Epictetus’ “Enchiridion” Summarized
The Enchiridion is an important philosophical work by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. The word “enchiridion” means “handbook” or “manual”, and it was put together by Epictetus’ student Arrian, who frequently listened and recorded Epictetus’ lectures. This manual is very short in terms of its pages, but it is…
Epictetus’ “Discourses” Summarized
The major compilation of Epictetus’ teaching is the four-volume work (it was originally an eight-volume work, but half was lost to history) that is called Discourses. Besides Discourses, Epictetus had one more work called the Handbook or Enchiridion, which was actually a collection of his teachings that had…
The Best Translations of Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations”
We all want to have an enjoyable reading of ancient philosophical texts, but there are many different translations that can vary in content and tone. For this reason, I will offer some of the better or more varied translations of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Enjoying a good book that…
Why do I Need Philosophy for Life?
This is a question that most students ask in high school – I would know because I am a philosophy professor and this question comes up all the time. However, the question is a legitimate one, especially because philosophy is the oldest of all the sciences. Regarding metaphysics,…
Stoicism vs Asceticism
Stoicism is often misinterpreted for the lifestyle of asceticism. In this article, we will pay close attention to the differences between Stoicism and asceticism to disprove this comparison. The relationship between Stoicism and asceticism is problematic. First of all, Stoicism is a philosophy and asceticism is a form…
Stoicism vs Epicureanism
Stoicism and Epicureanism were two major philosophical schools in the Hellenistic-Roman period. Both were very influential, although they differed on many topics, which we will discuss today. Stoicism and Epicureanism were two influential schools of thought that were founded in the Hellenistic period and developed further during the…
Stoicism in the Eyes of Socrates
Socrates’ philosophy influenced Stoicism in many ways, although they would not have agreed on everything. We will take a look at the topics Socrates and Stoic philosophies would agree and disagree on. Socrates’ influence had deep roots in the foundation of Stoic philosophy. Zeno of Citium, the founder…
The Stoic Notion of World Fire
The world fire may be one of the lesser known Stoic cosmological theories, but it can help us to understand how Stoics perceived the universe and our place in it. World fire is a major cosmological notion in Stoic philosophy. It was developed in the early period of…
How Does a Stoic Deal with Rejection?
Rejections are often unpleasant and hard to bear, leading many of us to react poorly to rejection or to even fear it. In this article, we will discuss a few teachings from Stoic philosophers on how to deal with rejections. Being rejected often causes negative feelings that can…
What is “Premeditatio Malorum”?
Life is full of surprises that can affect us strongly and emotionally. These surprises can trigger both positive or negative responses; however, the impact of negative reactions can be devastating for our existence. We are often caught unprepared and only have time to reflect with a cool head…