idea that if your life is not Instagram/Pinboard material then you are a failure.
> modern idea that if your life is not Instagram/Pinboard material then you are a failure.
what is this idea, and is it new?