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The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

classics.mit.edu

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Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#71

Post by thomasfl »

joaorico wrote: post #43
molsongolden wrote: post #13

I have a copy on my nightstand that I read semi-frequently. It's interesting to keep in mind that he wrote them as a personal journal and never intended for his writings to be read by a broader audience. He frequently chastises himself and one of my favorite reflections comes from the beginning of Book V. The translation from the OP isn't the best but it's all I have on hand: "In the morning when thou risest unwillin…

I recommend Gregory Hays' new translation, without the 'thou's and 'dost's. http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-New-Translation-Modern-Lib... "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work–as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for–the things which I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under…

It's not available as a paper copy. Only Kindle e-book. Does anyone know where we can get hold of Hays' fine translation of this truly timeless gem on paper ?

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#72

Post by Mvandenbergh »

ubernostrum wrote: post #67
morganf wrote: post #65

Um. Last year, I re-read Gibbon's Decline and Fall, and my favorite chapter (written in such a funny way!) is his detailing how his wife was having sex with everyone under the sun, and everyone in Rome knew it. Except for Marcus Aurelius himself; he lived in such a bubble, he couldn't see the reality in front of his nose. He was so unable to teach his son, Commodus, that when his son became emperor... well, Commodus…

Marcus also broke with tradition on the succession. Previously, emperors would look for someone who seemed to fit their idea of a good heir, and then adopt. Marcus broke that tradition and simply passed the throne on to his biological son, with disastrous consequences.

Not really tradition, the previous few generations of emperors simply didn't have any sons so they didn't have a choice.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#73

Post by Luc »

thomasfl wrote: post #71
joaorico wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recommend Gregory Hays' new translation, without the 'thou's and 'dost's. http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-New-Translation-Modern-Lib... "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work–as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for–the things which I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under…

It's not available as a paper copy. Only Kindle e-book. Does anyone know where we can get hold of Hays' fine translation of this truly timeless gem on paper ?

Abebooks.com has copies: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Medit...

I have the hardcover, but it's not great quality. The paper is thin and yellowing, the printing is crooked, and the binding is simply a paperback glued into a hardcover, with a ribbon in between to give the impression of a real binding.

The content is great though, and despite my complaining I am mostly stoic about it :)

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#74

Post by Luc »

michaelsbradley wrote: post #66
jonstewart wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, too, keep a copy on the nightstand. It's the stoic's bible.

Those interested in Stoicism, and who are curious if and how its ideals might be "baptized" and employed in a Christian philosophy of life, ought to look into the writings of Fr. Alphonsus Rodriguez, who has been described by some as a "Christian Seneca": Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues https://archive.org/details/PPCV-Manresa

I can see from your profile that it's your thing to pipe up with Christian literature at every occasion.

Don't get the impression you are providing a wonderful service here; it's very annoying to see Christianity dragged into otherwise pleasant subjects.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#75

Post by michaelsbradley »

Luc wrote: post #74
michaelsbradley wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those interested in Stoicism, and who are curious if and how its ideals might be "baptized" and employed in a Christian philosophy of life, ought to look into the writings of Fr. Alphonsus Rodriguez, who has been described by some as a "Christian Seneca": Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues https://archive.org/details/PPCV-Manresa

I can see from your profile that it's your thing to pipe up with Christian literature at every occasion. Don't get the impression you are providing a wonderful service here; it's very annoying to see Christianity dragged into otherwise pleasant subjects.

I try to cheerfully bring Christ and the Christian Faith into every dimension of my life, public and private, because I believe it is a good thing to do, regardless of what others may think of me and my words and actions, or whatever consequences may ensue. Of course, I try to practice good manners in every circumstance and to give due regard to the Savior's words: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

I can hardly imagine a better "place" than HN to share, even in some small way, the light of the Crucified and Risen. Also, I'm passionate about software development and information technology, so the HN scene is a natural place for me to hang out and share my ideas and concerns, on a variety of topics.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#76

Post by Luc »

michaelsbradley wrote: post #75
Luc wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see from your profile that it's your thing to pipe up with Christian literature at every occasion. Don't get the impression you are providing a wonderful service here; it's very annoying to see Christianity dragged into otherwise pleasant subjects.

I try to cheerfully bring Christ and the Christian Faith into every dimension of my life, public and private, because I believe it is a good thing to do, regardless of what others may think of me and my words and actions, or whatever consequences may ensue. Of course, I try to practice good manners in every circumstance and to give due regard to the Savior's words: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wol…

Thread-shitting for Christ is not as awesome as you think it is. Doing this as a systematic project is bringing down the value of HN a tiny little bit with every one of your posts.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#77

Post by michaelsbradley »

Luc wrote: post #76
michaelsbradley wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I try to cheerfully bring Christ and the Christian Faith into every dimension of my life, public and private, because I believe it is a good thing to do, regardless of what others may think of me and my words and actions, or whatever consequences may ensue. Of course, I try to practice good manners in every circumstance and to give due regard to the Savior's words: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wol…

Thread-shitting for Christ is not as awesome as you think it is. Doing this as a systematic project is bringing down the value of HN a tiny little bit with every one of your posts.

One of the things people do when discussing HN topics is share other resources that they feel have some bearing on the topic at hand; it also seems to be a common practice to offer alternative perspectives, complementary ideas and criticisms related to the OP or comments on it.

I do my best to make sure that all my comments, whatever their nature, follow that pattern. So, no, I'm not trolling, or "thread shitting", or anything along those lines. If I didn't think my comments were relevant in some way, I wouldn't make them -- that's just basic HN etiquette. If you don't like what I have to say or think I am in fact trolling, by all means downvote my comments. Also, if my comments really bother you, feel free to implement a little script that filters them from view. You could even make it general purpose, put it up on GitHub and submit it to HN.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#78

Post by Luc »

michaelsbradley wrote: post #77
Luc wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thread-shitting for Christ is not as awesome as you think it is. Doing this as a systematic project is bringing down the value of HN a tiny little bit with every one of your posts.

One of the things people do when discussing HN topics is share other resources that they feel have some bearing on the topic at hand; it also seems to be a common practice to offer alternative perspectives, complementary ideas and criticisms related to the OP or comments on it. I do my best to make sure that all my comments, whatever their nature, follow that pattern. So, no, I'm not trolling, or "thread shitting", o…

> One of the things people do when discussing HN topics is share other resources that they feel have some bearing on the topic at hand; it also seems to be a common practice to offer alternative perspectives, complementary ideas and criticisms related to the OP or comments on it.

However, one of the things most people here don't do is use HN as a convenient platform to push their beliefs at every possible occasion.

> feel free to implement a little script that filters them from view.

No. You are the one with the annoying, spamming behaviour. Don't tell me to put up a spam filter. Stop spamming instead.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#79

Post by grey-area »

DrMikeTyson wrote: post #29

I just don't get why this is at the top of Hacker News. Should I post a fucking copy of Walden next week?

You forgot to mention that the meditations has probably been posted several times on HN this century; it's not new to anyone (not even news), and it should really have [0167] in the title to make this clear, so that you can skip it because it's not up to the minute technology ephemera.

Should I post a fucking copy of Walden next week?

Sure, why not, Walden is also a great book and foundational text and raises questions about the relationship of the state to its citizens which are increasingly appropriate for people working in the global online community to consider. It's also a great read.

Compared to the content of most of the links on HN, both Walden and the Meditations have more insightful commentary, and more generally applicable lessons, than most of the websites posted on here will produce over their entire lifetime.

Re: The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

#80

Post by geofft »

Luc wrote: post #78
michaelsbradley wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the things people do when discussing HN topics is share other resources that they feel have some bearing on the topic at hand; it also seems to be a common practice to offer alternative perspectives, complementary ideas and criticisms related to the OP or comments on it. I do my best to make sure that all my comments, whatever their nature, follow that pattern. So, no, I'm not trolling, or "thread shitting", o…

> One of the things people do when discussing HN topics is share other resources that they feel have some bearing on the topic at hand; it also seems to be a common practice to offer alternative perspectives, complementary ideas and criticisms related to the OP or comments on it. However, one of the things most people here don't do is use HN as a convenient platform to push their beliefs at every possible occasion. >…

> However, one of the things most people here don't do is use HN as a convenient platform to push their beliefs at every possible occasion.

I find that claim implausible... I see a lot of beliefs being pushed, like "Startup culture is great" or "Startup culture is awful" or "Those people should have a better security response story" or "Don't use tables for layout" or "MAC-then-encrypt is a mistake". I would expect that most people have pushed a belief one time or another.

What I don't see a lot of is arguments about what is or isn't on-topic. That's what the downvote button is for, and it has a built-in mechanism to see if anyone else agrees with you.

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