How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

Rebuilding Plato’s Academy – Good Men Project

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 13:30:51 GMT

My article about rebuilding Plato’s Academy has just been republished on the front page of The Good Men Project website.

Read the article on The Good Men Project

What Books did Marcus Aurelius Read?

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 01:33:50 GMT

The Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius was extremely well-read. Indeed, he urges himself several times in The Meditations, his personal notebook of philosophical reflections, to set aside his reading and focus on improving his character instead. He was clearly a bit of a bookworm. So what exactly did he like to read?

We have several Roman histories which discuss Marcus Aurelius’ life. These contain a few references to his literary interests. Indeed, one historian, Herodian, writes:

He was concerned with all aspects of excellence, and in his love of ancient literature he was second to no man, Roman or Greek; this is evident from all his sayings and writings which have come down to us. — History of the Empire

The Historia Augusta portrays Marcus quoting the Roman poet Ennius:

The state of Rome is rooted in the men and manners of the olden time. — Ennius, Annales

We also have a cache of letters between his Latin rhetoric tutor, Marcus Cornelius Fronto, and several friends, mainly Marcus Aurelius himself. In it they mention in passing several Latin writers that Marcus has read, such as Cato the Elder, Cicero, Lucretius, and even Seneca. However, there are also several prominent references to literature in The Meditations, mainly to Greek tragedies. Marcus actually prefaces some of these quotations with the following explanation of their significance to him:

At first tragedies were brought on the stage as means of reminding men of the things which happen to them, and that it is according to nature for things to happen so, and that, if you are delighted with what is shown on the stage, you should not be troubled with that which takes place on the larger stage. For you see that these things must be accomplished thus, and that even they bear them who cry out, “O Cithaeron.” And, indeed, some things are said well by the dramatic writers, of which kind is the following especially… — Meditations, 11.6

‘Ah Cithaeron!’ is from Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King. As we’ll see, though, by far the majority of the quotes Marcus incorporates in The Meditations are from the Greek tragedian Euripides.

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The Difference between stoicism and Stoicism

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 19:17:33 GMT

Against being unemotional and the case for a “Passionate Stoicism”

I do not withdraw the wise man from the category of man, nor do I deny to him the sense of pain as though he were a rock that has no feelings at all. — Seneca, Letters, 71

Stoicism has become a quite trendy over the past couple of decades. When I first began writing about it, roughly 25 years ago now, things were very different.

Until recently, there were very few popular books about the subject and they weren’t very widely-read. There were not many articles on websites. Now, though, new books and articles appear every day. That’s a good thing because Stoicism has a great deal to offer people. It’s the original philosophical inspiration for cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), the leading form of modern evidence-based psychotherapy. Perhaps more importantly, it offers a way of building emotional resilience, which may reduce the risk of developing anxiety or depression in the future.

Put bluntly, Stoicism is not the same thing as stoicism. Virtually all modern academics capitalize the name of the Greek philosophy to highlight the difference…

However, the downside is that when as idea becomes more and more popular it can become oversimplified and distorted. Often a good idea can become a victim of its own success. The glaring example of that with Stoicism, the Greek philosophy, is the widespread tendency for people to confuse it with stoicism (lowercase) the unemotional coping style. When people talk about lowercase stoicism they mean things like “have a stiff upper-lip”, “suck it up”, “boys don’t cry”, etc.

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Rebuilding Plato’s Academy

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 07:18:25 GMT

Exploring the Historic Ruins in Athens

Every single “academy” in the world is named after the original Akademia of Athens. Founded by Plato after the execution of his teacher, Socrates, at the start of the 4th century BC, Plato’s Academy was the first major school of philosophy, the first academic institution. It’s one of the very foundation stones of Western civilization. For centuries, it was considered a centre of learning, and a beacon of light, throughout the Western world.

“What happened to it?”, people ask, “Where was it located?” and “Does Plato’s Academy still exist?”

I’m an author, writing about philosophy, who happens to live in Athens. So this topic comes up a lot for me in conversation. “What happened to it?”, people ask, “Where was it located?” and “Does Plato’s Academy still exist?” In a nutshell, it was destroyed by the Roman dictator Sulla in the 1st century BC. He gutted its buildings and tore down the surrounding trees to build his siege engines. The area in which it was once located is a public park today, containing some ruins, and so no, unfortunately, it’s no longer standing. However, maybe it’s not gone forever…

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Should the Military Teach Stoicism?

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 22:18:15 GMT

The philosopher Socrates once asked why all men praise liberty but so many neglect to acquire self-discipline. Without the virtue of temperance, he reasoned, none of us can truly become wise or free, as we’re bound to be misled and enslaved by our own passions. It was the Stoic school of philosophy, though, founded a century after Socrates’ death, which turned this simple insight into a whole way of life. Socrates taught that in order to attain wisdom, we must free ourselves from violent passions, such as greed and anger.

Today, although we cherish our freedoms more than ever, we’ve largely forgotten that they’re meaningless without the strength of character to make use of them well. For Stoics, the uncomplaining endurance required in Greek military training provided an obvious means of learning discipline. Perhaps for that reason, many of the greatest philosophers of antiquity were soldiers.

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Announcing Stoicon-x Military

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 00:07:13 GMT

Tickets are now available for the forthcoming Stoicon-x Military conference May 15th. See EventBrite for the initial program details – more speakers to be confirmed soon.

EventBrite Listing

Modern Wisdom Podcast

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:24:14 GMT

Marcus Aurelius and the Military Metaphor in Stoicism

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 12:48:46 GMT

In one of the most famous passages of The Meditations, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius writes that everything physical is as transient as a stream rushing past us, everything belonging to the mind is as insubstantial as vapour and deceptive as smoke or mist, and that…

…life is warfare, and a sojourn in foreign land. — Meditations, 2.17

Only one thing can save us from all this confusion: philosophy, the love of wisdom.

He goes on to say many striking things about the philosophy he followed, called Stoicism. However, many scholars have been struck by the oddness of this apparent allusion to his own situation, in a book that’s notoriously vague about time and place.

Indeed, Marcus was literally engaged in warfare, in a foreign land, when he wrote this. Nearby in the text we find the rubric “At Carnuntum”, the name of the Roman legionary fortress in Upper Pannonia where Marcus had stationed himself during the early stages of the First Marcomannic War. (Today Carnuntum is in Austria, near Vienna.)

As emperor, and commander-in-chief, he was responsible for the largest army ever amassed on a Roman frontier, numbering approximately 140,000 men altogether. Throughout his reign, Marcus was engaged in almost constant warfare, following the Parthian invasion of Armenia in 161 CE, and the invasion of the Danube provinces, and northern Italy, by the Marcomanni and their allies in 167 CE. The Meditations is believed to have been written some time between the years 170 and 175 CE, which happen to coincide with the middle and end of the First Marcomannic War. There don’t seem to be direct or explicit references in The Meditations to the war. Nevertheless, there are several curious allusions to military life.

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The Stoicism of George Washington

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 01:00:01 GMT

George Washington, known for his exemplary self-discipline and mental composure, is a figure in whom many see the influence of Stoicism. Unlike some of the other Founding Fathers, he lacked a classical education. Nevertheless, according to Eliot Morison’s The Young Man Washington (1932), Washington was indeed inspired by Stoic philosophy.

Morison attributed Washington’s self-discipline to a philosophy of life acquired in his late teens from his friends the Fairfaxes. The Fairfax family, although devout Christians, drew considerable inspiration from the writings of Plutarch, Marcus Aurelius, and other classical authors influenced by Stoicism. Although there’s no evidence that Washington had studied the writings of ancient Stoics in great depth himself, Morison argues that he clearly absorbed Stoic values, early in his life, from conversations with the Fairfaxes during his frequent visits to their Belvoir estate.

However, Washington had read at least one book on Stoicism, Seneca’s Morals by Way of Abstract (1702) translated by Sir Roger L’Estrange. It contains excerpts from Of Benefits, Of a Happy Life, Of Anger, Of Clemency and twenty-eight of the Epistles. “The mere chapter headings”, Morison says, “are the moral axioms that Washington followed through life.” For example: It is the Part of a Great Mind to despise Injuries.

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Marcus Aurelius in Therapy

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 16:00:56 GMT

The idea of a Roman emperor undergoing a course of psychotherapy probably sounds like historical fiction, right? Well, it’s not. The Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, was famously a lifelong follower of the ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism. Stoic philosophers employed an early form of cognitive psychotherapy, and Marcus had a therapist.

How do we know this? Because he tells us so, right at the beginning of his personal notebook, known to us today as The Meditations. Marcus is looking back on the things he learned from his family and teachers. We know from the Roman histories that the Stoic philosopher and Roman statesman, Junius Rusticus, was his favourite tutor. Speaking of him, Marcus says:

From Rusticus I received the impression that my character required improvement and therapy… — Meditations, 1.7

Indeed, the word Marcus uses here in Greek is therapeia — there’s no question that it means therapy. Indeed, we know that the ancient Stoics, and other philosophers, wrote entire books on the subject of psychopathology and psychotherapy, the cause and cure of emotional problems. One of the most influential was the Therapeutics of Chrysippus, the third head of the Stoic school. Although it’s sadly lost, it’s one of the key influences on a surviving text called On the Diagnosis and Cure of the Soul’s Passions by Galen, the court physician of Marcus Aurelius.

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How Could Socrates Save America?

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 21:17:15 GMT

Socratic Questioning, Stoicism and a Return to Virtue Ethics

Why did an angry mob storm the U.S. Capitol Building on 6th January? Perhaps simply because it seemed to them like the right thing to do. In their own imagination, they were acting quite righteously, and felt completely justified in doing things that looked to the rest of the world like madness, and a form of insurrection.

On hearing the initial news that the building had been breached, the crowd protesting outside cheered loudly. One woman turned to a reporter and said excitedly: “We should all go in, get them, and teach them a lesson.” Indeed, hot tempers can turn many people into budding educationalists. Take moral confusion, stir in self-righteous anger, and what you end up with, though, is a recipe for all sorts of violence.

A few hours earlier, the crowd had been marching along Pennsylvania Avenue, past the statue of Benjamin Franklin that stands outside what’s currently the Trump International Hotel. Ben Franklin’s reflective, philosophical attitude toward his own values stands in contrast to the brash confidence of the angry mob. They believed an outburst of violence would teach their political enemies a lesson. He believed the republic would flourish only if the freedoms secured by The Constitution could be lived with wisdom and virtue. Franklin therefore took the matter of improving his own character extremely seriously.

Read the rest of this article on Medium.

Video: Stoicism and Resilience in the Military

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 11:10:58 GMT

This video from the recent Military Stoicism conference will premiere live on YouTube on 12th January, after which you’ll be able to watch it via the link below. Join us for the premiere for live chat.

Medium: Death, Love, Stoicism

Sun, 20 Dec 2020 16:30:23 GMT

Forget all else, Lucilius, and concentrate your thoughts on this one thing: not to fear the name of death. Through long reflection make death one of your close acquaintances, so that, if the situation arises, you are able even to go out and meet it. — Seneca, On Earthquakes

One day you will die. In many ways, though, death is already present with us throughout life. First, and most obviously, there is the fact that we are, most of us, bereaved several times. We also witness the bereavements suffered by others, and hear about deaths happening all over the world. As children, we learned that animals and plants die — as adults we have already come to know that everything born must die.

Then there is death in another sense: we are, in fact, dying every day. This is not the body to which your mother gave birth, as the Stoic emperor Marcus Aurelius put it. The child dies to become the adolescent. The adolescent dies to become the man. The boy is father to the man but also predeceases him. We die every night when we go to sleep and awaken a different person, although we often barely notice what has been lost in the process.

Third, death is present in our awareness that every thought and act could, for all we know, be cut short. Whatever we begin may, by its nature, insofar as it takes time to complete, be interrupted. We’re always, inescapably, conscious at some level of the utter fragility of our existence. No matter how much we try to ignore it, we know, each moment of our lives, that our life could suddenly stop.

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Giveaway: Win a copy of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 11:54:38 GMT

Goodreads Giveaway. Enter for a chance to win one of ten (10) Kindle ebook copies of HOW TO THINK LIKE A ROMAN EMPEROR: THE STOIC PHILOSOPHY OF MARCUS AURELIUS.

Giveaway dates: Dec 10 – Jan 09, 2021

Countries available: US only.*

Enter Giveaway

* Sorry if you’re outside the US. That’s just how these things work. I do run other offers that are available internationally.

Video: Stoicism and Anger – Animated

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 12:14:16 GMT

Brand new video just released today. I collaborated with animator Mr. Smart to produce this how-to video about Stoicism and coping with anger. Hope you enjoy!

Video: A Modern Guide to Stoicism

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 14:44:57 GMT

This is a pretty cool video. I like the way it was edited, subtitled, etc., and had a lot of fun doing it.

The Delphic Maxims and Philosophy of Apollo

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 02:59:43 GMT

Upon a column once standing at the entrance (pronaos) of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, two famous maxims were inscribed: “Know thyself” (gnothi seauton) and “Nothing in excess” (meden agan).

In Plato’s Protagoras, Socrates claims that the legendary Seven Sages invented these sayings and had them placed at Delphi:

They met together and dedicated in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, as the first-fruits of their wisdom, the far-famed inscriptions, which are in all men’s mouths — “Know thyself”, and “Nothing in excess.”

The god Apollo was the Leader of the Muses, and therefore ultimately responsible for the arts, such as music and oratory. He was also the god especially responsible for the arts of prophecy and healing. In addition to these traditional roles, however, Apollo came to be associated with philosophy. Indeed, Plutarch calls Apollo “that god who is above all things the lover of truth”, and claims that he “is no less philosopher than he is prophet.”

Read the rest of this article on Medium.

Stoicism on the Slo Mo Podcast

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 12:47:11 GMT

Really enjoyed talking with @MGawdat about Stoicism on Slo Mo podcast. I think it’s one of the best podcasts I’ve done for How to Think Like a Roman Emperor!

Donald Robertson (Part 1) – On Stoicism and How to Think Like a Roman Emperor – Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat

Today's guest is Donald Robertson, renowned expert on stoicism.I was looking forward to this chat for a long time, and it does not disappoint. Stoics are mainly concerned with their wisdom and their character, and therefore process events that happen to them according to the effect of the event on their wisdom and character, first and foremost. This is an extremely powerful tool for dealing with life's hardships, including the pandemic.Donald is a writer, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and trainer. He’s a specialist in teaching evidence-based psychological skills, and known as an expert on the relationship between modern psychotherapy (CBT) and classical Greek and Roman philosophy. His therapy practice specialized for many years in helping clients with social anxiety and self-confidence issues. He is also the author of six books and many articles on philosophy, psychotherapy, and psychological skills training. His latest book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius was #1 best seller in philosophy, and he's also edited and written the introduction to Capstone Classics' new edition of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.In Part 1, we discuss:What is stoicism?How stoicism deals with anger and our blind spotsDo people do wrong because they're fundamentally bad?Moral blindness is a more severe disability than physical blindnessRehab and reform those who wrong vs. punishing themLies of omissionThe ideal stoic: someone mainly concerned about their wisdom or characterHow stoicism is growing in popularity, especially during the pandemicHow Greek tragedies would have been very different with wiser charactersHow blessings can be a curse and curses can be a blessingIs venting emotions healthy, or should we not let them bother us?The difference between grief and pathological depressionThere's nothing anger can do that can't be done better with love and compassionCognitive distancing and the ability to consider multiple perspectivesThe four thoughts of wisdomInstagram: @mo_gawdatFacebook: @mo.gawdat.officialTwitter: @mgawdatLinkedIn: /in/mogawdatConnect with Donald Robertson on Instagram @howtothinklikearomanemperor, Facebook @robertsontraining, on Twitter @DonJRobertson, and on his website, donaldrobertson.nameDon't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Monday and Thursday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy.

Speak to Kai Whiting about Stoicism

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:50:16 GMT

I have applied Stoicism to contemporary and contentious problems (climate change, vegetarianism, immigration, economic inequality) that challenge us in the 21st century.

My unique selling point is that I have combined my philosophical and engineering/applied science expertise, to give readers a more in-depth understanding of the complexity of the problems and their potential solutions from a Stoic perspective. (website)

Quotes from others:

The Stoicism and sustainability lecturer and researcher Kai Whiting’s work centers around applying ancient wisdom to these challenges, how the “life well-lived” translates into something bigger than our personal endeavors – Daily Stoic

“Of the talks I liked this morning, particularly liked the one on “Stoicism and sustainability”. He made a very clear talk. My eldest son is an environmental scientist, I was thinking “I wish he was here” – Stoicon 2018, audience member

“The one that really inspired me is the sustainability [talk]. Stoicism has always been about myself, not necessarily about the wider world… but that’s given me a bit of a different perspective on it” Stoicon 2018, audience member

Topics I Cover

(The brackets are just so you can see, where the expertise comes from)

Kleomenes III and Sphaerus’ Stoic social and land reforms in Sparta (Chapter 7)
Stoicism and progressive education (Chapter 7, academic paper and chapter)
Stoicism and unjust Economic Inequality (Chapter 5)
The contemporary sage (various podcasts)
Stoic God (Chapter 8, various academic papers)
Stoicism and Islam (Chapter 8)
Environment, climate change (various)
Stoicism and politics (chat with Greg Sadler)
Stoicism and immigration (Chapter 6)
Stoicism and fate (Chapter 4, the cylinder and the dog to the cart)

Stories

The story of the REAL connection between Stoicism and Sparta
How Stoicism offers solutions to educators
Stoicism is not indifferent to politics and certain types of activism (Cato, Cicero, Julius Caesar etc)
Stoicism for a better world: The missing component of self-help
The immigration stories in Stoicism (Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus)
Taking Stoicism Beyond the Self: The Power To Change Society

Media Questions

Why do you say that Stoicism is anything but a “dead white man” philosophy?
“Silicon Valley Stoicism” focuses on corporate exploits, but your book says Stoicism is much more community based than that – where have they got it wrong?
You state that self-help shouldn’t be only about the self. Doesn’t that seem like a contradiction in terms?
Stoicism is an ancient philosophy but yet your book talks about climate breakdown, the civil rights movement and economic inequality. How can you say that ancient wisdom has something to say about modern life?
Stoicism and Sparta are often linked by male lifehackers because of a perceived sense of toughness but your book talks about a Spartan Queen and land reforms! Why is the popularity perception and historic reality so different?
In your book, you tell the story of Muslims bridging the gap between themselves and the local English community through the building of an eco-mosque. Why do you say that is a good “Stoic” example? Is Islam and Stoicism the same?
How can Stoicism help us build community and cope with COVID?

Some Podcast/article links

Podcasts

Blog/Magazine Pieces

Contact

Video: The View from Above in Ovid

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 18:10:09 GMT

My friend Lalya Lloyd reading a passage from Ovid’s Metamorphoses in English and Latin.