The Stoic Question: Philosophy and Psychology

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

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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.

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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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In this episode, I speak about Clarity and Wisdom with executive coach, Jim Vaselopulos. Jim is co-host of The Leadership Podcast. We discuss his new book, Clarity: Business Wisdom to Work Less and Achieve More.

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 clarity?

* What's the relationship between wisdom and clarity?

* What are the benefits of having more clarity?

* What gets in the way of clarity?

* How do we get clarity?

* How do we help other people to get more clarity?

Links

* The Leadership Podcast website

* The Leadership Podcast on Apple

* Jim Vaselopulos on LinkedIn

* Clarity: Business Wisdom to Work Less and Achieve More

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In this episode, I speak about Stoicism and Buddhism with Matthew Gindin. Matthew is a former Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition.  He taught meditation practices for 15 years, and has written extensively for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.  He is now the author of the Philosophy As Therapy newsletter on Substack.

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 Matthew became interested in Stoicism and his other philosophical influences, such as Spinoza

* The rise in popularity of Stoicism, e.g., how it appeals to people interested in Buddhism, etc.

* What do you think Stoicism and Buddhism have in common?

* The historical relationship between Stoicism and Buddhism, e.g., communication between ancient eastern and western philosophers

* How Stoics could benefit from learning more about Buddhism 

Links

* Philosophy As TherapySubstack Newsletter

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In this episode, I talk to Ryan A. Bush, author of Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture and the forthcoming Become Who You Are: A New Theory of Self-Esteem, Human Greatness, and the Opposite of Depression. Bonus: Ryan is generously offering listeners two free ebooks from his website, called the Psychitect’s Toolkit and The Book of Self Mastery.

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 Designing the Mind and Psychitecture?

* How Ryan’s background in design influenced his approach to self-improvement

* The main thing Ryan thinks people should learn to stop doing

* The philosophical influences on Ryan’s work

* How Ryan became interested in Stoicism

* How Ryan’s work draws on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)

* The role of metacognition and meditation

* Ryan’s views about anger

* How his new book, Become Who You Are, differs from his previous book

Links

* Instagram

* Facebook  

* Twitter

* Website

* Design the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture

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Elliot Chung, a student at Phillips Academy Andover, interviewed me recently for his new Philosophy for the Modern Mind podcast, and we decided to share our conversation on this podcast as well. We talk in particular about how Stoicism could be of practical benefit to young people, and the challenges they face today.

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.

How to drink like a Roman emperor, if that emperor is Marcus Aurelius. In this episode I explore the relationship between Stoic philosophy and the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, discussing how Stoicism can help those suffering from alcoholism, as well as their friends and families. I spot parallels between the Twelve Step advice and Stoic teachings, and give examples from the life of Marcus Aurelius. I talk about how his wayward brother, and co-emperor, Lucius Verus, was almost certainly an alcoholic. Also, Frank, retired NYPD police officer, shares his experience of combining Stoicism the Twelve Step Program.

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.

The original article is available on Substack, titled How to Drink Like a Roman Emperor.

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 talk with Marc J. Victor, about Stoicism and politics. Marc is an attorney in the US, where he is a certified Criminal Law Specialist, and president of the Attorneys for Freedom law firm. He is also an activist and founder of the Live and Let Live global peace movement.

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

Highlights

* Why Stoicism is attracting more interest today

* Misconceptions

* What is the Live and Let Live Movement?

* What does “live and let live” mean in terms of your philosophy?

* The relationship between Stoicism and the Live and Let Live principle

* How does the movement define aggression?

* Our competence to avoid being victims of exploitation

* Rhetoric, lawyers, and philosophy

* Final question: “How could we better incorporate Stoicism into a political philosophy that could help us achieve global peace?”

Links

* Live and Let Live

* Marc J. Victor

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In this episode, I talk to Robin Waterfield about the life and philosophy of the Greek philosopher, Plato. Robin is a British classicist who has translated many works of Plato, Xenophon, and other Greek writers. He is also the author of several books, including the recently-published Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy, the first full-length modern biography of Plato in English. Robin is also a member of our board of advisors for the Plato’s Academy Centre.

Highlights

* Why is Plato “super-important” today?

* The Socratic Problem — to what extent can we separate Socrates from Plato?

* How eclectic was the early Academy?

* How did Plato differ from the image of Socrates in his dialogues?

* The relationship between Plato and Pythagoreanism

* What advice would Plato give us about dealing with social media?

* Final question: “Why are we born to suffer and die?”

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.

Links

* Plato of Athens, Oxford University Press

* Robin Waterfield’s website

* Plato’s Academy Centre

* Plato's Academy Centre Newsletter

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In this episode, Donald talks with Michael Tremblay. Michael is the co-founder of the Stoa Meditation app and co-host of the Stoa Conversations podcast.  He has a doctorate in philosophy from Queens University in Ontario.  His research has focused on moral education in the Stoics, and philosophy as a way of life.  He’s also a wrestler and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

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 did you become interested in ancient philosophy and why Stoicism rather than Buddhism?

* What is the main thing that we can learn from Epictetus about moral education

* What we can learn from the use of athletic imagery as a metaphor for philosophy in Epictetus and other ancient sources

* Marcus says the “art of living” is more like wrestling than dancing – do you agree?

* The relationship between martial arts, like BJJ, and Stoic askesis

* Could athletic or martial arts training ever conflict with the goals of Stoicism? 

Resources

* Michael on Twitter

* Stoa Meditation on Twitter

* Michael’s Website