Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

In this episode, I’ll be reading a brief excerpt from my new biography, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, which is available as an audiobook as well as in hardback and ebook formats. The book was chosen as an editor’s pick by Barnes and Noble and currently has 4.7 stars on Amazon. You can hear a sample from the studio-recorded audiobook, and read reviews, on Audible. Also see Goodreads for reviews.

* “Given the erratic, not to say murderous, behavior of many of [Marcus’s] predecessors, . . . how did so sterling a character as Marcus come about? That is the subject of Donald J. Robertson’s excellent biographical study.”—Joseph Epstein, National Review

* “Addictively written, this riveting visitation of the fascinating figure of Marcus Aurelius is as comprehensive as it gets, covering everything from his reign to his philosophy.”—“Notes from Your Bookseller,” barnesandnoble.com

* “Eminently readable. . . . A leading light in the modern revival of Stoic philosophy, Robertson directly and elegantly draws out the connections between Marcus’ experiences in the unforgiving crucible of Roman imperial politics and the philosophical ideas he expresses in the Meditations. . . . An invaluable companion to the Meditations itself.”—Peter Juul, Liberal Patriot

* “Few historical figures are as fascinating as Marcus Aurelius, the emperor-philosopher. And few writers have been so effective at bringing his complex life and character to the attention of modern readers as Donald Robertson.”—Massimo Pigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life

* “[Robertson] thoughtfully and readably capture[s] the essence of this great man and his great life. It’s a must read for any aspiring Stoic.”—Ryan Holiday, coauthor of #1 New York Times bestseller The Daily Stoic

* “Robertson has written a very thorough and very readable account of Marcus’s life and the events and people that shaped him. Anyone who wants to understand the author of Meditations should read this book.”—Robin Waterfield, author of Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The Annotated Edition

* “Donald Robertson guides us into the world of a philosopher-emperor whose humility and Stoic teachings fill the pages. We are indebted to Robertson for this wonderful account of the emperor who penned notes to himself while in battle that would be later known as the Meditations and read by millions for philosophical inspiration. Simply spellbinding.”—Nancy Sherman, author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience

* “Robertson’s biography provides a compelling narrative of Marcus’ life, carefully based on the primary sources. He brings out very clearly the life-long significance of Stoicism for Marcus and the interplay between philosophy, politics, and warfare.”—Christopher Gill, author of Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and Its Modern Significance

* “This highly readable biography is the perfect place to begin for anyone who wants to learn more about the man behind the Meditations.”—John Sellars, author of The Pocket Stoic

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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This special episode contains a live recording of my recent talk for Conversations with Modern Stoicism, hosted by Phil Yanov. We were celebrating Marcus Aurelius’ birthday, and I spoke at length about what I think we can learn from ancient Greece about the dangers faced by democracy, and how Socrates and the Stoics could help us. I was speaking live from Athens, the birthplace of democracy. Thanks to Phil Yanov, for providing the audio recording for this podcast episode.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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In this episode, I speak with Mark Tuitert. Mark is an Olympic gold medallist in speed skating. He is the author of a new book called The Stoic Mindset: Living the Ten Principles of Stoicism.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Highlights

* How Mark’s accomplishments in speed skating shaped his life

* How he first become interested in Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius inspire you

* How do you Stoicism helped Mark as an athlete

* What do you think were the key things that helped you deal with your own anger?

* What do you think the relationship is between the sporting or Olympic mindset and the Stoic mindset?

* What’s your favorite exercise from the book and why?

* How do you feel about the experience of being in Athens and visiting the home of philosophy?

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In this episode, I speak with Anthony Magnabosco a founder and the current Executive Director of the nonprofit Street Epistemology International, an educational organization that is committed to addressing dysfunction in public and private discourse by encouraging rationality through civil conversation. Anthony has been involved with Street Epistemology since 2013, and has given dozens of talks and workshops at conferences and events domestically and internationally. Many of his conversations have been uploaded to YouTube and demonstrate how Street Epistemology can be applied to a variety of claims including ones that are spiritual, political, or societal.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Highlights

* What is Street Epistemology?

* What have you learned from your experience of using Street Epistemology?

* How do you think it relates to the original Socratic Method? 

* How might it relate to psychotherapy? 

* Do you think Street Epistemology has any therapeutic potential?

* What do you think of variations of Street Epistemology like Hidden Claim or the Spectrum SE we see Peter Boghossian doing?

* What do you think the future holds for the method? 

Links

* Street Epistemology website

* Anthony Magnabosco YouTube

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In this episode, I speak with Colin Elliott, Associate Chair in the Department of History at Indiana University.  He describes himself as an economic and social historian with an interest in money, disease and ecology in the ancient Roman world. His latest book, Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World was released on 6th Feb, the same day as my Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. It is currently Amazon’s #1 New Release in Communicable Diseases.  Colin is also the host of the Pax Romana Podcast.

Highlights

* What was the Antonine Plague?

* What are our main sources of information on the plague?

* What does Galen have to tell us?

* Can we tell anything at all about the plague or its impact from Marcus’ comments in the Meditations?

* How do you think the plague may have been viewed from a religious perspective?  To what extent would it have been interpreted as a punishment from the gods?

* What do you think the social consequences were?

* What do you think the effect of the plague may have been on Rome’s military capability at the time?

* Are there any parallels that can be drawn between Marcus’ pandemic and our own?

* How might Marcus’ reign have gone differently, or how might Rome have fared better, if the plague had never happened?

Links

* Indiana University Staff Profile

* Pox Romana on Amazon

* Pox Romana at Princeton University Press

* The Pax Romana podcast  

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

In this episode, I read an exclusive excerpt from my latest book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, published by Yale University Press, as part of the Ancient Lives Series. The book is a philosophical biography of the Roman emperor, which contains many references to the Meditations and how his philosophy shaped his life. You can help it reach a wider audience by pre-ordering now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other bookseller.

While the First Marcomannic War was raging, Marcus Aurelius, surrounded by death and betrayal, found consolation in writing his famous notes “to himself” on Stoic philosophy. He also made a solemn vow. If he survived long enough, he would go on pilgrimage to Athens and join the supplicants being initiated in the Temple of Demeter at nearby Eleusis. Hadrian had tried to bring the Eleusinian Mysteries to Rome, but their mystique was rooted in the Greek temple’s ancient site.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

NEW: My publisher, Yale University Press, has generously agreed to offer a whopping 30% discount to you, my Substack Subscribers, when you pre-order my new book Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. Simply click the pre-order button and at the checkout enter the coupon code Y24AURELIUS to claim 30% off. This offer is valid now, and until February 5th, 2024. (NB: Offer only available to orders placed on the Yale website for delivery to the US or Canada.)

Praise from other Authors

“Few historical figures are as fascinating as Marcus Aurelius, the emperor-philosopher. And few writers have been so effective at bringing his complex life and character to the attention of modern readers as Donald Robertson.”—Massimo Pigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life“Robertson has written a very thorough and very readable account of Marcus’s life and the events and people that shaped him. Anyone who wants to understand the author of Meditations should read this book.”—Robin Waterfield, author of Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The Annotated Edition“Donald Robertson guides us into the world of a philosopher-emperor whose humility and Stoic teachings fill the pages. We are indebted to Robertson for this wonderful account of the emperor who penned notes to himself while in battle that would be later known as the Meditations and read by millions for philosophical inspiration. Simply spellbinding.”—Nancy Sherman, author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience“This highly readable biography is the perfect place to begin for anyone who wants to learn more about the man behind the Meditations.”—John Sellars, author of The Pocket Stoic“Robertson’s biography provides a compelling narrative of Marcus’ life, carefully based on the primary sources. He brings out very clearly the life-long significance of Stoicism for Marcus and the interplay between philosophy, politics, and warfare.”—Christopher Gill, author of Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and Its Modern Significance

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

In this episode, I briefly discuss what Marcus Aurelius said about masculinity, and how it might differ from what some modern self-improvement influencers say, despite their claims to be influenced by Stoicism.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Highlights

* The resurgence of Stoicism and the manosphere

* Stoic philosophy versus being “stoic”

* Marcus Aurelius’ enemies accused him of being unmanly

* Marcus’ mother and father’s influence

* The influence of Emperor Antoninus Pius

* What Marcus says about manliness and anger

* Marcus sums up manliness in one of his favourite slogans: “Upright, not set upright.”

Links

* Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor

* Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

* How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

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In this episode, I speak with Brian Johnson, the Founder & CEO of Heroic Public Benefit Corporation. Brian is the author of a new book called Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential.

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Highlights

* What Brian’s new book Arete is about

* How Brian has been influenced by Stoicism

* What is “Targeted Thinking” – can you explain to listeners what you mean by that and why it’s so important?

* You talk quite a bit about wisdom.  I like to ask different people how they would define what they mean by the word wisdom.

* You talk in the book about being a parent – what do you think the main things to bear in mind are when trying to be a role model or offer guidance to our children?

* How can we avoid becoming victims of our own anger?   

* How people can find out more about what Brian is doing through Heroic 

Links

* Arete: Activate your Heroic Potential

* Order the Book on Amazon

* YouTube Channel

* Linkedin

* Instagram

* Facebook

* Twitter/X

* Podcast

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

In this episode, I read an exclusive excerpt from my latest book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, published by Yale University Press, as part of the Ancient Lives Series. The book is a philosophical biography of the Roman emperor, which contains many references to the Meditations and how his philosophy shaped his life. You can help it reach a wider audience by pre-ordering now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other bookseller.

Marcus Aurelius did not have a heart of stone. When the news was brought to him that one of his most beloved tutors had died, the young Caesar was distraught, and tears poured down his cheeks—he may perhaps have started to beat his chest and tear his clothes in grief. Palace servants, afraid his reputation would be harmed by such a public display of raw emotion, rushed to his side, trying to restrain him. His adoptive father, the emperor Antoninus Pius, a thoughtful and gentle man, gestured for them to step aside. He whispered, “Let him be only a man for once; for neither philosophy nor empire takes away natural feeling.”

Praise from other Authors

“Few historical figures are as fascinating as Marcus Aurelius, the emperor-philosopher. And few writers have been so effective at bringing his complex life and character to the attention of modern readers as Donald Robertson.”—Massimo Pigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life“Robertson has written a very thorough and very readable account of Marcus’s life and the events and people that shaped him. Anyone who wants to understand the author of Meditations should read this book.”—Robin Waterfield, author of Marcus Aurelius, Meditations: The Annotated Edition“Donald Robertson guides us into the world of a philosopher-emperor whose humility and Stoic teachings fill the pages. We are indebted to Robertson for this wonderful account of the emperor who penned notes to himself while in battle that would be later known as the Meditations and read by millions for philosophical inspiration. Simply spellbinding.”—Nancy Sherman, author of Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience“This highly readable biography is the perfect place to begin for anyone who wants to learn more about the man behind the Meditations.”—John Sellars, author of The Pocket Stoic“Robertson’s biography provides a compelling narrative of Marcus’ life, carefully based on the primary sources. He brings out very clearly the life-long significance of Stoicism for Marcus and the interplay between philosophy, politics, and warfare.”—Christopher Gill, author of Learning to Live Naturally: Stoic Ethics and Its Modern Significance

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

In this episode, I speak about Socrates with Armand D'Angour, professor of classics at Oxford University. He is the translator of How to Innovate: An Ancient Guide to Creative Thinking (2021) and the author of Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher (2020), among other works.

Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.

Highlights

* Why should we care about Socrates today?

* How reliable are our sources regarding Socrates?

* What was Socrates like as a young man?

* How do you imagine his relationship with Pericles and Aspasia?

* Why did Socrates love Alcibiades so much? 

* Did Socrates have a mental illness?

* Why was Socrates executed?

Links

* Armand D’Angour’s website

* Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher

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